6 K Morning Hill Jog

I ran a 6 K shuttle course rich in undulation this morning. It was very warm with daytime highs expected to reach 20 degrees Celsius. I started off at a comfortable pace in aqua shoes. The streets were wet because of a stormy rain in early hours. My legs felt heavy. I couldn't pick up the pace. I waited for my body to warm up. I felt warm spring winds pushing me from behind. For a moment I felt like I had wings. It lifted my spirits a little. I came to a long downhill. I practiced a way of running down a hill that I had learned from a book written by Los Angeles Olympics bronze medalist Charlie Spedding of the UK. There are two ways of approaching a downhill. One way is leaning slightly backward and using each step as a brake. Landing shock is minimum and so is the pressure on your leg joints. But speed is compromised. The second approach is leaning forward and taking wider strides. Landing shock is large and so is the pressure on your leg joints. But if you do it right, speed is maximized almost to the point where you can feel a bit scary. I'd done enough practice with the former. So I practice the latter today. It went well.

Why the running the second half I came across the park where there is fitness equipment. I stopped by there and hit my forearms, lats and biceps. I got a good pump on my upper body.

I jogged back home, took a quick shower and had breakfast. I stopped by a cafe while waiting for my train. Looking out the window I had a sip of coffee. I felt a little high with everything looking kind of whitish. I guess I was having a dopamine rush from the morning run. Is not a bad feeling. I may want to run in the morning more often.

I'm doing my next training tonight. It's going to be another training session. These days I feel a little variety keeps me motivated. As far as long distance training goes, variety is the spice of life is true for me.

Today's result:
6 K: 30:16

Mixed Training

I went out for a long, slow run without deciding how far I was going to run, but hoping to run at least beyond 12 K. I first ran a hilly shuttle course to cover 6 K in 31:55:97. Then I changed the course to a flat 2.5 K loop, and lapped it twice to cover 5 K in 25:46:41. I had a choice between switching back to the hilly course and lapping the same loop two more times, this time in the opposite direction. But neither seemed exciting enough to keep me motivated. So I did intervals: 350 M by 7 sets with the target being coming under 1:20 (roughly 3:48/K pace).

Here's the result of the interval training tonight:
Jog 0.51 K: 4:01.28
350 M: 1:18.31
Jog: 6:35.32
350 M: 1:17.09
Jog: 2:58.55
350 M: 1:13.71
Jog: 3:29.14
350 M: 1:14.79
Jog: 5:31.79
350 M: 1:15.51
Jog: 3:30.39
350 M: 1:16.03
Jog: 3:25.00
350 M: 1:16.38
Jog 0.86 K: 6:36.71

I came under 1:20 in all seven sets. This is a big improvement from only three out of seven last time. I hope next time I do it, I will either come under 1:15 in three out of seven, or come under 1:20 in ten sets, instead of seven. We'll see.

Today's training was for 1:42:42. I covered a distance of 16.92 K.

Race Report: Tokyo Marathon 2018

On Feb. 25, Sunday Tokyo Marathon 2018 took place in Tokyo, Japan. Some of my runner friends were running as well as some elite runners I like a lot, so I woke up early to go to Central Tokyo in order to watch the biggest marathon race in Japan.

The race was officially under way at 9:10 a.m. I went to the Kanda Ekimae location of Starbucks around 9:15 a.m. and waited for the elite runners to arrive. I monitored the progress of the race on my cellphone. When they took a right at Iidabashi toward Jinbocho, there were already just three kilometers away from where I was. There guys run 1 K in around three minutes. I only have 9 minutes before their arrival. I put my coffee on the table, and went out.

No sooner had I been on the sidewalk than a police car was in sight that led the leaders. In no time the leaders came in sight. They consisted many Africans and two Japanese, Inoue and Shitara. As Shitara approached, I turned up the portable speaker I had, and yelled, "Go, Yuta Shitara!" He's gone with the wind.

I went back inside the cafe and checked runner's updates to see the whereabouts of my two runner friends, Mr. I and Mr. Fujimori. Mr. I is a sub-3 runner with whom I had run a number of races together. He was approaching my cheering spot at a brisk 22:00/5 K pace. I did a quick math and estimated his arrival time, and waited and waited. But I couldn't find him.

Disappointed, I went back inside the cafe and warmed myself. Mr. Fujimori was far behind Mr. I still on runner's updates mainly because his corral was several corrals behind Mr. I's. I still remember when I first ran the Tokyo Marathon in 2011. My corral was I or H as I was a completely novice runner. It took me more than 15 minutes to finally reach the official start line. Mr. Fujimori is a sub-4 runner, but still there are so many runners in front of him, and he cannot reach the start line as soon as Mr. I can.

