Not Strong Enough to Run a Half Marathon All in Bare Feet

I checked out the course of Sanspo Chiba Marine Half Marathon 2018 today. I did it to examine the road condition, because I was considering running it in bare feet. Unfortunately, it's not good for barefoot running, because much of the much has a very rough road surface, using very course pebbles for the pavement.  Plus, traffic markings are absent for three kilometers where the race goes through a park. This is a big disadvantage, because you cannot minimize the damage on the sole by running on the those white lines whose surface is smooth and easy to run on. Furthermore, just because there are traffic line markings doesn't mean I can always choose to run on them, because congestion often doesn't not allow me take the course I want to take. A more experienced barefoot runner will probably run it without shoes, but I'm afraid I'm not strong enough yet.

I will probably run in MUTEKI, split-toe minimalist shoes, or aqua shoes with no cushioning. I should not take any risk, because another important race is scheduled a week later--Tateyama Wakashio Marathon. This one is a full marathon. Even a small cut or a minor blister could ruin the race completely. That's the last thing I want.

Minimalist Runner's Year-End 15 K Challenge: 20 Sets by [1-Minute Fast Run + 1-Minute Jog] + Jog

I did alternate runs around the Imperial Palace today. I did it with two of my runner friends. In the alternate run you run fast for one minute, and jog for one minute. Today we repeated it twenty times. We did the first ten sets without break. We then jogged for ten minutes for recovery; the other two runners were novices in this kind of training, and progression should be gradual. After jogging for about ten minutes, everyone was sufficiently recovered, so we started doing the alternate run again. I suggested doing it three more reps. Setting too high a goal could have been demotivating for first-timers. Three seemed manageable, so we aimed for it. When it was done, I suggested to my runner friends, doing it two more reps to make it all together 15 sets. They immediately agreed, because 15 seemed like a good number for them. So they tried it, and made it. We were all very happy with our achievement. I suggested jogging the rest of the way, and they agreed. They looked relieved that I no longer talked about the alternate run. But when we reached the highest point of the course, I asked them if they are ready for just one more set on a downhill. I said it would be much easier to do it when we were going down. They agreed, so we did it again. When it was done, I suggested doing one more set because we were still on a downhill, and they agreed it's less stressful to run fast down the hill. In no time we were done with the 17th set. I asked them if they wanted to call it a day, or if they were up for the challenge of completing 20 sets. They said they wanted to continue until the 20 sets. So we went on with the alternate run, and in exactly 6 minutes, we completed 20 sets of the alternate run. By the time we were finished we had lapped the circular course around the Palace twice to cover total 10 K. One of us had her daily target of running 15 K for the day, we went along with her for another lap to cover a total of 15 K. My friends looked excited about their achievement. I was very much impressed that they didn't give up until reaching the 20th set.

After the training, we went to an Italian restaurant on Corridor Street between Shinbashi and Yurakucho, and rewarded ourselves for the feat with a big fat dinner.

Year-End 33 K Barefoot Challenge

On December 29th I ran part of the official course of Tokyo Marathon 2018 that takes place on Feb. 25. I ran with two of my runner friends. This event had three meanings. One is personal. I wanted to prepare for some big races scheduled in the first two months of next year. The second is interpersonal. I wanted to share the joy of running with my friends who also like the sport. The third meaning is...well, it's still personal, because it adds to my pleasure. I ran because I wanted to understand the course at a deeper level. Why should I? Well, here is why. My friends are running the race, and I want to talk about the race with them after the race. If I know the course well, I can enjoy talking with them. That's my third reason.

My friends and I left Raffine Hibiya, a runner's base located in Central Tokyo near Metro Hibiya Station. We ran at a comfortable pace and reached our first destination, the Kaminarimo Gate in Asakusa. It's 7 K from the runner's base. We had some pictures taken by a rickshaw driver, who was also a runner and told us some fun stories from his younger days. 

Our next destination was the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Monzennakacho, the official halfway point in the Tokyo Marathon. We got there much later than originally scheduled, due mainly to frequent stops at intersections. We had a bowl of ramen at a ramen restaurant to fuel ourselves with lots of carb as well as minerals lost through perspiration. 

After the meal the other two runners and I took different routes. While I took the official race route, the other two took a short cut to the west-northwest to hit the Imperial Palace and do some laps around it.

