There was a commercial festival in Central Sakura
（http://machinowa.info/）
to promote local businesses.
My friend from high school days plays a major role in it.
I wanted to go there and say hi to him.
But just going there wouldn't be fun.
So I decided to run to the event barefoot to surprise him.
My home and the event venue are 10 K apart.
But the run was comfortable,
except that in the last couple of kilometers
blisters developed here and there in the right sole,
but I reached the goal
before they ruptured.
I enjoyed having a pop called "Hokuso Cider" sold at this office.
It hit the spot especially after a long run under the sun.
I enjoyed having a fun talk with my friend.
It took me 52:54 to cover approximately 10 K today.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
Jogging Shoes: Necessary or Not Necessary.
Jogging shoes.
Are they necessary or not?
In my opinion, they are both necessary and not necessary.
It depends on the situation.
For example,
as urban fashion items,
they can be extremely handy.
Compared with regular dress shoes,
jogging shoes are rich in colors and comfortable.
Also, they give you that casual relaxed look.
On the other hand,
as athletic items, they are important items for many,
and not so important for some.
For many runners who are used to landing on their heel
when running
the cushioning in their running shoes provides comfortable assistance.
Without them, they can injure their feet as well as other parts of their body.
For runners who have strong feet and legs,
they may be unnecessary.
In fact, I saw many runners who were not wearing shoes
when I ran Kasumigaura Marathon.
Most of them had very thick calves and looked strong.
For these barefoot runners,
shoes are extra weights and simply unnecessary.
The rubber sole on jogging shoes may give them protection
from injury,
but that too won't be necessary
if the pavement is smooth,
or if you are running on soft grass.
To conclude,
jogging shoes are both necessary and not necessary,
depending on your situation.
As for me, I often enjoy running barefoot,
and wear shoes when I run on wood tips to avoid injury,
and also when my feet are a bit fatigued.
Are they necessary or not?
In my opinion, they are both necessary and not necessary.
It depends on the situation.
For example,
as urban fashion items,
they can be extremely handy.
Compared with regular dress shoes,
jogging shoes are rich in colors and comfortable.
Also, they give you that casual relaxed look.
On the other hand,
as athletic items, they are important items for many,
and not so important for some.
For many runners who are used to landing on their heel
when running
the cushioning in their running shoes provides comfortable assistance.
Without them, they can injure their feet as well as other parts of their body.
For runners who have strong feet and legs,
they may be unnecessary.
In fact, I saw many runners who were not wearing shoes
when I ran Kasumigaura Marathon.
Most of them had very thick calves and looked strong.
For these barefoot runners,
shoes are extra weights and simply unnecessary.
The rubber sole on jogging shoes may give them protection
from injury,
but that too won't be necessary
if the pavement is smooth,
or if you are running on soft grass.
To conclude,
jogging shoes are both necessary and not necessary,
depending on your situation.
As for me, I often enjoy running barefoot,
and wear shoes when I run on wood tips to avoid injury,
and also when my feet are a bit fatigued.
June 4 Morning Short Run: How Saturday Morning is Special for me
The Saturday morning is the sleepiest moment in my weekly cycle.
I finish work at 9:45 p.m. on Friday night,
and start work at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
There aren't many hours in between.
With a slight shortage of sleep, plus being the end of a week,
I feel slightly fatigued on Saturday mornings.
I usually do not try to push myself when feeling tired.
So this morning as well,
instead of going right barefoot,
which is the style I am increasingly becoming hooked on,
I put my feet into regular jogging shoes,
and ran inside the park,
instead of running around the park on a concrete road.
There is a track in the park,
and it is filled with wood chips.
Every morning it is filled many people,
mainly the elderly,
who enjoy walking.
They almost always walk counter-clockwise.
I almost always run clock-wise to see their faces
and smile at them when I pass them.
This morning I only ran 1.34 K in 7:00,
which is equivalent to a 5:08/K pace.
Much slower than my regular under 5:00 pace,
but that's OK.
Saturday morning is a very important moment for me.