When I went out to look for Mr. I, Mr. Fujimori's updates weren't available yet. But in no time I saw his first updates come in on my smartphone, which gave me his estimated arrival time in Kanda. He passed 5 K at 9:42 a.m. with a split of roughly 28 minutes with a 5:30/K pace. He should run the following 3 K at a faster pace because as the race progresses, traffic usually gets less heavy, allowing for an easier passage forward through other runners. So as not to miss him, I went back outside again after a sip of coffee and a bite of doughnut.

A stream of runners in colorful outfits went by. I looked in the direction runners were coming from. I looked for a green singlet that's his trademark, hoping that he would be running near the sidewalk. I had a reason to expect he would because I told him where I would be in Kanda the night before. His estimated arrival time was near. I looked over again. There he was, running with a smile on his face. I turned up the volume of my speaker and yelled his name from afar. He noticed. He waved back at me as he saw me waving at him. When he finally reached me, we exchanged a high five. As he left, he asked if I saw Mr. I. I said I couldn't. And he was gone.

Once I came back inside after successfully finding Mr. Fujimori's and cheering him on, I started monitoring the progress of the leaders on my cellphone again. They had just crossed the halfway mark and went back the same route back toward Kuramae. Shitara looked nice and strong as the split for the first half was 1:02. He had renewed the Japanese record for half marathon in the previous year with a time of 1:00:17. So the pace was well within his capacity. But whether he could keep the same pace or not for another 21 K was another story.

To be continued...

I'm back! Let me start again from where I left off.

Once the leaders crossed the halfway mark, my next mission was to move to Ginza, my second cheering spot. Ginza is less than 10 K apart from the halfway point. It takes the elite runners less than 30 minutes to cover that distance. I had no time to waste. I quickly packed and hopped on the Metro. Ginza is four stops away. I usually feel I pass all these stations in a flash. But today it felt like forever. As soon as the train got to Ginza, I jumped out, ran up the stairs, and headed for my favorite cheering stop. It's near the subway exit. The subway exit is surrounded by three concrete walls. One of them faces the road. There is a little space between the wall and the road. That's the spot I was aiming to be.

The venue was already packed with spectators. I checked the space from which I wanted to reach my cheering spot. A bunch of white sticks and wooden boards were piled near the way in, blocking the passage. There were older women in front of them. I excused myself and tried to pass over the obstacles. The women shouted, "Oh, mister, you can't do that. We tried to do it, but they wouldn't allow us to do." I said, "Ma'am, no worries, I'm not gonna block your view. I'm only getting behind that wall. Excuse me." I heard  their murmurs behind me as I forced my way through them and tucked myself behind the wall. I thought I was ready to welcome the leaders when a security guy came and I got kicked out. Well, I didn't literally get kicked out. He mildly asked me to retreat, saying that everyone else wanted to be where I was, and if he allowed one person to do it, all the others would, and should that happen, things could get out of control. Disappointed as I was, since I am a law-abiding citizen, I followed his instruction and looked for a new cheering spot.

Fortunately, I found one right near it. Two women were standing right by the guardrail only ten meters away. But they were petite, so standing right behind them gave me a sufficiently panoramic view of coming runners. I got my portable speaker and microphone ready, and monitored the progress of the leaders on my cellphone.

They came surprisingly sooner than I thought. If I had stayed at the cafe in Kanda any longer, I might have missed the opportunity. The two Japanese young runners, Inoue and Shitara, were still in the leading pack. I turned up the volume and yell, "Go, Yuta Shitara! Invincible!" My amplified voice echoed among the most fashionable of buildings in Ginza. Everybody looked taken aback for a moment by my atypical cheering attempt, creating waves of buzz across the lines of spectators along the street.  Hopefully I set a good example of how they should cheer on their friends when they reached them.

With the leaders gone, my next mission was to find Mr. I. I missed him in Kanda. I wouldn't miss him again.

He passed 25 K at 11:02 a.m. with a lap of 23:12 for the last 5 K. His lap was slowly deteriorating. I added 23 minutes to his 25 K split and estimated his arrival time as somewhere around 11:25 a.m. But I was also vigilant that he could arrive sooner, because the course is flat between 20 and 25 K while the previous 5 K has undulation.

