Half in 1:26:02...Long?

Week of Sept. 19 ~ 25

Ran: 15/8.2/18.6/0/0/8/21.1 - 70.9km / 44 mi.

Monday
3;30 - 15k including 13k River Run with varsity boys.
4k in 19:55 @4:59, 5k in 24:06 @4:48, 4k in 17:41 @4:26.
I paced the boys at exactly the pace we wanted to run, i.e. not speeding up too much the last 4k.
Abs work afterwards.
Weather: 29C/84F, 50%, sunny
Weight: 60.2kg

Tuesday
11;30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:30 - 8.2k with 600m hill x 5.
With the girls in 2:45/44/34/29/10 (3:30 jog down)
Nice workout, felt ok.
Weather: 20C/68F ! First cool day. Misty rain.

Wednesday
Typhoon hit Tokyo. It went through in the late afternoon/early evening, so track training was cancelled. Unfortunately, I was downtown and all the trains stopped. I managed to take the last subway to the station where "my train" leaves from, but it had stopped. So, as I had my running clothes with me, I changed in the station, put my bag in a locker, and ran home. It turned out to be 18.6km, which I did in 1:45:26, which works out to 5:40/km. I'm quite sure I was going faster than that (about 5:15/k), so maybe Map My Run is not so accurate. Fortunately the rain stopped just as I started, but the wind was strong (mostly at my back). Anyway, I was not planning a long run today, but I suppose with rest I will be ok for the race on Sunday.

Thursday
Rest. Some jogging with the kids, but not worth recording.

Friday
Rest

Saturday
10:00am - 8k very easy with the team (meet was cancelled due to typhoon debris on the regular course). We will have one meet in Nogawa Park, right next to the school, so we mapped out a 5k course and did a time trial today. I jogged easily with one of the Junior Varsity girls in 28:39. Fastest boy was 16:55, next two 17:14, 17:16. Not bad....

Sunday
Watarase Half in northerm Saitama (the boonies), 2 hours from home. This is a nice race, 3 times around a reservoir, surrounded by greenery. Probably about 2,000 people.
Time 1:26:02, 6th in the 50-and-over division (no 60s).
Splits were 20:07, 20:36, 20:05, 21:00, 4:12.
HOWEVER, the 4th 5k was way off. The first k was in 3:51 (garmins beeping around me), then I settled into a nice pace (although I planned on running about 19:45). 2nd 5k I guess I got lulled into an easier pace and it was too slow. Picked up the 3rd 5k a bit, and was feeling good. Planned to pick up the next 5k, and I did - considerably. I was really moving well and passing people who I had seen ahead of me the whole way. So that 5k was definitely long. Quite a bit long, in fact. I'm sure I ran 19:30 or faster. I also picked up the last 1.1 kilo, but not so much as to go from 4:12/k (21:00 5k) to 3:48/k (4:12 1.1k).
As to whether the entire course was long or not, I don't know. Two club members said their garmins showed it to be just about right. I think it was long, mainly because I think I ran faster than 1:26, but I can't say for sure.
Anyway, it was a nice race and I felt good and ran quite well. Feeling strong the last 6k of a half marathon is always nice.
Weather: 21C/70F, about half sunny, half cloudy. Felt hot when the sun was out, nice when it was not.
Weight: 60.1kg
Shoes: AdiZeroPro 160g (no insoles). Ball of right foot was a little sore at the end, but not bad.

Here's the "HiTeck Tumbler" (drink bottle) I got as 6th place prize.

No More Squats

Week of Sept. 12 ~ 18

Ran: 15/9.5/10/7/10.8/7/0 - 59.3km / 37 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 15k. 1.6 WU, 13km River Run, 100m x 4 barefoot.
Ran with the varsity boys, 7.5k Out in 33:40 @5:11, In in 30:16 @4:39. We sped up the last 1.5k (last k in 3:50), actually more than we should have (not my doing). Next week we will keep the pace manageable, as the next 3 days will also be hard.
Weather: 31C/88F, 40%, sunny.

Tuesday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:30 - 9.5k with 600m hill x 4. Ran with the varsity girls in 2:34/38/29/35 with 3:45 rest back down.
(2:40 is a moderate pace, 2:35 is slightly hard, 2:30 is hard).
Various exercises afterwards, including 20 x 3 squats (hands behind head, lower butt until legs are at a 90° angle)
Weather: 32C/90F
Weight: 60.1kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - At the track 400/1000/1200/1200/1000/800/400
WU/4:05/5:01/5:05/4:15/3:14/1:42 (200m jog)
Took it easy as I had done two relatively hard days and also my inner thighs and butt is sore.

Thursday
3:30 - 7k easy with the team (they did 3-mile tempo run, which I timed).
Thighs and butt still quite sore - finally realized it was from the squats.
Weather: 32C/90F

Friday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
5:30 - 10.8k in 55:57 @5:11.
5ks in 27:55/24:05 @5:35/4:39.
Legs felt ok, but butt still sore.

