Easy Week

Week of Nov. 21 ~ 27

Ran: 0/0/11.4/12/0/12/20 - 55.4km / 34.4 mi. 4:58

Monday
Rest after half marathon.

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout.
1200/1200/1000/1000/800/800
4:47/4:41/3:47/3:46/3:13/3:11 (200m jog, abt. 2:00)
12s and 8s were intensionally at about 4:00/k pace. Pushed the 1000s somewhat, but felt kind of sluggish.
Weather: 14C/57F

Thursday
2:00 - 12k in 1:09:09 @5:45
Very easy. Legs sore from yesterday, or actually still from the half marathon.

Friday
Rest - race tomorrow.

Saturday
11:00 - Run for the Cure 10K. Charity race (breast cancer).
They give good prizes for the top 3 (not a high-level event) so if I had a chance, I planned to run hard. However, 5 guys took off fast at the gun, 3 of whom were from my club and I knew they were fast. So with no chance for a prize, I opted to run with former American School runner now mother of 4 Sara Wilhelm at her pace, which turned out to be 42:22 (she finished 3rd in the women's div.). A nice day and a nice run. We also had the event's special guest, Ai Ueda, running with us. She is a former Japan and Asia triathlon champion, and is on the Japan team for the 2012 Olympics. She was cruising even more easily than I was, and we even chatted a bit. Her PR is 34:07 - at the end of a tri, I assume. Photo below.
Weather: about 16C/61F, sunny

Sunday
1:00 - 20k in 1:54:04 @5:44
Easy run, legs a bit tired.

Next week is the club 5,000m time trial on Wednesday, which I won't run too hard, as I have an ekiden on Sunday (6.4k leg).

Unrelated topic: Reading Keith Richard's Life. Great book. Not just "great" as in fun to read, but a really, really good book. Highly recommended.

1:25:26 Half Marathon

Week of Nov. 14 ~ 20

No real plan, as this was a taper week for the Half on Sunday.

Monday
3:00 - 10k very easy in 29:17/29:12.
Ran today due to business trip tomorrow. Legs tired but not sore (ran 22k with 10k at half marathon pace yesterday).

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
7:30pm. Club track workout.
400/1000/1200/1200/1000/800/400
1:40/4:11/4:47/4:53/3:59/3:10/95
Trying to keep to 4:00/k pace (about half marathon pace). Felt ok.

Thursday
4:30 - 8k in 45:38 @ 5:42.
Easy pace. Felt good, but kept it easy.
Weather: 16C/61F
Weight; 60.2kg

Friday
Ordinarily before a race I would rest Friday and run easily Saturday, but the forecast is for heavy rain tomorrow.
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
4:00 - 7k. 2.5k easy, 1k @5:00, stretching, 4 x 500m in 2:00 with 500m jogs.
Weather: 13C/55F
Weight: 60.5kg

Saturday
Rest. Cold rain - hope it stops tomorrow.

Sunday (rain stopped, then got warm, then got too warm!)
Toda Half Marathon. Toda is in Saitama, just north of Tokyo. Takes 2 hours from door to race. The race starts and finishes in a huge park and goes around Lake Saiko twice. There is also a 5k and a 10k. It’s a good race, very well organized, free shuttle buses from and back to the station, quite a few water stations, people telling you to be careful of tiny bumps, etc. The course is basically flat, just two small hills that you go up and down twice each. It’s a two loop course and it doubles back (180 degree turn) four times, so you can see who is ahead of you, which is good if you are aiming for a top place in your age group or you want to wave to your friends (or you just want to feel superior to all the slower people).

My time was 1:25:26, good for 2nd in my age group, out of 207 men. First was 1:24:02, second was about 1:30 behind me.
I was about 38th overall out of 2,540 men.

5K splits were 19:53, 20:07, 20:24, 20:35, 4:25 (the 20th k was 4:17. I did kick the last 1.1, but those distances may have been wrong).

I was actually aiming for 1:24, but the exceptionally warm weather slowed me down, I think. It was 22C/72F...or more in the sun. I was working very hard the last 6.1k, but getting slower instead of faster.

(I was hoping for about 14C/57F. It was 14 at 8am, but at 9:00 the sun came out and by 11:00 it was hot. A beautiful day, but a bit too warm for good racing.)

Nice gifts and prizes. All participants received a nice large hooded rain cape. Top 6 in each category (10-year age groups) got prizes. I got a good Mizuno backpack, a nice cellphone strap (with a pearl!) and an assortment of fruit (to be sent to me). And a big medal.

