Fartlek: 5 Sets by 650 M @ 2:36 (4:00/K) Intermixed With a 1-Minute Jog Between Sets

May 29, 2019
Warm Up 3.4 K: 20:00.00
1st 650 M: 2:33.33
Jog 200 M: 1:01.08
2nd 650 M: 2:21.93
Jog 200 M: 1:00.81
3rd 650 M: 2:34.77
Jog 200 M: 1:00.14
4th 650 M: 2:32.24
Jog 200 M: 1:00.94
5th 650 M: 2:32.09
Jog 5 K: 30:03.75
1 K: 3:55.39
Total 13.45 K: 1:10:36.47

A week ago when I first gave a go at 650 M repeats @ 2:36 with a minute's rest between sets, I already failed to achieve the target in the second set, and I had no choice but taking a longer rest to sustain the training. But a week later I was able to run all of five sets under the target. I renewed my confidence in human ability to adapt to a stimulus given.

After the fast run session, I cruised along the 6 K shuttle course above in bare feet as I held my shoes in my hands. It was tremendously refreshing to run without shoes at an easy pace especially after the hard and strenuous speed training.

But with 1 K remaining, I remembered the teaching by late Yoshio Koide, and put on a spurt and kicked to the finish.

I ran the last K well under 4:00. 

Running at a faster pace is becoming less difficult. My next question is, "How often can I repeat it?" And also, "How far can I continue to run at the same pace?" My tentative answer is, "At least one time more." In the next fartlek session I will aim for 6 sets. Same pace. Same rest. 

Double Training: 6 K Barefoot Jog + 3 K Fast Run

April 25, 2019

<Morning>

Tire throw: 15:00

6 K: 36:00

<Midnight> 

3 K: 20:14.80

Rest: 1:00.32

3 K: 12:24.16

Total 12 K

In the morning I ran 6 K (see below) in bare feet after throwing an old tire twenty times both forward and backward in the nearby park.

Later at night, after coming home from work, I hit the road again in rain to do intervals. I jogged 20 minutes for warm up, and ran around the 880 m loop around the park to do intervals of 3K + 2K + 1K. But I got burned out after the first 3 K. I ran it in 12:24. The average pace is 4:08/K. If I run it @ 4:06/K, and can repeat it ten times without a break, then I can run 10 K in forty-one minutes. My PR for the distance is 41:02. I think it's doable. I want to make it this year. 

There hasn't been much speed training for the last couple of months because my main focus was mainly on full marathon, but as the hot season approaches, I would like to a little more speed training than before along side my regular distance-focused training.

  

Final Phase Conditioning: 1 K Interval Training

Oct. 18, 2018

2.5 K Jog: 14:30.88

1 K: 3:56.50

Walk: 1:28.49

2.5 K Jog: 14:07.94

Total 6 K: 34:04.81

Three days to go before Aqua Line Marathon 2018. Again, loosely following the training advice given in a book by ultra marathon former world record holder Mr. Takahiro Sunada, the training scheduled for tonight is interval training. The recommended number of laps is either one or two. I settled for just one lap, because I have a super early start tomorrow that is followed by a seven-hour corporate seminar. I could have skipped my training entirely, hitting the bed to give myself a longer rest, but I chose to do it, because I believed that sticking my original training plan would be a confident booster. And it turned out I was right!

By reducing the amount of warm-up by 25 %, I made the whole training session tonight manageable. When it was over, I was so glad that I didn't skip the training.

While jogging after the fast run, I felt so light, and stress-free. I ran 2.5 K in 14:07.94, and I felt like I could go on forever at that pace. Should I be able to do it in the race, by the way, my projected finish time will be approximately 3:59:18. 

Double Training: Total 19 K

I ran 6 K in bare feet this morning in 37:05.38. I also had a practice run in the evening after coming home from work. Together they made double training.

In the evening session I did intervals. I began with a 20-minute jog as usual. After a brief break of 2:32.14, I started off for the first fast run: 3 K @ 4:30/K pace. Should I be able to keep that pace, I will finish at 13:30. But it took me 14:08.69. It means I ran each K at an average pace of 4:42/K. It's far slower than what I aimed at. It's probably because I controlled the pace too much, because last time I did intervals, I did the first 3 K run too fast, and ran out of gas in the middle of the following 2 K run. I didn't want that to happen again. So I tried to save the energy to survive throughout the entire three runs. And I ended up saving too much.

But thanks to the slightly slow pace in the 3 K run, the following 2 K run after a short break for one minute was good. I ran it in 8:54.85 while the target was 9:00.00.

The last ran was 1 K. And although the minimum target is 4:30/K, I'm supposed to kick if I can, trying to go beyond my limit. But as soon as I set off, my legs were heavy due to building lactic acid. I wanted to cry with frustration, but I grit my teeth and carried on, and in the last stretch leading to the finish, I kicked, taking wider strides than before to increase the pace. My watch said 4:14.19 when I finished. At least I came under 4:30. I was glad I didn't give up.