I embarked on a lonely journey first to the north, then hit the Edo Dori, also known as Route 6, and then went southwest to come back to where we started off earlier. But that's not the goal yet. I had 11 more K to cover that is made up of a shuttle route between Hibiya and Shinabawa. The sun was about to hit the horizon, and twilight was closing in. The surface was rather rough from Hibiya onward. It started damaging both of my soles. I found myself starting an inner talk with myself. Should I go on? Or should I quit and turn back before I'm too far away from the runner's base. I decided to move on, telling myself that I could always put on my aqua slippers as a last resort if I wanted to; I carried them in my backpack.  

Once I hit the Daiichi Keihin road and turn right, the condition of the sidewalk got much better. It lifted my spirit. The way to Shinagawa was not so difficult, with the course basically straight, and the road condition no longer presenting any cause of stress. Once I reached the turning point in Takanawa, I had no worries, because all I needed to do is just go back the same route.

The sun was not completely set, and the sky was beginning to be engulfed with the night. It's the moment when the Tokyo Tower is the most beautiful. I love running by it at that time of day in this time of year. I made a brief stop and took a picture.

In no time I was within 1 K of the goal. I was running on the western side of Hibiya Dori. The road condition was much better there. I regretted that I hadn't run that side when I headed for Shinagawa. Oh, well. What's done is done. Maybe next time I run, I'll run the better side.

At 5:19, almost an hour later than originally scheduled I reached the goal. Mission accomplished! And what's more, I renewed my personal best for the distance covered by running barefoot. My previous best was 25 K. Today I ran 33 K. So what am I going to do? Will I run my next half marathon without shoes now that I have proven to myself that I can go far beyond the half marathon distance? I don't know. Barefoot run is so much affected by the road condition. I really must test run. I'm hoping to do it either on New Year's Eve, or on New Year's Day.

Learning to Ride Large Motorcycles

I went to the driving school where I had once learned to become a motorcyclist. I went there to sign up for a new course. This time the course is for those wanting to ride a motorcycle whose displacement is 400 cc or more. I was taken care of by a young receptionist who recognized me immediately from my previous schooling nearly two months ago. I got a special discount for someone who entered the school within a year of the end of the previous schooling. I paid 20,000 yen less thanks to the discount.

On the day I got the paper work done for the course, the receptionist said that there had been some cancellations in the afternoon and that I could take some lesson if I wanted. I gladly took the opportunity.

My first lesson in the new course was with Mr. K, who is young and a highly skilled rider. He enjoys demonstrating advanced skills when he leads my way. I enjoy seeing him do all the tricks that I would never imagine myself doing.

He told me to push up two different bikes from lying position. They are NC750L and CB750. I successfully did both. He then had me ride one bike after the other. I first rode the NC750L and then the CB750 next. The former was powerful, and the latter was more smooth and stable. When he asked me which one I wanted to ride to practice, I said the NC750L because I wanted to get used to the power of a large bike. He said very well.

The first skill I practiced with Mr. K was riding a wave-like road. He introduced me to two different techniques. One is staying at the same point in the friction zone. The other is coordinating the use of the throttle and the releasing of the clutch. The latter seemed difficult, so I told the instructor that I wanted to try the first approach. It took me some trials and errors, but after a while I got the hang of it.

Next I practiced riding on a narrow bridge. It was not my first time to do it. When I practiced to get my motorcycle license to ride bikes whose displacement is between 51cc and 400cc, I did this a lot. But I failed at my first attempt as I was out of touch. But from the second try on, I had no problem. There is a new challenge, though. In the past, I had to stay on the bridge at least for seven seconds. But now I'm required to stay there at least for ten seconds. I must have a better sense of balance, and overall a much better control of the vehicle.

The last thing I practiced was slalom. Here, too, the target is slightly more challenging. Last time I worked for the license for a smaller bike, the target was 7 seconds. Now I must go though it in five seconds. One thing I learned today, though, is that if you skillfully use the friction zone, you can smoothly control the power of the larger bike, and therefore you can buffer the shock you get from turning the throttle to accelerate the vehicle. I don't think I was able to do it in the past. Now I feel confident that I can do it.

