Meniscus Tear Rehab Midnight Barefoot Jog

Oct. 04, 2022

I hit a nearby park after coming home from work past midnight. I ran there in bare feet. I love running a deserted park. Not a single soul was around. There were only crickets chirping in the bush. Those sounds of nature soothe my mind after hours of hard work.

I didn't listen to audio today. I wanted to talk to myself inside. That quiet inner talk is precious at the end of the day. I can review the day's work and preview what I need to do on the following day.

I also thought about my American friend who is a Marine. The following day was his last day in Japan. His service was short-term. But he says he enjoyed his time here, and that someday he wants to return for a longer service. I look forward to it. I met him twice when he visited Tokyo. He is so much fun to be around with. On his second visit, he brought around his buddies. They were fun to be around too. Wild! But fun nonetheless. 

Ever since I signed up for the Ohme 30 K Road Race next February, one-hour jog has been a staple of my weekly training. I don't run as often as I used to because the injured left knee longer time for recovery. But I have learned how to stay fit without running as frequently as before. I compensate my lower running frequency with cycling and body weight workout. I'm still trying to figure out what's best for me. But the whole process is enjoyable. As Confucious said, "If you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life."

11.4 K Barefoot Jog

Mar. 27, 2021

11.4 K: 1:02:06

I went for an easy run for an hour. I ran in bare feet. Nothing gives me a better feeling. It was absolutely awesome. Winter is over. There is no need to worry about frostbite. Legs felt light. A cold feeling of the evening asphalt on the sold is a constant reminder of the physical endurance that I have developed over the last few years. I'm so glad that I didn't give in to the initial discomfort with a barefoot run. Now I feel so free.

An hour jog felt like a breeze, partly because of a good rest, partly because of interval training several days back, and partly because of a few pounds off my body thank to running 33 K with my sub-3 runner friend Ms. Akiko Miyamoto. 

I hope to run again tomorrow night. In bare feet of course. Course and distance haven't been decided. I'll just follow my nose.

Midnight Barefoot Jog

Jan. 6, 2021

11.2 K: 1:06.30

I got out in bare feet and ran for about an hour. The temperature was 2 degrees Celsius when I left home, and had dropped to below zero when I got back. Cold, but it was bearable. 

I ran a new course that I found on Google Map. The road condition was better than I'd expected. I should run it more often. It's 11.2 K, and good for a daily jog. 

After I took a warm shower, I quickly prepared a meal consisting partly of leftovers, but mostly of simple fresh food. I was so hungry I ate like a horse.              

 

New Year's First Run

Jan, 3, 2021

0.9 K: 5:21.09

6.6 K: 35:31.27

3.2 K: 17:56.16

0.9 K: 4:23.21

Rest: 1:07.19

2.5 K: 14:16.81　(without shoes)

Total 14.1 K: 1:18:35

The 97th Hakone Ekiden finished with a dramatic come-from-behind victory by Komazawa University. Seeing all the athletes run to the best of their ability was a major motivation booster. I trained with renewed motivation. 

My target race is on April 18. I have three months to train. My training regimen consists of 4 components: 1) jogging, 2) intervals, 3) tempo run, and 4) LSD.

Today's target it 1) jogging. I had a LSD session on Jan 29. I also did high intensity cardio on New Year's Eve. I ached all over for three days. There was still a lingering discomfort in my glutes, but that was not too bad to keep me from running. 

I Google-mapped a new course and jogged for a little more than 11 K in shoes. Then I took them off to run another 2. 5 K to warm down. The temperature was below zero Celsius, and the soles felt pained from the cold. But it's something I cannot do without if I want to complete the race in April without shoes. 

Tomorrow I hope to do intervals on a hilly course. 

Midnight Barefoot Jog

Dec. 23, 2020

10.8 K: 1:02:25

After coming home from work, I wanted to a short lecture by Brian Tracy. I have an important corporate seminar tomorrow. I wanted to get some useful information from the world-renowned motivational speaker. 

The temperature was -1.9 degrees Celsius when I left home. I had bundled up expect for my feet which had nothing on. 

A minute into the run, I regretted not wearing shoes. It was freezing. My feet were so cold to the point of being painful from the cold. I hoped they would feel numb to the cold, but they remained cold and painful for the next 10 minutes or so. 

Ten minutes on the road, the feet finally got adapted to the freezing temperature and cruel hardness of the concrete road. I kept on going like an automaton. 

In the second half I felt warmed up, finding myself gradually picking up the pace without being aware of it myself at first. I could have gone on for another hour, but I didn't, because anything beyond that could leave me fatigued tomorrow morning. And tomorrow I have an important event where I need lots of energy to influence people. 

