Year-End Interval Training

Dec.28,2023

Today is the first day of winter vacation. I am looking forward to starting the new year with a clear mind and in perfect physical condition by balancing both what I want to do and what I should do. What I wanted to do on the first day was this interval training. This is "what I want to do. But it is also one of the "things I should do" considering that physical condition is essential to my job as an English teacher. Super important as such.

In fact, I had planned to conduct it last night. But I was so sleepy that I could not get out of the futon where I was taking a nap before the training. And the morning came. As it turned out, it was a good thing. Sleepiness is the heavenly voice that says, "Go to sleep. You must listen.

When I woke up after 10 hours of sleep. It was already "noon," not morning. I changed into my running gear and started running. The town was serene, and I felt that it was a suitable environment for hard training, where you had to talk to yourself a lot in your mind.

I ran 3 kilometers with the goal of running at the pace of 4:55 to 4:30 per kilometer. If I could not maintain this pace, I would have to face my "weal self," which would hurt my self-esteem. On the other hand, if I exceed the target pace, I can feel the benefits of my training and motivation goes up. So, when I look at the time of the first kilometer, I am very nervous. But, to my surprise, the clock read 4:07. I thought I was running 4:30 or thereabout, so I felt confident that this was definitely the result of last weekend's 25km hill tempo run. However, it was a little too fast. I had to control my pace a little because I would burn out before completing the 6km. After that, I continued to train steadily until the last kilometer. The high pace of the first 1km was tooking its toll on me and I started to suffer a lot. However, it was important to "push hard" in the last kilometer. I spurted the last 100 meters, tears welling up in my eyes due to lack of oxygen. It was my third best lap of the day.

Cool Down at the end of the day, as they say, is important. The effect of interval training depends on the run after the training. I heard that LSD after interval training is especially effective, so I finished the practice with a solid 4-km jog.

After practice, I cooled myself my favorite pasta. I fueled my body with protein, minerals, and other essential nutrients.

Tomorrow I have the annual joint practice with my runner friends. We will leave Raffine in Kanda at 9:30. We run the first section of the Hakone Ekiden. It's gonna be fun.

Rainy Summer Midnight Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25 with 1-Minute Rest between Sets

Jul. 8, 2021

Warm Up 3.5 K: 19:31.42
Rest: 1:00.32
1st K: 4:05.80
Rest: 1:00.50
2nd K: 4:13.26
Rest: 1:00.66
3rd K: 4:17.08
Rest: 1:00.56
4th K: 4:32.37 (Ran extra 50 M by mistake)
Rest: 1:00.59
5th K: 4:21.24
Rest: 1:00.74
6th K: 4:20.75
Rest: 1:15.45
Warm Down 3.5 K: 21:40.82
Total 13 K: 1:14:21

It was raining when I got home. But the temperature was way above 20 degrees Celsius. It's almost too hot for a run if it was daytime, and if it was sunny. But with drizzling rain it's a perfect condition for an interval session which inevitably raises your body temperature. The rain takes away heat. 

I warmed up for about 20 minutes while listening to "Stay With Me" by Miki Matsubara, who sadly died of cancer when she was still 44. Very good song covered by many across the world. Simple, but very moving melodic movement. I like it a lot. I kept on listening to it during intervals as well. It helped to get my mind off the creeping discomfort of building lactic acid and increasingly difficult breathing. Power of music.  

Midnight Intervals: Remaining 2 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Jun. 10, 2021

Warm up 3.4 K: 20:06.43

Rest: 30.54

<Intervals: 2 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25>

1st K: 4:20.48

Rest: 1:00.45

2nd K: 4:14.39

Rest: 1:00.42

Warm down: 20:25.20

Total 8.8 K: 51:37.91

I finished yet another important project. It's a big load off my shoulder. I was able to focus on running without worrying about approaching deadlines. . 

I started off with some warm up, which had been significantly shortened on the previous night due to a slight exhaustion resulting partly from a hectic schedule and partly from a chronic shortage of sleep. 

Thanks to a good warm up run, I was able to settle into pace immediately after setting off for the first fast run. 