The first lesson came to an end very quickly. I felt my left forearm a little sore from too much clutch work. With a one-hour break, I took another lesson. The instructor was the same, Mr. K. This time, he introduced me to a cruiser by Harley Davidson. I couldn't believe my eyes. Not only did he teach me several technical details of the bike, but he also had me ride it!! I should be ecstatic, but honestly I was more nervous than excited. There are, though, some differences in terms of operation. For example, there is a blinker button on either side. This is a big difference from most Japanese bikes. They have a blinker button usually on the left side of the handlebar. Also, when the handlebar comes to the regular position after making a turn, the blinker automatically turns off. This almost never happens with Japanese bikes. Also, the neutral position is hard to find on transmission. So there are many things you have to pay attention to before you get comfortable with it. And you cannot forget the engine. The V2 engine creates a huge noise and vibrations. While I can totally imagine these qualities are signatures of the Harley Davidson brand, I was afraid it's not very suitable for Japanese roads where you get to be stopped by traffic lights every half a minute.

But, nonetheless, I appreciate the beauty of the monster, and felt excited about the thought that once I got the new license to ride larger bikes, I could ride the Harley if I wanted to. 

Today is the last working day of the driving school, and the winter break lasts until 

4th of January. My next lesson is at 8:30 a.m. on the 7th. But as before I might go to school early in the morning, and take a spot lesson in case there is cancellation.

Minimalist Runner's Christmas 25 K Challenge

0~6K: 33:21.76
6~12K: 34:02.84
12~18K: 34:36.55
Food Break: 7:22.20
18~25K: 39:30.67
Total 25 K: 2:28:54

Sunday Barefoot Run: 6K

With the pain in the right sole gone, I felt ready to hit the road without shoes. Today I ran my favorite 6 K shuttle course with many hills of various degrees of steepness. I ran the first half in 15:54.45, and the second one in 14:47.71. Nothing feels better than running barefoot. Of course there is some discomfort when the road surface is rough, but once your sole has become tough enough, it's all bearable, and the joy of feeling the wind directly on your feet, and that of making direct contact with the ground far exceed such a trivial discomfort. Meanwhile, my running form continues to improve, and so does running economy.

Hill Intervals: 7 Sets by 1 K

Five days after the 21.15 K barefoot run, I hit the road again. I wanted to run much earlier, but I had a cut on my right sole, and was waiting for it to heal. Unfortunately, it didn't heal, and there was slight pain also. I took a close look at it, and found a small piece of glass stuck in the sole. No wonder the pain didn't go away. I carefully removed it, and immediately it felt better. I thought of running barefooted, but just to be on the safe side put on my aqua shoes. 

I jogged to my favorite hilly shuttle course, and did 7 hill repeats with one-minute rest between sets. The target pace was 4:30.00. It's not so fast. I usually aim at 4:00. But when I do that, the rest is longer: two minutes. Today, my target was less challenging. But the rest was shorter. I thought it's less challenging than aiming for 4:00.00 and resting for two minutes. But that's OK. I didn't mean to push myself too much. I have an early start on Saturday morning. I have two lectures and one seminar. I didn't want to fatigue myself. 

The result of tonight's training as follows:

Warm Up 2 K: 10:45.37

1st K: 4:30.09

Rest: 1:00.45

2nd K: 4:28.47

Rest: 1:00.10

3rd K: 4:25.64

Rest: 1:00.27

4th K: 4:39.12

Rest: 1:00.24

5th K: 4:25.51

Rest: 1:00.36

6th K: 4:27.95

Rest: 1:00.37

7th K: 4:21.34

Warm Down 3 K: 15:16.58

Total 12 K: 1:03:21

A Man Who is Healthy at the Age of 91

https://goo.gl/ovHc6Q 

I woke up this morning at a hotel in Tokyo. While I was going through article on the Web, a picture caught my eye, and I read the article associated with it. It was a picture of a young fisherman. He's wearing nothing but a pair of worn-out work pants, arm covers, and a towel around his head. His physique is reminiscent of a Greek sculpture, with his torso lean but ripped, the shoulders swelling like summer clouds gradually flowing into the bi-ceps which are equally well-developed through daily hard work. He is smiling at the camera, but without that self-consciousness characterizing modern young men doing selfies all the time.

His name is Mr. Toshio Murata. He is a former fisherman, now happily retired and living in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan. The photo was taken when he was 25 by a military doctor named Mr. George Butler hen belonging to the Matsushima Air Base of the US. He passed away years ago, but his son set up a Web site in order to find out the identity of the man in that picture, as well as those of people in many other photos that his late father had left him. One day Mr. Murata's eldest daughter who had that photo shared by her friend says, "This must be YOU, dad." as she shows the photo to him. This way the man in the photo was finally identified!