Midnight Barefoot Jog & Body Weight Muscle Training

 Dec. 18, 2020

I got out in shoes. But it didn't feel right. So I returned home, kicked the shoes off, and hit the road again. This time it felt right though in no time both feet got numb from the freezing cold. The sky was so cloudless, and the stars were beautiful. The Winter Triangle is always the first one to greet me. It's so majestic. I like it when it looks as though it hadn't moved a bit when I return from an hour-long job. 

************

6.2 K: 34:54.84

Body weight muscle training: 8:20.19

4 sets by [Single-hand push-ups (30 sec) + Slow pull-up (30 sec)]

※15-sec rest between exercises and sets

5:8 K: 32:43.47

Total 12 K: 1:15:58

New Hilly Course

Midnight Barefoot Jog Combined with Body Weight Muscle Training

Nov. 18, 2020

It was warm for the season. I dressed lightly. It's been a while since I last hit the road in bare feet. The course tonight is very poorly-maintained, and not very friendly to a barefooted runner. But nevertheless I went out without shoes, because I wanted to test my endurance. Or to be more precise, the endurance of my soles. 

As expected, much of the out and return course tonight was not comfortable to run on. But this discomfort is exactly what I asked for. Only outside the boundary of your comfort zone can you meet a stronger version of yourself. So I kept telling myself, I lapped the course twice to cover 14 K. 

Though 14 K is more than I usually jog for a daily routine, it didn't feel so long, mainly because the course is rich in undulation and landscape varies significantly along the way. 

Tonight I did some body weight muscle training in a park at the turn point of the our and return course. There are monkey bars there. I did pull-ups and chin-ups to hit lats, forearms, and bi-ceps. There is a significant amount of core engagement while holding a good hanging posture, also. 

I ate like a horse after coming home from training.

3.5 K: 20:27.87

Body weight muscle training: 7:16.08

3.5 K: 20:59.88

3.5 K: 20:29.58

Body weight muscle training: 7:48.16

3.5 K: 20:54.72

Total 14 K: 1:37:56

Sunset Park Barefoot Jog

 Nov. 8, 2020

Woke up a new man after sleeping 10 hours straight. Had a huge breakfast of hotpot with anglerfish I had bought from a local store. It was significantly marked down. 

Watched Japanese chess on NHK later. Defending champion Mr. Fukaura beat Mr. Ayumu Matsuo with 104 moves into the match.  

Studied Spanish for one hour. Then watched "Sleepless in Seattle" for about 30 minutes when the sky started turning orangish from blue. Decided to hit the park for a jog while still warm.          

1st K: 5:23.19

2nd K: 5:25.00

3rd K: 5:30.87

4th K: 5:28.77

5th K: 5:17.88

6th K: 5:13.48

7th K: 5:00.49

Total 7 K: 37:19.68

Made congee with the soup from the hotpot and had it for late lunch. It tasted so good.  Am hoping to go for my second run tonight. 

Midnight Barefoot Jog in the Park

 Oct. 29, 2020

4 K: 20:42.75

I got home at 1:10 A.M. I taught a lecture between 9:00 and 10:30 P.M., left my office at 11:00 P.M., caught the last train home at 11:56 P.M., and an hour train ride finally got me home where I find peace and comfort. 

I got one project finished today, and I found a brief moment of mental peace after a long time. My mind craved for something spiritually up-lifting, so I decided to go for a slow jog while listening to Brian Tracy. 

Brian is a multi-billionaire who started off very poor. He is very well-read, and has a good sense of humor. He quotes many great thinkers from the past, and all of them are gems of wisdom to me. 

Most of the things I listened to while jogging are not completely new information, but nevertheless his speech was extremely motivating, because he enthusiastically emphasizes over and over again some of the most important principles in life that helped him progress from misery and poverty to happiness and wealth. 

His information is mostly practical business advice that everyone can apply the moment they hear it.  My short-term goal for now is to get up tomorrow morning one hour early to write about one thing I learned today from his lecture.

Recent Training: Barefoot Jog & 6 K Tempo Run

Oct. 26, 2020

4 K Barefoot Jog: 21:25.83

Tire Walk 10 sets by 30 seconds with a 15-sec rest between sets: 9:02.79

You raise the tire in the photo over you head and walk for 30 seconds. Rest 15 seconds. Repeat until you hit 10 sets. Easy at first. But it becomes progressively harder as you go through more sets with building lactic acid making it hard to hold the tire above your head. It hits traps and tri-ceps as well as shoulders. 