I continued to feel so light and breathing was easy in the second set. I could have gone from more sets, but since it was already late, and plus I need to recharge my body's batteries by tomorrow morning, I finished with just two fast runs, and wrapped up the training tonight with an easy warm down run for about 20 minutes. 

Tomorrow I hope to jog a hilly course at an easy pace just to relieve tension in legs that is inevitable after a fast run session like the one I did tonight. 

Midnight Intervals

Jun. 9, 2021

Warm up 0.7 K: 5:20.38

<Intervals: 4 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25.00>

1st K: 4:25.64

Rest: 1:00.69

2nd K: 4:16.54

Rest: 1:01.29

3rd K: 4:24.46

Rest: 1:00.75

4th K: 4:18.62

Warm down 0.7 K walk: 8:26.91

Total: 5.4 K: 34:15.28

I wanted to do 6 sets of fast run, but gave up after the 4th set. I'm afraid I'm still not completely recovered from a slight exhaustion after two 2-hour corporate seminars back to back with a brief lunch break on Tuesday. 

Hopefully, I will have been strong enough by tomorrow night. Then I will do the remaining two sets of fast run, and do an easy run before and after the intervals. 

 

Midnight Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25 with 1-Min Rest Between Sets

May 28, 2021

Warm Up 3.6 K: 20:00.82

Rest: 1:00.25

<Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25>

1st K: 4:17.88

Rest: 1:00.62

2nd K: 4:15.87  

Rest: 1:00.26

3rd K: 4:17.25

Rest: 1:00.15

4th K: 4:13.11

Rest: 1:00.63

5th K: 4:25.75

Rest: 1:00.48

6th K: 4:20.50

Warm Down 3.4 K: 21:54.07

Total 13 K: 1:13:47 

It'd been a while since I last did intervals. I felt fit and strong. But I was a little afraid if my aging mind-body could withstand the intensity of the training tonight. 

I warmed up for 20 minutes before doing intervals. I like this twenty minutes. It's 20 minutes of inner talk, talk between my mind and body, so to speak. My mind-body complex concluded that I was nice and fit. More than strong enough to go through all six sets strongly. And I believed it. 

My mind-body judgment was right. I completed all 6 sets under the target of 4:25, except for the 5th, where I was 0.75 second slower. But the margin is negligible. I'm afraid I was a little too bullish in the 4th set. I was going a lot faster than I thought I was, which affected my performance in the following K. 

With the interval session completed fairly satisfactorily, I wrapped up my training tonight with another 20-minute warm down jog. This is another favorite time of mine on interval night. Immediately after the interval session, soreness in the legs is maximum. Breathing is still extremely rough. All I can do is limp at first, barely dragging one leg forward after the other. But slowly the soreness eases off as I run along.  About 5 minutes or so into it, breathing suddenly starts feeling so easy, which makes you feel as if you've got lungs twice as large. I love that moment. You kind of feel omnipotent.

Back home fresh bonito sashimi awaited me. I was so glad that I didn't eat it before the training. I would have spewed it all up if I'd had. With my stomach empty, my body felt so light during intervals. And with an empty stomach, the late night meal tasted so good after the run. 

Midnight Residual Intervals: 3 Sets by I K @ 4:25

Mar. 2nd, 2021

Warm Up 3.4 K: 20:38.90

Rest: 1:00.23

<Intervals>

1st K: 4:12.50

Rest: 1:00.57

2nd K: 4:14.87

Rest: 1:00.68

3rd K: 4:09.64

Rest: 1:00.39

Warm Down 3.2 K: 19:46.37

9.6 K: 57:04.15

I finally completed the remaining 3 sets of a total 6 sets of 1 K fast run originally scheduled last week. It feels great. 

After the 3rd run, I felt a slight tension in the back of my left lung. It could be a muscle surrounding the lung. I am not sure. Over the last few months I've been frequently felt the same discomfort in the same area. It happens after several fast repeats. The discomfort is temporary. It's completely absent when I'm not running. I suspect it's a manifestation of TMS, or tension myositis syndrome. It's our sub-conscious mind's response to a high level of mental stress. Our mind is a highly sophisticated organ. When it is divided between two voices, one saying, "Run faster," and the other saying, "Stop. Take a break," it creates a physical symptom to shift our mind away from facing a painful reality of not being able to listen to both of the two voices at the same time. I'm afraid one part of my mind is too proud to admit that I'm not strong enough complete the hard interval training in one go. Well, maybe I used to, but not any more. Aging is a natural part of life. I'm more open than I used to be to my physical limitations resulting from aging. I guess I need to tell my sub-conscious that it doesn't need to create any physical symptom to make me stop doing training that is way over my head.