Mr. Murata, who is 91 years old now, is kicking and alive, "Thanks to all the hard work he did as a fisherman," as his daughter so put it. (https://goo.gl/ovHc6Q)

This clearly sheds light on the importance of physical hard work in youth. We live in the world where manual labor is often looked down on and intellectual work is regarded as sophisticated. As a result, more and more people engage in brain work. and less of physical work. But there is a price to pay. Many have become physically weaker. Perhaps mentally also, as some mental impairment is allegedly attributed to lack of physical activities. In order to deal with this situation, many modern people go to gyms and sweat their asses off by "paying". It's ironical. Mr. Murata is different. His labor directly lead to fitness and health. Nothing is more beautiful than that? I am somewhat envious of his way of living. Then what should I do? Be a fisherman? I'm afraid not. Though I have no answer to the question "What should each of us do?" it doesn't mean we all understand the beauty of the life where one's labor and health are directly connected. I would like to bring this short essay to a close by inviting my readers to think about your way of achieving that. 

都内某所で朝を迎えた私は、目覚めと共にとあるWebニュースを目にした。私の目を引いたのは一枚の屈強な青年の写真だった。上半身諸肌さらけだした一人の青年が作業用のアームカバーを付けた腕を腰にあて、頭にタオルを巻いて、仁王立ちでカメラに微笑んでいる。そびやかす双肩には夏の強い日差しが降り注ぎ、入道雲のように隆起した三角筋が上腕に向かってなだらかに絞られて、ギリシャの彫刻のような陰影を映し出していた。青年は微笑んで見えるが、そこには作り笑顔になれた現代青年の過剰な自意識は見当たらず、あるのは未だ「他者から見られる自分」に気付いていない古代の純朴さだった。・・・・「これが青年の顔だ！」と私は思った。

写真の主は村田敏雄さん。石巻在住の元漁師さんで、御歳91歳。写真は66年前に当時米軍医だったGeorge Butlerさんが米軍松島キャンプに駐在していたころ、男鹿半島を訪ね歩いて際に撮影したものらしい。Georgeさんは既に他界され、息子のAlanさんが、被写体情報を集めるためにウェブサイトを開設。その後サイトを見た村田さんのご長女の友人が、ご長女に連絡。本人の特定につながったという。66年の時の隔たりを驟雨（しゅうう）の速さ結ぶネットの威力に改めて驚きを禁じえない。

さてご長女いわく、村田さんは91歳になる現在、病気一つせず極めて壮健。「若い頃の重労働で鍛えた体のおかげだ」と述べたそうだ。なるほど下のお写真を拝見しても、とても91歳には見えない。この調子なら孫の顔はおろか、ひ孫の顔も、さらにはやしゃ孫の顔も見れそうである。

現代社会は、額に汗する肉体労働を軽んじる傾向がある。椅子から体を起こす手間すら馬鹿にされ、指一本で済ませることを洗練と見なす傾向もある。社会の様々な局面において、それは真であることは否めない。しかし肉体労働の軽視によって多くの代償を払うことにもなった。生活習慣病がその一つである。その解決の為に、施設に通い、代金を払って汗を流すことが「洗練」と見なされるのだから皮肉だ。。しかし、青年の村田さんの屈強な体躯と、老いてなお生き生きとした笑顔を見て、労働が壮健に直結する生き方が究極の理想に見えたのである。

では現代人の私達はどうしたらよいのだろう？私にはわからない。一人ひとり答えが違うと思うので、今朝は問いかけでおしまいにする。まる。

Kick Off Seminar

I woke up way earlier than usual this morning. I did so because I had a corporate seminar starting at 9:30 a.m. It took place in Toyosu in Koto City (or Ward), Tokyo.

Today's seminar was the first of a series of seven seminars that stretch over a course of nine months. Sixteen participants showed up. For those who couldn't physically be there, but who are participants in this program the seminar was video recorded for them to watch it later on. A few of those present were repeaters. Although the first seminar, also known as the Kick-Off Seminar, was mainly designed for those who were new to the notion of English training, there was a benefit for those repeaters also. Essential principles for improving your English proficiency couldn't possibly be emphasized enough. No matter how often you listen to them, you forget them as time goes by. So the seminar should have been valuable for those listened to it for the second time. But since no one wants to see the same old material, I introduced a new material to them so that they would be able to learn the essential with a fresh mind.

