12.5 K Run

I ran 12.5 K at night. It was the second session of the double training that I started today. I ran a 2.5 K circular course in my neighborhood 5 times.

Each lap is as follows:
1st 2.5 K: 13:11.46
2nd 2.5 K: 13:10.40
3rd 2.5 K: 13:13.83
4th 2.5 K: 13:29.45
Hydration break: 16.9
5th 2.5 K: 12.08.30
Total 12:5 K: 1:05.24

I wasn't sure how I'd run. But when I did it, it wasn't as hard as I imagined.
One thing I learned is that if you do hard training in the morning, and you run again in the evening, you fatigue earlier than usual; you haven't recovered fully from the previous training. I think it is good because you can simulate the kind of discomfort that you have to deal with in the final phase of a full marathon much sooner than when you run the same distance at night without early morning training. I think I like the double training. I will do it more often.

My next training is this coming Thursday. I am going to do speed training. It's a 50 minute alternate run. You run fast for one minute, and jog for the next one minute, and repeat it 25 times.

2 Hour Run in Central Tokyo

I ran for two hours in Central Tokyo this morning to cover the distance of 24. 6 K.
This is the first part of what I would call double training that I have introduced for the first time.

The purpose of dual training is to increase daily training distance. In the past I would normally train maximum one time in one day. Thirty K was a max. But limiting the number of training session in a day to only once significantly limit monthly millage. So I decided to train twice in one day in order to cover a longer total distance.  For example, if I run 22.5 K in the morning, and another 15 K in the evening, my total distance is 37.5 K, which is well beyond my former daily limit. Of course, running shorter distances twice isn't the same as running 30 K at once. But once I have begun this training, I intend to slowly increase my training distance until I run at least 30 K in one of the two daily sessions. I hope this will improve my endurance beyond that critical distance.

This morning I left my hotel in Nippori shortly before 8:00 a.m. I went through Uguisudani and Shinobazu Park to reach Chuo Street. After that I went south along Chuo Street down to Nihonbashi and took a right to head for the Imperial Palace. Once I reaced the Palace, I ran around the Palace almost twice. It's funny I saw two barefoot runners along the way. One in Shinobazu Park, and the other outside the Palace. I guess more and more runners are begining to realize the benefit of minimizing protection.
https://goo.gl/aqqzlC

Near the end of my second lap around the Palace with one more K remaining, I opted out from the route away into Sukiyabashi eventually to reach Ginza, where I took a left into Chuo Street again, and this time went northbound back to Nippori through Shinobazu Park.
https://goo.gl/QWmMYn

It was such a refreshing experience to run in the morning in Central Tokyo through business people in suits, some looking athletic even in suits, but many of them out of shape and looking already tired even though it's the beginning of a new week.

There were frequent traffic stops at intersections, so when I was finally back at my hotel, it was almost 10:30 a.m. As the checkout time was approaching, I took a warm quick shower. Warm water on my cold and tired body felt great. It was one of the most rewarding moments after a good run.

No sooner had I finished the shower than the checkout time came. I went to Chinese Restarant "Bazoku" near JR Nippori Station, and enjoyed having 'Gomoku Soba'. It was a bit pricey compared with the same kind of dish from other restaurants, but their noodles are home-made, and they are somewhat different from the kind that I am used to eat, so I was quite satisfied. I want to go there again.

My next training is tonight. It's going to be a 15 K run. I have no idea how I will be running it, because I have never run more than 10 K twice in the same day. But I hope I will have recovered by tonight and withstand the new challenge strongly. Because that's my whole purpose: to become a stronger version of myself.

10 K Recovery Run

I just came back from my second training session after the Ohme 30 K Road Race.
Today I doubled the distance from my previous recovery run and ran 10 K.
Tonight I was more aware of my pace than on Wednesday morning.
My target at Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2017 is to finish under 3:45:00.
And I need to keep an 5:20/K pace on the average.
Today's course was a quarter-pie-shaped circular course in my neighborhood,
which is exactly 2.5 K. If I keep the pace above, I should make each lap in 13:30.00. So that was my target for each lap.