Midnight Intervals: 6 Sets by I K @4:25

Jan. 27, 2021

Warm Up 3.5 K: 20:47.66

Rest: 1:00.34

<Intervals>

1st K: 4:19.31

Rest: 59.43

2nd K: 4:14.43

Rest: 1:00.33

3rd K: 4:15.91

Rest: 1:00.55

4th K: 4:18.67

Rest: 1:00.41

5th K: 4:15.17

Rest: 1:00.34

Final K: 4:12.62

Warm Down 3.5 K: 21:22.30

Total 13 K: 1:13:47

Did intervals on a flat course. Running all 6 sets under the target felt easier than it used to feel after training on hilly courses quite a few times. Will get back to training on hilly courses soon. 

Interval Training: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Dec. 4, 2020

Warm Up 3.68 K: 20:54.42

Rest: 45.35

<Intervals>

1st K: 4:19.58

Rest: 1:00.36

2nd K: 4:16.12

Rest: 1:00.38

3rd K: 4:21.56

Rest: 1:00.47

4th K: 4:11.92

Rest: 1:00.33

5th K: 4:20.26

Rest: 1:00.49

6th K: 4:18.10

Warm Down 3.4 K: 20:40.32

Total 13.08 K: 1:13:09

I ran under the target of 4:25/K in all six sets. It feels awesome! It started feeling tough around the 5th set, but up to that point my body felt a lot lighter than before, and breathing was notably easier. I think it owes a lot to the completion of the 10 K tempo run the other day. 

Interval Training: 4 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Nov. 23, 2020

3.4 K Warm Up: 18:11.64

Rest :1:00.30

1st K: 4:17.46

Rest: 1:00.21

2nd K: 4:10.71

Rest: 1:00.38

3rd K: 4:12.94

Rest: 59.57

4th K: 4:10.48

Warm Down 3.4 K: 19:40.45

Total 10.8 K: 58:44.14

One important task of a big project was completed today. Also, I had a good mental rehearsal for an important seminar scheduled for tomorrow. I feel so good. To reward myself for accomplishing two of my top priorities for my day off, I went out for interval training. 

Though my legs were heavy from running at a fast pace the last quarter of the training last night, fatigue slowly went away as I warmed up. 

I finished under my target of 4:25/K in all four sets. I could have done more sets, but I decided not to, because I need to save enough energy for the event tomorrow, where I am going to facilitate a two-and-a-half-hour all English group session. 

Interval Training: 5 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Nov. 4, 2020

Warm Up 3.4 K: 19:58.64

Rest: 30.20

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

<Intervals>

1st K: 4:01.90

Rest: 1:00.36

2nd K: 4:10.48

Rest: 1:00.32

3rd K: 4:11.74

Rest: 1:00.20

4th K: 4:24.05

Rest: 1:00.36

5th K: 4:07.77

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

Warm Down 3.4 K: 20:14.39

Total 11.8 K: 1:05:40

Recent Training: 23 K Jog & Intervals: 7 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Oct. 4, 2020

23.66 K: 2:20:57

I ran with a friend followed by another friend who was on a bike. Together we ran the 5 K loop below 5 times with two brief breaks after 10 K and 15 K. Five by five makes 25, but the Garmin on my friend's wrist said 23.66 K, because in the first lap we missed the small loop inside the park. We realized that while running the 2nd lap, and from that point on ran the entire 5 K distance with each lap. It was a fun ran without any target pace. We went with the flow as we chatted along the way. 

When we finished the last lap, I bought a bottle of sports drink from a vending machine and quenched my thirst. It felt great. After that me and my friends hit a nearby ramen restaurant and enjoyed having lunch together. 