Today's seminar consisted of three parts:

1) Route map for achieving one's goal

2) How to make English training your daily routine

3) Setting daily, weekly, and long-term goals 

1) Route map for achieving one's goal

The first part of the seminar, which is THE most important part, is about showing the learners the meaning of different TOEIC scores, what the main stumbling block is at the level represented by each score, and how to overcome it. Participants loved it, especially those who listened to me for the first time. The lecture of this segment was originally designed by my boss who is the most logical person that I've ever met in my life. His reasoning is as sharp as a knife. There are a number of important point to be made during the lecture, and each point is effectively coupled with some activities that allow the learners to realize what they can, and cannot do. Activities are sometimes conducted in order to allow them to compare their comprehension or performance before and after the activities. This allows them to appreciate the benefit of the activities. They are like, "Before I did this, I didn't have a clue what they were saying. But now I do, thanks to what I just did. I see the benefit. I'd love to keep on doing it!" 

2) How to make English training your daily routine

Just because you know the essentials for improving your English doesn't mean you can improve it easily. Unless you do it, and do it regularly, you're not going to change. Therefore you must make it a habit. And if you want to make something a habit, you need a tool. And you need a very good tool. In this program, we provide the participants a textbook and some other related materials. I showed them how to use them, as well as how to make a 30-minute self-training session their daily habit, including some useful mindsets that work for first-timers.

3) Setting daily, weekly, and long-term goals 

The last part of the seminar is planning. A day without a plan is like journey without direction. You ain't go nowhere. A business without a plan is like a car without a steering wheel. It's dangerous. So based on what they learned in the first and second segment, they made plans that made sense to them in terms of how busy they were on a weekly basis.

Although I would like to have had all of the participants stand up and announce their individual goal in front of everyone, I ran out of time and had to hand the microphone over to my co-worker who explained to them some important requirements to complete the course. They all took notes seriously as they listened to her. 

After the seminar was over, I exchanged a few words with the head of this project. He took the seminar for the second time. He said the seminar re-enforced what he had learned in the previous program. I was glad to hear it. He was one of a good number of people who joined the first program and showed significant improvement. That this second program was launched is because the first one proved effective. I feel pleased. But I'm not satisfied. My goal is to achieve even better results this time. It's a long journey over a course of nine months. But I have a map. Using that map, I am going to navigate the nine-month journey across the vast sea of English language learning.

『陸王』への道：21.15㌔裸足走 (The Path to Become the King of Road: 21.15 K Barefoot Run)

Up until today the longest distance that I had ever run without wearing shoes was 10 K. But I have always dreamed of someday running a full marathon completely barefooted like Abebe Bikila did back in 1960 at the Rome Olympics. You cannot leap from 10 K to 42.195 overnight, so my short-term goal is running beyond 10 K, and gradually increasing distance. Today was the day to give it a try.

I left home barefooted around 2:00 p.m., aiming to run my favorite 6 K shuttle course twice. My goal was to cover 12 K, 2 K longer than my present best. The course is rich in undulation. It's good to prepare for two races that are scheduled next year: the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon and theOhme 30 K Road Race.

The wind was chilly, but the sun was strong. I cruised along the course comfortably.  I carefully ran on the white paint along the side of the road to minimize the damage on the sole. Near the end of the first lap, I stopped at the water tap in the park to hydrate myself. I finished the first lap at 31:03.08. I left for another lap.

The first half of the second lap was as enjoyable as the first one. There was no pain in the sole yet. The sun was still strong, and the winter cold was more pleasant to my heated body than demotivating. However, in the second half as I went up the longest uphill I wondered if I should go for another lap, or finish at 12 K. There was always this inner talk in a tough phase of each training about whether I should settle for the distance I initially aimed at, or I should go beyond that. I decided to go with the flow. If I felt strong enough when the second lap was over, I'd go. If not, I'd stop.

Though going for the third lap felt too hard to do when I was climbing the hill, once the hill climb was over, and the course started to descend, each step felt lighter, and that lifted my spirit. I got some water again when I reached the park, and at that moment I felt sure that I could go for another round!