It marks the beginning of the last working day of the week.
I want to start is comfortably.
I will make up for the insufficient distance coverage,
as well as the absence of training on the previous night
(I skipped my running training on the previous night
because I had a slight stomachache
from having too many nuts!!)
after finishing all the work for the week and feeling freed!
I finish work at 9:45 p.m. on Friday night,
and start work at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
There aren't many hours in between.
With a slight shortage of sleep, plus being the end of a week,
I feel slightly fatigued on Saturday mornings.
I usually do not try to push myself when feeling tired.
So this morning as well,
instead of going right barefoot,
which is the style I am increasingly becoming hooked on,
I put my feet into regular jogging shoes,
and ran inside the park,
instead of running around the park on a concrete road.
There is a track in the park,
and it is filled with wood chips.
Every morning it is filled many people,
mainly the elderly,
who enjoy walking.
They almost always walk counter-clockwise.
I almost always run clock-wise to see their faces
and smile at them when I pass them.
This morning I only ran 1.34 K in 7:00,
which is equivalent to a 5:08/K pace.
Much slower than my regular under 5:00 pace,
but that's OK.
Saturday morning is a very important moment for me.
It marks the beginning of the last working day of the week.
I want to start is comfortably.
I will make up for the insufficient distance coverage,
as well as the absence of training on the previous night
(I skipped my running training on the previous night
because I had a slight stomachache
from having too many nuts!!)
after finishing all the work for the week and feeling freed!
Thursday, June 2, 2016
June 3 Morning 2.5 K Run & Body Weight Workout
I ran 2. 5 this morning as always
in my new (but quickly getting worn out) five finger shoes.
The weather between rainy days during the rainy season is so beautiful.
It's so beautiful that even those who usually have zero interest in workout
will feel like getting out and and moving their body on a day like today.
Anyhow, I ran the distance in 12:13,
which is equivalent to a 4:53/K pace.
After coming home from the run,
I did some body weight training.
It only takes between three and four minutes.
No equipment is needed except for a towel.
And you can do it if you have a little open space
on the street.
For more info. please check out the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4FIYn0Xs5s
One exercise is invisible because of a bad angle
in my video shooting,
but I am doing an exercise called "Swimmers"
where you lie on your stomach and move your arms
like you do breast stroke in swimming,
making sure your hands don't touch the ground.
It's good for your back and the back of your shoulders.
in my new (but quickly getting worn out) five finger shoes.
The weather between rainy days during the rainy season is so beautiful.
It's so beautiful that even those who usually have zero interest in workout
will feel like getting out and and moving their body on a day like today.
Anyhow, I ran the distance in 12:13,
which is equivalent to a 4:53/K pace.
After coming home from the run,
I did some body weight training.
It only takes between three and four minutes.
No equipment is needed except for a towel.
And you can do it if you have a little open space
on the street.
For more info. please check out the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4FIYn0Xs5s
One exercise is invisible because of a bad angle
in my video shooting,
but I am doing an exercise called "Swimmers"
where you lie on your stomach and move your arms
like you do breast stroke in swimming,
making sure your hands don't touch the ground.
It's good for your back and the back of your shoulders.
June 2 Midnight Weighted 2.5 K Semi-Barefoot Run
I ran 2. 5 K in five-fingers shoes with no cushion.
I ran with a 2 kg weight in each of my hands.
I mentioned the benefit of weighted run in one of my previous posts.
Today I would like to write about another benefit
that I didn't mention before.
That's efficiency of running from.
When you run with weights in your hands,
a small inefficiency in your arm swing can cause extreme discomfort.
Naturally, you adjust your arm swing
so that the discomfort will be minimized,
thus giving your the most efficient arm swing.
Somehow your body remembers that arm swing of yours.
So even when you run without weights,
you automatically run in that form,
thus arriving at a more efficient running from.
When I first learned this benefit,
I thought the same could be said about
private corporations trying to find ways to cut costs
when they struggle financially.
It seems to be a universal truth
that things thrive in adversity,
and regress in peace...