It was drizzling early in the morning, but the sky cleared once we started running, and it remained sunny during our run. All in all, it was a fantastic fun run. I thought I should train with friends more.

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

Oct. 5, 2020

After the long slow run yesterday I had a good rest and ate well to recharge my body's batteries. By the night I felt fully recovered, so I decided to go for some fast runs. It wasn't in the plan. I just followed my instinct. But the training proved fairly good. Two months ago when I got my right foot slightly injured, I figured it was because the target was too high, and also because the transition to the higher target was too soon. 

So tonight I raised the bar of my interval target only by 5 seconds from my previous target of 4:30 when I was aiming to run a sub 3.5 marathon. 

It turned out to be optimal. It felt reasonably challenging, but not painful to the point of being demotivating. 

I will stick to the pace for a while. And I will increase the number of reps to increase the challenge, instead of raising the bar in terms of target time. 

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

Interval Training: 7 sets by 1 K @ 4:25 with 1-minute rest

3.4 K Jog: 19:09.59

Rest: 1:00.31

1st K: 3:56.60

Rest: 1:03.50

2nd K: 4:08.19

Rest: 1:00.31

3rd K: 4:15.54

Rest: 1:00.08

4th K: 4:19.46

Rest: 1:00.17

5th K: 4:20.54

Rest: 1:00.33

6th K: 4:20.94

Rest: 1:00.07

7th K: 4:11.46

Rest: 1:08.30

3.4 K jog: 20:32.86

Total 14.29 K: 1:17:28

Midnight Intervals: 5 Sets by 1 K @ 4:11 + 5 Sets by 400 M

Aug. 9, 2020

It's been a while since I last did intervals. I've been tied up with work, and wasn't able to bring myself to do long intensive training such as intervals. But I got one big project finished this afternoon, and for the first time in the last two weeks I felt truly freed from work-related stress. 

Unfortunately I ran out of gas in the middle of the 6th lap, but instead of quitting, I switched the target distance from 1 K to 400 M, and continued till I hit 5 sets.

Tomorrow I am planning to go to Central Tokyo to run part of the original marathon course of the Tokyo Olympics between Kanda and the New National Stadium Japan in Gaienmae. It's 9.1 K one-way. A round-trip makes 18.2 K. It's going to be a fun recovery from the training tonight. 
*********************

Warm Up 3.3 K: 20:55.58
<Interval Training Part 1: 5 Sets by 1 K @ 4:11 with 1-Minute Active Rest>
Rest: 40.16
1st K: 4:08.67
Active rest: 1:00.16
2nd K: 4:06.69
Active Rest: 1:00.31
3rd K: 4:12.16
Active Rest: 1:00.08
4th K: 4:08.89
Active rest: 1:00.02
5th K: 4:03.44
Active rest: 1:00.16
***************
<Interval Training Part 2: 5 Sets by 500 M with 1.5-Minute Rest>
1st 400 M: 1:43.87
Rest: 1:30.15
2nd 400 M: 1:39.85
Rest: 1:30.18
3rd 400 M: 1:33.73
Rest: 1:29.98
4th 400 M: 1:38.56
Rest: 1:30.17
5th 400 M: 1:38.26
Rest: 1:01.28
****************
Warm down 6.6 K: 44:32.84

Total 17.25 K: 1:47:05

Sports Day Double Training: 6 K Barefoot Jog & Intervals: 7 Sets by 1 K @ 4:10

July 24, 2020 (Sports Day)

The Tokyo Olympic Games were originally supposed to start today. The Japanese government had shifted national holiday Sports Day to today from its original day in October to commemorate the occasion. The event, however, has been postponed until the summer of 2021. People in Japan celebrated the advancement of sports and health without the Olympics. But many TV programs and commercials as well as newspapers featured a good number of Olympians highly respected in the country, and I renewed my hope that the corona pandemic will be under control soon, and that the apex of all athletic events will be held one year from today as scheduled.

