December 30, 2013

Ending the Year in (Fairly) Good Shape

Week of Dec, 23 ~ 29
82.2km / 51 mi.

As of the end of the year I'm running well, with my legs in fairly good shape. I still have a torn meniscus in my right knee, but aside from a bit of pain during the first 3 or 4km of runs, it doesn't bother me. Arthroscopic surgery would probably fix it, although I just read an article on Yahoo with many comments that said the surgery is not infallible, sometimes does not help at all, and in fact some people have gotten worse after surgery.  So as long as I stay away from long runs, which definitely stress the knee, I think it will be manageable, i.e., will not get any worse.

Hope to be running some good 10K and Half Marathon races in 2014. I would really like to run some races in the US, as I'm sure I'm near the top of my age group, but of course travel to the US is time- and money-consuming. I do have a tentative plan to go to Portland, Maine in July for the Beach to Beacon 10K, one of the top 10Ks in America…we'll see.

Monday
11:30 - 8k easy in 47:42
3:30 - 12k in 1:04:03 @5:20/k with splits of 32:44, 31:41.
Felt good coming back.
Weather: 7C/45F, 8C/46F
Weight: 57.7kg

Tuesday
Rest
Big dinner - Xmas dinner at home.

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club 5,000m time trial on the track.
19:29 @3:54/k. 3:50/57/56/54/50
Felt ok, but not great. Decent last km. Quite cold, which I don't like.
Weather: 7C/45F…or less? Felt very cold.
Big dinner - Brazilian BBQ with clubmates.

Thursday
1:00 - 12k in 1:08:59 @ 5:45

Friday
12:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 14k in 1:16:57 @5:30 (5:40/5:20.
Felt ok - good coming back.
Weather: 7C/45F, cloudy with some rain.

Saturday
2:30 - 14.2k with 4k warmup, 4k x 2 tempo, 150m hill x 8.
4k in 19:14 @4:48 and 17:37 @4:24. Walk 4:30 in between.
Sluggish first 4k but then felt surprisingly good on the second one.
Ran up the hills hard. Start of my plan to incorporate some short hills and short sprints into the training week, to try to improve my "speed."
Weather: 8C/46F, felt colder.
Weight: 58.8kg

Sunday
3:00 - 12k in 1:07:37 @5:38
Knee always a bit sore the first 4k, then ok. Felt fine coming back.
Weather: 8C/46F, sunny
Weight: 58.7kg - Christmas and New Year's are for gaining weight. I'll take it off in January.

Thanks for reading my blog. Here's to good running in 2014!

December 22, 2013

Recovery Week

Week of Dec. 16 ~ 22
41.6 km / 25.8 mi.

Monday and Tuesday
Rest after 10k race. Knee sore.

Wednesday
7:30pm - track workout - 9.6km.
1200, 1200, 1200, 800, 800, 800
4:36/28/28 2:58/56/55
200m jog after first 2 1200s, then walk rest.
Felt pretty good and ran well despite cold and rain.
Weather: 6C/43F, rain
Weight: 58.6kg

Thursday
Meetings all day, but knee sore also.

Friday
Cold rain - good excuse to rest the knee another day.

Saturday
11:30 - 12k with 6k easy in 33:43 @5:37/k, 6k fairly easy tempo run in 27:28 @4:35. Pace went from 4:45 to 4:20.
Felt pretty good coming back. Faster than I thought I would run, actually.
Weather: 7C/45F, sunny

Sunday
10:30 - 8k very easy
3:30 - 12k in 1:03:19 @5:16/k. 5:24 out, 5:08 back (with wind). Felt good.
Weather: 8C/10C, windy
Weight: 58.1kg

December 15, 2013

Happy with a 38:27 10K

Week of Dec. 9 ~ 15
45km / 28 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 13k with 3k warmup, 10k tempo in 45:21 @4:32/k.
Planned to run 4:30 ~ 40.
Felt cold. Couldn't move for 3k "warmup", still cold first 4k, then warmed up and felt good for the last 6k.
Weather: 10C/50F, cloudy
Weight: 57kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm club track workout. 10k with 1200, 1200, 1000, 1000, 800, 800.
4:42, 4:35, 3:47, 3:47, 2:59, 2:55 (jog 200m in 2', + a bit more rest).
Felt pretty good and ran well.
Weather: abt. 11C/52F
Weight: 57.6kg (57.1 before running)

Thursday
3:30 - 12k easy in 1:07:48 @5:39/k.
Sluggish going out with knee slightly sore. Picked up the pace and felt ok coming back.

Friday
Rest
Saturday
Rest

Sunday
10:00am - 10K race in Komazawa Park. This is a small fun-run type race held to promote the LA Marathon. Flat course, 4 times around a loop, near ideal conditions at 10C/50F (warmer in the sun) and no wind. Course seems accurate.
Total field of only 227 men, with several good runners (winner 31:52!), 6th 35:xx. There were about 12 ahead of me, and I always had some guys to run with or chase.
Felt good the whole way and ran well, with a 38:27. No km marks, but the loop is marked, so you can time 1km splits. The first one I timed was 3:48, others were low 3:50s, and I picked up the last 1k quite a bit. So 38:27 seems right.
Weather: 10C/50F, 39%, sunny
Weight: 57.5kg

December 8, 2013

An Ordinary Week

Week of Dec. 2 ~ 8
78.3km / 48.6 mi.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11;30 - Gym workout
3:30 - 10k easy in 54:06 @5:30/k
Weather: 13C/55F
Weight: 57.5kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club track workout 9.8km with 1000m x 6.
3:46/48/42/43/48/35 (200m 2' jog, 1' rest)
Felt pretty good.

Thursday
4:30 - 12k easy in 1:07:23 @5:37.

Friday
11:00 - 5.25k very easy
11:30 - Gym workout
12:00 - 5.25k very easy
4:00 - 10k easy in 54:52 @ 5:29/k
Weather: 12C/54F
Weight: 57.6kg

Saturday
1:30 - 14k with 3k warmup, 5k in 21:57 @4:24, walk 6', 3k in 13:02 @4:21 (jog 1k 6:55), 1k in 4:23, 1k jog home.
Legs felt tired, hard to get under 4:20/k. But a good workout.

Sunday
3:00 - 12k easy in 1:07:21 @5:37
Felt ok.

December 2, 2013

Enjoyable Ekiden

Week of Nov. 25 ~ Dec. 1

40.4km / 25 mi.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
12:00 - Gym workout
3:00 - 12k with 4k warmup, 8k hard tempo in 34:03 @4:15/km
Splits: 4:15/26/14/11/18/15/07/14
Felt ok, but still have some sinus and chest congestion. Legs felt good.
Weather: 16C/61F, 40%
Weight: 57.8kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track 5,000m time trial.
Cruised in 20:51 - 4:06/09/10/12/13
Knee a bit sore for 2k, then ok.
Interesting that the pace, when running on the track with other people, felt so much easier than yesterday.
Weather: 13C/55F
Weight: 57.9kg

Thursday
3:30 - 12k easy in 1:08:15 @5:41/k
Weather: 15C/59F
Weight: 57.1kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
7.4k leg in the Okutama Ekiden.
28:15 @3:49. Happy with that, as I wanted to run under 29:00.
This is an old (75 years) and popular ekiden out in the hilly countryside in the far west of Tokyo.
6-man teams running 3 legs out and 3 back. I ran the last leg, which is rolling with more down than up for about 3k, then flat for the rest. I ran the anchor leg, as it is the least interesting, since the teams are so far apart by that time that you're running by yourself. Our team had some slow guys so we were near the end of the 120-team field. Fortunately there were some slow people that I had fun catching and passing. I ran hard the whole way and felt good.
We had 3 men's teams and 3 women's teams (which have 3 members and shorter legs). Beer and sushi afterwards while watching the end of the Fukuoka marathon completed a very enjoyable day.
Weather: beautiful day, slightly chilly but sunny.
Weight: 56.9kg

November 24, 2013

Easy Week

Week of Nov. 18 ~ 24
63.4km / 39.4 mi.

Monday
Rest from race yesterday.
Caught a cold - throat was sore from Saturday but fortunately I was all right yesterday.

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout.
600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 800, 600
2:26, 3:18, 3:51, 5:11, 4:03, 3:26
Legs still not fresh and felt a bit "off" due to the cold.
Warmed up, then ran a decent 1000, then took it easy, and skipped the final 600.
Weather: 13C/55F
Weight: 57.8kg

Thursday
Rest

Friday
11:00 - 8k in 45:12 @5:39 - average pace
12:30 - Gym workout
3:30 - 12k in 1:06:47 @5:35

Saturday
2:00 - 3k warmup, 5k, 3k, 1k hard tempo
5k: 21:13 @4:15  4:16/18/13/12/14  (walk 6:00
3k: 12:39 @4:13  4:13/19/07 (jog 5:54)
1k: 3:57
Still have some sinus congestion, so this was a good workout.
Weather: 15C/59F
Weight: 57.9kg

Sunday
11:30 - 8k in 44:54 @5:37
3:30 - 12k in 1:06:13 @5:31 (34:09, 32:04)
Weather: 13C, 15C, 30%
Weight: 57.6kg

November 17, 2013

Today's Half 1:28:27, 4th in Age Group

Week of Nov 11 ~ 17
55.5km / 34.5 mi.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:00 - 12k with 4k warmup, 8k in 33:49 @4:13/k
4:18,25,14,14,13,15,06,03
A bit chilly and windy, so took a while to get going. But felt good last 2k.
Weather: 13C/55F, 50%
Weight: 57.7kg

Wednesday
7:30 - club track workout.
1200,1200,1000,1000,800,800
5:03, 4:55, 3:51, 3:50, 3:18, 3:19 (2:30 jog after 12s, 2:00 jog & 1:00 walk after 1000s).
Cruised 1200s, moderately hard 1000s, easy 800s. Legs felt good
Weather: 9C/48F, very chilly
Weight: 56.8kg

Thursday
2:30 - 12k easy in 1:06:37 @5:34/k.
Weight: 57.1kg

Friday
Gym workout. Resting for Sunday.