Saturday
1:00 - 2k WU in 11:16, 5k in 21:59 @4:24.
No time to run more. Planned to go faster, but difficult due to heat, humidity, wind, a short rain squall and a sore butt. Never again will I do squats.
Weather: 29C/84F, 60%

Sunday
2:00 - machines and core at the gym.

Half marathon next Sunday. Hope it will be cooler. Forecast is for 26C/79F, which will at least feel cooler than 30.

The Heat Returns

Back to summer with 30C/86F + days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Week of Sept. 5 ~ 11

Ran: 19.2/8/8/11/6/10/25/0 - 80km / 50 mi. 6:58

Monday
3:30 - 4.6 easy warmup. River Run with the varsity boys. 4k @ 5:07, 1.5k @ 4:48, 2.5k @ 3:48, .9k @ 4:12, 2.1k @5:20.
That should have been the end of the run (11k) but I went back out 1.8k at a good pace (4:10) to find a lost kid, and then 1.8 easy in. So 19.2k - a pretty hard run.
Weather: 26C/81F
Weight: 60.2kg

Tuesday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:30 8.8k easy, with 4 easy .6k hills with the slowest girl.

Wednesday
7:30pm - track workout - 1000m x 6
3:44/34/34/36/36/29 (200m jog 2:45 - 3:00)
Felt pretty good. Weather a bit cooler and had people to run with, including a young Finnish woman studying at Tokyo U. for 2 months who is blond and beautiful and ran behind me at first, then progressively faster, doing the last 1000 in 3:20.
How can we convince her to stay in Tokyo?

Thursday
3:30 - With the team 6k before and after their 1-mile tempo runs (one mile all out, then 3 x 1 mile at one minute slower).
Legs tired and sore.
Lots of core exercises after the workout.

Friday
11:30 - Machines and core at the gym.
4:30 - Very easy 10k in 57:51 by myself. Legs still stiff and sore (right hip, left knee).
Weather: 30C/86F 50%, sunny

Saturday
1:30 - 25k in 2:10:31 @5:13
28:24/27:02/26:20/24:45/23:58 @5:41/28/16/4:57/4:48
Hot, but felt ok after 8-9k. Left knee sore at first, but then ok.
Weather: 32C/90F, 40%, sunny
Weight: 61.1kg
Team had its first x-country meet and everyone ran well. The school we were against has a small, weak team, so the kids just cruised. The girls ran as a pack, hitting the first mile exactly at the Thursday tempo pace. Then they picked up the second half of the race. High school cross country is fun to watch - go out and support your local team.

Sunday
Rest, as I now run with the team on Mondays.

Shorter and Faster

Week of Aug 29 ~ Sep 4

Ran: 10.5/9.5/11.7/7/7/0/10 - 55.7km / 34.6 mi. 4:52

Monday
3:30 - 10k in 46:44
First run with the American School X-country team. Did our traditional River Run from school to the Tama River (4k), 1k along the river, then back. Ran with varsity boys (9) going out and with the top 3 coming back. Out was 26:35, in was 20:09. The first k in was about 4:00, the next two were real fast and the last two were just under 4:00. On a very hot day! So this was a good run - worked very hard - and stayed with them until the last 200m. A good run for them on their first day of practice. (They ran "some" over the summer.)
100m x 5 barefoot on the field.
Weather: 30C/86F, sunny
Weight: 60.2kg
Shoes: AdiZero 180g

Tuesday
11:30 - Machines and core at the gym.
3:30 - Hills with the team. .6k hill x 3, .5k hill x 1. Moderate pace.
Weather: 30C/86F

Wednesday
12:00 - 2.5k to train station to pick up my bike. Yes, I count this as a run.
7:30 - 5,000m time trial on the track.
18:57 3:44/46/48/50/48
Felt good. Time was ok, considering it was hot and humid, and I was running by myself from 2,000m.
Weather: 28C/82F
Weight: 59.6kg
Shoes: AdiZero Pro 160g

Thursday
3:30 - 7k easy/moderate run with the team. Hard abs workout afterwards.

Friday
11:30 - Machines and core (light) at the gym.
3:30 - Speed work with varsity girls. 800m x 3, 400m x 2.
3:08/09/2:57/83/80 (3 mins. in between)
100m x 4 barefoot
A good workout for the girls, and not bad for me.

Saturday - A rare hangover. Drank too much at the annual Copywriters Drinking Party that I host (40 copywriters, designers and other ad types).
Also hard rain off and on from the edge of a typhoon.

Sunday
3:30 - Easy 10k in 55:41 just to loosen the legs a bit for the hard River Run tomorrow. Although I plan to run with the 4th and 5th boys, not the top 3.