The first half of the third lap was run at the most brisk pace. My cadence was high, and I felt strong. The last uphill was tough, but the subsequent downhill made me feel I was rewarded. As I pressed on, I found myself having yet another inner talk, this time about whether or not to make it half-marathon distance by adding a few extra Ks. Again I decided to make that decision when I finished the third lap. 

In order to make it half-marathon distance I had to run the 2.5 K loop plus 650 M quarter-pie-shaped course around the park. That's extra 3.15 K. 18 + 3.15 makes 21.15. That's pretty much the same as a half-marathon. 

When I finally came back home to cover total 18 K, I still had just a little bit left in my tank, so without hesitation I left off for those extra miles.  The first half of the quarter-pie-shaped course has a very rough surface. It damaged my sole more than expected. Plus, I had to run that part twice in order to finally enter the 2.5 K loop. Although I didn't feel it while running, by the time I finally got home to complete the mission, I had one large bloody blister in the ball of my right sole, and a couple of sore spots on my left sole. Both hurt when I took a warm bath. I put some taping on them after the bath, but they still make it very hard for me to walk properly. I know from experience that the pain will have gone away by tomorrow, but it doesn't feel comfortable. That's far from what I wanted. I should have settled for a shorter distance, and gone for a longer distance some other time. I guess I'm not disciplined enough. Mentally, I mean. Progress should be slow and steady. I thought I knew it. But then I couldn't control my urge to boost my ego fast. I wanted to say to myself that I became strong enough to run half marathon distance barefooted. I listened to the weak side of my mind. And the result is my body taught me through pain that that's not the right thing to do. It was a great learning experience. 

I haven't decided what to do next for my running training. I will give my soles a few days for recovery. Then I want to do something that makes me feel proud of myself but that is not painful.   

Today's result:

1st 6 K: 31:03.08

2nd 6 K: 31:15.18

3rd 6 K: 31:16.59

3.15 K: 17:14.04

Total 21.15 K: 1:50:48

Midnight 6 K Run in Aqua Shoes

A new pair of aqua shoes arrived two days ago. I went for a practice run in them. They are exactly the same type of shoes in exactly the same size as the pair in which I ran the half marathon in Hadano City on Dec. 3. The other pair is still pretty new, but I bought this new pair, because I was afraid they might to out of stock soon. Minimalist running shoes are becoming increasingly popular, and these shoes too could catch the attention of minimalist runners. If they did, they could sell like a hot cake as rumors can spread fairly quickly in the age of SNS.

I ran 6 K in 32:55:10. I thought of going farther, but then considering that I have an early start tomorrow, I finished at that distance.

Midnight 10 K Barefoot Run with Hill Repeats

I ran 10 K after coming home from work. I ran barefoot, because it feels the best.  I jogged 2 K to my favorite hilly 1 K stretch. I then did six 1 K hill repeats. After that I jogged back home. It was a relatively warm night with little wind. The road felt a bit chilly at first, but after running a little while, I got used to it. Doing hill repeats barefoot was easier than before. One reason is that my soles got tougher. Another reason is that landing shock was minimum, and so was friction between the sole and the road thanks to increased running efficiency resulting from regular barefoot running. I'm now beginning to enjoy this positive cycle of running barefoot and becoming stronger, and enjoying running barefoot more and becoming even stronger. My tentative goal is increasing barefoot mileage. Last time I ran 6 K. Tonight I ran 10 K. Hopefully, I will run 12 K or more without wearing shoes.

TOEIC Report

I took the TOEIC L&R Test today. It was stressful, but a great learning experience nonetheless. And once it's finished, it always feels great.

I'm at McDonald's near JR Suidobashi Station, a five-minute walk where the test took place. As I look over the people walking out of the Korakuen Stadium, I am looking back on the test.

The test today has left me with two impressions. One is that this test is a marathon, an ultimate test of mental endurance. I have always had this feeling about the test, but I renew that feeling. It requires me to switch from one situation to another in listening. It's mentally very fatiguing. I prepared myself for this aspect for the test by reading out loud different passages fast one after another during commute. I think it helped. I felt less tired after the listening section.

The Reading section was a whole new ball game. I was impressed with the way they ask the questions. They are all very good questions, in my opinion, in that you must read everything very carefully. It's very difficult for you to pick and choose to read only some parts of a passage to get to the right answer to each question. Also, you need to have the ability to visualize the context and content of each passage quickly and accurately if you want to retain what you understand as you read on. This ability cannot be cultivated over night. Preferably you should have a habit of reading for fun, not for getting a good score for the test, because it would allow you to get accustomed to enjoying reading for a long time.

