Feeling Good

Sept. 21-27. 8th week of 18-week marathon program.
Program Menu: 107km. Actual Run: 109km (68mi.)
Legs are feeling pretty good. Long/hard workouts are better than expected.

Monday
PM: 10k + 6k @5:30-6:00
AR: 6k@5:40, 11.5k@5:06
11.5 in the afternoon with ASIJ HS x-country top girls (Kana & Emiri) out @ 5:27, in @ 4:45.
Abs work afterwards.
Time: 11:00, 3:30
Weight: 59.6kg
Shoes: 240g

Tuesday
PM: 23k@4:48-5:14
AR: 23k@5:08 (5:17/5:00)
A surprise. Thought it would be 5:14 or over after good run yesterday. Legs tiring at end but held 5:00 pace.
Time: 11:30
Temp/humidity: 25C/77F, 50%
Weight: 59.6kg
Shoes: 300g
10:30am: wts and core in gym

Wednesday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 10.5k@5:44
7:30pm in Yoyogi Park alone. Legs felt so-so.

Thursday
PM: 18k. 4k warmup, 10k@4:00, 4k warmdown. Lactate Threshold
AR: 16k. 3k@5:51, 10k@4:01, 3k@6:36
Splits: 4:03/04/3:59/04/01/04/3:59/01/01/3:53.
Legs felt fine. Felt good the whole way. Had to focus to keep the pace, but no real problem.
In Koganei Koen (park) on 5k measured course.
Time: 5:00pm
Temp/humidity: 24C/75F, 55%
Weight: 59.6kg
Shoes: 220g Nike Katana Cage2

Friday
PM: 10k@5:30-6:00 (planned 6:00)
AR: 10k@6:00
Knees and legs tired and stiff as expected, so took it easy. Actually, it didn't feel so easy.
Time: 5:00
Temp/humidity: 24C/75F, 40%
Weight: 60.1kg
11:00am: wts and core in gym

Saturday
PM: 32k@4:48-5:14
AR: 32k@5:00 (5:15/4:45) 2:40:17 (1:24:04/1:16:13)
Last 5k@4:37, last k 4:17.
Felt good going out, but not great. Thought I would run 5:00 in, not 4:45. Felt good the last 10k. Good run for 28° and hard run on Thursday.
Drank 4 160ml (6oz) bottles of sports drink, with CarboShotz gel at 12k and 22k. Cup of chia with sports drink before run.
Time: 3:00
Temp/humidity: Start: 28C/82F, 50%; Finish: 25C/77F, 60%
Weight: 60.1kg
Shoes: 240g Saucony.

Sunday
Rest

Three Good Runs

Week of Sept. 14-20. 7th week of 18-week marathon program.
Program Menu: 110km. Actual Run: 110km/68mi.
Good runs on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday.

Monday
PM: 16k. 4k@5:30, 8k@4:00, 4k@5:00-5;30
AR: 14.6k. 4k@5:27, 8k@3:57, 2k & 6x100m @ 4:54.
8k in 31:33 along Tama River bike path with 4 ASIJ runners. Felt good — cruising easily for most of it; last 2k were a bit harder.
Time: 3:30
Temp/humidity: 25C/77F, 45%
Weight: 59.7kg
Shoes: 220 Nike Katana Cage2

Tuesday
PM: 23k@4:48-5:14
AR: 26k@5:00 (5:11/4:52) 2:10:42
Planned 24k, but miscalculated distance. Legs felt ok, surprising to keep 4:50 pace coming back without trying to.
Time: 12:30
Temp/humidity: 20C/68F, 60%
Weight: 59.3kg
Shoes: 300g
Abs work in afternoon with X-country team.

Wednesday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 7.4k@5:45
Hamstrings a bit sore when walking, but ok when running.

Thursday
PM: 18k@4:48-5:14
AR: 18k@5:30 — But 5k@6:30 and 13k@5:02
First 5k with slow kids. 13k in Nogawa Park by myself. Got faster as I went along, although I was not trying to. Last 5k under 5:00 pace.
Time: 3:30
Temp/humidity: 26C/79F, 45%
Shoes: 270g

Friday
PM: 11k@5:01-5:28 with 10 x 100m striders
AR: 10k. 8k@5:58, 10x100m striders with 100m jog after each.
Legs felt tired, took it easy.
Time: 6:00pm
Temp/humidity: 22C/72F, 65%
Weight: 60.3kg
Shoes: 300g
11:00am - weights and core in gym.