Saturday
Resting
Weight: 57.8kg

Sunday
Toda Half Marathon (in Saitama pref., just north of Tokyo).
Beautiful day for running, chilly in the morning, then warmed up. Temp was 17-18C/64F at the finish (12:00), which is my preferred temperature - I don't like cold weather.
This is my favorite race in Japan. It's big, but not huge, there is good competition in each age group, it's a basically flat course on a wide, smooth asphalt surface, it starts at 11AM (the later, the better for me), it's in a nice green area and goes around a lake, and is very well organized. Also, there are two places with 180° turns after long straights, which I like because you can see who is ahead and behind you, and by how much (if you are trying to finish high in your age group) and also wave hello to your friends who are running.
I ran a Half on Sept. 29 in 1:31:30 @4:20/k (26°), so wanted to run 4:10 pace today - 1:27:54.
Went out a bit slower than that - just seemed comfortable at 4:14 or a bit more, but that was ok, as I was planning to pick it up at 15k. Had a few people to run with or behind most of the way and basically just felt real good the first 15k.
Planned to pick it up at 15k and I did - just put the hammer down. I felt good and fortunately got into a good rhythm with another guy and we ran side by side for 4k. Managed to pick up the last k a bit more and had a good kick - in fact, I outkicked the first woman on the track at the end - sorry!
I had noticed an "old guy" running a little ways ahead of me at about 8k, so I put in a little spurt at 10k (the 4:03) and passed him. He apparently also figured I was in his age group, so he pulled back ahead. This happened twice more, after which I was content to just cruise behind him, feeling pretty sure that I would leave him at 15k - and I did. Beat him by 1:15 (he was 5th). At the awards ceremony he said he was rather shocked when I ran away from him.
So, 1:28:27, which is not great, but not bad. And I felt good the whole way, which was the best part. No hint of pain in my knee or anywhere else.
60s winner was 1:26:05. Actually, when I was 60 I won the age group in 1:23:30. 3rd was only 20 seconds ahead of me - next year!

1k splits: 3:59, 4:18, 14, 14, 20, 14, 14, 15, 18, 20, 03, 13, 19, 15, 18, 03, 08, 03, 11, 10, 3:53, 0:23 (.1k)
5k splits: 21:05, 21:22, 21:08, 20:34 (16K to 21k: 20:25)

Participants:
10K men: 1,780
10k women: 841Half men: 2,740Half women: 650
There were 264 in my age group. I got a Mizuno shoe bag for finishing 4th.





November 11, 2013

A Solid Week of Training

Week of Nov. 4 ~ 10
89 km / 55 mi.

Monday
2:00 - 12k with 4k warmup, 8k tempo in 34:09 @4:16/k
Still felt a bit sluggish even after the warmup, but felt good the last 4k after getting fully warmed up.
4:20/26/17/17/13/12/11/12
Weather: 18C/64F
Weight: 57.8kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 1000m x 6
3:41/38/42/41/42/31 (jog 2', walk 50")
Felt very good and ran well. Pushed each one and kicked strongly on the last one.
Weather: 17C/63F
Weight: 58 (but 56.8, somehow, before the workout)

Thursday
3:00 - 12k easy in 1:07:00 @5:35/k
Weather: 14C/57F
Weight: 57kg

Friday
11:00 - 8k easy in 45:33 @5:42/k.
12:00 - Gym workout
3:45 - 12 easy in 1:07:24 @5:36/k  (34:32/32:52)
Felt hungry!
Weather: 16C, 18C
Weight: 57.3kg

Saturday
3:00 - 14k with 3k warmup then 5k, 3k, 1k hard
5k - 21:16 @4:15/k (walk 6:00)
3k - 12:21 @4:07/k (jog 1k in 6:36)
1k - 4:01. Disappointed. It felt faster and I wanted to get under 4:00.
Weather: 13C/55F, cloudy and felt chillier.
Weight: 57.2kg

Sunday
11:00 - 8k easy in 47:27 @5:56/k
3:30 - 12k cruising in 1:06:32 @5:33 (33:52/32:39)
Felt good in the afternoon.
Weather: 13C, 18C
Weight: 57.1kg

Next week: tapering from Wednesday for the half marathon on Sunday.

November 3, 2013

18:57 5K — I'll Take It

Week of Oct. 28 ~ Nov. 3
72 km / 44.7 mi.

Monday
Rest - recovery from 9K "race" on Sunday

Tuesday
Rest and gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - 9k with club 5,000m time trial
18:57. Splits: 3:47/47/49/51/43
Felt great. Had three guys to follow, which helped a lot. Surprisingly, went past them all in the last k. Even had a good kick. So while it's not "fast,' given my past performance, it's the best I've run in quite a while so I'll take it.
Weather: 18C/64F. felt cool. This is the ideal temperature for me….
Weight: 57.4kg (56.8 before the run).

Thursday
3:00 - 12k easy in 1:07:18 @5:36

Friday
11:00 - 8k easy 44:15 @5:32
2:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 12k easy in 1:05:45 @5:28. Legs felt fine.
Weather: 18C/64F
Weight: 56.7kg

Saturday
2:00 - 13k with 3k warmup, 4k, 3k, 2k hard.
4k in 16:48 @4:12 (walk 6:00), 3k in 12:15 @4:05 (walk 5:00), 2k in 8:08 @4:04.
Felt good. A little soreness in hip joint the last 500m, so abandoned the plan to do 400 x 2, 200 x 2.
Weather: 16C/61F
Weight: 57.5kg

Sunday
11:00 - 6k easy in 35:11
2:00 - 12k easy in 1:04:17 (different course, may have been a bit short).
Weather: 17C/63F
Weight: 57.2kg
Getting ready to watch Kawauchi in the New York City Marathon. Great live feed on abclocal.go.com


October 28, 2013

Good Run, Short Course

Week of Oct. 21 ~ 27

Highlighted by the Namban Rengo club 10K/Half, which turned out to be 9K/20.1K due to an abysmal measuring job by the race director (not me!).

Monday
2:30 - 12k with 4k warmup, 8k tempo in 33:31 @4:11.5/k.
Felt a bit "weak" at first, but ok after 2k and got down to 4:03/05 for the last 2k.
Weather: 20C/68F
Weight: 57.1kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout 1200, 1200, 1200, 1000, 800, 400.
4:39, 4:31, 4:34, 3:38, 3:14, 1:36
Felt ok, legs fine. Ran 1200s fairly hard, pushed the 1000, eased off on the 800 and 400.
Weather: 18C/64F, 70%
Weight: 57.6kg

Thursday
12:00 - 12k easy in 1:07:45 @5:39/k

Friday
Rest
Saturday
Rest

Sunday
11:30 - 13k including 9k race.
Time was 35:36, which would be 39:33 for 10k.
I was hoping for about 39:00, so this was ok. It was quite warm, at least 20C and sunny, so probably warmer. It was also extremely windy (course was along the banks of one of Tokyo's large rivers, the Arakawa). This was very helpful for about 5k, not helpful for about 4k.
I went out at a good but not overly ambitious pace for about 2k, turned and ran pretty well into the wind for 4k, then really got into a nice brisk rhythm for the last 3k, enabling me to catch and pass 3 guys who had been about 100m ahead. It was a shock to reach the end and see 35 on the watch. How he managed to be so far off, I don't know, but no sense moaning about it and it was only a club run anyway. There were about 30 in the 10K and 25 in the Half. I had 2 people to run with early and 3 people to catch late, which is nicer than being all by yourself.
It was a good, hard effort and nice preparation for my goal Half on Nov. 17.
BBQ afterwards with about 80 people, so it was an enjoyable day.
Weather: 20C/68F ?
Weight: 58kg

October 20, 2013

Feeling Good at 90K per Week

Week of Oct. 14 ~ 20
88.6km / 55 mi.

Well, almost 90k — 88.6 being close enough.

