Ootawara 10K — Not What I Hoped For

Nov. 16 ~ Nov. 23

Monday
3:15 - 10k with 5k easy, 5k tempo at about 4:30.
21C, 56%
57.1kg

Tuesday
Gym workout

Wednesday
7:30pm - warmup 3.5k, 2000, 1000 x 3, 500 x 2.
8:01, 3:54, 56, 56, 1:58, 1:48 (500 dist. a bit off)
Legs tired, couldn't generate much speed.
David Sweeny from Brisbane led us through the workout.
Andrew Green from England (52-year-old 5000m world record holder - 15:32) and son Jack were also there.

Thursday
8k easy

Friday
8K easy

Saturday and Sunday - rest

Monday
Ootawara 10K — 40:52, 14th in age group.
Didn't feel quite right from the start - nothing I could put my finger on, but just didn't seem to be running smoothly and strongly. Chilly weather and light rain did not help - I like warm weather!
First 3k were just over 4:00, next two were just under, then 4:02, 4:07, 4:11, 4:14, 4:14. I felt like I sped up the last 3k, but in fact slowed down, which was a bit strange and disheartening. Ran most of the way just behind or in front of another 60-year-old guy, so it's not like I was working all by myself.
Anyway, not a great result considering my last 10K a month ago was 39:40, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
Good result from David Sweeney, who ran 34:58 for 6th in his age group, which was 40-59. So at 54, he beat most of the 40-year-olds. Andrew unfortunately had achilles problems after 8k and just jogged in. Mike Trees ran 34:05 for 3rd in the same AG.
Next up is a 7.4k leg in the Okutama Ekiden on Dec. 6.

New Training Maxim

Week of Nov. 9 ~ 15

My new training maxim: As long as you're pain-free, you're training well.

61km / 38 mi.

Monday
3:00 - 12k, with 6k easy, 6k easy tempo
Second 6k was just about 5:00 pace for 4k, then 4:30 pace for 2k.
Did a 10k easy tempo run yesterday, so decided to do another today.
18C/64F, 80%. 18DP

Tuesday
Weight machines and core.
58.1kg

Wednesday
7:30 - 12k with club interval workout in the park. 2000 x 2, 1000, 500 x 2.
5k warmup. Intervals: 8:01, 7:53, 3:48, 1:54, 1:54. (4:30 after 2000s, 3:30 after 1000, 500)
Felt good, ran hard.
Had the pleasure of meeting David Sweeney at dinner. He's here from Oz visiting Mike Trees and will run the Otawara 10K on the 23rd, which I am also doing.
16C/61F, 40%, 5DP
58.3kg

Thursday
8k easy

Friday
1:00 - Weight machines and core.
3:30 - 13k with hard 4k, 3k, 2k.
17:47 @4:27 (5min walk)
12:56 @4:19 (5min walk)
8:27 @4:14
Felt good and ran well. Good workout.
15C/59F. 55%, 6DP
58.8kg

Saturday
Decided to take an extra rest day.
57.9kg

Sunday
4:00 - 16k in 1:35:52, just about an easy 6:00 pace.
I go over one small bridge that goes over a road, but it's high enough to afford a view of Fuji-san. Clear day, golden sunset with blue mountain in the front of it - beautiful. Fuji is a long, long ways away (100km?), but it is so immense that it is visible from here and even from well north of Tokyo.
18C/64F
58.3kg

Nice Week with Two Fun Events

Week of Nov. 2 ~ 8

61.9km / 38.5 mi.

Monday
Rest - Far East HS cross-country championships at Camp Fuji (a HUGE US military area up near Mt Fuji, so big that they practice shooting their big guns there, and almost no one even knows it's there).
Once again, both our boys and girls took first place.

Tuesday
6k easy. Second day of the cross-country, the relay event (which our kids also won), during which I ran about 6k back and forth cheering for kids.

Wednesday
7:30pm - club workout in Yoyogi Park.
1000m x 6, however, the consensus was that it was about 5 seconds short.
3:44/40/41/41/43/38. Even so, not bad. Felt good and ran hard.
16C/61F, 60% DP9
57.9kg

Thursday
7:30pm - 10k around the Imperial Palace with Eduardo, an ultra-marathoner from Spain who is doing an event called Tohoku Crossing, in support of the people of Tohoku and also to promote ties between Spain and Japan. He is from a town in Spain called Coria del Rio where a Japanese delegation went from Tohoku 400 years ago (!). Some of the Japanese stayed there, and today there are still about 700 people in the town with the name "Japon."
So we had 11 people out to run with him, and it was a very nice event (also supported by the Spanish Embassy).
He presented us with a beautiful, handmade ceramic plaque.

Friday
2:00 - Gym workout
3:30 - 10k with 3k x 2 at a good tempo. Wanted to run 4:10/k pace and ran 12:34 and 12:33. Felt good but had to work a bit to keep the pace.
It's very satisfying to plan a workout and then do exactly what you wanted to, feeling good at the end.
19C/66F, 40%, DP7
57.9kg

Saturday
8k easy.

Sunday
Namban Rengo 10K and Half, followed by a BBQ. Planned the 10k as a tempo run at 4:30, but was asked by one of our women members (Naoko) to pace her under 48:00, so ran at 4:45 pace and finished in 47:34. Raining, but a nice run. We had about 80 people out for the event. (Didn't want to go all-out because my goal 10K race is 8 days away on the 23rd.)

Rolling Along

Week of Oct. 26 ~ Nov 1

65km / 40 mi.
Typical good week with three hard workouts.
4th week of not eating any sugar, so weight is coming down a bit more.
No sugar means no desserts of any kind, no dark chocolate, no sugar in coffee.
First because sugar is basically bad for you and second to keep weight down.

Monday
3:30 - 10k with top three x-country boys.
5k out in 24:26, gradually picking up pace.
5k in in 21:30, starting at 4:30, down to 4:10, last k in 4:00.
Legs a bit stiff so had to work hard. The boys were just cruising along.
18C/64F, nice day.
58kg

Tuesday
Weight machines and core.

Wednesday
7:30pm - 10.6k inc. 5,000m time trial in the park (track closed). Unfortunately, it turned out to be about 4,800. Will try to get it right next month.
Ran 19:38, which would be about 20:26 for 5,000. Good pace, working hard to stay with other guys (and a woman), it felt faster.
22C/72F, 40%, DP9
58.5kg

Thursday
3:30 - 6.4k easy with kids.

Friday
3:30 - 10k easy

Saturday
11:00 - 12k easy, a bit faster coming back.
16C/61F, 60%, DP7
58.3kg

Sunday
2:00 - 16k with 8k easy, 8k tempo.
1:23:45 - 46:00/37:45 @ 5:45/4:43 last 4k@4:40/40/30/30
Felt very good after three easy days - legs fresh. Gliding along nicely for the 8k tempo.
17C/63F, about perfect for running.
57.5kg