Recovery Week

Week of April 21 ~ 27
40.1km / 25 mi.
One extra day of recovery due to a niggle on Wednesday. Decent run on Sunday, though.

Monday
Rest after race on Sunday.

Tuesday
Rest / Weights/core workout.

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout.
600/800/1000/1200/1000/800/600
But didn't make it...
2:21, 2:55, 3:35, 4:37, stopped 700m into the 2nd 1000 when my left inner thigh started to hurt.
Obviously running too hard after the race on Sunday. Stupid, should have been an easy day.
The 3:35 felt good, though....

Thursday
Rest

Friday
12:00 - weights/core workout.
2:00 - 16k in 1:29:18 @5:35
10k in 58:12 @5:49, 6k in 31:05 @5:11.
Thigh was ok.
22C/72F, sunny
59.7kg (Indulging myself after the race.)

Saturday
Rest - HS track meet

Sunday
2:30 - 16k in 1:19:01 @4:57
Out: 43:54 @5:29. In: 35:07 @4:23
Felt pretty good, although quads are still slightly sore from the race.
22C/72F, a beautiful day for running.
59.6kg

Next week is the club 5,000m time trial on Wednesday. Would like to run a good one, but unfortunately, the forecast is for rain. Next race is the Sendai Half on May 11.
Hope the weather is nice where you are, too!

10 Miler in 1:05:34 for Age Group 4th Place

Week of Apr. 14 ~ 20

Monday
3:30 - 8.6k easy/moderate run with team.
3.9k out in 22:06 @5:26, in 16:57 @4:21, +slow .8k
A bit sore from yesterday (13k up/down), but ok when running.

Tuesday
12:30 - Weights/core workout
3:30 - 8.3k with 2k warmup, 400 x 4 xc 2, 150 x 2
83/83/81/81 83/83/81/79 25/25
Legs a bit stiff and tired, but worked hard.
21C/70F, sunny, windy
58.9kg

Wednesday
7:30 - club track workout
1200, 1000, 1000, 800, 800, 400, 400
5:04, 3:59, 4:03, 3:26, 3:27, 103, 103
legs heavy and tired (but not sore). Ran the 1000s at a decent pace, but cruised the others, easy on the 400s  (first 400 was supposed to be 800, but cut if off).
17C/63F
59.3kg

Thursday
3:30 - track workout with HS team.
100 x 4, 300 x 4 x 2
300s in 67/68/66/69/71/66/66/64 with 2nd group girls
Legs very stiff on warmup, but ok on 300s.
22C/72F, sunny
59.3kg

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
Kasumigaura 10 Mile Race
This race is in Ibaragi pref., 70 mins northeast of eastern Tokyo, so a trip of about 2.5 hours from my house (left home at 5:10am). It's a big marathon (16,481 men), big 10 Miler (4,169 men) and a 5k. Add in the women and a few thousand in the 5k and it's an event with 25,000+ people. 10 Mile start was at 9:20.
I was hoping to run under 67, possibly under 66, and ran 65:34, so was quite pleased.
The course was good, basically flat with about 4 fair-sized (not difficult) hills, and temperature was about 11C/52F with a slight wind.
I felt good from the start and settled into a nice pace. Soon found myself running alone, but it seemed that I always had people to catch up to and pass (I was maintaining my pace, they were slowing down). Felt fine the entire way, although I had to push the last 2-3 km to maintain the pace - legs were getting tired. Had a slight kick at the end, but not much.
Splits were 4:06/00/12/09/07/3:59/05/06/01/06/03/3:52(?)/4:15(?)/07/3:59/4:30 (1.09k). Aver: 4:04/k
This got me 4th in the 60s, out of 784 men. Overall 117 out of 4,169.
Clubmate Mike Trees from England won the 50s by 2 minutes in 54:40 (he's 52), 29th overall.
As an interesting aside, I was thinking that it's quite possible that I was the only person in the race who ran faster than his age (mine is 66). It's very doubtful that anyone in the 50s did, and the only two in the 60s who could have were 1st and 2nd in 61:30 and 63:30, but hey, they were probably 60.
Did not get any prize - top 6 (10?) in each division got a medal with the place number - only! Cheap race!
Winner was a pro runner from the Yakult team (beverage co.) in 48:??, 2nd was a university runner also in the 48s.
Next up is a half marathon on May 11th. I should do some 10k tempo runs before then - 21k will be quite a bit harder than 16.