Just as I expected he arrived not so far off my arrival time. I made sure my speaker was on, turned up the volume and yelled his name, "Go! Iizuka san! Invincible!" Perked up by an unexpected amplified voice calling his own name, he looked around for the owner of the voice, and a second later found me waving giantly from the far side of the street. To my surprise, instead of hammering down the course straight, he swerved to my side and exchanged a high five with me!! Oh, what a touching gesture! I was so moved by his sacrificial gesture of friendship, and couldn't help throwing a series of encouraging words at his back that got smaller and smaller with each step.

I was so happy that I was finally able to reciprocate the encouragement I got from him when I ran Kasumigaura Marathon 2015 three years ago. I had both of my legs cramped at 33 K and limped the rest of the way. When I finally reached the home stretch leading to the finish line, Mr. I was the man who found me, and cheered me on. I gave everything that was left in me and crossed the finish.

With Mr. I gone, my last mission of the day was to find Mr. Fujimori and cheer him on in Ginza.

His split time came in shortly after Mr. I passed Ginza. Mr. Fujimori slowed down a bit between 20 and 25 K, but I gathered it's not because he's irrecoverably fatigued, but for a strategic purpose. He is an experienced runner, particularly skilled at hilly course. The course between 20 and 25 K is hilly. I gathered he saved energy for the rest of the race. My guess was he would increase his pace from Kuramae on when the course became flat again. So I added 27 minutes and 30 seconds to his passing time at 25 K and estimated his arrival time at Ginza as exactly 12:00 p.m.

To be continued...

I'm back! Where were we? Oh, Ginza! That's it. I did a quick math and estimated Mr. Fujimori's arrival time. The time ticked by. And the estimated arrival time approached. There was still a minute to go when I saw aid workers move a fence to widen the course. It means that a large group of runners were coming in. It must be sub-4 pacers and people surrounding them. I suspected that Mr. Fujimori would be not so far from them. I squinted to look over at the approaching crowd. There he was! Clad in that familiar green singlet of Jindaiji Runners' Club of Chofu City, he threw his arms up in the air with a big smile on his face, and came running in full force. I shouted through the speaker, "Go! Mr. Fujimori, the ironman!" We exchanged a high five again, and as he went past, I said to him that this time I didn't miss Mr. I. He looked glad, pressed on to take a right into Harumi Dori and disappeared.

Relieved that I completed all of my missions, I packed my cheering kit and left there to relax with a nice cup of coffee.

Incidentally, while I was waiting for Mr. Fujimoto's arrival in Ginza, I got a call from a friend of mine. His name is Mr. Ayumu Takahashi. He is a 2017 Tokyo Marathon finisher. Last year I cheered him on at exactly the same spots where I did Mr. I and Mr. Fujimori this year. This year he didn't run, but as a part-time fire-fighter of the Kyobashi Fire Station he was volunteering to patrol the area. Knowing that I was in Ginza to cheer on runners, he wanted to say hi to me as he was in charge of the area. I told him where I was, and in no time he found me, and we exchanged "hello"s and a few friendly words. Earlier this past January he and I were scheduled to run a full marathon in Tateyama, Chiba. But he came down with the flu and had to cancel it. Hopefully, we can hit the road together sometime soon.


Although I wanted to settle down at one of the Starbucks cafes near the cheering spots, all were too crowded, so I roamed around for a while, but eventually I decided that I might as well go to the finish area to see Mr. Fujimori again to give him my last moral support. 

When I reached Marunouchi Naka Dori around the corner from Miharu Dori with the Hibiya Park on the back, the venue was surprisingly far less crowded than I thought. I easily found a place to settle in, and waited for his arrival as I closely monitored his split times at 35 and 40 K. 

Mr. Fujimori's was slowing down betwewen 35 and 40 K. He was now going at a 5:42/K pace. I was near the 41 K mark. I added 5:42 to 12:56:13, and estimated his arrival time roughly as 1:00 p.m. 

I seemed to hear a roar around the corner, and the sound got louder with each passing second. I gathered it's the sub-4 pacers and their followers approaching. Cheering voices suddenly got louder with hand-clapping and yells. I quickly ran my eyes through the group of runners to look for his trademark green singlet, but there were so many runners that I couldn't find him. In no time the large sub-4 group was gone and trailing runners followed. Hoping he might be there, I looked right and left for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The time ticked by. It's already more than 8 minutes since he passed 40 K. He should be still running before the 41 K mark. I missed him. I was disappointed. But shortly after that I checked his updates again to discover that he had already finished the race with a respectable time of 3:55:01 (net)!