Monday
3:30 - 12k with 4k warmup, 8k tempo in 33:44 @4:12/k.
Felt good, ran well, no pains, no problems.
Weather: 23C/73F, 45%
Weight: 57.4kg

Tuesday
11:00 - Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - Track workout. 11.6k with 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 800, 600.
2:17, 3:03, 3:44, 4:40, 3:43, 3:08, 2:19
Thought I felt good, but ran only so-so. Left calf got tight on first 1000, so held back on the next 1200, 800 and 600. 1000s should be faster....
Weather: 20C/68F, 43%
Weight: 57.9kg (56.7 before running)

Thursday
11:00 - 8k easy in 46:12 @5:46/k. Slight tightness in calf.
4:00 - 12k in 1:07:56 (34:52/33:03) @5:39. Tightness for 4k, then it went away.
Ran twice due to planned BBQ on Sunday with friends.
Weather: 19C, 20C, 40%
Weight: 57.1kg

Friday
10:00 - 8k easy in 46:27
11:30 - Gym workout
4:00 - 12k in 1:04:33 (32:51/31:42) @5:23
Not trying to run "faster", just felt ok.
Weather: 18C, 19C
Weight: 57.2kg

Saturday
3:00 - 2k warmup (legs felt good) then 5k, 3k, 1k tempo
5k: 21:16 @4:15 (6:00 walk), 3k: 12:27 @4:09 (6:20 jog), 1k: 3:55
Drank too much last night, but recovered by 3:00 and felt ok.
Weather: 17C/63F, 50%
Weight: 57.2kg

Sunday
3:30 - 12k in 1:06:27 (34:15/32:14) @5:32.
BBQ canceled due to rain. Was only raining lightly at 3:30, but then unexpectedly got heavy again after 6k. Chilly also. Well, into each life, a little rain must fall.
Weather: 13C/55F, rain.
Weight: 56.9kg

I got a heart rate app for my iPhone - you just put your finger over the camera - so I will take my HR each morning before getting up. This morning it was 36.

Next Sunday is the club 10K/Half and BBQ. I will run the 10k as a race - interested to see what I can do it in.

October 13, 2013

Good Week of Training

Week of Oct. 7 ~ 13
98.9 km / 61.5 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 11.2 k with a 5 mile tempo run (8.05k) with 5th and 6th x-country varsity boys who wanted to run 6:36 miles. We ran 6:43/38/38/39/37 - close enough, I think. This came to 33:16 or 4:09/k pace. Quite a good tempo run for me (have been doing 6k @4:20).
I felt fine the whole way, not an easy run, but not too hard either.
Weather: 26C/79F
Weight: 57.1kg - light!

Tuesday
3:30 - 7.4k. Normally a rest day, but there was a 2.6k fun run at school, so jogged that with the team and then did another 4.8k with the girls at an easy pace.
Weather: 26C/79F
Weight: 56.9kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 1200, 1200, 1000, 1000, 800, 800
4:30, 4:26, 3:38, 3:39, 2:57, 2:52 (200m jog, 3:00 after 12s and 10s, 2:24 after 8).
Felt good, ran hard. Wanted to run faster times, but maybe the temp. and humidity slowed me.
Weather: 25C/77F, 70%
Weight: 56.9kg

Thursday
3:30 - 14.3k. Easy 8.3 with the kids, then another easy 6k in the park.

Friday
7:30am - very easy 8k.
11:30 - gym workout
3:30 - 12k in 1:10:38 @5:53/k
Weight: 56.5kg - getting too light!

Saturday
3:30 - 14k. 3k, 5k x 2 tempo, 1k
5ks in 21:49 and 21:35 (21:40 is 4:20/k). 7:00 walk in between.
Felt good. Planned to run about this pace.
Weather: 28C/82F, 40%
Weight: 56.7 (early am, as are all weights)
Note: after the run and a bath at the local hot spring, I weighed 55.9 and my stomach was hurting a bit from hunger. Ate a lot, drank a beer and then felt ok. I think I should stay above 57kg.
Note 2: HS cross-country finals in the morning. Girls were 4th (top girl fell and finished 9th, 2nd girl had off day), boys were 1st, by one point, which was a great result. Our top boy ran 15:21 for 4.4k, or 3:27/k, but it's a tough course and it was hot - 28 or 29C. In fact, it got up to 31 in Tokyo, a 98-year record!

Sunday
11:00 - very easy 8k
3:30 - 12k in 1:07:43 (35:10/32:33) @5:51/5:26.
Cruising easily in the afternoon and felt fine.
Weather: 25C/77F, 25% in the afternoon, lovely day.
Weight: 57.3kg.

October 6, 2013

Recovery Week

Week of Sept. 30 ~ Oct. 6
45.5km / 28.3 mi.

After my half marathon last Sunday I made sure to take a good recovery week. This was because after that race in 2010 I went right back to hard training and two weeks later tore my calf muscle.
I'm finally learning....

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
7:30 pm - club workout in Yoyogi Park, as the track was closed.
11.5km. 1000m x 6 - cruising in 4:16/22/20/21/26/25 (2:30 jog/walk).
Legs were basically ok, but kind of stiff. Left quad was a bit sore.
Weather: extremely humid!
Weight: 58.1kg

Thursday
Rest

Friday
11:00 - 12k very easy.
Weather: 19C/66F
Weight: 57.3kg

Saturday
4:00 - 12k with 6k easy at just under 6:00/k, 6k easy tempo in 31:18 @5:13/k (planned abt 5:20).
Weather: 19C/66F, light rain
Weight: 57kg

Sunday
3:00 - 10k in 55:48 @ 5:36/k
Just cruising easily. Will do a hard tempo run tomorrow with x-country team boys. Would like to do 8k at 4:10/k pace.
Weather: 24C/75F, beautiful day
Weight: 56.9kg



September 29, 2013

Happy with the Half

Week of Sept. 23 ~ 29

46.9km / 29.1 mi.
Tapering for race on Sunday.

Monday
Rest (No school today, so tempo run tomorrow)

Tuesday
3:45 - 11.4k w/ 1.7k WU, 4 mile tempo with top girls, 350m easy, 350m hard, 1 mile tempo alone, 1k WD.
4 mile tempo in 7:27/23/20/39. 1mile extra in 7:40. Total 8k in 37:29 @4:41/km
Felt fine.
Weather: 25C/77F, 60%
Weight: 58.2kg

Wednesday
7:30pm. 5,000m time trial but I cruised it, pacing a woman in 22:27
4:20/31/37/37/21 Nice comfortable pace.

Thursday
3:45 - 7.8k  with 400m hill x 11 (total up & down) with x-country team. 10', 8', 6' with 2' rest.
Ran very easily with the slower girls.
Weight: 56.9kg

Friday
Rest
Weight: 56.4 !! (124 lbs)

Saturday
Rest
Weight: 56.8

Sunday
10:15 - Watarase Half Marathon

I ran this race basically as a test of my fitness, and…I passed. Time was 1:31:30, just about exactly 4:20 per km pace, which is what I was hoping for.

It was quite hot at 26C/79F, with bright sun about 90% of the time. So I suppose that affected me, but I didn't feel uncomfortable - I handle heat pretty well.

I have run it twice before and like it, despite that fact that A) it’s usually hot, B) they do not have a 60s division and C) the damn 5k split markers are wrong (the last 5k is always too long). (I complained…again…about B and C so we’ll see if they change next year.)

Watarase is in Saitama pref., just north of Tokyo, but I have to take five trains to get there. It’s a pleasant course.  Goes around a lake/reservoir 3 times, is flat, and is on a nice wide asphalt path. And it’s a nice size race - not too big, not too small. Meaning, in Japan, about 1,500?

I ran the first 15k at a good, but comfortable pace, usually accompanied by one or more runners. I felt good at that point so picked it up and ran a very good pace the last 6.1k. Unfortunately, I don’t know what it was because my watch showed 45 seconds slower, despite the fact that 15 to 20 was much faster than the previous 5k. I got into a real good rhythm with another guy right next to me, and we caught and passed a lot of people. I then left him with a sustained spurt over the last 1.1k.

And I felt good after finishing, which is a nice change from full marathons.

I would estimate my 5k splits at 21:34, 22:15, 22:15, 21:00, but that's just a guess - very annoying!

Anyway, a very good effort, and done on no long runs! Not even any long tempo runs - I had only run 6k at 4:20 pace a few times. So that's very encouraging for the possibility of running a good sub 1:30 half in November. Like 1:26 or thereabouts, hopefully....

I also felt light and strong, so the Kenyan thinness regime seems to be paying dividends.

Weather: 26C/79F
Weight: 57.8kg upon arising, probably about that at the start of the race.

Lots of rest next week. Three years ago I worked too hard in the two weeks after this race and then tore my calf muscle.


September 22, 2013

Finally a 90K Week

Week of Sept. 16 ~ 22
90km / 56 mi.

90k is my training program goal, and I finally achieved it this week. Ran every workout the way I was supposed to, but was damn tired today.
Shifted the first two-a-day from Thursday to Friday. Realized I can't run in the morning after the wednesday night workout. And rather than 8/8, 12/12, will run 8/12, 8/12, which makes more sense.

Monday
4:00 - No school, so did a tempo run on my own.
12k with 6k very easy. Felt very stiff and sluggish, but after stretching, striders and psyching myself up, felt fine from the start of the second 6k. Which was run in 25:47 @4:18/m
Weather: 27C/81F, 65%
Weight: 57.7kg

Note: I often feel horrible warming up, then fine once I start the meat of the workout. I think this is as much or more psychological as it is physical - the mind is just primed to "go" once the real running starts. Do others have this same experience?

Tuesday
Rest. Gym workout.