◆Afternoon Training◆

6 K: 34:13.06

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

◆ Night Training

Warm Up 600 M: 5:00.43

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

<Intervals: 7 Sets by 1 K @ 4:10>

1st: 4:00.33

Active Rest: 1:00.55

2nd: 4:06.13

Active Rest: 1:00.44

3rd: 4:11.13

Active Rest: 1:00.13

4th: 4:08.58

Active Rest: 1:00.94

5th: 4:09.96

Active Rest: 1:00.28

6th: 4:02.78

Active Rest: 1:00.13

7th: 4:03.09

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

Rest: 1:10.38

Warm Down 6.6 K: 43:51.10 

Sub-Total 14.1 K: 1:24:46

Today's Total 20.1 K: 1:58:59

Midnight Interval Training: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:10

June 5, 2020

I feel I have become a stronger version of myself, because I accomplished something that I would never have dreamed of achieving--running 6 sets of 1 K all under 4:10. It feels great. But it was never easy. My mind was heavy just at the prospect of tremendous discomfort that was inevitable once the training started.

The pressure kept building up while warming up, and as the start area came nearer and nearer, my mind grew heavier and heavier. But all hard training must come to a start. After resting for a minute and a half after warming up, I left for the first set!

Warm Up 3.2 K: 20:00.45

Rest: 1:30.27

As soon as I started off, I regretted starting the whole thing. Why am I doing this? I have an early start tomorrow. I have three 90-minute seminars back to back. I need tons of energy for them. Why should I be burning so many calories that have nothing to do with my immediate work-related priority? All this inner talk, of course, is because of the discomfort resulting from running at the pace far faster than the race pace that I'm used to. My weak side says, "OK. It's just not a good day today. I'll call it a day after this one set."

When I finish it, though, I realized the cause of all this inner negative campaign. I was a lot after that the target pace. While my target was 4:10, my actual lap was 3:55. No wonder it was tough. 

Now that I knew I could ease the pace by almost  15 seconds, I felt like I could go on. 

The second set, though, wasn't as easy as I though it would be, mainly because I was still under the influence of the ridiculously high pace of the first set. But I finished under the target anyway. And this motivated me to go for another. 

Though all of the following sets remained tough, a brief rest after each fast run give me the time to recharge my willpower batteries. About half an hour after I started it, I completed all six sets without giving it up, and to my pleasant surprise all under the target. 

<Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @4:10>

1st: 3:55.30

Rest: 1:00.66

2nd: 4:06.45

Rest: 1:00.01

3rd: 4:06.85

Rest: 1:00.08

4th: 4:06.41

Rest: 1:00.23

5th: 4:02.29

Rest: 1:00.06

6th: 4:00.56

The game was not over, though. To be honest, I wanted to go straight home to hit a shower and crash! But the greatest benefit of interval training does not come directly from the training itself, but rather from the subsequent long slow run. So I dragged my feeble body for another 20 minutes around my neighborhood, feeling tumultuous exhaustion in both of my legs, but at the same time enjoying the breathing that's far easier when running at a pace far more comfortable than during intervals. 

Warm Down 3.2 K: 20:00.90

Total 12.4 K: 1:10:56

Late Night Interval Training with a Mask On: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:10

April 30, 2020
Warm Up 3.5 K: 20:00.08
Rest: 1:00.33
<Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:10>
1st: 3:54.51
Rest: 1:00.29
2nd: 4:03:90
Rest: 1:00.01
3rd: 4:07.96
Rest: 1:00.38
4th: 4:08.64
Rest: 1:00.19
5th: 4:03.88
Rest: 1:00.11
6th: 4:01.13
Rest: 1:00.67
Warm Down 3.5 K: 21:48.39
Total 13 K: 1:13:10 

I did intervals today. It's very important training for me. Without this I cannot achieve my goal in tempo run. If I can't achieve my goal in tempo run, there is no way I can run a sub-3:15 marathon. It is a must-do.

I measured a new 600 M loop near my house and used it as a venue for the challenge. The road condition is fairly good. It's almost completely flat. Traffic is almost non-existent except for one of the three long stretches. It's very good for focused training.

After warming up for 20 minutes, I got right into the first K. The target is 4:10. I ran it under 4 minutes. I thought I should ease the pace a little, otherwise I could burn out quickly.

The 2nd K was over 4 minutes. But I was still 7 seconds under the target. 

