3 Easy Weeks Plus Ekiden

Nov. 24 ~ Dec. 13

Took two days off after the 10K race on the 23rd, then two easy days, then did the Run for the Cure charity 10K, but not as a real race. Ran the 5K splits in 22:40 and 21:40, and felt fine. It was good weather and a fun event.

Did another 3 easy/rest days and then the 1000m x 6 wednesday night workout. Ran them all at around 4:00, which was ok on a chilly night.

Took two days off and had the Okutama Ekiden on the 6th. This is an old, traditional Japanese style road relay up in the hills about 90 minutes west of Tokyo. 6-man teams, each person running a 7.4 or 6.6 or 8.4km leg. Women's teams are 3-person, with shorter legs (ha ha). It's the race that the club has participated in the longest (27 years), and is always a good time. We had three men's teams and two women's teams - total was about 120 men's and 50 women's teams, plus another 60 university and high school.

I led off on the 7.4k first leg, running 30:36 for a 4:08 pace. Not particularly great, but it's a bit hilly, including a 400m upgrade at the end. I started conservatively, and had the fun of passing about 15 runners who had not. Most teams put their fast guys on the first leg, so I felt like a back-of-the-packer. Everyone meets up again for sushi and beer afterwards, so a very enjoyable day.

Took two days off again, then did the wednesday workout. Forgot that I had run a race on Sunday, so ran an 8:04 2,000 and two 3:55 1000s, then my quads started to get sore and I remembered the race. So I cruised another 1000 and two 500s.

Then just did four easy days, with 16k today. I plan to up my mileage the next three months, with just two or even one hard workout a week.

I'm off to Bangkok next Sunday with my wife, for a two-week visit to our daughter. We'll also spend three days in Bali over Christmas. Looking forward to warmth! Hot, sweaty runs - love it! So I'll just be putting in the kms for three weeks, will post again after I get back.
Merry Christmas, everyone!

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

Pretty Good Week

Week of Oct. 19 ~ 25

64.4km / 40 mi.

Monday
3:30 - 12.2k. 6.2k easy with the JV girls, 6k alone @4:35 pace.
Quads stiff, legs kind of heavy.
23C/73F
58.4kg

Tuesday
Weight machines and core.

Wednesday
7:30pm - 11.4k with 1000m x 6.
Running in the park because our track is closed for six months for resurfacing.
Nice loop on a wide asphalt path with one slight down/up hill, pretty close to exactly 1,000m.
3:50/44/44/47/48/44 (150m jog/walk in about 2:50).
Felt good and ran well - worked pretty hard.
17C/63F, 75%, dp 13

Thursday
3:30 - 6.8 easy, mostly with the kids. Legs tired.

Friday
12:30 - Weight machines and core.
3:30 - 12k. 6k warmup, 250m hill x 10 hard up, easy down. A bit faster than previous weeks, due to cooler weather.
Legs were stiff warming up, but felt good once I started the hills.
21C/70F
57.3kg

Saturday
4:30 - 8k easy.

Sunday
3:00 - 14k in 1:20:26. 42:23/38:03
Out at 6:00/k, back at 5:30, with 5th and 6th ks faster.
20C/68F, 23%, dp -2.

Avoiding Injury This Year

Week of October 12 ~ 18
35.8km - recovery week.

Last year on Wednesday of this week, after the 10K race, I tried to do the club interval workout and got a pain in my hamstring. Which took 6 months to completely go away.
So, a year later and quite a bit smarter.
Two rest days, then three easy days of 5-6k, then an easy 8k run, and today an easy 12k run. No aches or pains at all, so I'll try a tempo run tomorrow.

Nice running weather, about 22° every day, supposed to be clear all next week.

In American School cross-country news, both our boys and girls won the Far East Championships, held in Guam. Four runners score and our girls had four in the top ten, boys had four in the top 11. So it was a rout. And our top boy and girl both won. The team still has two more meets in Japan.

My next race is a 10K on Nov. 23rd. So four good training weeks and a taper week until then.