20 K Tempo Run in MUTEKI

March 1, 2020
Warm Up: 5:14.01
<20 K Tempo Run: Target 12:17 for each lap>
2.5 K: 11:44.46
2.5 K: 11:48.41
2.5 K: 11:48.23
2.5 K: 12:14.20
2.5 K: 12:31.09
2.5 K: 12:30.27
2.5 K: 12:10.59
2.5 K: 12:16.10
Total 20 K: 1:37:03 (Target=1:38:20)
Warm Down: 5:11.31

I went to see the Tokyo Marathon today. Suguru Osako finished 4th with a new national record of 2:05:29. It was inspiring.

At night I did a 20 K tempo run. It's my first major training session after Ohme. I wasn't sure if I could successfully carry it out. It's highly stressful training. Plus, I hadn't done much training for almost two weeks. But I wanted to know how far I could go anyway.

As I jogged to the start venue, I felt a stinging pain in my knee. For a moment I suspected it might be caused by the stress of the Ohme 30 K Road Race. But the next moment I just shrugged it off, saying to myself, "Well, it's just my sub-conscious saying, 'Don't make it too tough.'" As I look back on it, I think I was right, because once I started running, the pain somehow mysteriously disappeared.

I lapped the 2.5 K loop below.  The target for each lap is 12:17. I ran the first 10 K a little faster than the target. Then in the second half it started becoming increasingly tougher to keep the same pace. I was outside the target two laps in a row. There was a tremendous amount of inner-talk, so to speak, regarding whether or not I should continue. I chose to continue, no matter what a miserable self I would have to be facing.

When the target distance was finally covered, and I found myself well inside the target time, I was glad that I didn't give up.

20 K Hill Tempo Run @ 4:45/K Pace

Feb. 2, 2019
Warm Up 2 K: 12:47.96
Rest: 43.53
20 K Hill Tempo Run: 1:36:09 (Target=1:35:00)
Warm Down 2 K: 17:24.90
Total 24 K: 2:07:05

This training is THE most important training for me before the Ohme 30 K Road Race. It's something I've never done before. I didn't do it because I didn't like it. I didn't like it because I was scared of it. I was scared of it because it seemed difficult. However, I finally made up my mind to do what I was most scared of not just because Mark Twain once advised us to do what we're most afraid of, but also because it's what I should do in order to become a stronger version of myself.

I jogged to the 2 K hilly shuttle course where I was going to do it. I mentally rehearsed the training as I approached the venue. When I got there, I briefly rested not because I needed it physically, but because I needed it psychologically to reset my motivation. 

I started a new lap on my chronograph, and started the countdown timer set at 4:45. It chimes every 4 minutes and 45 seconds. If the alarm goes off after running 1 K, I'm going faster than the target pace. If it goes off before reaching 1 K, I'm behind. This way I can keep track of my pace without looking at my watch and taking the lap at each K. 

I was slightly faster than the target until 13 K. However, between 13 and 14 K I realized keeping the same pace was becoming hard. The first sign of stress was a slight discomfort in the right hamstring. I considered quitting after running 14 K. I slowed down just a little bit to deal with the hamstring issue. It quickly went away. I kept on running, but wasn't as fast as I had been. 

When I finished running 14 K, I didn't hear the alarm, so I looked at the watch. I thought I was still ahead of the target. But the watch had already started counting down from 4:45. In fact, I was nearly 20 seconds behind. I did my best to catch up. But I couldn't...

As each K went by, I was going slower and slower. As I was running the 16 K, I was talking to myself, "Shall we call it a day after this K? If you add 2 K warming up and another 2 K warming down, it's 20 K anyway." That's my Id talking. But my other part of sub-conscious, namely "Super-ego", said, "Do what you should do no matter what." Then finally my "Ego" comes in and goes, "Well, look at it this way. By now you know very well that you're not gonna make it under the target. But! There is a but to it, you know. But! There is always a time when a race doesn't go to plan, and you only have a choice between quitting and going on running. When you do not choose to quit, the only thing that's left for you to do is face your misery. It hurts. But that's life. Life DOES hurt sometimes. And if you keep on running till the end no matter how slow you become, you can still build your mental toughness to deal with the painful encounter with that miserable version of you." ...I listened to my "Ego" and went on.

When I finally covered the entire 20 K, I was a minute and nine seconds behind the target. However, there was an indescribable feeling of achievement. I almost cried with satisfaction...

I grabbed the bottle of water I'd hidden in the bush, and started jogging back the way I'd come before.

Tomorrow I was originally planning to do LSD. But I will rest. I DO need a rest. My legs are already suffering from the new kind of stress that I imposed on them. But one thing is certain. They will be reborn, stronger, after the rest.