In the 3rd K, I relaxed a little, feeling 4:10 was not all that difficult. But I was vigilant at the same time not to slacken the pace too much. I finished at 4:07. Good pace. I tried to stick to this pace, and finished the 4th K only a second out of the lap in the 3rd one.  

But the intensity of the run started taking a toll on my heart. The one-minute rest gradually started feeling not enough. But this was exactly the kind of discomfort that I had to deal with and that I eventually had to get accustomed to. So I pressed on.

Thanks to a little surge in the final stretch, the lap for the 5th K was the second best out of all five. The is the last. I was ready to give it all I'd got.

I did my best to stay relaxed as I ran along, but I could tell the legs were slowly buy surely becoming sore from building lactic acid. I shorten the strides and increased the cadence to reduce energy loss, but the effect was temporary. But when I turned the last corner into the last stretch, I changed the gear and surged toward the finish area. My chin was up though it shouldn't be, and I widened the strides to reach the finish as soon as I could. In the last 20 meters I wasn't even sure if I was breathing or not. But when I saw the time after finish, I suddenly felt  light because it's well under the target, and it meant I ran all 6 sets under my original target. 

I warmed down by jogging for about 20 minutes, with a big satisfied smile on my face. I couldn't believe I did it. But it's true. I did it. Now I cannot wait to see how this will translate into my improved performance in tempo run.

Interval Training: 2 Reps by 2.2 K + 1 K @ 4:15/K Pace with 1-Minute Rest Between Reps

Jan. 30, 2019
Warm Up 4.1 K: 26:23.38
Rest: 1:00.25
<Intervals: 2 Reps by 2.2 K (Target=9:21.00) + 1 K @ 4:15/K Pace with 1-Minute Rest Between Reps>
2.2 K: 9:10.61 
Rest: 1:00.28
2.2 K: 9:15.35
Rest: 1:00.37
1 K: 4:09.38
***********
Rest: 1:00.15
Warm Down 5.5 K: 33:19.97 
Total 15 K: 1:26:19

This marks the first interval training after the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon this past Sunday. The main purpose of the training is to boost my cardio-vascular capacity for the Ohme 30 K Road Race on Feb. 16. I'm aiming to run my first sub-2:24:00 race. To achieve the goal I must run each kilometer @ 4:45. It's 10 seconds faster per K than the pace I hammered out in Tateyama. The distance is shorter. But nevertheless I must repeat that pace 30 times to achieve the goal. It's not gonna be easy. But I want to give it a shot.

I jogged slowly to the Kashiwai Water Treatment Plant where I was going to do fast runs. The smell of chlorine reached my nostrils as I approached the facility. When it happens, I get an adrenaline rush as a Pavlovian reaction. Once I reached the water tap near one of the entrances to the park, I rested for a minute to muster up all of my motivation to face the challenge ahead. One minute quickly evaporated, and I found myself rolling down the street for the first 2.2 K journey. 

I followed a piece of advice I found on Facebook by a former Hakone Ekiden runner, who advises you to go with the flow for the first half of a session, and since it's always the second half that's tough, you pay particular attention there to your form and breathing to hang in there. I stuck to the advice to finish the first 2.2 K run under the target.  

I was out of breath. I didn't remember running the distance at such a fast pace. A mere prospect of repeating it made me sick to my stomach. I thought of giving it up. But then as I reached the end of a minute rest, I felt strong enough to hit the road again. I set off for another rep. 

This time the legs immediately felt heavy due to lactic acid that built during the first fast run. A prospect of a deteriorated time was demotivating. There was only one choice: give up, or face the reality and go on. I went on, asking myself how I would do if the same happened in a race. Should the same happen in a race, the only thing I can do is slow down to recover, and then strike back when recovered. That I did. I made sure I was able to run by 6-beat breathing where you breathe in taking three steps, and breathe out while taking another three steps. It eased the discomfort in the legs as well as breathing. So when I reached the top of a downhill, I surged to make up for the possible time loss in the first half. 

To my surprise I finished under the target in the second session also. The next fast run is only 1 K. Compared with the last two runs, it was less of a challenge. But with even a greater amount of lactic acid that had built in the legs, I wasn't able to kick as hard as I wanted to, so I had no choice but take shorter strides and increase cadence. That worked. I finished 6 seconds under the target. I nailed the target in all three fast runs. I was happy. 