Saturday
PM: 34k@4:48-5:14
AR: 34k@5:00 (5:11/4:50) 2:50:
Back: 12k@4:56, 5k@4:36, last k 4:12.
Felt good the whole way. Going out was very easy. Legs a bit tired the last 5k, but able to pick up pace.
Drank 4 160ml (6oz) water bottles, with CarboShotz gel at 14k and 24k. Carb/protein gel before run.
Time: 4:00
Temp/humidity: 23C/73F, 60%
Weight: 59.6kg
Shoes: 240g Saucony.

Recovery Week

Sept. 7—13. 6th week of 18-week marathon program.
Program Menu: 88km. Actual Run: 76km /47mi.
Decided I needed more recovery than prescribed.

Monday
PM: 13k. 12k@5:01-5:28, 100m x 10 striders.
AR: 13k. 12k@5:20, 100m x 10 barefoot on artificial turf.
Ran with kids; distance and pace approx., but close.

Tuesday
PM: 19k@4:48-5:14
AR: 19k@5:15 (5:21/5:08)
Knees stiff at first, rt knee slightly sore last 5k.
Time: 4:45
Temp/humidity: 26C/79F, 62%
Weight: 60.0kg
Shoes: 270g
Also weights and core at gym at 11:00am

Wednesday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 8k@5:45 (In Yoyogi Park, distance and pace approx.)

Thursday
PM: 16k@4:48-5:14 (However I planned 5:15-5:45)
AR: 16k@5:34 (5:36/5:31)
Tired, knees a bit sore, so took it easy.
Time: 12:30
Temp/humidity: 26C/79F, 35%

Friday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 0 Knees sore. Recovery week needs more recovery time.

Saturday
PM: 24k@4:48-5:14 (But planned 20k)
AR: 20k@5:09 (5:15/5:02)
Legs felt ok, but rt knee a bit sore on the way back. 24 would be too much. Also want to run well on Monday (8k@4:00).
Stopped for water at 9k and sweat pouring off due to humidity.
Time: 3:30
Temp/humidity: 21C/70F, 80%.
Weight: 60.5kg
Shoes: 300g

Sunday
Rest

Tough Marathon Pace Run

Week of Aug. 31 - Sept. 6. 5th week of 18-week marathon program.
Program Menu: 101km. Actual Run: 100km (62mi).
Late post due to the fact that I bought a new 24" iMac on Sunday and have been fussing with it ever since (and setting up the old Mac for my wife).

Monday
PM: 14k with 8k@4:00. Lactate Threshold.
AR: 12k with 8k@4:08.
4:03/12/17/12/12/05/04/3:59. Fairly hard rain and wind caused by nearby typhoon. Cut the "warmup" to 2k. Kind of hard to focus, so a good run. Actually expected 4:10 or 4:15.
Time: 2:00
Temp/Humidity: 18C/64F, 95%
Weight: 60.3kg
Shoes: 240g

Tuesday
PM: 23k@4:48-5:15
AR: 23k@5:06 (5:12/5:00)
Felt pretty good the whole way
Time: 5:15pm
Temp/Humidity: 27C/81F, 70%
Weight: 59.9kg
Shoes: 300g
Also weights and core at gym at 11:00am

Wednesday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 8k@5:50
Knees sore at first, then ok.

Thursday
PM: 19k@4:48-5:14
AR: 19k@5:08 (5:17/5:00)
Time: 5:00pm
Temp/Humidity: 22C/72F, 65%
Weight: 59.9kg
Shoes: 240g

Friday
PM: 8k@5:30-6:00
AR: 6k@5:45
Legs tired. Plan to run a bit tomorrow morning
Also weights and core at gym at 11:00am

Saturday
PM: 29k. 10k@5:15-5:30, 16k@4:22 (marathon pace, 7:01/mile), 3k@whatever.
AR: 32k. 10k@5:25, 16k@4:23, 3k@5:51
At 9:00am ran (jogged) 1.5k warmup and 4.5k cross-country course (practice run) with the slowest boys on the team. So easy I'll call it 3k.
Splits were: 4:29/34/16/27/23/15/8/25/19/21/20/29/27/25/26/21.
First. 4.5k of 16k is gradual uphill, next 6k is gradual downhill. Had to work pretty hard the whole way. Might have been able to run a little more than 16k but definitely did not want to. Knees sore at end. 29th k felt much worse than 25th and 26th ks.
Used water belt. Weight did not bother me. Took water and carbo gel at 10.5k and 18k, and water several other times. Slowed me down a little. Although hard, i guess it was a good run considering it was 26° and the end of a 100k week.
Time: 4:30
Temp/humidity: 26C/79F, 60%
Weight: 59.7kg
Shoes: 220 Nike Katana Cage2

Sunday
Rest!