Since I wanted to simulate the race, I changed my footwear from my Vibram Five Fingers that I wore this past Wednesday, to MUTEKI again.

Today's result is as follows:

1st 2.5 K: 13:21.96
2nd 2.5 K: 13:22.44 (26:44.40)
3rd 2.5 K: 13:28.88 (40:14.28)
4th 2.5 K: 12:11.17 (52:24.45)
Total 10 K:  52:24.45 

Should I be able to keep this pace for another three times,
I should be able to finish under 3:45:00.
But life is not so easy.
The result of the Ohme race has proved that I CAN up to 30 K.
In fact, I can keep a much faster pace.
But the real challenge always comes after that.
And I am going to slowly build the ability to sustain that pace beyond it.

My next training is next Monday. For the first time in my running training history
I am going to introduce dual training. One in the afternoon, and another at night.
I am planning to run 22.5 K first. And after a good rest and dinner I will have another session. This time the distance is 15 K. So altogether I will be running 37.5 K.

5 K Recovery Run

Three days from the Ohme 30 K Road Race I re-started my training on Wednesday morning. I began with a short slow jog near my house. There is a park with a 500 M track. I ran around it ten times to cover 5 K.
The lap for each K and the split from the second K on are as follows:
1st K: 5:28.04
2nd K: 5:23.82 (10:51.86)
3rd K: 5:31.74 (16:23.60)
4th K: 5:33.93 (21:51.53)
5th K: 5:09.45 (27:06.98)
Total 5 K: 27:06.98

My next training is Thursday night. It's going to be a 10 K recovery run.
I am going to double the distance. The pace will be a little faster than today.
Hopefully somewhere around 5:20/K. It's a sub 3:45:00 pace,
which is my target in the coming full marathon on March 26.

Race Report: Ohme 30 K Road Race 2017

On February 19, Sunday Ohme 30 K Road Race 2017 took place in Ohme City in western Tokyo. I ran the race for the 6th time, and renewed my previous personal best from 2016. I would like to show you how I ran the race below.

https://goo.gl/m7SSt0

The gun went off at 11:30 a.m. under a beautiful blue sky. It was a bit chilly with northern winds, but my arm warmers kept me warm. There was a tremendous congestion around the start line as always as runners slowed down to wave at official guests on the starter's stage. But once they passed it, they slowly picked up the pace. As you see on the course map below, the first 5 Ks are going up. It helps you warm up much earlier than when you run a flat course. I could feel the air warming from the body heat of the runners around me. The passage forward through other runners remained difficult still. But once I passed JR Miyanohira Station, the course started going down, and as some runners picked up the pace using the downward momentum, the crowd started spread apart, making easier than before my passage forward through other runners. 

The section between 5 and 10 K is rich in undulation. I kept a brisk pace of under 5:00/K, but I was also very careful not to increase the pace too much. Between 8 and 9 K there was a long downhill, and I was tempted to accelerate, but didn't, because in the following 5 K (between 10 and 15 K) the upward incline is the largest, so I wanted to save my legs for it.

Shortly past the 10 K mark, a friend of mine awaited me. She is a former runner, and now a member of Japan Association of Athletics Federations. She was there to guide runners as a volunteer. I called her name and waved to her. She yelled some words of encouragement to me. 

Between 10 and 15 K the road gets narrower. Also, runners have to stay on one lane because the other one is exclusively for the returning runners. It was somewhere around 11 or 12 K that I saw the leading group returning from the halfway point. Hakone Ekiden Hero Mr. Daichi Kamino was included. I shouted, "Kamino, kakko ii zo!" (Go, Kamino!) when he went past me like winds with two other runners. 

As more and more runners kept on coming down from halfway, I found myself getting excited with the prospect of reaching the turning point that is 85 M higher in altitude than the start line. I was still careful not to over-exhaust my legs while going up the most challenging phase of the first half. I ran in shorter strides and turned over my legs quicker. This takes a toll on my heart, but less tiring of the legs. 