Nice Week with a Good 10K at the End

Week of Nov. 7 ~ 13

Plan: 0/20/10/17/20/10/18 - 95km
Ran: 0/20/11/18/20/0/22 - 91km / 56.5 mi. 6:07

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:00 - 20k in 1:49:21 @5:28
Felt ok. HS and left quad sltly sore last 5k.
Weather: 18C/64F, 40%, cloudy
Weight: 61.3kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - track workout.
600/800/1000/1200/1000/800/600
2:13/2:48/3:32/4:20/3:30/2:24/2:03
200m jog in between 2:20~3:05
Felt pretty good and ran hard. We had a big, fast A group, in fact, there were 16 or 17 people ahead of me. A lot, considering I was running 3:30 1000s. The club never had this many fast people before.
Weather: 15C/59F

Thursday
3:00 - 18k of fairly easy running. 5.5 to school, long break, 7k with 1k hill loop at a decent pace, break, 5.5k back.
Legs tired but not sore.

Friday
3:30 - 20k in 1:43:27 @5:10
26:54/26:29/24:52/25:10 @ 5:24/18/4:58/5:02
Felt good, not running hard. Only very slight soreness.
Weather: 12C/54F, rain, hands were cold....
Weight: 61.6kg

Saturday
Didn't really have time to run so decided to rest for tomorrow.

Sunday
10:00 - Total 22k (approx) at the Namban Rengo Half and 10K.
Ran the 10K in 40:27. Wanted to run half marathon pace (for race next Sunday) at 40 or faster, but 40:27 was ok. It was rather hot, actually. The course alongside the Arakawa river was completely in the sun.
Then ran 2k or so out and back twice pacing people in the half, including one woman who I ran with for 2.5k who ran a 1:32, so that was about 4:20/k pace. Ran more than I intended to, but had no soreness at all.
We had over 90 people out for our run and BBQ, of whom about 70 ran. A great day.
Weather: 24C/75F, sunny, a very warm day for Nov. 13.

A Good Week

Week of Oct. 31 ~ Nov. 6

Plan: 0/20/10/18/10/16/24 - 98km
Ran: 0/20/11/17/10/14/25 - 97km / 60 mi. 6:42

Feel like I'm finally back in a good training rhythm after two months of running with the HS cross country team, racing a half and a 5,000m, and having a sore butt.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:00 - 20k in1:48:56 @5:27
27:37/27:21/26:31/27:25 Relaxed pace.
Slight soreness, but not bad.
Weather: 22C/72F 20%, sunny
Weight: 61.3kg
Shoes: 240g K-Swiss for a bit more cushion.

Wednesday
7:30pm - track workout 1000m x 6
3:56/59/57/57/59/54 (200m, abt. 2:35)
Wanted to run 4:00 pace because that will be approx. half marathon pace (Nov. 20) and because of soreness. Had acupuncture before running, which helped somewhat.
Weather: 18C/64F

Thursday
2:30 - Ran to school for an easy run with two of the coaches.
5.5 to school, 6k run, 5.5 back (with long rests in between).
All at about 5:40~50. A bit sore, but not much.
Weather: 20C/68F, 50%, cloudy
Weight: 61.3kg

Friday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym.
3:00 - 10k in 52:16 26:44/25:32 @5:21/06
Running easily.
Weather: 22C/72F, sunny

Saturday
12:00 - 14k. 3k WU, 10k tempo, 1k WD
16:58 easy with two stretch stops.
10k 43:12 @4:19 4:14/30/27/22/22/18/20/21/10/07
Planned to run 4:30 pace but felt fairly good so went a bit faster. Also planned to pick up the last 2k, which I did.
Running well, with proper midfoot striking, which I always mean to do, but often get away from.
Weather: 20C/68F, 60%, cloudy.
Weight: 61.5kg - gaining instead of losing!
160g AdiZero Pro (Half race shoes)
Took 2 ibuprofen 4 hrs before the run to reduce inflammation, which it did, I think. hardly any soreness during or after the run.

Sunday
3:00 - 25k in 2:10:52 @5:14
28:28/27:08/25:56/25:05/24:12 @ 5:42/26/09/01/4:50
Planned to run easy 5:30 pace but got faster without trying to. Just cruising the whole way. Again took 2 ibuprofen 4 hrs before and had no soreness, except a bit near the end.
Best two days in quite a while.
Weather: 18C/64F, 70% (right after rain)
Weight: 61.8kg - ok, really have to lose weight.