Midnight 10 K Hill Tempo Run in Vibram Five Fingers

Jan. 9, 2020

500 M: 3:32.76

10 K: 46:32.36 (Target=45:50)

1.55 K: 11:07.83

12.05 K: 1:01.12 

Life is a series of ups and downs. So is my running course tonight. The tempo run last night was quite a disappointment, because I fell far short of the target time of 45:50. I pat myself on the shoulder, saying, "Don't be too hard on yourself. The course is insanely hilly, and the target is challenging." But another side of me keeps saying, "I'm better than that."

So, just to prove how much better I can be, I ran the same course as last night, aiming to run faster.

The result is I slashed the time by almost 3 minutes. How did I do it? I surged on downhills. That's the only way I could slash time I thought. Increasing the pace on upward inclines will only take a toll on your legs and lungs. You'll end up paying the price later. That doesn't mean I slacked off while going up. I just focused on running economy, minimizing energy loss.

I kicked in the last 800 meters or so, imagining I was running the last K of the famous Ohme 30 K Road Race with a wall of spectators on either side of the street. 

When I pressed my Ironman sports watch and saw what it said on the display, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was only 42 second behind the target! What an improvement from the previous night. I'm so glad I gave it another try. Though I didn't hit the target tonight, it now seems more achievable than yesterday. Amazing to see how one can make such a big change overnight. It's not that I suddenly became a fast runner. I'd had the potential already yesterday. I simply hadn't figured out yet how to tap it. Now I know. So, things will only get better. 

Midnight 10 K HIll Tempo Run in MUTEKI

 Jan. 8, 2021

460 M: 3:20.94

10 K: 49:20.42 (Target=45:50.00)

900 M: 7:15.91

Total 11.36 K: 59:57.27

I did a tempo run for the first time in a long time. It's one of the training sessions that I find most challenging. But for that reason, benefit is enormous. After you do a tempo run, interval training feels easier. And when interval training is completed well, a tempo run feels easier. It's kind of cyclical, each reinforcing the other. 

I tried not to press on too hard at the beginning as the first half was rich in undulation.(See the map above.)  I increased the pace once the course became flat. I surged in the last K.

Yet when I completed it, time was a lot worse that I'd thought. I was far from the target. My heart sank. But I said to myself, "I'm better than this."

Tomorrow I will do the same training again. My goal is to run it faster. 

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.              

 

One-Hour Recovery Run

Jan. 5, 2020

5.1 K: 31:18.14

5.1 K: 31:18.14

Total 10.2 K: 1:02:36.28

Jogged at an easy pace to alleviate tension in the legs resulting from interval training on the previous night. It worked. A warm shower after the run felt like heaven.

New Year's First Hill Interval Training

Jan 4, 2021

Warm Up 3.2 K: 18:54.28

3.08 K Fast Run: 13:46.64 (Target=13:15.00)

Rest: 1:00.26

1 K Jog: 6:42.75

Rest: 1:00.30

1.1 K Fast Run: 4:33.07

Rest: 1:00.43

1.1 K Jog: 7:26.43

Rest: 10:00.29

1.1 K Fast Run: 4:33.34

Rest: 1:00.56

1.1 K Fast Run: 4:46.36

Rest: 40.60

Warm Down 3.6 K: 24:12.48

Total  15.28 K: 1:30:37

I have no energy left to write anything about the training tonight, except that after the first 3 K fast run I felt like puking. But when I completed the training, took a warm shower and filled my stomach with home-made curry, I felt like hovering on a cloud.

Expressive Writing

Jan 4, 2021

I read an interesting article about benefits of keeping a journal in a stressful modern life. It's called "expressive writing". It's highly recommended by many counselors for two reasons:

1) It can help boost physical and mental health and improve memory.

2) It can lead to a new way of viewing a problem.

Experts caution, though, against viewing journal keeping as a quick fix to a bad problem. According to an article entitled "Expressive writing for mental health" first published in July, 2011, and cited on Harvard Health Publishing, some people felt worse after writing about their traumatic experiences than before. The writer of the article advises us to wait at least one or two months after your traumatic events before writing about them. 

I found the second article extremely useful, because prior to reading it, I had thought expressive writing was effective without exception. But the truth of the matter is that it isn't. 

From now on, when I have some bad experience, I will write about it a couple of months after its occurrence. 

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.