Near the turning point, the crowds of cheerers suddenly got larger. Most of them came to JR Kawai Station by taking a train from Kabe near the start line. I looked for my cheer leader who had texted me earlier that she would be there to cheer me on. I couldn't see her when I went up, so I thought maybe she didn't reach there before my arrival.In no time a large road sign was in sight ahead high up above the road that said "The Turning Point of the Ohme 30 K Road Race", and there was a large cone right under it in the center of the road. It's the turning point.  The 15 K point is a little bit ahead of it, but it is a psychological turning point so to speak. The upward phase was over, and the rest is primarily downhill.

Soon after I turned around the halfway cone, I crossed the 15 K line. I quickly checked my watch. I was a little less than a minute earlier than last year. I was relieved. My first target was achieved. As I went down, I saw a whole bunch of runners on my right yet to reach the turning point. I saw many faces twisting in grimace... I turned to the right to see the cheering crowd, looking for my cheer leader. I saw one face after another, but they were all stranger. I almost decided that she was not there when I saw a familiar smile among a crowd of waving and clapping cheerers. There she was, smiling and waving to me. I smiled back at her. Though it was brief, it lifted my spirit and I was able to reset my motivation and down the hill I went in top gear. Shortly after I left the cheer leader behind, I grabbed some water at a water station for the first time in the race. I could feel my body was immediately refreshed.   

Although the 15-20 K section is one of the most refreshing parts of the race, because runners are finally freed from the burden of going uphill, and they are able use the momentum of downhill, you do not want to go too fast unless you are an extremely accomplished runner. This is because up ahead awaits a 700 M uphill past the 21.5 K point before JR Futamatao Station. You must save your legs in order to withstand this challenge. Also, by this stage of the race your legs have already significantly fatigued. Plus your cardio is significantly fatigued, so your ability to carry fuel and oxygen to the legs is not the same as in the earlier phases of the race. Fatigue can build and damage can manifest itself much more quickly than you expect. I kept a steady pace and remained focused. I was so focused and only looking right ahead that I didn't notice when I passed my friend who is a volunteer from the Athletics Federation. Luckily she found me and called my name, so I turned around and thanked her for cheering. 

Just before the 20 K mark Sydney Olympics Women's Marathon Gold Medalist Ms. Naoko Takahashi was walking backward to face the returning runners to give them a high five. I gave mine to her as I went past her. She was there last year too. I am always so impressed with her tremendously positive energy and capacity to motivate citizen runners. 

Soon after crossing the 20 K mark, a large bridge was in sight far ahead on the right. It's Ikusabata Ohashi Bridge. My stomach churned slightly at the prospect of the biggest challenge of the race--the 700 M uphill in Futamatao. When I finally reached the mouth of it, I could already see a number of runners walking, and some coming to a complete halt. Some were limping with a sudden cramp in their legs. People call them 'zombies'. I was one quite a lot in some of the previous races. I know the pain and misery of being one. Now I am both strong and skillful enough to avoid it. Again the basic technique is pull your chin down, take shorter strides, and keep your heart rates steady. You never ever want to push too much when you go up. When I finally reached the top of the hill, there was a momentary feeling of accomplishment. Using the momentum of downhill, I accelerated. The second biggest challenge was soon to come. I saw a sign that signaled the approaching of another water station. It was going to be my last hydration for the race. It's going to be a very important one, too, because from this point on there was no official water station. Failure to get enough water here could lead to damaging dehydration. I grabbed a cup and sipped to realize it was sports drink. I didn't like it, so I chucked it, and immediately grabbed another which was water. I had a gulp, and then kept some in the mouth, crashed the cup, and threw it into a trash box. Soon the last major uphill was in sight, not as long nor as steep as the previous one, but yet it presented a big challenge to many runners. Again I pulled my chin and ran in shorter strides, remembering the advice I got from a pace maker when I ran Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2016. He said, "Don't worry about slowing down. But be sure to keep a steady rhythm." JR Miyanohira Station was in sight on the left that marks the end of the uphill. Finally I overcame the two biggest challenges of the race. What's left is 5 K. And it's all downhill. Ahead of me spread a infinitely wide and blue sky which was as cloudless as I was when the gun went off. Down I went a long straight stretch of road leading into downtown Ohme. As I went on, the rural landscape was gradually getting replaced with the lively atmosphere of the commercial district. Both sides of the road were packed with cheerers. The same people who sent me off earlier that day were still there to welcome me in. I was touched. Once I was in downtown Ohme the road became less of a downhill. There was less momentum I could rely on. I collected all of my willpower left in me to maintain the pace. Two more K to go. I pictured the 2.5 K circular course in my neighborhood that I was so used to running day and night, and made believe that I was running it in order to make me feel that it's something that I could manage easily. Soon I found myself passing the last 1 K mark. Stalls were in sight on the right, which clearly signaled that the finish line was near. Suddenly there was a wide open space ahead as runners sharply turn right into the home stretch leading to the finish arch. I kept left on the road to look for my cheer leader who was supposed to have come back from Kawai by train by then. She was there. I raised my right fist to show her how strong I still remained. She said, "MUTEKI, kakko iizo!" ("Go, MUTEKI!) because I was probably the only runner in the race that was running in the split-toe minimalist shoes" 