After taking a short break for 2:14.40, I jogged for 20 more minutes to warm down.

So I ran 6 K in the morning, and in the evening jogged 3.5 K, ran 6 K fast (intervals), and jogged 3.5 K after that. So the total distance has reached 19 K today. Not bad.

Tomorrow I will jog for an hour or so if I'm in a mood. If I feel fatigued, I will do some stretching and skip running training to save energy for the weekend.

Thursday Intervals: 3 K + 2 K + 1 K

Thursday night is interval night. Today I did something I had never done before: 3 K + 2 K + 1 K. The biggest challenge, of course, is that you need to keep the target pace of 4:30/K three times without taking a rest after each K. Also, after running the first 3 K, you move onto the next 2 K run with only an interval of one minute, not any longer than when you run 1 K six times with a rest of one minute between laps. Finally, you try to run the last K as fast as you can, instead of just trying to finish under 4:30.

I began with a 20-minute jog in MUTEKI, minimalist split-toe shoes by Kineya. Then after a short rest I began the intervals around the 880 M loop, and the 650 M loop inside the larger one. The laps are shown below:
3 K: 13:46.55
Active Rest: 1:00.13
2 K: 8:56.88
Active Rest: 1:00.24
1 K: 4:16.57
Total 6 K: 32:10.76

In the first 3 K run I fell short of the 4:30 target by almost 5 seconds for each K. But that's expected. It was my first time. My body wasn't used to the challenge. But the second run, which was 2 K, was good. I came under the target of 9:00.00. The last run, which is 1 K, was even better. I came almost 14 seconds within the target. Someday I hope to come under 4:00.00 after doing the first two runs in longer distances.

After the intervals, I took off the shoes and jogged barefoot for twenty minutes. It was the most refreshing and pleasant part of tonight's training session. Nothing can beat the overwhelmingly liberating feeling of running without shoes.

Thursday Night Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K

Thursday night is an interval night. I jogged for 20 minutes in split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI to warm up, and after that went to a nearby park to do intervals around a 880 M loop around the park and an adjacent block. The target lap is 4:30/K. The interval is 1 minute. The results are shown below:

Jog: 20:00.00

1st: 4:15.56

Jog: 1:00.26

2nd: 4:15.42

Jog: 1:00.10

3rd: 4:18.79

Jog: 1:00.18

4th: 4:22.99

Jog: 1:00.01

5th: 4:18.22

Jog: 59.99

6th: 4:11.95

Walk: 3:47.84

Jog: 20:00.00

Total 13.4 K: 1:14:30

Tomorrow I hope to jog for an hour or so if I'm in a mood. If I don't feel recovered, I will take a rest and recoup for a long run on the weekend.  

Thursday Night Intervals: 1 K by 7 Sets

Thursday night is interval night. I got straight home after work without stopping by the Ohedo sushi restaurant. As soon as I got home I changed into my running gear. Tonight I put on a pair of Baretrek. They are minimalist running shoes made by Tesla with little cushioning. They are designed for Westerners' feet, and very narrow. They are a bit tight for me, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

I began my training tonight with a 20-minute jog to warm up. I ran very slowly mainly to check my running form. When it's done, I took a brief water break and walked to a 880 M loop around the park near my house. I run around it once and run extra 120 M to cover 1 K. The target time for each lap is 4:30. I then jog back to the starting point. The interval between laps is one minute. I did it seven sets. That is one set more than usual. I finished under 4:30 in all seven sets. In the last one I finished under 4:00. The details is shown below:

Warm Up: 20:00.00
Interval: 4:00.00
1st lap: 4:17.35
Interval: 1:00.10
2nd lap: 4:22.41
Interval: 1:00.16
3rd lap: 4:23.60
Interval: 1:00.13
4th lap: 4:21.48
Interval: 1:00.21
5th lap: 4:25.17
Interval: 1:00.11
6th lap: 4:22.35
Interval: 1:00.33
7th lap: 3:51.51
Interval: 4:00.70
Warm Down: 20:09.49
Total: 14.7 K: 1:20:00

Tomorrow night I will jog for one hour in bare feet. On Saturday I will give myself a rest. And on Sunday I'll have a go at a 25 K pace run at 4:55/K pace in bare feet.