I texted him a message to congratulate him on his glorious completion of the biggest marathon race in Japan, asking him to let me know where he was throwing a party assuming he would. I wanted to see him and say "otsukaresama," or "Nice run!" in English. Later while my bilingual companion and I were having a late lunch at "Yasaino Ohsama" or "The King of Veggies" on B2 of Hibiya Chanter, I got a call from Mr. Fujimori. He said thanks for cheering. I assumed he and Mr. I were together. But they weren't. Both had work the following day, so they decided to go home and rest. I totally understood. I said congrats and hung up the phone. His excited tone of voice remained in my ear for a while. It put a smile on my face. 

When I finished lunch and got out of the building again, quite a few runners were still in the race, and the last stretch leading to the finish was still crowded with cheerers. But at the same time as I walked through the sidewalk, I came to see an increasing number of finishers there as well. They were doing memorial photo-shooting with their respective cheerers. Most of them had a finisher's towel on their shoulders. They all looked exhilarated and proud. 

Tokyo Marathon 2018 is over. It moved me in more ways than one. As much as I encouraged my runner friends and many other nameless (to me at least) runners

who joined the race, I was encouraged by their fortitude. Good job, all runners! I hope the race next year will be as exciting as this one.

Post-Race Intervals: 7 Sets by 350 M

Nearly 57 hours after the race in Ohme this past Sunday I felt sufficiently recouped, so I went out for a short recovery run. I hit the road in a pair of split-toe socks, and jogged in my neighborhood without any specific pace or target distance in mind. After running a lap around a quarter-pie-shaped loop around the park, I was in a mood to run fast, so using a 350 M stretch on the other side of the park across the street I did intervals. I finished the first lap in 1:19.13. I set 1:20.00 as the target. I jogged back to where I started off, and repeated the fast run six more times. Half way into the session I felt a slight pain in the right instep, so I walked awhile instead of jogging, and when I felt OK, I started jogging again. These days I never push myself when I feel pain. Never push yourself through pain. Discomfort is OK, but pain isn't. The time of each of the seven laps is shown below:

Warm Up: 7:29.33

1st lap: 1:19.13

Jog: 2:37.19

2nd lap: 1:20.17

Jog: 2:41.63

3rd lap: 1:21.82

Jog: 2:33.97

4th lap: 1:20.52

Jog: 2:40.99

5th lap: 1:18.68

Jog: 3:10.46

6th lap: 1:17.57

Jog: 3:03.16

7th lap: 1:17.57

Warm Down: 6:26.75

Total: 39:59.54

Race Report: Ohme 30 K Road Race 2018

On Feb. 18, Sunday I ran Ohme 30 K Road Race 2018 held in Ohme City in the western part of Tokyo. I finished in 2:29:45 (2:27:10). I slashed my PR for this distance by a minute and forty-eight seconds (gross).  I'm happy with the improved result. Also, I ran in aqua shoes with little cushioning this time. I withstood the shock of landing for 30 kilometers on my two soles and with a thin layer of rubber. I'm happy to prove to myself that I can grow stronger without the aid of advanced athletic technology such as bouncy cushioning, and a carbon plate such as the one that is embedded in the sole of the latest product by an American sports brand. However, the biggest feat in this event for me is my first barefoot finish in the Ohme race. I did this to commemorate a runner I respect--Abebe Bikila (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1_umU-Bizs) and also being inspired by Sirai Gena who shed his shoes 500 meters from the finish in Rome Marathon 2010. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eor5tWScK80) My attempt in the race made me respect the legendary Rome Olympics gold medalist even more, because I only ran barefoot in the last two kilometers, but yet a rough surface of the cobbled street frequently pained my soles. Bikila ran all 26.2 miles in bare feet, and beat all other shoe-clad competitors.

For the benefit of those interested in long-distance running and running this race in the future, I would like to give a report of how I ran the race below.

The gun went off at 11:30 am. It took a little less than 3 minutes to reach the official start line from my corral. Once I passed it, everyone started picking up the race. But congestion remained in the first 5 K, but the crowd slowly spread out after that, making it easier for me to overtake runners before me.

I kept my pace in check, trying to save my energy in the latter half. At 10 K I saw my friend Taeko san, who is a member of JAAF. She was there as a judge. I called her name and waved at her. She called my name, and said "Ganbatte" which means "Come on!" or "Give it all you've got." It lifted my spirit.

Shortly after I left Taeko san behind, I saw first Elite runners coming back from the u-turn. I shouted, "Sento runner kakko iizo!" which literally means, "Elite runners, you guys are so cool." I hope my voice reached them, and probably it did, because my voice was so loud.