4 K Barefoot Jog: 21:16.06

*****************************

Oct. 27, 2020

3.1 K Jog: 17:30.44

6 K Tempo Run (Target=4:55/K): 28:00.85 (Average 4:40/K)

3.1 K: Jog: 18:48.25

Total 12.2 K: 1:04:19

Barefoot 15.5 K Jog in the Rain

 Sept. 22, 2020

15.5 K: 1:22:42

During the 4-day weekend I was happily buried with work. I got 4 video-editing projects done, and finished writing syllabuses for two lessons. I finally felt completely free! (though I know the freedom is destined to last until another project comes, which is very soon.) To celebrate this great feeling of freedom I went for a barefoot run in the rain and translated the positive feeling into fitness and endurance.

While running, a car driver shouted from the window of his car, "You idiot! Run on the sidewalk, not on the roadway!" I ignored him in order to avoid an unnecessary conflict. But then as soon as I got home, I went online and discovered that some of the things that I'd so customarily been doing were all WRONG!

For the benefit of those who run for fun, here are the rules and manners that all runners should keep in mind:

1) Where there are a roadway for wheeled vehicles and a sidewalk for pedestrians, runners must run non the sidewalk.

2) Runners should keep RIGHT, not LEFT, just like pedestrians. 

3) When running on a sidewalk, make sure you run near the side, and when you pass a pedestrian, keep a safe distance from the pedestrian. 

4) When running in an area crowded people, you should either slow down or stop running until congestion dissolves. 

Tomorrow is Day 1 of my new running habit. It will be kind of awkward at first to drop my previous habits and take up new ones, but I'll do my best to follow the rules because creating a conflict with car drivers is the last thing I want to do. 

Midnight Barefoot Jog Combined with Park Workout

Aug. 5, 2020

Warm up 600 M: 4:11.06

Park workout (1): 4:35.94

Lying pull-ups=12 reps +10 reps + 8 reps + 6 reps=36 reps

Swing push-ups=12 reps +10 reps + 8 reps + 6 reps=36 reps

2.6 K: 15:43.40

Park workout (1): 4:42.35

Lying pull-ups=30 seconds (27 reps) + 30 seconds (20 reps)

Push-ups=30 seconds (20 reps) + 30 seconds (17 reps)

2.6 K: 15:41.16

Park workout (2): 5:10.91 

Lying pull-ups=12 reps +10 reps + 8 reps + 6 reps=36 reps

Swing push-ups=12 reps +10 reps + 8 reps + 6 reps=36 reps

2.6 K: 18:15.63

Warm down 670 M: 4:04.12

Total 9.07 K: 1:12:24

Midnight Barefoot Jog: 11 K

Jan. 17, 2019
5.1 K: 30:26.91
5.98 K: 33:00.32
Total 11.08 K: 1:03:27

Earlier today news spread across the country that IAAF may change their regulations to ban NIKE's Vaporfly Next%. It's been debated since many former records were smashed by athletes who ran in the NIKE's magic shoes. Some athletes openly attribute their new CRs to the shoes. An official announcement is yet to be made. But other shoe makers that produce carbon-fiber-plated shoes must be worried.

Whatever decisions may be made, fairness of the sport is maintained as long as all runners run under the same regulations. Let's see what decisions will be officially announced.

As for me, IAAF's forthcoming regulation change doesn't make much of a difference, because I'm no professional runner belonging to the association, nor do I run solely for the sake of improving my time. My main athletic goal is to become a stronger version of myself. I do long-distance running, because to me "endurance" is one of the several important components that define "strength". If I improve my time with the aid of high-tech shoes, but if my cardio-vascular capacity and endurance haven't improved, my goal isn't achieved. Because improving my fitness and strength is the priority, not the time.

Anyway, I ran in bare feet tonight, and had a great feeling of satisfaction. The temperature was low, so it was fairly cold. But my soles are pretty much adapted to running on the pavement, so it was almost completely pain-free. Plus, when running barefoot, any imbalance in running form is immediately fed back to you in the form of slight discomfort or pain. So your running form is constantly fine-tuned as you run.                

1-Hour Barefoot Jog

Sept. 26, 2019
11.68 K: 1:01:46

I ran more than 10 K in bare feet after a long time. I didn't run barefoot much before the race on 15th to avoid injury just before the race. After the race my right foot hurt a little. I gave it a rest awhile. When I ran, I put shoes on. Tonight I finally felt reasonably recovered for the first time after the race, so I test-ran without shoe.

The soles were mostly pain-free, and the legs felt a lot lighter than before the race. Overall I feel the stability in my running form, both sagittal and frontal, has increased. I feel more confident about increasing running distance gradually without compromising on the pace. 

Tomorrow I would like to jog in a new pair of aqua shoes, which I'm planning to wear next January when I run the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020 to aim for my PR for the course.