Intervals: 1 K by 6 Sets

Thursday is interval day. So I was planning to go home early to hit the road. But then I got new reading assignment from Boss, so I worked extra one hour. By the time I got home, I felt stressed out, and wasn't in a mood for running. But knowing motivation only rises from action, I threw my feet into MUTEKI, my minimalist split-toe sock-like shoes, and slowly started jogging. After jogging for twenty minutes, I felt warmed up. So I decided to do what I was originally scheduled to do: 1 K by 6 sets intervals with one-minute jogging between sets. The result of the training tonight is shown below:

Jog: 20:00.56
Rest: 5:28.58
1st K: 4:33.19
Jog: 1:00.14
2nd K: 4:17.87
Jog: 1:00.07
3rd K: 4:18.92
Jog: 1:00.17
4th K: 4:26.27
Jog: 1:00.31
5th K: 4:24.80
Jog: 1:00.24
6th K: 4:28.07
Rest: 2:00.11
Jog: 20:00.61
Total 13.6 K: 1:18.59

I was still sore from muscle training I did yesterday and this morning. Much of the nutrition seems taken away to fix micro tears in the muscles targeted in the training. I didn't feel that my legs were sufficiently fueled as I went through the sets. Hopefully, I'll have fully recovered by the weekend so that I can do a long run either on Sunday or Monday.

Intervals: 1 K by 6 Sets @ 4:30/K Preceded by a 20-Minute Run @ 4:55/K

I did intervals after coming home from work: 1 K by 6 sets @ 4:30/K pace. I ran for 20 minutes to warm up at sub 3.5 marathon pace of 4:55/K. I got back home after that to take a pee break. About seven minutes after the warm up run, I went to the park near my house and used a 650 M quarter-pie-shaped course around the park to do the intervals. My butt was sore from doing leg lunges two days before, and my condition wasn't good. I almost gave up after the third lap. But I decided to stick to my original target of 6. I was going to jog for another 20 minutes to warm down. But when I finished the 6th lap, I was totally burned out, so I called it a day. After taking a shower, I felt like a new man. The result of the intervals is shown below:
1st lap: 4:14.62 
Rest: 1:00.28
2nd lap: 4:39.64
Rest: 1:00.33
3rd lap: 4:33.32
Rest: 1:00.28
4th lap: 4:37.77
Rest: 1:00.13
5th lap: 4:23.76
Rest: 1:00.14

6th lap: 4:27.28

I ran 6 K in the morning. I jogged 4 K before the intervals. And I ran 6 K in the intervals. So today's total running distance is 16 K. Not bad.

Intervals: 1 K by 7 Sets Preceded and Followed by a 20-Minute Jog

Last night I didn't feel like running presumably because I was still a bit sore from upper body muscle training I had done two mornings before. Tonight I finally fully recovered from the fatigue, so I decided to do intervals instead of the regular 6 K run usually scheduled on Wed. night.

I ran 20 minutes at 4:50/K pace. It's a lot faster than my usual pace of the short run before the intervals.  I had a bite of some sponge cake once I got back home, had some water, and walked to the nearby park where I always do intervals. The target pace was 4:30/K. The interval was one minute. Keeping the right pace and keeping the interval short are both important, but my mind was more on improving the bio-mechanical efficiency of my running from. The laps tonight are shown below:
1st lap: 4:17.46
Jog: 1:00.34
2nd lap: 4:23.49
Jog: 59.97
3rd lap: 4:31.29
Jog: 1:00.13
4th lap: 4:20.77
Jog: 1:00.12
5th lap: 4:21.49
Jog: 1:00.21
6th lap: 4:21.01
Jog: 1:59.98
7th lap: 3:57.15

Ever since I started doing intervals with a one-minute rest, I had been doing only 6 laps, but tonight I did an extra lap with a two-minute rest before it, because I wanted to run at a faster pace at least one lap. I finished slightly under 4:00. I was out of breath, but felt good.

The warm-down jog after the intervals was begun after resting for 6:45.47. I ran at a brisk pace, but slightly slower than the pre-interval one. But this one I ran barefoot. The sole was a bit sore after doing the intervals, but it only helped me become more careful with my running form. With nothing to protect the sole, any instance of inefficiency inevitably resulted in discomfort or pain. Tonight I think I did a pretty good job of avoiding both discomfort and pain. I feel like I'm slowly but surely mastering the art of barefoot running.

Intervals: 6 Sets by I K @ 4:30/K Pace With 20-Minute Jog Before and After It

I did intervals tonight. They are usually scheduled on Thursday night. It was Thursday yesterday, but I went out for a drink at night because it was the night before a hour-day holiday, so I skipped running training. Today I made up for it. The result is shown below:
1st Set: 4:26.17
Jog: 1:00.17
2nd Set: 4:25.23
Jog: 1:00.18
3rd Set: 4:28.90
Jog: 1:00.21
4th Set: 4:23.19
Jog: 1:00.24
5th Set: 4:26.25
Jog: 1:00.30
6th Set: 4:31.53
Total: 31:42.37

I ran in split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI. 

I jogged 20 minutes before and after the intervals to warm up and warm down respectively.  

I also did high intensity cardio using an old car tire in the afternoon tonight.

https://youtu.be/oWNq6Jf27RM