Only 50K But 4 Hard Runs

Week of Sept. 22 ~ 28
50.5km / 31.4 mi.

This is what happens when I start running with the HS kids: shorter and harder.

Monday
3:30 - 10k including 4-mile tempo run with the 4 top varsity girls.
Mile splits: 7:25/6:57/6:55/6:44. Total 29:01 @4:32/km.
I felt good and the girls also had no problem with the pace. The pace was supposed to be 7:07, but we were so slow on the first mile (so much for me as the pacer) that we sped up and just kept going at a high pace. BTW, this is a loop in a park with one hill and quite a bit on dirt paths. It's not run on a track.
Didn't feel hot, but the humidity was very high.
25C/77F
56.9kg

Tuesday
12:00 - Weights and core at the gym.
56.9kg

Wednesday
7:30pm - 8k incl. club 5,000m time trial. 19:24
Splits: 3:50/56/53/57/48.
Felt tired all day, but good once the running started.
Was following Padraig, but he slowed on the 2nd 1000 so went past him and then had no one to follow. But felt good on the last k. Next month, Padraig!
22C/72F, high humidity (rained just before)
58.4 (but much lower at night, didn't eat much during the day)

Thursday
3:30 - With JV boys 8.5k incl. 4 x 300m hill moderate pace and with Varsity girls 2 x 500m hill fairly hard.
So not really a "hard" workout, but not so easy, either.
26C/79F and again, high humidity.
57.3kg

Friday
12:00 - Weights and core at the gym
No time to run, but had decided on a rest day anyway as legs are sore.

Saturday
3:30 - 14k with 4k warmup, then 4k,3k, 2k at a pretty respectable pace.
4k: 16:43 (4:09/14/20/20) 5' walk
3k: 12:42 (4:15/16/11) 4' walk
2k: 7:56 (3:57/59)
Felt good on all of them.
22C/72F, 60%, cloudy - felt cool.

Sunday
4:00 - 10k very easy.
25C/77F, 60%
56.7kg

Good 5K x 2 Workout

Week of Sept. 15 ~ 21
72km / 44.7 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 12k in 1:07:50 - 36:26/31:23 @6:04/5:14 per km.
No school, easy day.
25C/77F, 60%
57.4kg

Tuesday - Weights and core at the gym.

Wednesday
3:30 - 5.5k with kids - included 5 x 500m hill at moderate pace.
7:30 - track workout. 11.4k with 1600, 1000 x 2, 800 x 2, 400 x 2.
6:24, 3:46/42, 3:05/05, 88/91(jog/walk from 3:00 down to 1:30 in between).
Good workout, ran the 1000s hard, eased up on the 800s and 400s.
Abt. 24C/75F
58.6kg

Thursday
3:30 - Intervals with varsity girls. 7.1k with 400 x 2, 800 x 3, 400 x 2.
Cruising pace at about 94 for 400s, 3:23 for 800s. (1 min. after 4s, 1.5 min after 8s)
26C/79F, sunny
57.5kg

Friday
12:00 - Weights and core at the gym.
3:30 - 12k in 1:11:52 36:45/35:06 @6:07/5:53.
Easy, legs tired.

Saturday
Am - running around the 5k x-country course, including up/down an 800m hill 3x, but won't count this, as i was mostly standing around.
Our top 3 boys all ran in the 16:40s, on a course with two big hills, so quite good.
3:00 - 14k with 5k x 2 fairly hard: 21:27 and 21:25. 6:00 walk in between. This was good, as I expected to run 22:30 or over. Didn't look at the 1000m splits while running.
22C/72F - cool!, 65%, cloudy
57kg

Sunday
1:00 - 10k easy in 59:50.
26C/79F, sunny.                                                                                                

Looking forward to the 5,000m time trial on Wednesday.

80K On The Nose

Week of Sep. 8 ~ 14
80km / 49.7 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 14k. 8k from school along back streets to the Tamagawa river and back with the varsity girls. 24:00 4k out, 20:38 in.
The 6k alone in the park at tempo pace: 4:32/31/30/27/34/20.
Felt so-so on the 8k, but good on the 6k. I call these runs "tempo" but actually I couldn't go much faster even if I wanted to (given that I did 3 "hard" workouts in the previous 6 days).
24C/75F, 80%
58kg

Tuesday
12:00 - Weights and core at the gym.

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club track workout. 11.6k with 1200, 1000 x 2, 800 x 3, 400.
4:59, 3:50, 3:51, 3:00, 3:01, 2:55, 87 (2:50 jog/walk after first 3, 2:10 walk after 800s).
Sluggish on the 1200, then felt ok. Ran hard.
23C/73F, Very humid (had rained just before).
57.2kg

Thursday
3:30 - 10.4k with 2k warmup, 100m x 4 strides, 800 x 3, 400 x 2, 400 x 2 with varsity girls.
3:22/22/21, 94/100, 98/88 (90 sec after 800s, 60 sec after 400s)
First meet is on Saturday, so the purpose was not to run fast, just to run at about race pace (race is 3.3km for girls).
Then 4k in the park @5:20/k.
21C/70F, 85%
56.7kg !

Friday
12:00 - Weights and core at the gym.
3:30 - 14k in 1:24:20 @6:00/k. (6:13/5:50) Legs tired.
26C/79F, 60%
56.7kg

Saturday
3:00 - 18k in 1:38:27. Out 55:00 @6:07, in 43:27 @4:50.
Didn't feel so good going out, legs felt weak, but was ok after stretching. Last 2k were 4:31/29.
26C/79F, 60%
57.3kg

Sunday
3:00 - 12k very easy. Legs stiff and tired.
26C/79F, 50% - a beautiful day!