Wednesday
7:30pm - track closed so ran in Yoyogi Park.
1000m x 6. 3:49/46/47/52/50/40 (2:50 jog/walk).
Felt pretty good but it seems harder to run in the park than on the track. The last one was strange - didn't feel like I picked it up, but that's what the watch said.
Weather: cool, low humidity
Weight: 57.3kg (56.9 before running)

Thursday
3:30 - 1.4k then 1.6k easy with kids. Didn't do the hill workout.
3k x 3 alone in Nogawa park @ 5:39/32/20/k.
Felt so-so on 1st, ok on 2nd and good on 3rd.
Weather: 26C/79F, 30%
Weight: 57.3kg

Friday
Gym-type workout (the actual gym is closed for 3 weeks due to some sports festival).
11:00 - 8k very easy
4:00 - 12k easy at 5:57/k

Saturday
3:45 - 14k with 4k warmup, 3k x 3, 1k warmdown.
3ks in 12:35 (4:03/22/10), 12:39 (4:12/15/12), 12:21 (4:05/14/02)
(4 mins walk in between)
Felt pretty good. Much faster than the last two weeks. Getting into shape, less humidity, lighter weight.
Weather: 28C/82F, 40%
Weight: 57.4

Sunday
10:30 - 8k very easy.
3:45 - 12k very easy. Stiff and tired both runs, although a bit better in the afternoon. Still, I kind of had to will myself through the 12k.
Weather: 27C/81F, 40% both times.
Weight: 57.3kg

Next week: A half marathon on Sunday. This is a good race, one that I like a lot, although it has always been hot in the past. Doing it mainly as a test of fitness. My goal half is in November.
No school on Monday, so will take a much needed rest day, then do a tempo run on Tuesday and an easy 5,000m time trial on wednesday. Then easy until Sunday.
I'll carbo load on Saturday. 57kg may be too light to race a half at. Veins are popping out on my arms and legs because I have no flesh.

September 15, 2013

Getting Back Into Shape

Week of Sept. 9 ~ 15
79.8km / 49.5 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 11.2k inc. 3 mile tempo run on slightly hilly course with top varsity girl.
3 miles in 22:23 (7:31/33/18). 7:30 = 4:40/km.
Very comfortable pace. Extra 800 with 400 fast and 400 with 200 fast.
Weather: 27C/81F, 50% - coolish
Weight: 57.8kg

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 10.6k. 1200 x 2, 1000 x 2, 800 x 2.
4:26/20 (2:40 jog/wlk), 3:32/35 (3:10), 2:53/48 (2:20).
Felt really good. Nice to run in low 3:30s - it's been one year and 8 months since I ran that speed.
Weather: 26C/79F, 50% - nice!
Weight: 57.8kg (57.2 before running)

Thursday
All-day business trip. Probably just as well not to run.
Weight: 57.1

Friday
8:30am - 8k very easy.
11:30 - gym workout
4:00 - 12k in 1:08:22 @5:42/k
Very stiff in morning, felt ok in afternoon.
Weather: 27C/81F, 30/86
Weight: 57.2

Saturday
3:45 - 14k. 4k warmup, 3k x 3, 1k wd.
13:49/13:25/13:40. Planned to run 4:40-45/k but went a bit faster, without trying to. Felt ok, but ate a bit too much lunch.
Weather: 30C/86F, 60%

Sunday
8:00 - 12k very easy in heavy rain (very heavy at times), deep water in places.
2:30 - 12k in 1:11:55 (6:00/k) with the sun out!
Weather: 22C/72F rain, 27/81, 90% - typhoon coming tomorrow!
Weight: 57.8
My Kenyan thinness weight goal was 58, so maintaining under that. 57 is good, but hard to stay down there. Felt good on Wednesday, though....

September 8, 2013

Ok for Quality, Not Distance

Week of Sept. 2 ~ 8
76.6km / 47.6 mi.

Not achieving my target of 90km per week. It seems that doing three hard workouts per week does not leave me enough energy to run twice a day on Thursday and Sunday. Which is ok, I suppose....

Monday
3:30 with X-country team - 11.6km. 1.6 + 1 warmup.
3 mile tempo run with two junior varsity boy runners at 7:24/mile (4:38/k) on dirt course with one hill, and one more mile in 7:16. Nice, comfortable pace on the tempo run. (This day should actually be a harder tempo run.)
Weather: 30C/86F, 60%
Weight: 58.6kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
17k (5 + 12)
11:30 - Despite my "no two-a-days", I did go out for an easy 5k, having rested Tuesday.
7:30 - club track workout of 1000m x 6.
3:55/50/49/50/53/51 (200m jog in 2:30, 3:50 after 4th)
Quite warm and very muggy, so this was not a bad workout. Had several guys to run with and worked hard.
Weight: 57.9kg

Thursday
4:00 with X-country team - 14k.
1.5 easy, then up and down 80m hill for 4,3,2,1 minute with 1 minute rests.
1.5k easy, then 9k at about 6:00/k
Weather: 28C/82F, humid
Weight: 57.8kg

Friday
12:00 - 12k easy.

Saturday
3:30 - 14k. 4k warmup, 3k x 3 in 13:51, 14:04, 14:07 (5 min walk).
Planned to run this pace (about 4:40/k) - nice "cruise interval" pace.
Weather: 28C/82F, not humid, so felt cool.
Weight: 58.4kg

Sunday
11:00 - 8k at very easy pace. Strange - felt very weak after 3k and walked 3 times. Decided to walk home after 4k, but 1k from home started jogging and then felt ok, so ran 4k at a normal easy pace.
But didn't feel up to going out again in the afternoon.
Weather: 26C/79F, but 90% humidity.
Weight: 57.3kg - maybe this is too low....

September 1, 2013

Bit of a Mishap

Week of Aug 26 ~ Sept 1

52.9km / 32.8 mi.

Monday
4:00 - 6k very easy with HS cross-country team - their first practice. About 20 boys and 20 girls on the team.
Have a sore lower back. It got sore last night for some reason.
Weight: 58.4kg

Tuesday
4:00 - 4.2k. Was a bit more than halfway into an easy run with the kids, had just picked the pace up a bit, when...I smashed my head into the branch of a tree! Not a horizontal branch, this was sticking out straight (hidden by leaves) and had been cut off, so was sharp. It took a nice gouge out of the top of my head. It didn't hurt too much, so I thought I was ok. Had my hand over it, the kids saying, "Are you ok, Mr. Poulson?" I said, "Yes, I'm ok," and took my hand away. It was covered with blood, and blood started running down my head. The kids started yelling, "No, you're not ok, Mr. Poulson, you're not ok!"
So I walked back 20 minutes to the school, accompanied by one of the girls in case I passed out, with my shirt pressed to my head. I was fine, had no trouble getting back and went to the nurse, who put disinfectant and a bandage on it.
My wife puts disinfectant on it and changes the bandage each day, so 5 days on and it seems to be healing all right. I was going to give you a photo, but it's not very pretty.
So that was the excitement for the week.

Wednesday
7:30pm - 5,000m club time trial.
Head felt ok, so decided to run the 5,000. I told the club members, "If my head starts bleeding, tell me and I'll stop." They laughed, but I said, "No, I'm serious!"
Well, it was ok and I ran 19:46. Splits of 3:51/57/4:00/3:59/59. Not great, but I'm still not in very good shape. And it was hot and humid. Anyway, I wanted to run under 20:00 and did.
The strange thing was, I picked up the pace from 4,000m, went around and pulled away from two guys, and then ran hard the last 400, but those 2 ks were both 3:59. I think that shows that the heat takes more out of you than you realize.
Weather: 28C/82F, 58%
Weight: 59.1kg early am, 58.2 before running

Thursday
4:00 - 10k, with 8k running with junior varsity kids at easy pace.
PS: Took my hedge clippers with me and rode out to the tree before practice and cut off that branch! Held it up in front of the kids before practice and yelled, "I got my revenge!" Good for a laugh.

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
3:30 - 6k with 1 mile time trial with varsity girls, on part asphalt, part dirt path in a park. Myself and the top girl ran 6:20, with 5 other girls close behind us - great! This was a good pace for them in the heat.
Top two boys ran 4:47 and 4:48!
Weather: 34C/93F
Weight: 57.7kg


Saturday
12:30 - 16.5k in the heat! Total 1:29:12 @5:24/k but with first and last 10 mins very easy. A very tough run.
Weather: 36C/97F ? (33 in shade, but much hotter in the sun).
Weight: 57.5kg

Sunday
Rest - hard run yesterday and have a 4 mile tempo run with the varsity boys tomorrow (not with the top boys!)
Back is still sore each day, but when sitting, not when running or walking. I'm not sure what this is, hope it goes away.

August 25, 2013

A Tiring Week

Week of Aug. 19 ~ 25

80.1km / 50 mi.

Monday
4:30 - 12k with 6k very easy, 6k in 28:36 @4:45. 2k splits were 9:52/9:35/9:07.
Felt very stiff at first, managed to run after stretching a bit at 6k. The last 2k was a bit of a surprise.
Weather: 32C/90F, 55%
Weight: 58kg

Tuesday
3:00 - Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 7.6 k with 400 x 4 x 3
92/86/82/82  85/86/86/83  87/84/86/81 (walk abt 1:25 after each, 2:50 after 4th and 8th)
Felt ok but not great. Ran fairly hard - tough workout in high humidity!
Weather: 30C/86F, 80%

Thursday
10:30 - 8.5k very easy.
5:00 - 14k in 1:23:04 @5:56 (out @6:09, in @5:43). Felt much better than in the morning, although legs tired.
Weather: 32C, 31C, 60%
Weight: 58.2kg

Friday
1:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 12k in 1:13:35 @6:08 (6k in @ abt 5:50)
Weather: 29C/84F, 60%
Weight: 57.6kg

Saturday
3:30 - 14k with 4k WU, 4k/3k/2k tempo, 1k WD
Really stiff and tired - could barely move at first. Walked and stretched after each WU km and managed to set off at a good pace. 4k in 18:10 (9:05/9:05) @4:32 - wlk 5 mins - 3k in 13:24 @4:28 - wlk 5 mins. 2k in 9:05 (4:36/29). Really good effort, esp. the 3k and the last k.
This is a good workout - I recommend it. (Ideally, you should get about 10 sec per k faster each interval. But hard to do on a hot day.)
Weather: 31C/88F, 55%
Weight: 57.9kg

Sunday
1:00 - 12k very easy. Lower back sore (got sore last night) but ok when running. Knee slightly sore. Very stiff and tired. Schedule called for 8k+8k, but cut it back to one run. (Have to run with kids tomorrow - first day of American School cross country practice.)
Weather: 25C/77F, 80%
Weight: 57.6kg

57.6kg is 126 lbs — light!