Tonight I ran the distance above in 12:11,
which is equivalent to a 4:52/K pace.
Not bad when you consider the extra 4 kg of weight
that I carried while running.
Hopefully, I will gradually increase the distance of weighted running.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
June 2 Morning Run and High Intensity Park Cardio
When I woke up this morning,
I was a little tired from the workout from the previous night,
but looking out the window,
it was sunny and the air felt dry.
It's perfect for getting out to sweat.
So I quickly changed into my athletic wear,
and hit the road,
but my legs were heavy,
and so was my body.
So I decided to walk first.
A couple of minutes' walk took me to a nearby park,
which was covered with green grass reflecting the rays of the strong sun
in early summer.
My heart lifted at this sight.
I started jogging, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun
on my arms.
Several minutes later I reached another park
that has a structure made of wood and metal
for kids to play on.
Using part of it, I did lying pull-ups,
and also did jumping knee tucks and pike push-ups
in a open space near the structure.
I spent 4 minutes doing these exercises.
Once done, I hit the road again and carried on with the run.
I covered 2.5 K today in 12:28,
which is equivalent to a 5:00/K pace.
I ran in shoes today, not barefoot,
because the bright colors of the shoes lifted my spirits.
I was a little tired from the workout from the previous night,
but looking out the window,
it was sunny and the air felt dry.
It's perfect for getting out to sweat.
So I quickly changed into my athletic wear,
and hit the road,
but my legs were heavy,
and so was my body.
So I decided to walk first.
A couple of minutes' walk took me to a nearby park,
which was covered with green grass reflecting the rays of the strong sun
in early summer.
My heart lifted at this sight.
I started jogging, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun
on my arms.
Several minutes later I reached another park
that has a structure made of wood and metal
for kids to play on.
Using part of it, I did lying pull-ups,
and also did jumping knee tucks and pike push-ups
in a open space near the structure.
I spent 4 minutes doing these exercises.
Once done, I hit the road again and carried on with the run.
I covered 2.5 K today in 12:28,
which is equivalent to a 5:00/K pace.
I ran in shoes today, not barefoot,
because the bright colors of the shoes lifted my spirits.
June 1 Midnight Weighted 2.5 K Barefoot Run
I ran 2. 5 K without wearing shoes
with a 2 k dumbbell in each hand in 11:57,
which is equivalent to a pace of 4:47 per K.
Not bad.
The purpose of weighted running is to increase resistance.
When you prepare for a race with much undulation,
the best thing to do is to run a course rich in undulation.
But that ideal situation is not always available.
It's especially true with most of the roads available in my neighborhood.
Also when training late at night, you don't want to get too far from home.
One solution is to carry weights to increase resistance.
This way, although you are running a flat road,
you can reproduce a situation where you are running an uphill.
One added bonus is stronger grips, bi-ceps and shoulders.
Last year when I first did this weighted jogging,
I ached all over on the following morning.
But I don't think it will happen tomorrow.
Though it was definitely much less comfortable
than regular running without weight,
I didn't feel too bothered by the weights.
I hope that's because my shoulders and bi-ceps
had fundamentally become much much stronger than before
in terms of endurance.
with a 2 k dumbbell in each hand in 11:57,
which is equivalent to a pace of 4:47 per K.
Not bad.
The purpose of weighted running is to increase resistance.
When you prepare for a race with much undulation,
the best thing to do is to run a course rich in undulation.
But that ideal situation is not always available.
It's especially true with most of the roads available in my neighborhood.
Also when training late at night, you don't want to get too far from home.
One solution is to carry weights to increase resistance.
This way, although you are running a flat road,
you can reproduce a situation where you are running an uphill.
One added bonus is stronger grips, bi-ceps and shoulders.
Last year when I first did this weighted jogging,
I ached all over on the following morning.
But I don't think it will happen tomorrow.
Though it was definitely much less comfortable
than regular running without weight,
I didn't feel too bothered by the weights.
I hope that's because my shoulders and bi-ceps
had fundamentally become much much stronger than before
in terms of endurance.
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