10 K Barefoot Jog

March 5, 2019
5.1 K: 29:49.04
5.1 K: 28:11.41
Total 10.2 K: 58:00.45

I had my first barefoot run after Ohme. I hadn't run barefoot for almost one month, so I was afraid that my soles had softened, but I could feel when I hit the road that they had actually toughened, and they were almost numb to slight roughness on the road.

Weighted One-Hour Barefoot Jog

Jan. 15, 2019
5.1 K: 31:37.24
5.1 K: 30:45.00
Total 10.2 K: 1:02:22

Almost forty eight hours after the 42 K run, I found myself pounding the road again, this time in bare feet, and with a 2 kg dumbbell in each of my hands. When I first did it last week, it was hard. Now it feels less so. I am amazed at the human ability to quickly adapt to increased burden.

I carefully checked my running form so as not to damage my soles. Any injury at this stage of preparation will cause a huge setback. I can't let that happen.

Tomorrow is interval night. I may do 1 K by 15 sets inspired by Eliud Kipchoge. Or I may settle for a more moderate session, like 3 K + 1 K recommended by former ultra marathon world best record holder Mr. Sunada. Or I may do something between the two. I will make my choice depending on my mood.

(In January 2018 I ran my first sub 3:45 marathon in the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon. I ran it in a pair of aqua shoes with zero cushioning. With two kilometers remaining, I took off the shoes, took off from the sub 3:45 pacers, and surged.)

Weighted One-Hour Jog in Bare Feet

 Jan. 12, 2019
5.1 K: 31:12.91
5.1 K: 29:37.88
Total 10.2 K: 1:00:50

Ran an hour in bare feet. Covered 10.2 K in 1:00:50. Carried a 2 kg dumbbell in each hand to increase the challenge. Another challenge came from running the second half faster, though speed wasn't main focus for tonight's training.

The soles are in pretty good condition after the run.

Weighed exactly 60 kg after taking a shower. With an empty stomach might weigh a little less. Felt thirsty so had hot brown tea with no caffeine. Didn't drink alcohol as I learned that alcohol will kill athletic benefit of your training.

Didn't listened to any business lecture while running, because left my IC-recorder in my office. Gotta be more careful.

Sunday I take the TOEIC Test. Later that night I am scheduled to run 25 K.

Final Phase Conditioning Before "Hadano Tanzawa Minase River Half Marathon 2018"

Nov. 26, 2018

Ran for 1:47:55 in bare feet.

Six days to go before Hadano Tanzawa Minase River Half Marathon. My ultimate goal there is to complete the race in bare feet, and to finish under the time set at the Road Race Chikura in September. Speed is not my concern as I renewed my PR for 10 K two weeks ago. But I hadn't run half marathon distance since 12th of this month, so I wanted to run a distance close to that of the race. 

I started off without deciding on how far I was running. Instead I went with the flow, running a number of different courses that I run regularly until I felt I ran enough for the night. I'm not sure how many Ks I ran, but I have a pretty good idea of my running pace; it was between 6:00/K to 6:15/K. So I probably ran around 17 or 18 K. I stopped before I felt burned out, because it would take time to reset your motivation after that.

In addition to getting used to the race distance, I had one other goal tonight: to check my running form to minimize damage to the bare sole. I chose a few new routes on purpose that I had not tried before in order to activate my system to spontaneously adjust to the changing road surface condition. It worked. Thanks to the training tonight, I will not be so stressed by sudden or unexpected changing of road conditions. I will adjust my running form accordingly just as I did in the training tonight.

6 K Barefoot Run

Nov. 2, 2018

3 K: 17:11.48

3 K: 17:20.91

Total 6 K: 34:32.39 

I measured a number of different running courses near my house on Google Map, and discovered a new 3 K loop. I ran it twice in bare feet. Although it looks like a simple loop and easy to run, there is a fairly long stretch shortly after leaving home that has rather rough road surface. Although it's rather uncomfortable to run such a road, the situation is close to the race condition where you never know what to come, I was able to practice choosing to run on a road line with smooth surface, and also carefully absorbing the landing impact by bending my knees where there was no road line and I had no choice but run on the rough surface. 

I will try to run this new 3 K loop often so that my sole will get used to withstanding the discomfort even when the training distance gets increased. 

2.5 K Barefoot Jog

Oct. 31, 2018
2.5 k: 15:00.62

Ran 2.5 k loop starting from home once. Did ten-minute body weight interval training priit to it to hit back, shoulders, and core. Was originally planning to run 10 k, but felt tired, so called it a day after one lap. Yesterday parts of the road were under repair. But they had been fully paved. Running was easier in bare feet.

Below is the link to a slideshow of my first barefoot marathon, Aqua Line Marathon 2018.
https://youtu.be/d-PqyRJfjIM