I raised my fist again to a professional photographer taking photos of all returning runners, and then took a right into the home stretch. It was shining white with a reflection of the sun. There was an even larger wall of cheerers on either side of the road. A large and colorful finish arch was gradually coming nearer and nearer as I put on a last spurt like Rio Olympics Men's Marathon Gold Medalist Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya when he finished the race in Rio, swinging the arms frantically with open palms. A few seconds later I was on the other side of the finish line. I couldn't breathe for a moment, crouching with my hands resting on my knees. It took a while before I finally looked up and saw the cloudless sky above. The race is over. I remember seeing the gross time on the large official clock. It said 2:31:??. Did I do it? Did I renew my PB? Well, it doesn't matter. I completed the race, and I had a good run. I finished strongly. That's most important. https://goo.gl/m7SSt0

My legs were so tense from the final surge. I needed to give them a good massage for about twenty minutes or so. It was about half an hour later that I learned that the official time was available on the Web and that I had renewed my PB. I felt rewarded for all the hard work I put into the prep for the race. I was happy. 

My next race is Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2017 that is held on March 26. It marks the end of my racing season 2016-2017. I will train hard so that I can finish strongly. 

Final Conditioning Session for the Ohme 30 K Road Race: 3 K Pace Run

Two days to go before the Ohme 30 K Road Race.
With no trace of fatigue left in my legs from the 7.5 K build up training this past Wednesday, I am ready to hit the road one last time before the race tonight.
Tonight's training is 3 K pace run.
In this training I do three 1 K repeats with no rest, keeping my half marathon pace of 4:50/K in all three sets. The main purpose is just to stimulate my cardio and leg muscles. At this stage you cannot expect any significant gain in terms of speed nor endurance no matter what you do. Plus, doing too much of anything has a risk of leaving unrecoverable fatigue in your legs, and therefore should be strictly avoided. It's a still night with little wind just like this past Wednesday. I am going to enjoy every step of it.

7.5 K Build Up in Split-Toe Minimalist Shoes "MUTEKI"

On February 15, I did 7.5 K build up training. This training was originally scheduled for Thursday. But I had to work longer than usual on Thursday to cover for a co-worker, so I decided to do it one day ahead of schedule.

Also, originally I was only planning to run 3 K, but increased the distance to 7.5 K because I felt strong enough.

In build up training, you start off at a comfortable pace, and gradually crank up the speed as you go along. This time I ran a 2.5 K course three times. The target for the first lap was 13:32, the second 12:05, and the last 11:15. They are my full marathon, half-marathon, and 10 K pace respectively.

The air was cold, but there was little wind. It was a still midnight. Perfect for a solitary training session.

The first lap went very well, with the time only one second behind schedule. I turned around and started going in the opposite direction. This is something I often do in order to keep the training from tedious. There is certainly a benefit in going the same route over and over again in the same direction. You can easily compare your conditions in different sets at the same point. But the downside is it gets boring precisely because it's too repetitive. Going the course in the opposite direction breaks the tediousness. It also wakes up your natural ability to feel the change in undulation. There is also an added benefit of not losing count easily. When you run a very long distance by doing many repeats of a certain distance, your mind gets blurred as you become tired, and you sometimes lose count if you keep on going the same course in the same direction.