Between 13 and 14 K the road got narrower, and more runners came running down from the u-turn. I saw Mr. F, a student at my language school, and a far faster runner than myself, hammering down the hill with his face sweaty and red. I was astonished how far ahead he was, and how fast he was going to be that much ahead of me at that stage of the race. I said, "Nice run!" and he raised his right hand for me and disappeared.

Mr. F's committed run ignited a fire inside me. The uphill got steeper as I approached the u-turn, but I pressed on. When I finally reached the turning point, the official timer said 1:17:##, not so faster than the previously year, and a lot slower than originally planned, because my estimated arrival time at the 15 K mark was 1:17:00, and the turning point was some hundred meters before the 15 K mark. I was a little anxious. But I saw it positively, saying to myself that I must have more energy left than the previous year. I changed the gear and ran down the hill like a fire ball.

As I suddenly increased the pace, so did the pressure on my legs. My left hip joint started to hurt a little. It's a common condition caused by sustained hard effort. It wouldn't go away probably until the race was finished, so I had to live with it. The 20 K mark was near. I looked for Taeko san, who was probably still standing the same spot. I found her when she was looking in the other direction. I called her name, and she turned around. But my voice was not as loud as when I called her name at 10 K. I was getting tired, and my breathing was a lot harder.

I crossed the 20 K mark in no time, but even when I heard the beep of the sensor, I didn't see my watch. I had decided not to see it much because I wanted to control my pace based on my gut feeling, rather than on info. given by a digital gadget.

Once past 20 K, there was a brief downhill, and then came one of the two biggest challenges of the second half--a long hill before JR Futamatao Station. My strategy there was not to push too hard. Save the energy even at the sacrifice of time. Some gung-ho runners overtook me, but I didn't care. I know the price of going too fast on an uphill so well. Little by little the sound of the Japanese drums got louder, which was a sign of the approaching end of the hill. In no time I found myself going by the side of a group of men and women clad in Japanese festive kimono who beat giant Japanese drums to cheer runners on.

Now I was running the best part of the entire race. It's a long stretch of straight downhill. When the weather is good, and the sky is blue, I always look up, and hammer down it, feeling as if I were a bird. And yesterday, the weather WAS good, and the sky WAS blue. I changed the gear again and went down the hill flat out, overtaking one runner after another, crossing the center line on the road if necessary although official judges constantly discourage you from doing it. I just felt so good that I didn't care even if I got a few warnings.

Once I hit the bottom of the hill, the course remained flat for a while, and slowly started going up again. Soon the second biggest challenge was coming--another relatively long hill before JR Miyanohira Station. Compared with the one leading to Futamatao, this one is shorter, so it doesn't present as much challenge. Plus, I controlled my pace a little after finishing the downhill after Futamatao, so I had enough energy stored up to beat this hill. Soon I reached the top, and in no time I crossed the 25 K mark.

From that point on there is no uphill. It's either going down or flat. The first one kilometer was all downhill. This is probably the last opportunity for me to dramatically slash time. I changed the gear once again and surged. The leg muscles were more fatigued than before, so they wouldn't turn as smoothly as they would in the earlier stages of the race. The pain in the left hip joint was still there, making me less aggressive with taking wider strides, but I thought I would regret if I didn't kick at this point, so I pressed on and overtook a few more runners who looked content with their steady pace.

The 3 K mark sign was in sight. I was wondering where to take off my aqua shoes. When I ran the first half, I carefully checked the road condition, and decided that only the last 2 kilometers were good for the barefoot run. The condition between 2 and 3 K was particularly bad, the surface of the pavement being rather rough. So I went on in shoes until I finally saw the 2 K mark sign. Now is the moment. At some point I must stop and take off my shoes. But where? There was a police office ahead off me guiding coming runners to the finish. I slowed down and came to a halt right beside him. He looked puzzled. Then as he saw me take off my shoes, grab them in the hands, and take off, he knew what was going on.