August 18, 2013

Good Training Week

Week of Aug. 12 ~ 18

81.5km / 50.6 mi.

Held back a bit on the distance (81.5 vs. program target of 90) and not running fast yet (not in shape), but a good week of training with no aches or pains.

All temperatures are taken in the shade, but also sheltered from any breeze.

Monday
4:00 - 12k with 6k easy in 33:38 (5:36/k) and 6k tempo in 27:07 (4:41/k). 2k splits were 9:30/16/23. First hard workout in 6-1/2 weeks. Legs felt good after warmup and some stretching after 6k.
Weather: 35C/95F, 55%
Weight: 58.3kg

Tuesday
Gym workout.

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 1200/1200/1000/1000/800/800
4:42/4:39/3:48/3:53/3:07/3:01
200 jog after each in 2:30~3:00, walk after the 800.
Good workout in the heat. Pushed them all, esp. the last 800.
First good track workout since June 19.
Weather: 31C/88F (on the track), 60%
Weight: 58.9kg

Thursday
9:00am - 6.5k very easy (means over 6min per km.)
4:30 - 8.5k in 51:30 @6:03/k. Felt ok.
Weather: am 32C/90F (sunny), pm 30C/86F (cloudy, breezy so feels cooler)
Weight: 58.2kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout.
1:30 - 10.5 in 1:00:32 @5:46. Walked 200m in the middle.
Weather: 34C/93F, 55%
Weight: 57.9kg

Saturday
4:00 - 3k WU, 3k x 2, 1k WD
3k in 3:14/26 @4:24/28 (walk 5:00 in between)
Felt good. Not going all out, but it felt fast enough. Planned to cruise at 4:30~40, but cruised even faster, even in the heat.
Weather: 32C/90F, 50%
Weight: 58.4kg

Sunday
10:00 - 10k in 58:37 @5:51 Legs felt ok, no stops.
4:15 - 12k in 1:11:01 @5:55. Felt ok, but not as good as am. No stops. No aches or pains!
Running twice a day is much more pleasant and easier on the body than one long run, especially in the heat. Glad I'm no longer training for marathons!
Weather: am 30, pm 32 (with breeze)
Weight: 58.1kg. Basically achieved my target of 58kg, so now will aim for 57, which with running 90km a week may be doable. (In the past, I was _never_ this thin. It feels good.)

August 11, 2013

Leg is Ok, Ready to Run

Week of Aug. 5 ~ 11

38km / 23.6 mi.

Took it easy this week just to make sure the calf muscle tear has healed, and I'm now sure that it has, so I'll start my training program from tomorrow.
Which will be:
Mon: 12k - 6 easy, 6 at "good" or "fast" pace, depending on how legs feel.
Tues: Rest
Wed: 11k - w/ intervals on the track, 1000m x 6 or similar variations.
Thur: 17k - am 8.5k easy, pm 8.5k easy
Fri: 12k easy
Sat: 14k - 3kWU, 10k of some type of long intervals, 1kWD (or switch with friday?)
Sun: 24k - am 12k easy, pm 12k easy (or 10/14)
Total 90k / 56 mi.

Monday
10k easy with walks after each 2k
Weight: 58.2kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - 8k track workout, 1000 x 6. All about 5:10, last one 4:53 - just easy to test the calf. No pain or stiffness at all.
Weight: 58.9kg

Thursday
10k easy, walks after 4k and 8k.

Friday
Gym workout.

Saturday
2:30 - 10k easy. Hot! 37C/99F. Was doing 2k loops at a decent pace with other guys. Drank water after 3rd, 4th and 5th. Planned to do another but felt a bit dizzy, so quit.
Weight: 58.2kg

Sunday
Gym workout
Weight: 57.7kg.

T&F World Championships has started out great for Japan with a bronze medal in the marathon by Fukushi. She is a real character, has long been my favorite Japanese runner. I've liked her ever since a long ago interview in which the announcer asked her, after winning a race, so what are you aiming for next? It's an annoying question, when you've just finished a big race, but Japanese always say something like: The Olympics is 2 years away, so I'll start training for that. Fukushi said: I'm aiming to see how much beer I can drink tonight.


August 5, 2013

Back Running Again

Due to a minor but painful calf muscle tear, I did not run all of July. Started in very gingerly Aug. 1, then the 3rd, 4th and 5th did 8k, 8k, 10k at an easy pace with several rest walks. No pain or stiffness at all, so I guess the calf has healed.

I'll rest tomorrow and do a moderately paced track workout wednesday as a test. If all is well, I'll get back to regular training next week.

Have lost 2.5kg since getting back from Thailand - pretty impressive considering I wasn't running.
Down to 58.2kg. The goal was 58, so I've revised that to 57. Kenyan thinness, here I come!

Have also been doing abs or a gym workout every day. People marvel at my 6-pack abs.

First photo is of me in two months time.
Second photo is of club members at the beach, with me up on the left.



July 23, 2013

Back from Bangkok with a Muscle Tear

Had a nice 17-day vacation in Bangkok (as well as Koh Samui and Hua Hin) visiting my daughter and her husband. Ate far too much, but only gained about 2kg, less than I expected.

I didn't get the muscle tear in Bangkok, rather, I diagnosed it there. This was the calf issue that I suddenly got on June 29th. I finally realized that it was more than just a cramp/strain and had to be a tear. Minor I think, but a tear nonetheless, and therefore it's wise not to run until it heals — another two weeks?

As for the knee, I went to a hospital in Bangkok with a good sports clinic. They did an MRI and the doctor showed me that I have a tear in the meniscus. Not plica syndrome as I had thought (hoped). Also  some cartilage wear, which may be causing pain as well. Arthroscopic surgery can fix the tear (which is not large), but not the wear. If I do nothing, the tear does not heal on its own.

The surgery in Bangkok would be surprisingly expensive, so I opted not to have it done. Once I start running again, I'll decide what to do. Not having run for 3 weeks, I have no pain in the knee and almost no inflammation. That is, it looks almost, but not quite, the same as the other one.

Met Marty (One Man Running Club) twice in Bangkok; the first time we went to a New Zealand fish restaurant, the second time he took me, my wife and daughter to a really good Arabian restaurant. He was confident about the Pattaya Marathon, and he came through with a perfect run, as most of you have probably read about.

So I had a setback on the "Kenyan-thin" program, but made progress on the "Kenyan-tan" side. The Kenyan speed is not there yet, either. By the end of August, I plan to be pretty good in all three areas.

Good running,
Bob

June 30, 2013

In a Waiting Mode

The waiting mode refers to my MRI and possible arthro surgery in Bangkok at the end of this coming week. So I'm not really motivated to run much, especially as my knee is always sore, except when running fast (?!). And then my calf started to hurt....

Week of June 24 ~ 30

33.8km / 21 mi.

Monday
3:00 - 9k at easy aerobic pace in 55:00 @6:07. Felt tired and knee sore.
Weather: 27C/81F
Weight: 58.4kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club 5,000m time trial
20:10 (3:56/4:09/07/08/3:50)
Light rain, chilly wind, just didn't feel like trying to go faster. Last km was ok, though. Knee felt fine (with kinesio tape and compression sleeve).
Weather: 20C/68F, rain, felt cooler
Weight: 58.1kg

Thursday
Resting knee

Friday
No time to run but rest just as well.
Weight: 57.9kg!

Saturday
12:00 - gym workout
2:30 - 17.8k in 1:43:35 @5:48
Right calf was a bit sore, for some reason, from the start. It stayed that way until 17.5k, when it suddenly started to hurt a lot. I stopped, walked a bit, stretched a bit, tried to run another 300m, then gave it up and walked 2.5k home. So that was strange. I would say it was from dehydration, except that it was hurting from the start. I don't think it's anything serious, though.
Weather: 29C/84F

Sunday
Rest - calf still slightly sore.
Weight: 57.9kg. Target was 58 - I think I'll try for 57. Looking pretty thin and feeling good.

June 23, 2013

Backing Off a Bit, But 2 Good Days

Week of June 17 ~ 23

76km / 47 mi.