Anyhow, the second lap was also run at a pleasantly crisp pace. Thanks to the easy pace in the first lap, I was reasonably warmed up, but still full of energy. I carefully kept my pace in check, and finished the second lap two second ahead of schedule.

Then came the third lap. This was the most challenging of the three. To run 2.5 K in 11:18, you must keep a 4:30/K pace. This is my average pace for running a 10 K race. I cranked up the pace even more, but was also careful not to run out of energy. I steadily sped up and surged even further in the last 300 meters to finish at 10:49, 26 seconds earlier than the target.

There was almost no pain, major nor minor, in any joint of neither of my legs. I felt good. I felt ever better when I took a warm shower, massaged my legs and hit the bed immediately. There is just one more run left before the race, which is scheduled for Friday night. It's 3 K pace run. Nice and quick just to keep your cardio active and leg muscles responsive.  

Result of 1 K by 13 Sets Hill Interval Training

I wanted to come under 4:10 at least in seven out of the thirteen sets.
The result is I succeeded in eight. That was good.
I also wanted to come under 4:20 in all thirteen sets.
The result is I failed in the 12th. (The real lap for the 8th set is a couple of seconds faster because I failed to stop the watch at finish.)
That I finished under 4:00 in the last set was a pleasant surprise.
I was in complete oxygen debt and my mind was almost blank;
I had no clue how fast I was going. Here are the laps of the entire sets:

1st K: 3:51.88
Rest: 2:00.01
2nd K: 4:08.04
Rest: 2:00.14
3rd K: 4:01.85
Rest: 2:00.24
4th K: 4:08.87
Rest: 2:00.10
5th K: 4:01.90
Rest: 2:00.35
6th K: 4:17.20
Rest: 2:00.35
7th K: 4:00.99
Rest: 2:00.29
8th K: 4:20.96 (stopped the watch a couple of seconds after finish)
Rest: 2:00.32
9th K: 4:15.01
Rest: 2:00.10
10th K: 4:16.74
Rest: 2:00.27
11th K: 4:06.82
Rest: 2:00.27
12th K: 4:21.40
Rest 2:00.25
13th K: 3:58.57
Total 13 K: 1:17:52

All the major training sessions before the Ohme 30 K Road Race are over.
There will be some minor conditioning scheduled for this week,
but it's all less than 3 K and nothing is so intensive.
I would like to eat well and sleep well to condition myself for the race.

Weekend Project：1K by 13 Sets Hill Interval Training

Are you doing anything special this weekend?
I'm doing hill interval training. It's the last of a series of training sessions leading to the Ohme 30 K Road Race next Sunday.
Today I'm doing 13 sets of a 1 K hill repeat. When I say a 1 K hill repeat, I don't mean a 1 K continuous uphill.
It's a long stretch of road that has one long and steep down hill and one longer but less steep one. When you go one way, it's one set. And when you come back the same way, it's another set. When you return, it's one relatively long but not so steep down hill combined with a shorter but far steeper one. The return set is just a little more challenging than the going set. Anyhow, I aim at between 4:00 and 4:20 for each set. Hopefully, I can finish under 4:20 in all of the 13 sets. I also want to come under 4:10 in more than half, namely in at least seven. The training will start around 2:00 p.m. and finish around 3:30 including the time needed to go to the course.

As always I watched one of my most favorite races to lift my spirits. Today's video is the Men's Marathon from the 1960 Olympics in Rome. (https://goo.gl/JTTPjc) Abebe Bikila, my all time marathon hero, won the gold, beating all the other competitors including two Russians who were suspected to be on every possible dope under the sun considering their country's national trait at that time.

Abebe was barefooted. When the gun went off, it was almost before sunset. As the race goes on, the runners are engulfed in twilight, and then eventually in complete darkness, except for flaming torches along the road that show them where the road goes. Occasional electric lights light up some of the Roman remains along the course where countless battles were fought by gladiators in ancient times.

Today I hope to run as strongly as Abebe, not completely barefooted, but in minimalist split-toe running shoes "MUTEKI".