The memory of the last two kilometers from Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2018 on Jan. 28th flashed back. There I took off my shoes 2 K to the finish, too. I surged like a mad man, remembering the  and overtook one runner after another than. I wanted to run like that. But I was more out of breath, and there was pain in the liver also, which made breathing even harder. I gasped for air, but I never felt like I was getting enough oxygen to keep on going. I closed my eyes and ran a few tens of meters. Then I opened them just to make sure I was going straight, and then closed them again and went on. Every now and then I heard cheerers say, "Look! He's barefoot." or "Go, barefoot!" I was tremendously encouraged by these "targeted" yells. I needed them so badly because my willpower was waning at the prospect of the approaching finish. It's funny because ordinarily runners will collect remaining energy to give it one last jolt near the finish. I usually do too. But in a long and hard race like this the feeling that the race is almost over can make you act like the race is over. I fought the tempting whisper of that side of me which wanted to relax immediately. Cheerers' yells jolted my spirit, and ignited a fire inside me again. Soon the last turn was insight. Once you took a right, the finish was less than two hundred meters away. I looked for my bilingual companion, who was supposed to take a train from JR Mitake Station, where she cheered me on twice, once when I was going up to the u-turn and again when I was coming down from it. As the corner came nearer and nearer, I looked across a wall of cheerers on the left side of the street. There she was, shouting my name as she held her smartphone up to shoot photos of me kicking to my first barefoot finish in Ohme.

Soon I was on the final stretch leading to the finish. I swung my arms like a mad man and turned my legs like a locomotive. More people noticed I had no shoes on as more spectators were along either side of the final stretch. I heard multiple young cheerers shouting, "Look! He's barefoot. F**kin' cool!" I laughed inside though my face probably was in a grimace. Several seconds later I crossed the finish line. I pressed the stop button on my wrist watch, and saw the time. It said 2:29:42. It's not the official time. But probably it's not so far from it. I did it. I achieved the three personal goals I set for myself:
1) Running in aqua shoes with little cushioning
2) Finishing under 2:30:00 gross
3) Finishing in bare feet

I gave it everything I had. I got better than myself in the previously year in more ways than one. I am happy.

My next race is Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2018 in March. I still have more than a month to work on my speed, stamina, and spirit. I will do the best I can to become a stronger version of myself in order to finish my race season 2017-2018 with a good feeling about myself.

Final Phase Conditioning Ⅱ: Back Workout

With three more days to go before the 30 K road race in Ohme this Sunday, I did some back workout. The reason I hit the back is it leaves little damage to the legs. I did four different exercises all targeting back and the back of shoulders.

The first is towel row. With your stomach on the floor, you grab both ends of a towel, give a lot of pressure on it, and pull it toward the chest, and then push it back away from your head until the arms are fully extended. One set is one minute.

And you move onto the next exercise. It's swimmers. Again your stomach is on the floor, and your hands are right in front of your neck. From this position you extend your arms along the floor away from your head until they are fully extended, and then swing them outward until your hands are parallel to your shoulders. Then you tuck your arms in to the beginning position. You repeat this movement for one minute.

The third exercise is swimmers in reverse motion. From the starting position you extend your arms to the side parallel to your shoulders, and swing them along the floor over to above your head. And then you tuck your arms in to the starting position. You repeat this for one minute.

The last of four exercises is a variation of swimmers. I don't know what to call it. The difference is instead of tucking your arms in after your arms are parallel to your shoulders, you bring your arms all the way until they touch the side of your body, with your hands touching the side of your thighs. And when you reach this position, you bend your upper body backward slightly to increase contraction of your back muscle. This is one minute also.

These four exercises together form one set. And you do it two sets. The rest between exercises and sets are both 15 seconds.

Back covers a very large area, and by hitting it, you can burn many calories in one go. Before a big race you must keep a healthy diet. If you try to eat less, you can easily run a risk of not having enough nutrients. So I stick to my regular diet of sushi and beef steak, and brown rice and veggies. But because I do not go out for runs so as not to fatigue my legs, I must do something to prevent my body from turning unconsumed calories into excessive body fat. My solution tonight was back training. It's very good training that allows you to burn many calories without fatiguing your most important weapon for the race. Namely your legs!!

The video below shows a demo of similar back training done in view of burning many calories without fatiguing your legs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D0ht8zC4xg

Final Phase Conditioning: Handstand & Stretching

With four days remaining before the Ohme 30 K Road Race this coming Sunday I did some core exercise and stretching. I do a number of core exercises depending on my mood, but tonight I did handstands. I started the first round for 50 seconds. And from the second round on I cut the duration down to 30 seconds and did six more rounds with a rest for 30 to 60 seconds in between. A handstand hits core, shoulders, traps, and triceps, all of which aren't that actively used except core and shoulders, so the negative effect on the race performance is minimal.

Tomorrow I might jog for a while if I'm in a mood. If I'm not, I'll just stay home and relax. At this stage nothing will really improve my physical capacity so dramatically.

Intervals: 7 Sets by 650 M @ 3:50/K Pace.