Monday
3:00 - 24km easy @ abt 5:48/km ( still no watch).
Ran long since I din't run yesterday.
Dull ache in the knee as usual. Manageable, but it's there.
Weather: 30C/86F, sunny
Weight: 59.4kg

Tuesday
3:00 - Gym workout
Weight: 59.1kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club track workout 400m x 12 (with watch)
91/84/82/81/83/80 (90sec walk after each, 3:10 walk after 6th)
87/82/84/83/82/78 (90sec walk)
Good workout, worked hard, had lots of people to run with.
Kinesio tape on knee, was ok after 3rd one.
Weather: 25C/77F
Weight: 59.4kg

Thursday
3:00 - 10km in 59:34 @5:57/k
Getting tired of running on an aching knee, so between the extremes of 0 and 20km, decided to do 10k each day. After about 3k, it is not too sore.
Weather: 22C/72F, light rain

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:00 - 10k in 59:30 @5:57/k
Weather: 23C/73F, 82%, light rain
Weight: 59.6kg

Saturday
3:30 - 10k in 57:30 @5:45/km
Weather: 25C/77F
Weight: 59.1kg

Sunday
2:00 - 13k with 3.5k WU, 5k hard, 3k hard
5k in 20:42 @4:08/k (walk 8mins) 3k in 12:27 @4:09/k
Faster than expected. Knee felt fine for the 5k, a bit sore for the 3k.
Worked hard on the 3k, with last k fastest of the day in 4:04.
Weather: 25C/77F, 70%
Weight: 58.1kg ! Counting those calories! (about 1600 per day, which is not a large amount)
Interesting note: My friend Susan, who recently ran 700km across the desert in Australia, said that running 25km this morning at high humidity was harder than running 45km in the Outback.


June 17, 2013

Plica Syndrome

I finally took to the interwebs to investigate my knee problem and was rewarded with: Plica Syndrome. The plica is tissue inside the knee that can become inflammed...chronically inflammed.

"An otherwise normal structure, a plica can be a significant source of anterior knee pain. Once an inflammatory process is established, the normal plical tissue may hypertrophy into a truly pathologic structure..."

The location and symptoms I have match Plica Syndrome _exactly_ (for example, considerable pain upon standing after sitting for a while) so I am 95% sure that's what it is.
Arthroscopic surgery can "excise" the plica (you don't need it), so I may have that done in Bangkok when I am there in July.
It would be nice to get rid of this pain, which is getting worse....

On a brighter note, my quest to become Kenyan-thin is going well. I'm down to 58.7kg from 61.7 six weeks ago. Enjoying admiring my six-pack abs.... (and in fact am doing some core exercises every day, not just at the gym)

Week of June 10 ~ 16
77.8km / 48 mi.

Monday
4:00 - 15k in 1:26:33 @5:45/k
Continuing the easy day aerobic runs.
Weather: 24C/75F
Weight: 59.4kg

Tuesday
11:00 - Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - 12.8km Club track workout 1200 x 3, 1000 x 2, 400
4:33/27/30, 3:42,38, 83 (2' jog, 1' walk)
Felt good. Had several other people to follow. Pushed hard..
Weather: 20C/68F, light rain

Thursday
3:00 - 20k in about 1:20 (left my watch at the public bath last night - they let us change, go out, and then come back for a bath. much nicer than the locker room at the track)
Weather; 21C/70F but felt chillier - rain
Weight: 59.3kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:00 -16km at about 5:50/k
Weight: 59.6kg

Saturday
2:30 - 14k with 10k alternating 4:30/k and 5:00/k. Approx, but pretty close, I'm sure. This is supposed to be a "lactate clearance" workout, to get your body used to handling lactate buildup efficiently. Got it from competitor.com, I think. A good workout, I like it. Basically, it's alternating  "pretty hard" and "moderately hard" paces.
Weather: 30C/86F
Weight: 59.4kg

Sunday
Rest day due to rain in morning, sore knee and left home at 10:30 to go watch Japan vs. Australia lacrosse. I like lacrosse, great game. This was the Japan national men's and women's teams vs. 23 and under sides from Oz. The young Aussies were no match for the _much_ faster and more skillful Japanese, losing 29-2 and 20-4. It was fun to watch, though.
Weight: 58.7kg

June 9, 2013

Up to 100km

Week of June 3 ~ 9

100.2km / 62 mi.

My knee is not getting better, and in fact is getting worse. The weird thing is, it hurts most when I get up after sitting for a while. Then it "loosens up" and is not bad. While running it is only slightly sore, and when running fast, not at all. So go figure!
When I go to Thailand to visit my daughter in July, I am going to get an MRI and a consultation with a sports doctor. Why Thailand? Good hospitals, cheaper than Japan, English speaking.

All long/easy days are slow aerobic (HAF) runs - 4 per week.

Trying hard to lose weight! Counting calories in.
Weight measured right after getting up, before breakfast, whatever time that is.

Monday
Rest - Back from onsen (hot spring) trip.
Calories: ? (ate too much)

Tuesday
2:00 - 15k at 1:27:12 @5:49/k.
3:30 - Gym workout
Weather: 27C/81F, sunny
Weight: 60.6kg
Calories: 1706

Wednesday
7:30pm - 10.2k - track workout. 1000 x 6
3:50/42/44/45/45/40 (2:30 jog/walk in between)
Weight: 60.2kg
Calories: 1774

Thursday
3:30 - 20k in 1:56:55 @5:51
Weather: 25C/77F
Weight: 60.5kg
Calories: 2083 (Costco hotdog - bad, bad)

Friday
11:00 - Gym workout
12:30 - 16k in 1:34:36 @5:54
Weather: 24C/75F
Weight: 60.5kg
Calories: 1517

Saturday
10:30 - 15k. 3k x 3, 150m hill x 5
3k in 13:00, 12:58, 13:06 (5' walk breaks)
Worked hard, good workout.
Weather: 24C/75F
Weight: 60.0kg
Calories: 1580

Sunday
9:30 - 24k in 2:20:03 @5:50
Knee sore, legs tired and quads sore 2nd half. Was planning 30k runs on Sunday, but 24 seems enough after a hard workout Saturday.
Weather: 26C/79F
Weight: 60.0kg
Calories: 1637



June 4, 2013

"Not Bad" Time Trial & 10,000m Goal?

Discovered something interesting: the US 10,000m track record for 65-69 is 38:38. If I'm in good shape and the weather is cool, I should be able to do that....


Week of May 27 ~ Jun 2


81.3km / 50.5 mi.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:00 - 15k in 1:29:38. @5:59/k. Aerobic run

Wednesday
7:30 pm - track workout.
Easy 11.4k (5,000m in 25:36).
End of the month club time trial, however, there is a big multi-club TT tomorrow, which I will run as a test of fitness.
Weight: 60.7kg

Thursday
7:00pm - 5,000m in 19:39
3:52/57/56/4:02/3:51
Felt good - knee was fine (with kinesio tape). Had people to run behind, except the last 1000.
Very humid - rain off and on all day. Good effort, I'll take it. Plan to be quite a bit lower by Sept.
Weather: 19C/66F, 88% humidity
Weight: 60.3kg

Friday
12:00 - Gym workout
3:00 - 15k in 1:29:30 @5:58/k
Felt ok, knee a bit sore.

Saturday
2:00 - 20k in 1:57:51 @5:54/k
Weather: 26C/79F
Weight: 59.7kg

Sunday
9:00am - 12.5k with 4k x 2 at good tempo pace in 17:10 and 17:22 (4:20/k = 17:20)
Felt pretty good, knee was ok. Had to run early because going to hot spring resort in Hakone (near Mt. Fuji) with wife and relatives. Diet will go to hell today and tomorrow.

May 26, 2013

Short Week

Week of May 20 ~ 26

64.6km / 40 mi.

Only ran 4 times as the Far East Track Meet (international schools) was Monday and Tuesday, and I had a family commitment on Saturday.
The track meet was a lot of fun - our kids had some great performances.

Was reading about Hadd training, which I had of course known about but was never interested in. But I decided this is probably a good way to do recovery days. Run at an easy, aerobic pace (not really MAF since I don't use a HR monitor), for 20k (usually). So I'll start doing that 4 days a week, with two speed days and one rest day.
A bit ironic that I am starting to do proper marathon training runs now that I will no longer be running marathons, but aerobic running is supposed to be good for all distances (as proved by Peter Snell, et.al.).

Wednesday
7:30pm - 11k at club track workout.
600/800/1000/1200/1000/800/600
2:20, 3:02, 3:48, 4:39, 3:51, 3:07, 2:10
(200m jog of 2 to 3 mins in between)
Sore knee was ok once warmed up, worked fairly hard, but felt heavy.
Weight: 61.4kg

Thursday
1:00 - 20k in 2:00:00 @6:00/k (arbitrarily chosen aerobic pace).
Knee sore at first, but ok after 4k.
Weather: 26C/79F, sunny
Weight: 61.2kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:30 - 15k in 1:30:00. Cut to 15 as I will be doing a hard trail run on Sunday.
Weather: 28C/82F, sunny
Weight: 61.1kg

Sunday
9:30 - 18.6k of continuous hills in the Ome "mountains" west of Tokyo. Nice run on my favorite trail course with 4 other guys and two girls. Several (many) of the climbs are very steep, requiring walking or labored jogging.
Out at easy pace in 1:04:43. In a bit faster and then all out the last 3+km (14:45) in 53:05. Out is more uphill.
Taped up the knee and it was basically ok.
Weather: 24C/75F (running in shady woods)
Weight; 61.7kg (due mainly to birthday dinner on Friday night - the diet is not succeeding yet. I still plan to look like a Kenyan by the end of August.)

May 19, 2013

Dodgy Knee But Let's Ignore That

Week of May 13 ~ 19

67km / 41.7 mi.