Overall, the text was challenging, but authentic, and educational. As I answered the questions, I was analyzing the test in the back of my head, and thought that the test required a good knowledge of paraphrases, because correct answer choices are often paraphrases of what is said in narrations and what is written in passages. As a teacher I really want to come up with some good activities to help my students read and understand there paraphrases in the test. I already have some good activities, but I hope to make them better, and create something new as well.

This marks the last of the two test scheduled for the year. With it done, I feel relieved. I would like to review all of my self-training, and write my new year's resolution soon. You can read it in BizCom's first email magazine of Year 2018.

Post-Race Barefoot Recovery Run: 6 K

I ran barefoot after coming home from work. It was my first practice run after running the half marathon in Hadano this past Sunday. I ran barefoot because I didn't want to lose my touch on running without shoes. Running in comfortable shoes always has a risk of making me go back to an inefficient running form.

Tonight I only ran 6 K. I didn't run a long distance, because it's hard to muster up motivation to do so after giving all I had to a big race. I always start with a short distance, and slowly build from there over a long period of time.

I may double the distance next time I run, and do so barefoot again. Or I may run a longer distance in minimalist shoes. I don't know which to do yet. I'll go with the flow. I'm still somewhat burned out from the previous race, and do not feel like making my training to regimental yet.

Today I ran the distance above in 32:43.59. My butt still hurt from the high intensity cardio I had done on Tuesday night, but it didn't bother me at all. Muscle soreness is often lightened by moderate exercise, because blood flow increases, and that helps get rid of lactic acid in the sore muscle.

Race Report: Hadano Tanzawa Minasegawa Half Marathon 2017

On Dec. 3, 2017 I ran Hadano Tanzawa Minasegawa Half Marathon 2017. I ran it in aqua slippers (see below) except for the last 3 kilometers, where I took them off and ran barefoot. I renewed my previous PB from Sanspo Chiba Marine Half Marathon 2015 to finish at 1:38:44 Net (1:39:01 Gross) . I am glad and feel not a little proud that I have improved my time by relying less on modern athletic technology. 

There were a number of factors that contributed to this achievement. One, I was used to running a distance beyond 21.1 K. I had run 30 K a week prior to the race. Three days before that I ran about 25 K. Compared to these distances, 21.1 K felt a lot shorter. 

Two, I did a significant number of hill repeats. In one session I even did thirteen 1 K hill repeats. This enabled me to acquire a super efficient hill-climbing running form. Before the 14.7 K mark (the highest point in the race) there is an uphill which is longer than one kilometer. In the previous races I would slow down significantly, sometimes feeling a sharp pain in one of my knees. This year I climbed it in good rhythm, and without feeling much pain. 

Third, I ran more tactfully. I paid particular attention to my heart rates. I didn't have any modern sensor with me. I just listened to my heart beat. Whenever they elevated, I slowed down my pace to keep them even. This worked. I still had a lot of energy left when I reached the top. Using that energy, I went down the hill like a thunder bolt.

My switch to barefoot running also went well. The last few kilometers of the course are the same as the initial part of the race. When I ran it, I carefully checked the road condition, deciding where to take off my slippers when I reached the same area on my way to the finish line.

Finally, that I had adjusted my soles to running on paved roads very slowly over a long period of time was a very big factor. Two weeks before I ran a 10 K race completely barefooted. I got some blisters through the race. But they heeled in a few days. And the soles got tougher. I continued to run barefooted in some of my training sessions, but not in all of them. Sometimes I gave priority to running a long distance over developing my soles' endurance. Sometimes I ran barefoot to keep my soles from becoming soft again, but there I didn't run a long distance, mainly because I wanted to avoid new blisters. They would have set me back on training.

So overall, I knew what I was doing throughout my training, and the result this Sunday is because all these factors worked favorably for the race.

My next race is Sanspo Chiba Marine Half Marathon 2018 on the third Sunday of next January. Then comes Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2018 on the following Sunday. My goal in the latter is finishing under 3:45:00, and running the last few kilometers barefooted. I still haven't decided on the degree of barefooted-ness in Chiba Marine. I must test-run the course to judge its feasibility. Should I get my soles injured in this race, I wouldn't be able to run the race in the following week, so I can't do anything stupid.