Hill Interval Training: 1 K by 10 Sets

I did interval training after work.

Originally this training session had been scheduled for Thursday night.

But I have got an important dinner scheduled for Thursday night,

so I did it a day ahead of schedule.

Today's interval training was conducted on a course

that's rich in undulation.

https://goo.gl/tmGVbE

The purpose is not so much to develop my ability to endure greater resistance;

but rather to cultivate my ability to adjust my strides to minimize energy loss when going up and down a hill.

The result is as follows:

1st K: 4:03.06

Rest: 2:00.28

2nd K: 4:05.85

Rest: 2:00.11

3rd K: 4:06.23

Rest: 2:00.30

4th K: 4:15.12

Rest: 2:00.30

5th K: 4:12.70

Rest: 2:00.36

6th K: 4:14.50

Rest: 2:00.12

7th K: 4:11.40

Rest: 2:00.51

8th K: 4:21.23

Rest: 2:00.40

9th K: 4:08.49

Rest: 2:00.16

10th K: 4:03.91

Total 10 K: 59:45.03

My next training is this coming Sunday.

I am going to do interval training again, this time 1 K by 13 sets.

I would like to have a good rest to store energy 

to complete the toughest of my entire training regimen.

Yokohama 20 K Run

I had a two-hour running session in Yokohama on Monday morning.

I left my hotel at 9:30 am, and headed south to the Yamashita Park. The streets were crowded with business people going to work. I ran through the crowd in my new orange top and light blue shorts that I had bought a day before. I was frequently stopped by red lights at intersections, but in less than ten minutes I reached the park. 

As soon as I got there, I dropped in at Lawson's to grab something to eat. My stomach was empty, and I was afraid of running out of gas while running without having anything in the stomach.

The park was filled with foreign travelers and locals, young and old, alone and in pairs or groups, some taking pictures of large ships, and others having their pictures taken with those ships in the backdrop. The sky was blue, and the air was crisp. It was a perfect day for a morning run.

                              

I ran to the east end of the park where there were steps leading up to a number of small separate sections with benches and flower gardens. Today no souls were seen there except for an old man doing some mysteriously original stretching, and yet another man checking some of his leg joints as if a mechanic were fixing a broken pair of glasses...

I ran back the same route across the park and get on the bridge leading to the Red Brick Warehouse over the Zou no Hana Park.

When I reached the Red Brick Warehouse, some event was going on. It looked like some kind of strawberry festival. More than a hundred people formed a long queue, waiting to get into an event hall. Later I found out that fresh strawberries from Chiba were to be offered to visitors for free at this event.

I chucked a uey here and headed back where I came from. But instead of going straight back to the Yamashita Park, I took a right into Osanbashi. Osanbashi is an international passenger terminal for those who travel abroad by ferry. The whole building is covered with wooden deck and is perfect for running because it absorbs the shock of landing. It's also good because it's rich in undulation. 

The top of the deck is a lot higher than the sea level, which allows you to command a great view of the surrounding sea. I slowed down a bit and took a few deep breaths to refresh myself. When I finally came back to the Yamashita Park, my watch said 38 minutes from the start. Considering my usual pace, I gathered that I covered about 7 K. I was going to repeat the same lap, but 7 K is slightly shorter than the course I am used to running. So in the second lap, I added some extra distance by going beyond the Red Brick Warehouse to go as far as the Cup Noodles Museum Park.

While running along the coast between the Red Brick Warehouse and the Cup Noodles Museum Park I saw another red brick warehouse. It didn't catch my attention before, but it looked fresh and renovated and some people were doing photo-shooting of a model and a crowd of people were talking cheerfully in a festive mood outside one of the shops. I may want to come here some other time.

I ran around the Cup Noodles Museum and headed back toward Osanbashi seeing the Red Brick Warehouse on my left. The queue outside the strawberry event had doubled in length by then. I was totally awed by their enthusiasm.

When I was back in the Yamashita Park again, it was even more crowded, filled with more signs of human activity. Large groups of kindergarten kids in colorful caps were seen here and there accompanied by their teachers who were mostly young women in their twenties and early thirties. Some of the movements by those kids were totally chaotic, showing a striking difference from the kind of discipline that characterizes the training of a marathon man.