The right knee, dodgy since last October, which I thought had pretty much healed, has been quite sore after sitting for a while. But when I run, it loosens (?) up and doesn't bother me after about 2km. So I'm not too worried about it. Anyway, had a pretty good week.

Monday
3:30 - 4k easy to and from the track with the kids. Far East track meet (international and military schools) is next Mon and Tues, so had to time those kids' workout, as the main coach (teacher) is away this week. (So couldn't run with them.) They ran 400 x 8.

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout
3:30 - 7.4k at a moderate pace with the kids (20:04 out, 19:43 in).
Weather: 26C/79F !

Wednesday
3:30 - 7.6k at a moderate pace with the kids.
7:30pm - 7k. Club track workout. 400m x 10 - the classic track workout!
89/86/84/82/84/85/82/82/82/75. (1:20 walk after first 5, a bit longer the next five).
Fun! And a good workout. I like to do some sweaty speed work in the summer. Lots of positive comments from the 60 or 80 club members there, so that was good. We ran in 3 groups (I was in the 2nd - lots of fast people in the first).
Weather: 20C/68F.

Thursday
Rest. Kids ran 400 x 4, 300 x 4, 200 x 2. And they worked hard!

Friday
12:00 - Gym workout.
2:00 - 15.8k with 3k x 3 in the park (measured).
12:45, 12:32, 12:32 (4:10/km). Not great, but not bad. Worked pretty hard.
Today is the end of my marathon recovery period, and start of "speed training" program to get back my 10k/half marathon speed (such as it is). Also the start of my diet aimed at getting Kenyan-thin. Thin means fast - look at any Kenyan runner. The goal is 58kg - haven't been below 59 since about 2nd year of high school. I'm counting calories in and calories out...which is not so easy to do. Using websites and an old publication called Composition of Foods that lists calories (and much more) of many foods in 100g portions. So I have to weigh everything I eat.
Weather: 23C/73F, sunny
Weight: 61.4 (fairly low, actually, considering I've been eating pretty much what I want to).
Weight taken upon getting up, before eating/drinking anything.

Saturday
3:00 - 15k in 1:20:03 @5:20/km. 27:11, 26:29, 26:22. Comfortable recovery run.
Weather: 24C/75F, sunny
Weight: 60.2kg - it's working!

Sunday
2:00 - 11.4k. 3k WU, 5k tempo, 150m hill x 8 (jog down).
Aimed at 22:30 for the 5k, ran 22:03 @4:24/k. Cruising nicely along.
Ran strongly up the hills in an average of 34.9 seconds. A good workout. It's very satisfying to plan a workout and then do exactly what you planned.
Ran 3 days in a row because the track meet is all day Mon and Tues.
Weather: 24C/75F, cloudy
Weight: 59.7kg (No, I won't keep this up.)

May 13, 2013

Relaxed Week

Still pretty much in recovery mode. Plan to get serious from the end of next week - both running and dieting.

Week of May 6 ~ 12
46.8km / 29 mi.

Monday
3:30 - With HS track team. 7.2k with 8 x 300m (approx). 4@ 1:03, 4@57. Nice to move the legs a bit faster.

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout
3:30 - Easy 7.4k run with the kids.

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club track workout. 1600/1200/1000/1000/800/400
6:10/4:40/3:46/3:47/3:02/80 200m slow jog in between.
Legs a bit sore, but felt ok.

Thursday
Rest

Friday
10:30 - 10k easy in 52:40 (27:30/25:03)
Weather: 25C/77F

Saturday
Rest - HS track meet.

Sunday
11:00 - Gym workout.
12:30 - 10k easy in 52:55 (27:07/25:48)
Weather: 24C/75F

May 5, 2013

Running Again

Took 15 days off after the Boston Marathon and have started up again gradually and slowly. Nothing seems to be hurting.
My plan going forward is to eat whatever I want for one month (until May 16th), and then start losing weight. The objective is to get very thin—Kenyan thin—and hence very fast (meaning as fast as I can be). I will do this carefully, however, taking Tim Griffen's advice to count "calories in, calories out" and maintain adequate nutrition. I plan to race 5Ks, 10Ks and Halfs—no more marathons!

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
10.6km. Easy track workout: 4 1000s in about 4:45 and 2 600s. Slight soreness in upper hamstring, but basically ok. Rainy and cold - and it's May 1st!

Thursday
7.2km. Track workout with ASIJ team. 8 x 400m with some of the girls. Started at 89, then 86 -84, last one in 78. Felt ok, just cruising.

Friday
Gym workout

Saturday
TELL (Tokyo English Life Line) charity 5k and 10k, of which I am one of the race directors. Beautiful weather, everyone had a great time. 18 Namban Rengo club members participated, as well as several of the HS track runners. We were surprised to have a famous actor show up and run the 10K: Sean Astin, best known for Rudy and as Sam, Frodo's best friend in Lord of the Rings. He happened to be in Tokyo and asked his Twitter followers (75,000) to find him a race and they pointed him to the TELL race. He's an extremely nice guy and he had a great time. Ran about 53 minutes - not bad for a Hobbit.


Sunday
9.2km. Relaxed pace @5:19/k. Another beautiful day.

April 24, 2013

Boston Seeded Runners

In my Boston post, I neglected to mention a cool thing that the BAA (Boston Athletic Association) does: they "seed" the top ten runners, male and female, in each 5-year age group from age 45. If you are one of the top ten, you get a list of all of them. The seeding goes by qualifying time. My 3:08:22 put me third in my age group. You also get a small blue number to put on your back — mine was M65. So while you are running, you can check out the others in your age group — you'll know if one passes you, or if you are catching one.

The top seed in my age group had run a 3:04:22. And he won the age group in 3:08:18. If I had run a good race, I would have been there with him, but that's the way it goes.
I suppose I could have run more conservatively, aiming for 3:20, and maybe I would have made it...but hey, you've got to go for it, right?

April 23, 2013

The Boston Marathon


For those of us who ran it, the 2013 Boston Marathon will be our most memorable marathon, for a sad reason, unfortunately. Luckily for me, and for Pete Lyons, who was there to cheer me, we were not near the finish line when the bombs went off, having left the area in a taxi about 15 minutes before.
   I had a terrible race, which has cured me of running marathons for the foreseeable future.
   My previous marathon, 13 months earlier, had been 3:08:22, when I went out too fast and slowed the last 7k due to painful quads (as in all my previous marathons). So this time, also because Boston is downhill the first 8k, I planned to run easily at 3:10 pace (7:15 miles/4:30kms) the first 16-18 miles (26-29k), then run strongly up the Boston hills and as fast as possible to the finish, targeting about 3:07. Not to be!
   The weather the day of the race (Monday the 15th) was good. About 8C/46F in the morning, so it was chilly sitting around for 2 hours, but not too bad. The race started at 10:00 (1st wave of 3) and it seemed like ideal temperature, with the sun warming things up a bit.
   I was with Brent Millican, and we started conservatively, running 7:35 for the first mile. We then sped up to 7:06, and after 7:19 and 7:06, I ran the next 4 exactly on pace. Stayed quite close to pace through 14 miles, reaching the half in just about 1:35.
   I enjoyed seeing and hearing (!) the Wellesley girls at mile 14, but in miles 15 and 16 I slowed slightly to 7:40 and 7:37, and then it went bad. Mile 17 (27.3k), with the first of the four Newton hills, was 8:25 (over 5:00/km) and then I got progressively slower — much slower. The main problem was pain in the quads, bad pain that got worse and worse. Also I felt like I had no energy. I resorted to short walks to get up the next two hills, but was determined to make it up Heartbreak Hill (mile 20/33k) without stopping, which I did. Thereafter I was just jogging, with occasional walks, due to quad pain and general weakness. Lots of people streaming by, which was depressing and embarrassing.
     The crowd support was incredible, however, far above any race I've ever run. The noise and enthusiasm was awesome. I remember one intersection 5m/8k from the finish where the noise was enormous. I was expecting that near the finish, but this was 8k away! And it stayed very loud all the way. The race is worth running just for the crowd support. If you're feeling good, I'm sure it would be a big help.
   So I shuffled/walked the last 2 miles, managing to not walk the last 400m on Boylston St., and then managed to stay upright. About 6 volunteers asked, repeatedly, if I was ok, so I must have looked bad. And in fact, I did feel faint for a while. I was also freezing. There had been a wind against us the last 10k, and it was very chilly and windy after the finish. It was a long, agonizing walk to the bag buses, but I finally got some clothes on and felt a bit better. Met Pete at the meeting area, we walked two blocks, luckily found a taxi (which I had difficulty entering, could not raise my legs), and were out of there — about 15 minutes before the bombs went off. We had not been near the finish line, however, so there would have been no danger.
   It must have been terrible for anyone near the blasts, and also for the 8 or 9,000 who couldn't finish. But I also sympathized with those who had finished but couldn't get their bags or find their family and friends. If that had happened to me, I would have collapsed with hypothermia and Pete would have had to search the hospitals for me. And imagine the foreigners who didn't speak much English — a nightmare.
   Oh, and as further proof as to how weak I was, I fainted on the subway on the way to dinner. Suddenly I was on the floor, looking up at Pete. We got off the train to meet Anna, Brett and Stan at Harvard, where a Pepsi and cold air revived me.
   So, 3:40 and no desire to run any more marathons. You have to do lots of long, slow training, which isn't much fun, you lose your speed, and the race is always painful the last 10k. I'll get my speed back and stick to halfs, 10Ks and 5Ks.
   But I suppose some analysis is in order. What was the problem? A number of things, I think. But not injuries. My long time issues with the left hamstring and right knee did not bother me during the race. I also got a strong pain in the left inner thigh while running 6 days before, but that was sorted out by rest and a massage therapist recommended by Anna Novick, who was great. So no running the five days before, but that just meant I was well rested.
1) Lack of sleep. Jet lag limited me to about 4 hours of sleep a night for the 5 nights before the race, which is not enough before a marathon. But maybe not so much of a factor — I felt fine at the start.
2) Lack of food before the race. I ate a decent breakfast and lunch the day before, but no dinner and then no breakfast, because I prefer to have an empty stomach when racing. Before a marathon, however, this is almost certainly not a good idea.
3) The low carb, high fat diet, which I followed quite strictly for 4 months prior to the race, was not helpful, I think. You are supposed be able to access lots of energy from your body's fat stores, but I had zero energy the last half of the race. I think this diet may be good for longer, slower events like triathlons and ultra marathons, but not for running "fast" for only 3 hours.
4) Lack of training — not enough kms in the legs. I ran 368 in Jan, 296 in Feb and 383 in Mar, about 80km/50mi per week. Almost no "easy" runs, but even so, 80k is not enough. Most important, I didn't do long marathon pace runs. I did quite a lot of 5k and 10k MP runs and only 3 15k runs. I think it's necessary to do 20k, 25k even 30k MP runs. These are really hard for me, though. In fact, I have only ever done one 25k MP run, several years ago. Maybe this means my goal pace is too fast! It would also require two days rest before and after, but I should have done that. This is probably more important for masters runners, who have less muscle mass and are thus more prone to quad pain. Well, I'm not going to put that lesson to use, except for half marathon training. From now on, I eat pasta, I do lots of intervals, and I win some age group 10ks and half marathons! I run fast and I have fun!
Good running to you all,
Bob

