Monday, January 8, 2018

Minimalist Runner's Weekend Challenge: 4 Sets by 6 K (Total 24 K)


I ran 24 K on Sunday night, not in one go, but I split it into 4 sets of 6 K run. I had originally planned to run 15 K in the morning, and 30 K at night to cover 45 K in total. But I found myself too tired to do it; I hadn't recovered from a long run three days before. Plus, I had three motorcycle lessons, one in the morning and two in the afternoon that day. Anyway, as soon as I noticed my lower-than-usual energy level, I decided not to push myself too much. I started off at a very slow pace, warming up my body gradually. The first 6 K was run in over 35 minutes. It's a very slow pace, compared with my usual pace for the first lap. But thanks to the reasonable pace, I felt strong enough to go for another lap. But I felt a slight pain in my left toe, so I made a brief stop at my home to change my shoes, from split-tow running shoes "MUTEKI" to the pair of aqua shoes above. I immediately felt a difference. With the toe discomfort gone, I went for Round 2 with renewed motivation. 

The second lap was easier than the first. In the first set my whole body felt heavy, especially my legs. But in the second lap, with my cardio-vascular system fully in gear and all my muscles now in active mode, I felt stronger. The second lap was 33 minutes something, much faster than the first. I wanted to run farther. But I felt a need to fuel myself, so I got inside my home and had a sip of this special drink I made from sake lees and 'mirin', sweet sake rich in amino acids. It gave me the strength to do another lap. 

The third lap was as nice ans steady as the second one. I focused on my running form carefully. I paid special attention to the cadence: how many steps I take a minute. My eventual goal is hitting 200. But my average right now is between 180 and 190. When my cadence is near 180, my form is not very efficient. The duration of time of contact with the ground by each step is too long. It makes your leg fatigued much more quickly than when the duration is not so long; when the cadence is high, the time of contact is short, and the form is less fatiguing. I also tried to take shorter strides when going up. This minimizes energy loss. I finished my third lap between 34 and 35 minutes, a little faster than the first, but a little later than the second.

I thought I ran enough for the day, and went back inside my house. I immediately had a sip of my special drink, this time nice and hot as I was freezing. I bent my knees and bent my upper body over my things and lay in front of the heater with my eyes closed. It took me more than five minutes before I finally started feeling warm inside. When the third set was over, I never imagined that I would be able to run another set, but when my body got warmer, I thought I might be able to run another set. I thought I wanted to another set to cover a total of 24 K, instead of just 18 K. (I am running a half marathon in two weeks, and I always want to run beyond the race distance one or two weeks prior to the race.) So off I went for Round 4. 

I was slow at first, having trouble switching from the relaxed mode of inside the house and in front of the heater, to the harsh training mode of the outside in the freezing cold. But a few minutes of jogging made me forget about the comfort of home. I was alone in the dark again. I tried to pick up the pace, but my legs didn't respond to my will. The back of the right knee felt sore. Breathing was not so hard, but it was obviously that of a very tired man. I didn't have the strength in my mind-body to focus on technical aspects of my running form. I was running in the state of nothingness, moving my legs right left right left like an automaton on dying batteries. But as the goal approached and the prospect of the warm living room and a warm shower loomed in my mind, I suddenly felt exhilarated and found myself start laughing like a half-crazy man. And when I finally reached home and was wrapped with a warm air of the heated living room, I felt so glad that I didn't give up after the third set. 

I took a long gulp of cold water. I then took off my running gear and took a warm shower. When I got out of the shower room and put of my clothes, the softness of the fine cotton of underwear felt like a bliss from heaven. And as soon as I hit the bed, I slept like a baby. It was almost 10 hours later that I saw the sun light...

My next training will be this coming Thursday. I haven't decided what to do. I may do intervals. I may go for double training. Or I may go for a long run. I'll decide  based on my physical condition on that day. 



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