I went for the third round, hoping that it would allow me to cover total 22.5 K. But the occasional stops at intersections in downtown Kannai caused some time loss. When I reached the Red Brick Warehouse for the third time, I was afraid I didn't have time to go to the Cup Noodles Museum, nor didn't have time to go to Osanbashi. So once I reached the Zou no Hana Park, I took a right and headed back downtown. When I finally came back to the Yokohama Stadium, I surged across the park with the Stadium on my right.  When I finally came back to the hotel, it was exactly 11:30 am. My watch said, 1:47:53. The total running time was shorter than scheduled, but I was satisfied. At my usual half marathon race speed I cover 21.1 K in 1:40:00. Today the pace was a lot slower, but not so slow. I probably covered between 20.5 and 21 K. That's close enough to what I aimed at. I can pat myself on the back.

My next training is this coming Thursday. I am going to do 1 K by 10 sets hill interval training. This is the first of my two speed-focused training sessions, which culminate with a 1 K by 13 sets hill interval session next Sunday.

Weekend 15 K Run

I ran 15 K on Sunday. It was drizzling. But that didn't stop me.
I ran a 7.5 K route two reps in MUTEKI: minimalist split-toe shoes by traditional tabi socks maker KINEYA.

The goal of today's session is to slowly condition myself for the Ohme 30 K Road Race on Feb. 19. I was temporarily burned out after completing Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2017 last Sunday. It was this past Thursday that I finally restarted my running training. I began with 7.5 K. Running a long distance right away could produce sub-conscious resistance, and be counter-productive. So I started with a goal that's reasonably manageable. It worked.

In today's session, I wanted to go slow at first and then gradually build up. That I did. My lap for the first 7.5 K was 39:36.57. My second lap was 38:01.31. I surged tremendously in the last 500 meters. I was totally out of breath when I reached home. I could hear my heart bounding like crazy. It felt as if my whole body was a heart. But it wasn't such a bad feeling. I love finishing strongly. I took a quick shower and dried myself. I had a glass of water. And then another. Nothing seemed to taste better than water after a good running session.

Today's result is shown below:
1st 7.5 K: 39:36.57
2nd 7.5 K: 38:01.31
Total 15 K: 1:17:36

My next training session is tomorrow. I am going to slowly run 22.5 K. It's part of my plan to slowly condition my body to longer distance. It is going to be followed by two intensive sessions whose main focus is on speed. It is going to be then followed by a week of cool-down.

7.5 K Jog

I ran 7.5 K after work tonight.
It was my first training session after Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2017 this past Sunday.
I gave myself three days of rest. There was no pain nor discomfort in my legs.
I even started feeling a little fidgety. I figured it was time to restart training.
Tonight's session was the first of a series of sessions leading to Ohme 30 K Road Race
that takes place on Feb. 19 in the City of Ohme, Tokyo.
It is one of the most well-known long distance races in Japan.
This year's is the 51th. I made my debut six years ago in 2011
when it was 45th. Since then my time had continued to deteriorate for two years.
And then it started to improve in the last two races.
Last year in the 50th memorial race I was finally able to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes (net).
This year my goal is more finishing strongly in split-toe minimalist running shoes MUTEKI
than beating my previous PB.
With that I'm already quite confident because I completed the full marathon in Tateyama
in MUTEKI already.
But it was a full marathon. The coming race is 30 K. The pace is a lot faster.
It's a different sort of challenge.
So my strategy is to first warm up myself. Tonight's session was done for that purpose.
I am then going to increase the distance gradually.
And a week before the race I'm going to finalize my training
with some speed-oriented sessions.
I will have been very much ready when all the training is done.

Tonight's result is as follows:
2.5 K: 13:31.71
2:5 K: 13:20.78 / 26:52.49
2.5 K: 12:26.26 / 39:18.65
Total 7.5 K: 39:18.65

My next training session is this Sunday.
I am going to run 15 K. I'm going to run a fairly challenging 7.5 K course with lots of undulation two laps.