April 8, 2013

One Week To Go

One week til Boston, I guess I am ready, but we never know, do we?

Week of April 1 ~ 7

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
3:00 - 17.5k. Ran in the nearby park (5k loop), which has a short (150m?) hill at the beginning of the loop. So ran 3k warmup, then 2k of hills, running the downhills faster, although I was still so stiff it wasn't very fast.
Then 5k in 22:52 @4:34/k, which was not bad. Walked 4 mins and ran another 5k in 22:07 @4:26/k.
Felt much better on the second one. Then ran up the hill hard five times. So a pretty good workout.

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout. 1000 x 4, 600 x 2
3:52/53/55/4:08/2:26/2:29.
The workout was 1000 x 6, but my right calf got very tight on the 4th one, so I slowed up, and then just ran two easy 600s. Don't want any calf problems!!

Thursday
Rest

Friday
11:30 - gym workout
2:00 - 22.9k with 8.5k easy, 500m hill up/down x 5. Hard up and down, with 100m jog after each 500m. Then easy 8.5k back home. Calf was fine, but legs got tired the last 4k. Another good workout.

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
2:00 - 13 Namban runners came out here to run my course and go to the nearby onsen (hot spring) afterwards for bathing and dinner. Special guest was Becky Wade, a very good young American runner who received a fellowship to travel around the world for a year experiencing running cultures. She has been to England, Italy, Ethiopia, New Zealand and a bunch of other countries. She emailed a long time ago that she was coming so I arranged for her to stay with several club members while she is here. We ran 5k at 5:00/k pace, then 10k at average 4:23/k. I was working a bit, Becky seemed to be not even breathing. If she was, I couldn't hear it. She was just cruising easily along. Well two weeks before, she had jumped into the NZ track championships and won the 5,000 in 16:25!
Her blog is at beckyrunsaway.wordpress.com

So, an easy week and then Boston. Leaving on Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes.....

March 31, 2013

Counting Down

Week of Mar 25 ~ 31

Two weeks until the Boston Marathon.

71.6km / 44.5 mi.

Monday
Rest
Tuesday
Extra rest day, having run long and hard Sat and Sun.

Wednesday
7:30pm - 9.6k - club track workout - 5,000m time trial.
Wanted to run under 20:00 and ran 19:36.
1000m splits were 3:50/57/59/4:00/3:49
Ran strong, but not all out. Picked up last 1000 with no problem. Felt very good, with fresh legs. And that with just two days rest after two hard days. Tapering is overrated!
Weather: 9C/48F, no wind
Weight: 59.8kg

Thursday
12:30 - 10k easy in 55:42 (28:20/27:22)

Friday
1:00 - Gym workout
3:00 - 22k with 12k of hills (1.2k up/down x 5)
First 3 hills fast down, then fast up, then fast up and down, continuing for 5k at almost marathon pace in 4:35/37/38/36/31.
Felt ok, but not really "good." Into wind coming back, plus had on heavier shoes.
Weight: 59.9kg

Saturday
Namban Rengo hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party - ate and drank too much (but managed to limit carbs pretty well).

Sunday
1:00 - 30k in 2:34:45 @5:10/k
28:19/27:02/26:11/24:05/24:17/24:49
@ 5:39/28/14/4:49/51/58
Planned to go easy out and 4:45 pace in. Legs got tired and a bit sore the last 10k.
Last long run before Boston.
Weather: 8C/46F (typical Boston weather).
Weight: 60.3kg

March 24, 2013

Hard Back-to-Back Days

Week of Mar 18 ~ 24
88.7km / 55 mi.

Monday
12:30 - Gym workout

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout
2:30 - 20.7k. 5.5k easy to school, 3.3k moderate pace, 3 x 1k very hilly loops non-stop in 4:39/42/42. Slower than last week, but it was very warm. Extra 1.7 looking for lost kid. 2.1 moderate pace then 5.5 back in 26:38 @4:50/k.
Felt ok, but legs a bit tired.
Weather: 23C/73F, sunny
Weight: 60.8kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club track workout.
600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1000, 800, 600
2:28, 3:12, 3:57, 4:47, 3:53, 3:12, 2:16
Warmed up 6 and 8, felt ok on middle 3 - ran the 1000s fairly hard.
Weather: cool
Weight: 61.2kg

Thursday
Rest

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout. Decided to rest for 2 days, then do 2 days hard.
PM - Cherry blossom viewing picnic with the wife in nearby park which is famous for cherry trees. Blossoms are very early, although only about 50% out. They used to always be out in April - it's only March 22nd!

Saturday
1:30 - 22k hill workout. 8.5WU @5:41. 5 x 500m hill up/down. 4 hard down, then hard up, hard down and continue on for 8.5k. 3.5k @4:39, then 5k @4:27. Going back was into a moderate wind, and with the heavier shoes, so 4:27 was pretty good. Wanted to tire my legs out for tomorrow.
Weather: 18C/64F, cloudy.
Weight: 61.1kg (and worked for it - no food since after yesterday's picnic)

Sunday
1:00 - 35k in 2:52:31 @4:56/k
26:57, 25:43, 25:23, 24:53, 23:33, 23:15, 22:44. @5:24/07/04/4:59/42/39/33
So a progressive run, although I didn't plan that at all and after 15k really didn't think I would do it. Was planning to be happy with 4:50 kms coming back, so this was  a good run. Especially after yesterday's hill workout. Rt knee and left hamstring were slightly sore, but didn't worsen.
This is the last really hard, long effort before Boston, which is 3 weeks away.
Weather: 14C/57F, cloudy, only slight wind, thankfully
Weight: 60.5kg

March 17, 2013

One Month to Boston!

These marathons always come up too fast! I need two more months!

Found out my Boston number, which is 5837, first wave. There are 3 waves of 9000, 20 minutes apart. The cutoff time for the first wave is 3:18 — 9000 runners under 3:18! That's Boston.... (2nd wave is 3:43.)

Week of Mar. 11 ~ 17
83.4km / 52 mi.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
11:30 - Gym workout.
2:00 - 19.4k, total running 1:39.
Easy 5.5k to school, long rest, 3.3k at decent pace inside the cemetery to a very hilly loop, which is about 1k. 3 non-stop loops in 4:27/35/39 trying and failing to stay with most of the boys. 2.1k back to school at a good pace, continuing on 5.5k home in 25:14 @4:35. Good, hard workout.
Weather: 14C/57F, sunny
Weight: 60.6kg

Wednesday
3:30 - ASIJ team practice cancelled due to high winds. Didn't bother me - I ran an easy 8k.
7:30 - club track workout - 1600/1200/1000/1000/800/400.
7:01/5:05/4:06/4:02/3:19/96 (jog 2' + walk 1' or 2').
Quads sore at first, but felt ok on the 1000s.
Weight: 60.2kg

Thursday
Rest

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout.
2:15 - 25k Killer hill workout. Total time 2:10. 8.5k warmup @5:33, 8 x 500m up/down with 5 hard up, 2 hard down, last one hard up and down, continue on 8.5k @4:58. Had to kick to get last 5k under 25:00. Into steady wind coming back. Legs very tired and quads sore. Need to cut back a bit.
Weather: 13C/55F, sunny but felt cooler due to wind.
Weight: 61.1kg (inching up- need to lose some).

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
3:00 - 20k (rather than 25 or 30) with last 15k at "marathon pace."
This went pretty well, legs felt ok - much better than Friday. Averaged 4:25.6/k for the 15k, with the last 10k into the wind.
Weather: 16C/61F, 35%, sunny.
Weight: 60.8kg