I tried something that I had never done before. It's interval training consisting of seven sets of 650 M with the target time of 2:29. This is equivalent to running one kilometer at 3:50/K pace. My usual target in interval training is 4:00/K, so it's way faster than the pace I'm used to running at.  This training session wasn't originally planned. But after giving myself a full rest on Monday following the massive intervals and double training on Sunday, I felt strong enough to do something challenging. Even if I had fatigued myself, I would still have had four more days for recovery. That's more than enough. So I went ahead and did it.

Although my target time was 2:29, I couldn't make it right from the first lap. I didn't realize how hard it was until I actually did it. My heart sank in dismay. But I carried on. In the first lap I started off too fast and went out of breath toward the end, so in the second lap I kept my speed in check and saved energy for a final kick. I finished 3 seconds faster. I preferred this approach to the first one. I stuck to it for the following three laps. When the 5th lap was over, I felt so exhausted that I wanted to take a longer rest, like three minutes. But the last moment I decided not to, because I didn't want to kill the intensity of the training.

The time in the 6th set was as bad as that in the first set. I was afraid I would continue to slow down till the end. But I mustered up all of my will power to forcefully press on right from the start and in the final stretch kicked even in a state of oxygen debt.  I finished in 2:25, the best time of all, and well under the original target of 2:29. So after all it IS possible. All I need to do is to increase the number of successful sets.

The laps in the session today are shown below:
1st: 2:36.92 
Rest: 2:00.47
2nd: 2:33.05
Rest: 2:00.45
3rd: 2:35.02
Rest: 2:00.40
4th: 2:33.42
Rest: 2:00.24
5th: 2:32.76
Rest: 2:00.43
6th: 2:36.36
Rest: 2:00.22
Last: 2:25.28
Total 4.55 K: 29:55.02 

For the footwear for the training tonight see the picture below:

Double Training: Total 30 K

These days I try to run the race distance a week prior to the race itself. A 30 K race is scheduled next week. So today was the last chance for me to run that distance. Earlier this afternoon I did 13 sets by 1 K interval training. Including 5 K that I ran as warm up and warm down, I covered 18 K. I was still 12 K short. But then came dinner time. I rested for a few hours as I watched the Pyeong Chang Olympics on TV. Around 10 pm I felt recouped enough, so I threw myself into running wear and hit the road, aiming to run the 6 K shuttle course twice.

The springy warmth of the afternoon was already gone, and it was very chilly. The bloody blisters in my right sole were already flat with the liquid inside all gone, so they didn't bother me. I felt comfortable in aqua shoes. I cruised along in the darkness. As long as the pace was easy, I felt like I could go on forever.

But shortly before I finished my first lap, I felt a sharp pain in my right knee. I know it's not a structural problem. It's my subconscious asking me to stop. So I walked for a few tens of seconds. I started running again. The pain was mysteriously gone. All it takes is a short rest. Well, in fact, that's not entirely true. I also told my subconscious that I would take a short break inside the house. Once a prospect of imminent rest is registered, the subconscious immediately stops acting up. 

I DID take a rest inside the house when the first lap was over. I made myself 'amazake',  sweetened juice made from sake lees. I sat in front of the heater and made myself warm too. I gave myself about twenty minutes. A brief rest with a warm cup of sweetened juice renewed my motivation. I hit the road again for yet another 6 K. 

I ran at a brisk pace at first thanks to the drink, but in no time ran out of gas. The highly intensive training in the afternoon took a toll on my legs. My breathing became hard too. My cardio vascular system was fatigued. The legs weren't in pain, except that the left hamstring felt a bit tense. It's probably because of a few kicks that I gave in the interval training. I didn't want a cramp, so I kept a slow pace until I reached home. 

I ran the first 6 K in 34:10.39, and rested home for 24:36.17. Then I ran the second 6 K in 34:51.02.

Thanks to the double training I covered the distance I wanted to cover. For the next 6 days all I'll do is some core training, stretching, and maybe a short run near my house. At this stage resting is more important than pushing.  

Hill Intervals in "MUTEKI": 13 Sets by 1 K

Seven days to Ohme 30 K Road Race 2018, I had my last major practice run in preparation for the event: 13 sets by 1 K intervals. The target was 4:15/K per lap. This is less challenging than that last Thursday. I lowered the intensity level of the training because two bloody blisters in my right sole were not completely healed. I chose MUTEKI for my footwear instead of aqua shoes because they are more protective of the sole.  

Because the pace was slower, I wanted to add a different element of challenge to the training. Today I shortened the recovery interval from the usual 2:00 to 1:45. The purpose is to improve my fatigue resistance. 

