Training for Kyoho no Oka Marathon

 Aug. 17, 2023

I've been training for the 39th Kyono no Oka 18.3 K Road Race. It's scheduled for Sept. 17. The training has been good overall. But it's been a bit irregular due to a number of factors. First, the extraordinary heat of this summer was too exhausting. I often chose rest over training. Secondly, I had an issue with my left hip joint in early August. I stopped running altogether and switched to cycling temporarily.  Also, I had my summer vacation from the 10 to the 17. I gave priority to other things. 

Thanks to the temporary break from running training, the hip joint is much better now. On the night of the 16, I went for a short run to see how my legs would respond. The response was good enough. I didn't feel any pain. So I am going to start my running training again. There is only one month left. Any injury after this point can be unrecoverable. I need to train carefully. I should not push too hard. The hip joint issue mentioned earlier occurred several days after I did significantly long runs. I didn't take baby steps. I suddenly increased my training distance from 10 K to 20 K. I wasn't patient. I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it. Well, I DID prove that I could do it. But with a price. And that is a price I wouldn't have had to pay if I had been more sensible.

Well, a lesson has been learned. I will be wiser in the remaining time till the race day comes.

My recent sessions are good examples. I was careful not to overdo it. The one on the night of the 16 was brief and easy. I chose the out-and-back 6 K course near my house. With 1 K remaining, I felt strong, so I added an extra route to run 8.7 K. I kept my pace in check. I adjusted my stride and cadence when running up hills. I went barefooted just to see how my soles would respond. They got slightly sore, but not too badly. They've been spoiled quite a bit after weeks of shoe-clad training.

The following night I went out for exercise again. This time I mainly walked. After a barefoot run, I wanted to rest my once-injured/now-basically-recovered left knee. But at the same time, I didn't want to give it a full rest. I'm sure my knee is better than that. A good long walk is my solution. However, a walk alone doesn't satisfy me completely. Its intensity is low. There is little challenge in terms of resistance either. So I took a route that allowed me to visit parks where I could do body weight muscle exercises like pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, and push-ups, using iron bars and swings. This enabled me to significantly increase the total number of calories burned in the session. They help me build the core strength needed to keep a good running posture. 

Twenty-four hours have passed since the walk and park workout training session on the night of the 17, I feel my chest a bit sore. (Which is good. It's a sign that there were micro tears.) But that is a condition that doesn't affect running.  So I am going to hit the road soon. It's cool outside now compared with a few nights ago. The mere prospect of being alone on the road thrills me. I love that awesome feeling of keeping the entire road all to myself in the still of the night in the pitch dark.  

Meniscus Tear Rehab Midnight Barefoot Jog on Grass / 半月板損傷リハビリ芝生裸足走

Oct. 14, 2022

It was originally cycling day. But I canceled it and made it run day. For a couple of reasons. One, I was bushed from a late-night lecture. Two, I had an early start on the following morning. A quick run, I thought, was better. 

What I like about running is its simplicity. You throw yourself into running gear, and off you go. No maintenance costs whatsoever for mechanical gear. Shoe-clad runner will have to buy shoes every once in a while. And shoes these days are quite dear. But barefoot runners have no need to do that. All you need is yourself, shorts, and a shirt. 

The midnight grass of the park was wet and pleasantly cold on the sole. It buffers landing impact, unlike asphalt roads. The park was deserted, except that there was a lonely man cuddling his dog. It was whining in his arms. It sounded as if knowing its owner's loneliness and sharing his pain. 

Because I called it a day before feeling exhausted, I had a good night's sleep and woke up afresh the following morning. 

 

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."

Meniscus Tear Rehab Midnight Barefoot Jog on Grass / 半月板損傷リハビリ芝生裸足走

Sept. 28, 2022

I love working out after work. I know for some people evening is time for relaxation. I can totally relate to that. It's only that I get off work at 10 p.m., and because of the nature of my work, which is teaching, it is not easy to immediately hit the bed after work. My mind is racing quite a bit. It takes a couple of hours for it to calm down. 

There are different ways to achieve the goal of calming yourself down before going to bed. Some may do breathing. Others read a book till their eyes get heavy. I do both every now and then. But my favorite is going for a jog. That steady rhythm of landing soothes my mind. 
 

But I have a small problem when I run at night. Though I run mainly for relaxing myself, I often listen to audio while running because I want to get the most out of the running time. 

It has both benefits and downsides. One benefit is reinforcing useful information. For example, last night I got to hear a very motivating statement by Marie Forleo that says, "Fail is faithful attempt in learning." Wow! Isn't that awesome? It's immediately applicable to my daily teaching. Many students try something, and end up failing and feeling bad about it. From now on, I can tell them that it is not the end of the world. In fact, it is the start of your ongoing learning journey!!