Saturday morning was the first American School cross-country meet. Slightly too warm and humid, but pretty good weather for running. Our kids did great. In fact, our top boy, Evan Yukevich, ran the fastest time ever by an ASIJ boy on that course! Shocked us all. 14:57 for 4.4k, and it's a tough course. 3rd fastest time ever on that course, and that's more than 30 years of races. And he's only a junior. Obviously, running with the Namban club this summer helped him.... :)
Our second boy was only 15 seconds behind him, and third was another 15 seconds back. 4th and 5th are also pretty good, so we have a powerful boys team. Our top girl was not there, but 2nd and 3rd girls ran very well - faster than we expected. They came in 2nd and 3rd out of all schools, and they are only a 10th and 9th grader. So it should be an exciting season.

Ok Week, Standing Desk

Week of Sept. 1 ~ 7
60.8km / 37.8 mi.

Monday
Hard rain - took a rest day. Will run intervals with the kids tomorrow, instead of the usual rest day.

Tuesday
2:00 - weights and core at the gym.
3:30 - 5.8k with 400 x 4, 800, 400 x 2 with varsity girls.
87/90/89/88 3:05 90/78 (1' after 400s, 2' after 800)
30C/86F, 65%
58kg

Wednesday
3:30 - Easy 7k with JV boys.
7:30 - Club track workout. 11k with 1000 x 6.
3:59/41/42/43/46/38. Felt good from the second one. Wanted to get under 3:40 for the last one.
25C/77F - felt quite a bit cooler than previous weeks.
57.7kg

Thursday
Had to go to a long narration all afternoon (I was the director, not the narrator) so couldn't run. (Can't run in the morning, because I sleep in the morning - up all night trading stocks, or in most cases, just watching the market as it doesn't move.)

Friday
1:00 - weights and core at the gym.
3:30 - 3k easy with kids as a warmup for their 1 mile x 3 loops tempo run, which I timed, then 10k alone in the park. Going from 5:26 to 5:10 per k.
30C/86F

Saturday
12:15 - 10k with 5k tempo run. Ate an hour before, so felt a bit heavy, but was able to do a decent 5k even in the heat. 29:13/22:50 @5:51/4:34.
31C/88F, 65%
57kg ! But then a huge pizza dinner, so goodbye 57. Bob says: Pigging out occasionally is ok!

Sunday
3:00 - 14k in 1:18:54. 42:31/36:23 @ 6:04/5:11. Felt ok.
22C/72F ! 70%
? kg

I have been bothered with a pain in my upper right hip when I sit for more than about 10 minutes. Standing, running, lying down (on a firm surface) are fine. The longer I sit, the worse it gets. I decided that a standing desk would be a good idea, and coincidentally, read an article here about how bad sitting is for you. However, standing desks cost about 200,000 yen ($2,000). So I made my own! And it works great. (Standing also burns calories.)

Decent 19:20 5,000m TT

Week of Aug. 25 ~ 31
57.3km / 35.6 mi.

To answer Scott's question about my low weight, not doing anything differently, just meticulously recording every calorie I eat (weighing my food - restaurant meals are estimates), which makes you very conscious of what and how much you are eating. The total is not important (assuming you're keeping it at fairly low levels, with the occasional splurge), what's important is being very aware of your consumption.
For example: Should I have a piece of toast with peanut butter? Hell no, I know how many calories I'd have to write down for that! I'll have some low-fat yoghurt and a banana. Result: lower weight. And there is no longer any peanut butter in my kitchen cabinet. No bread, either.

Monday
4:00 - 4.6k. American School cross country season starts today.
Easy run with JV boys. Ran 18 yesterday and have a time trial on wednesday, so just a very easy day.
29C/84F, 70%
57.4kg

Tuesday
Weights and core at the gym.

Wednesday
7:30pm - Club 5,000m time trial. Only had time for a 3k warmup, but included stretching and strides, so felt ready to go.
Time was 19:20. Splits 3:52/51/53/58/46.
It was a cool night, so that helped (humid, though).
Felt very good after the first 1000 and had a good group of 6 running together. Didn't feel like we slowed the 4th 1000, but kicked well the last 1000 and especially the last 400. I certainly don't consider this to be "fast", but it was a good run.
22C/72F, 90%
57.6kg

Thursday
3:30 - 10.5k including 400 x 4, 800, 400 x 2 with varsity girls.
92/91/91/89 3:14 91/86 (top 2 girls ran the last one in 72). 3.4k alone in the park @5:20/k. Legs felt fine.

Friday
12:00 - gym workout
3:30 - Easy 6k with JV boys (13 of them). About 6:00 pace going out, 5:00 pace coming back, when we ran Indian file type fartlek, where the last guy runs up to the front, when he gets there the guy who is now in last runs up to the front, etc., etc. It's a fun way to do a workout and the kids enjoyed it.
26C/79F, rain off and on.
57.1kg

Saturday
2:30 - 16k in 1:30:42 @5:40/k.
47:32/43:09 @5:56/5:23. Felt ok but legs tired at the end.
27C/81F, nice sunny day.
58.2kg (big dinner last night)

Sunday
3:00 - 12k easy at about 6:05/k. Legs tired.
27C/81F, 60%, beautiful day
57.4kg