The result of the training today is shown below:

Warm Up 2 K: 12:30.74

Rest: 1.00.07

1st K: 4:20.68

Rest: 1:44.99

2nd K: 4:19.96

Rest: 1:45.26

3rd K: 4:06.14

Rest: 1:45.14

4th K: 4:09.11

Rest: 1:45.22

5th K: 4:16.14

Rest: 1:45.38

6th K: 4:18.75

Rest: 1:45.25

7th K: 4:17.89

Rest: 1:45.21

8th K: 4:33.13

Rest: 1:45.23

9th K: 4:22.68

Rest: 1:45.27

10th K: 4:37.59

Rest: 1:45.28

11th K: 4:18.66

Rest: 1:45.19

12th K: 4:38.81

Rest: 1:46.97

13th K: 4:10.28

Warm Down 3 K: 20:09.11

Total 18 K: 1:51:14

As you see the time started deteriorating significantly in the 8th set. A shorter recovery interval started taking a toll on me. The times in even numbered laps are particularly bad. This is because the steepness of the largest upward incline in the course is greater there than in the odd numbered lap, and therefore it's harder to pick up the pace. I felt like quitting because the time wouldn't improve. But I gritted my teeth and bore, and decided to go on. In the 13th lap I felt out of gas, but kicked after finishing climbing the last upward incline to come under the target time of 4:15. I was glad. 

Tonight, after dinner, I might go for yet another run to increase the total mileage for the day. I'll write about it if I do.

Barefoot Hill Intervals: 7 Sets by I K

With 9 days remaining before Ohme 30 K Road Race 2018 on Feb. 18 I did anaerobic training focusing on speed. It's 1 K hill repeats. The target pace is 4:00/K. It's doable on the flat. But it's not as easy with hills. I thought of wearing a pair of aqua shoes, but dropped the idea at the last moment and went barefooted. 

I jogged at a comfortable pace at first. I enjoyed the direct contact with the cold pavement at first, but soon it started feeling so cold that I feared frostbite. I hoped that the cold would stay bearable as I got warmed up. At least that's what usually happens when I run in bare feet. 

A 2 K jog brought me to my favorite 1 K shuttle course with a set of one long downhill and one long uphill, and another of one short upward incline and one short downward incline. (See the map below.)

By the time I reached there I had felt sufficiently warmed up, so I immediately went off for my first lap. You can never take wide stride when you run down a hill in bare feet. It could cause unbearable friction between the sole and the road surface, and your sole can easily develop blisters. So I need to take short strides, and cannot go so fast. This affect my time, of course. I need to increase my pace in other parts of the course, usually when the inclines are not so steep, or when I go up. But increasing the pace when going up can easily take a toll on your legs. But that's OK. It's training. Not a race. Pushing yourself is expected. 

I had originally planned to do it ten sets, but I dropped the idea and settled for seven. I didn't want to sacrifice speed over the number of sets. When I do many sets, I tend to slow down my pace a little. This is probably because my defense mechanism sets in and tries to allow myself to last until the tenth set. Of course there is a great feeling of accomplishment when you complete all ten sets, but the quality of each set is compromised. Tonight I didn't want that to happen. Instead, I wanted give my best to each single set. The results? Well, not all times were good, but I finished under 4:00 in one set, and I feel good about it. 

Here is the details of the training tonight:

Jog 2 K: 11:30.35

1st K: 4:05.30

Rest: 2:00.41

2nd K: 4:00.05

Rest: 2:00.18

3rd K: 3:58.91

Rest: 2:00.31

4th K: 4:11.89

Rest: 2:00.46

5th K: 4:05.30

Rest: 2:00.19

6th K: 4:16.07

Rest: 2:00.21 

7th K: 4:07.33

Jog 3 K: 18:07.34

Total 12 K: 1:10:24

As a result of running at a fairly fast pace without shoes and on the incline, I got two large bloody blisters in my right sole. Now that's really bad at this stage of final conditioning toward the race on the 18. But what's done is done. There is nothing I can do. I'll give it a complete rest for a couple of days, and hopefully by this Sunday it will have healed enough to allow for a shoe-clad training.

First Recovery Run After the Full Marathon in Tateyama

I ran 6 K after work. It was the first recovery run after running a full marathon in Tateyama on Jan. 28. A few days after the race I came down with a fever for a couple of days, and finally felt strong enough to hit the road today.

I ran in a pair of split-toe cotton socks tonight. They were comfortable as well as durable. (https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00TTBSOIG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1)

I felt so good after the run. Hopefully by this Thursday night I'll be strong enough to do something more substantial. It will be either 24 K run, or hill intervals.