10K — Same, but Different

Week of Feb. 13 ~ 19

Ran: 0/10/10/0/10/0/10 - 40K / 24.8 mi.  3:29

Monday
Rest and massage (to try to heal the piriformis-related problems).

Tuesday
11:30 - machines and core at the gym
2:00 - 10k in a very easy 57:00. Butt sore. Cold rain.
Weather: 6C/43F, rain

Wednesday
7:30pm - Track workout  1200/1200/1000/1000/800/800
Ran them all at about 4:25 per 1000m, slightly above marathon pace.
Hamstring sore.
Weather: 8C/46F, but windy and felt very cold.

Thursday
Rest
Went to physical therapy. Electrical stimulation of the muscles and ultrasound. I don't think it helps much, but thanks to national health insurance, it costs very little, so might as well go. And the sensei is a runner and friendly guy.

Friday
11:30 - to the gym
2:00 - Easy 10k in 57:09. Hamstring sore.
Massage.

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
9:30 - 10K race at Ome. The 46th year of this very popular race way out on the western outskirts of Tokyo, just before the hills/mountains start. There were 15,000 in the 30K and 5,000 in the 10K (which only has high school and masters divisions).
Last year I ran 38:10 and came in 4th. This year I ran 39:04 and came in 4th. The 4th was nice (out of 703 in the 60s men's division), but the time was a disappointment. The hamstring was a bit sore, but not painfully so, if that makes sense. I think it slows me down some, either physically or mentally or both, however, I think a bigger reason for the slower time is that I haven't done any real 10K training for quite a while. Actually, I ran 38:08 5 weeks ago, but have not really trained hard since then. On the Wednesday night intervals, I always run marathon pace. So today I was up near the front at the start (due to 4th place last year) and of course everyone blasted off. I felt like I wasn't going too fast, but after 400m I was huffing and puffing. I thought, "Wow, breathing hard already, this is going to be a tough race." Actually, it was just because I'm not used to running a 3:48 pace for 1k. After about 2k, my breathing was fine, and I was running ok, but just didn't feel smooth and strong. The second half I tried to pick it up, and felt like I had quite a bit (and had other people to run with, which always helps), but in fact, it was only slightly faster (19:35/19:29). So I worked hard and felt like I ran pretty well, but was a minute slower. If you think you are going fast, but are going slower than previously, that's not a good sign. However, I'll chalk it up to lack of hard training. Hopefully, marathon pace next Sunday will feel a lot easier.
The weather was perfect! About 7C/45F, but sunny so it felt warmer. No wind to speak of.
Maybe next year I will actually train for this race, then run a marathon in March or April instead of a week later.
The 60s winner, by the way, was 37:15. Prizes down to six (towel and medal, wow). Best of all, the guys in 5th and 6th were guys who always used to beat me. HOWEVER, the winner of the 30K 60s ran 1:53:11, which is a 37:42 10K pace, my friends.