Chasing Kids

Week of Apr 7 ~ 13
61.5km / 38.2 mi.

Monday
3:30 8.1k with track team. Easy run with 3 x 1k hilly loop at a good pace.
14C/57F

Tuesday
12:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 8.6k w/ team. 2.3k warmup, 400m x 8 with the fast girls.
80/79/83/78 80/79/78/76
Walk 2:30-3:00 in bet., jog 400 bet. sets.
20C/68F
58.7kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - club track workout
1200, 1200, 1000, 1000, 800, 800
4:54, 4:55, 3:45, 3:54, 3:11, 3:17
(200m jog + walk in bet., abt. 3:00)
Hard days Tues and Thurs, so ran at comfortable pace. Only pushed the first 1000.
16C/61F
58.5kg

Thursday
3:30 - with track team. 200m x 4 x 3
40/42/40/41 38/41/39/41 41/40/38/39
(35 sec. walk in bet., 400 jog bet. sets).
Into gale force wind on the home stretch (2nd and 4th of each set).
Worked hard behind the four fastest girls.
22C/72F, windy!
58.6kg

Friday
11:30 - Gym workout
1:00 - 16k in 1:25:06 @ 5:15/k
44:21/40:45 @ 5:34/5:06
Legs a bit heavy.
16C/61F
58.6kg

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
11:00 - 13k (approx) run up in the highlands west of Tokyo with Namban member Jon Morrell.
1:05:53. Straight up a mountain, partly slow climbing, then down a long gradual slope (trail, road), then 2 loops around a park, the second at a good pace in 6 minutes. Pleasant run, good workout.
Abt. 17C/63F, sunny
58.4kg

Next week I have a 10 mile race on Sunday. For some reason, there are a few 10 mile races in Japan.

Not Much Distance, But 3 Good Workouts

Week of Mar. 31 ~ Apr. 6

43.6km / 27 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 10k. 6.4k easy and 100m x 6 strides with the HS track team.
3k alone in the park in 14:53 @ 4:59/k
17C/63F, 30%, sunny
59.1kg

Tuesday
3:30 - 8.6k. 2.3k warmup and warmdown. 400 x 8 on the track with the 6 fastest girls.
85/82/80/79 85/81/81/79. 2:00-2:30 walk in between, with 400 jog in between sets.
Good workout!
15C/59F, windy
58.9kg

Wednesday
3:30 - 5.3k easy with the team.
7:30 - club track workout 1000m x 6. Only 1.2k warmup.
3:54/52/52/54/57/47 (100m walk, 100m jog)
Felt ok, legs a bit tired.
14C/57F
59.1kg

Thursday
Have run 8 days in a row, so took a rest. Hard rain anyway.

Friday
Another day of rest.

Saturday
First HS track meet. Top boy ran a 4:18 1500m (with no competition), which is not bad.
4:00 - 12k in 57:05 @4:45/k
32:41/24:24 @ 5:27/4:04 (with good stretching after 6k)
Legs fresh after two days rest! Even so, felt a bit stiff the first 6k, but then felt good once I got going the second 6k. Was surprised to go through the first k in 4:02, so kept it up pretty well and ran the last one in 3:55.

Sunday
Fulfilled an obligation as a member of a Japanese family by going with my wife and family of cousins to a Buddhist temple and graveyard for the first anniversary of my father-in-law's death. The Japanese take these things seriously, in that they feel obligated to do it, so do it. There are ceremonies after 49 days, 6 months (I think), 1 year, 3 years, 7 years...maybe others. You go to the temple and the priest chants for 10 minutes, then gives a 5-minute explanation about some aspect of Buddhism (usually paradise, today he mentioned that the/some Buddhist gods were derived from Greek gods, which I had never known, nor did the wife and cousins. Have to look that one up.) Then you give him $300. Basically, these ceremonies are a way for the priests to make money. Then you go and wash the grave (where all the family ashes are stored) and put flowers and incense on it. Then you go for lunch and beer. It's a two-and a half hour trip for us, so it was an all-day affair. Nice to see the cousins, anyway.