But once that info. is registered as important, naturally, your brain will stay busy sorting it out for a while after you climb into bed. Naturally, it takes a while for you to fall asleep. In other words, it is against my hope to immediately fall asleep when I go to bed after late night jog.

I'm still wondering what to do with this double bind. I may consolidate all my input effort in the morning while saving my late-night hours strictly for emptying my mind if such a thing ever exists.

Meniscus Tear Rehab Midnight 10 K Jog in Minimalist Shoes

Sept. 15, 2022

5.1 K: 31:42.25

5.1 K: 29:51.04

Total 10.2 K: 1:01:33

I hit the road after work. My glutes, hamstrings, and adductors were a bit sore from weighted leg lunges on the previous afternoon, but I guessed that as long as I kept an easy pace, it would not bother me.

In fact, it did bother me slightly at first. But as I kept on running, the initial discomfort gradually became negligible. And about 45 minutes into it, there was a significant rush of some kind of natural pain-killer, be it β-endorphin or dopamine, I felt numb to all sorts of discomfort and soreness, and from that point on, I just kept on going like a locomotive.   

After I got home, I took a quick shower, and had a light meal consisting of tofu, natto, and brown rice. After the meal, as I was writing this blog post, I was engulfed with deep satisfaction. Can't wait to run again....

Meniscus Tear Rehab 1-Hour Barefoot Jog on Grass

Sept. 10, 2022

1st K: 5:54.56

2nd K: 5:38.49

3rd K: 5:42.46

4th K: 5:43.58

5th K: 5:36.83

6th K: 5:22.86

7th K: 5:29.11

8th K: 5:22.08

9th K: 5:20.13

10th K: 5:19.24

11th K: 4:48.15

Total 11 K: 1:00:11

 

I hit a nearby park after getting off work and jogged on grass for an hour in bare feet. It was another pain-free running session. I take it as proof of steady recovery. 

The late afternoon park was filled with active visitors of all ages. A group of teenagers were playing soccer. Parents were having fun with their small son or daughter with a ball. Middle-aged runners were lapping the track, some at a brisk pace, others at an easy one. Groups of elderly women were going round and round as they enjoyed chatting with one another. With the warm early autumnal sun pouring over all of us, it looked like a typical late Saturday afternoon at the park. And I was one of these many locals that constitute this peaceful view.

On reaching the park, I took off my flip-flops and started running with them in my hands. I dropped them off on a speaker's platform stationed near the exit to the parking lot. After that I lapped the track again and again as I listened to a You Tube lecture by Paul Roetzer about AI, one of a number of subject matters that I want to delve into these days. It is informative in that it gives you basic knowledge of what AI is and what it can do. There are some examples to illustrate how AI works. So it is a good introduction to the technology, especially to someone like me who is a relative novice on the topic. 

While running, I simultaneously listened to the audio, and thought about my knee and what it would be capable of doing down the road. From time to time, I had this iffy feeling creeping up around the injured area. My heart sank, afraid that I might have to take a long break from running again. My spirit lifted, though, when the iffy feeling evaporated as I moderated the pace and adjusted the form. 

Thirty minutes into running, I asked myself, "Shall we call it a day? Or do you think it's OK to go on?" The iffy feeling had long gone. I felt slightly exhausted, but I thought I could cope with that if I slowed down. On I went. 

It's funny, though, that once I decided to go on, the slight hesitation that I had left before making that decision seemed to transform itself into some kind of fuel. What I mean is, though I decided to go on, on the condition that I would slow down, the pace did not change so much. And the slight feeling of exhaustion almost seemed non-existent from the start! 

I was checking my lap time each time I ran 1 K. But I lost count about 45 minutes into running. My Timex has recall function, so I checked how many Ks I had already run. It showed I was in the middle of the 8th K. I decided to run at least 10 K, and then was going to decide whether or not to go for an extra K to make it a solid one-hour session. 

When I finally covered 10 K, my Timex said 55 minutes something. Another K would make it a one-hour session. At this moment, I slowed down and tried to enjoy warming down. But when I ran the first half of the remaining K, I could not control the burning desire to pick up the pace, especially when I saw the blazing late afternoon sun shining on me, I injected the pace in the remaining few hundred meters, of course without taking wider strides because that could kill injured knee, but by increasing cadence while keeping the strides small.

The watch said 4:48 for the last K. And I was pain-free. Another mission accomplished. 

I look forward to seeing how my knee will feel tomorrow morning. Hopefully, just a little soreness and Baker's cyst just slightly more swollen. But that's it. I hope.  I do not care so much about Baker's cyst because it does not hamper anything of my daily behavior. It is just a visual abnormality, plus my body's natural attempt to heal the part of body that worked very hard. We all work hard sometimes. So do some body parts. And we all recover when we rest well. And so will body parts. Human body is resilient