 

The warm down run back home was the most pleasant jog. Breathing felt super easy once freed from the burden of oxygen debt. I felt like I had become a bird. Everything felt light and easy. 

My next speed training is this coming Sunday. I'm scheduled to do 20 K tempo run. I was originally thinking of 4:50/K pace, but it turned out that it's not fast enough to run a sub-2:34:00 race. I must run at 4:45/K. It sounds tough, but I want to give it a try. I'm going to run a hilly 1-K shuttle course. Ten round trips makes 20 K. If I keep the pace, I finish in 2:22:30. That sounds morbidly challenging, especially when there is no cheerer along the road like in a race...But dealing with solitude is part of training, and I kind of enjoy it, so no problem. 

Midnight Intervals: 3 K + 1 K @ 4:30/K Pace

Jan. 15, 2019
Warm Up 3.3 K: 20:43.66
Active Rest 4:40.03
<Intervals>
3 K: 12:34.62
Rest: 2:04.29
1 K: 4:07.26
Warm Down 5.1 K: 30:55.26
Total 12.4 K: 1:15:05

This is the last interval training scheduled before the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020. I listened to "As" by French electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. When I listen to his music while running, I feel like I'm flowing like a river, and it feels easy to keep on running at a brisk pace.

In both of the fast runs I did tonight I came under the target. It's becoming easier for me to keep a fast pace long. 

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow I am going to jog for an hour. Either Saturday night or Sunday morning I am going to do a 10 K tempo run. It is going to be my last speed-focused training session before the race.

Midnight Intervals: 2 Sets by 2.2 K + 1 Set by 1 K

Jan. 6, 2019

Warm Up 4.1 K: 25:03.55
Rest: 1:00.38
<Intervals: Target Pace=4:30/K>
2.2 K: 9:48.13
Rest: 1:00.28
2.2 K: 9:18.26
Rest: 1:00.40
1 K: 4:07.38
******************
Rest: 1:00.39
Warm Down 6.3 K: 40:26.91
Total 15.4 K: 1:32:45

New Year's Interval Training: 2 Sets by 2.5 K + 1 Set by 1 K

Jan. 1, 2020

Happy New Year! Where did you spend the moment the year changed? And how?
I spent it under the starry sky doing interval training! The streets were deserted and I kept them all to myself as I looked up at the beautiful Orion constellation every now and then.

Warm Up 3.16 K: 20:39.25
Rest: 1:00.05
<Intervals>
2.5 K: 11:02.00
Rest: 1:00.38
2.5 K: 10:51.89
Rest: 1:00.23
1 K: 4:13.05
Warm Down 3.21 K: 21:24.21
Total : 1:11:11

I didn't realize it till I took a shower and relaxed that the total training time was 1:11:11! What a coincidence it is that the total training time for the first day of the first month of Year 2020 is 1:11:11. I hope it's a good omen.

1 K @ 4:30 Sandwiched with a 20-Minute Jog

Nov. 28, 2019

Warm up 3.5 K: 20:20.56
Rest: 30.28
1 K Fast Run: 3:59.41
Warm down 3.5 K: 20:52.20
Total 8 K: 45:42.45

With three days until the race, this is the last speed training. I jogged for 20 minutes before a fast K @ 4:30 pace. I ran carefully not to further damage the left calf that had lingering tension. I clocked 3:59.41. I was surprised, because I didn't feel like I was going fast. I even slowed down a little toward the end. And yet I finished under 4 minutes. I guess my cardio has gotten a lot stronger from running the Yotsukaido Gas Light 10 K Road Race.             

I was originally planning to do two fast runs, but after the first run, I felt a slight discomfort in the left calf, so I switched to jogging. As I jogged carefully so that stress on the calf would be minimum.

After taking a shower, I fueled myself  amply, and massaged both calves thoroughly. Hopefully, they will have been pain-free by tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow if I can get up early enough, I may go for a walk for 20 minutes and do some park work out. If I don't, I'll just run for 30 minutes or so, and the last stage of tapering before the race will be over.