2000 km of Training Week 6: 1630.8 to go

Sun: 18/1:22:19/4:35/Evo Went out not sure how long I would run, but planning on doing some speed work. Did a few fartleks, then found a place near the in-laws with a 200m incline, so did five intervals of those, although probably could have pushed another five. But felt good overall, and no knee pain at all.

Mon: 14/1:03:54/4:34/Evo A good run home from work, plenty of energy, and felt good to keep up a decent pace.

Tue: 17.5/?? 4:40ish/Mach 11 Forgot to restart my watch partway, the distance should be right, and I think the pace is close. Good run, especially for another three days in a row. Could feel my knee, and think it might be the shoes, but didn't ever really bother me enough to slow me down or make me think about stopping.

Wed: Rest - end of the year drinks with friends.

Thu: Rest - end of the year hangover.

Fri: 13.9/1:03:36/4:35/Evo Great run home from work, comfortable at this pace, no issues.

Sat: Happy New Year! 15.6/1:15:32/4:51/BF My longest barefoot run yet! Decided to start the year off right with a BF run, wasn't sure how it would go, and it got a bit cloudy and windy just before leaving, but I decided to go for it anyway. The run felt great, no issues with my feet or body at all, and I was very happy with the pace. My feet were a little cold, but not numb, and I came back to not only not having any blisters or abrasions, but my feet actually felt like they had gotten a long massage!

Total Mileage: 79km. Hoping to hit the 80k mark, but this will have to do.

2000 km of Training Week 5: 1709.8 to go

Sun: Rest. Took a day for family and some Christmas prep.
Mon: 17.6/1:25:40/4:52/Evo What gorgeous night for a run! Beautiful almost full moon, no wind, about 8degC, and running just felt great. I had a great rhythm and it felt easy, like I could do it for hours and hours. Unfortunately, my knee felt a little tight from early on, but didn't really bother me until around 14K when I was zig zagging across the soccer and baseball fields to gain some distance. Lost some speed then as well, so the average is a bit slow. Was in shorts and a t-shirt, which felt chilly but good. Put on just gloves and a hat towards the end, and it made a big difference, good lesson for further winter running. May try to make it through the winter in shorts...

Tue: Rest

Wed: Namban workout 12.8 total: 4.8 warm up/6K int/2K cool down

1200X2/1000X2/800X2: 4:33/4:25/3:37/3:34/2:47/2:49 Pretty happy with the times considering I did the whole workout BAREFOOT! I ran the warmup in the MWUs, and felt a little tight on my big toes, so I figured I would give it a try BF, and just hang back a bit. Well, it was chilly and windy, and I was underdressed in a tank top and shorts, so I got going and decided to see how much I could push. The whole workout went great. I was a little worried at times about getting stepped on, and my feet were a little numb, but no blistering and almost not damage except the skin cracking under my right pinky toe, which has happened before, and may be related to a little athlete's foot I have there now. It was really exhilarating to run hard BF, I felt light and my form felt good. I could feel my self leaning back a few times at take off, so I had to adjust my weight and relax. Definitely want to run more BF, too bad it's winter, but I may try to keep it up at least on weekends, and will reconsider what shoes I keep in my rotation.

Thu: 13.8/1:07:02/4:51/Mach 11 Pretty good run, legs not stiff. Pace a bit slow in the last half, shoes felt a little strange, big toes a little tight. Knee slightly noticeable but not bad. Beautiful moon again!

Fri: 21.2/1:38:15/4:38/Evo Legs a bit stiff at the beginning from 3 straight days of running, and wasn't sure if I'd get in the 20K I was aiming for, but started to loosen up towards the halfway point and felt really good, started picking it up towards the end, very happy with the pace, and no knee pain at all!

Sat: Rest for Xmas!!

Total mileage: 65.4

2000 km of Training Week 4: 1775.2 to go

Sun: Bike 33K
Mon: 12.3/55:59/4:33/Zoom XC A good run, and while my knee bothered me a bit with walking up and down stairs, it seems to be ok when I run.
Tue: Rest - KZ Xmas party!
Wed: Rest - Nasty tequila hangover...
Thu: 13.9/1:05:30/4:43/Evo My knee felt a little off about 5K into this, and was going to bag it and take the train partway, but then it felt ok and I was able to even add a little extra on.
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: 16.5/1:14:30/4:31/Trek & BF Went out with the intention of doing a 3KX6 interval workout, and doing a little extra for a total of 20k total. Got into the first fast interval, and felt wasted after 2K, and that's because I was going much faster than the 4:00 pace I planned on. I sort of gave up, but then got back into it and still finished the 3K in under 12:00. But then got another 2K into the next slow interval, and felt the same blister area I had gotten on my right foot the last time I wore the Treks, despite wearing nice thin socks this time. I got frustrated and decided just to take off my shoes for the last 5-6K since it was a beautiful sunny day anyway. It worked out great, and I was still able to keep a sub 5:00 pace for the rest of the run. So those shoes are out of my rotation and may only be used for casual use, which is disappointing. My Evos also have big holes in the right shoe, and the super glue repair I did seemed to fail. Will try sewing them, but perhaps have to pick up a pair of the Neos? Really want to hold off on spending cash for running gear for a while but...

Total Mileage: 42.7 Was planning on backing off this month, but not quite this much. Want to get up to the 60-70K range, but may be tough with Xmas this week, maybe all for the best for my knee...

2000 km of Training Week 3: 1817.9 to go

Sun: 20.15/1:33:45/4:39/Evo Perfect conditions for a run! My first morning run in a while, and my first attempt at a relatively long run since the problems with my knee. Incredible blue skies, about 10-12 deg C, light wind, perfect for shorts and t-shirt. Had to stop a couple times for CBs, but otherwise all smooth. Decided to do two loops south across bridges along Arakawa, it was a pretty good route. Thought I felt some tightness in my leg at the beginning of the second loop, but it ended up being fine. The pace is better than I thought, I didn't really make an effort until the last 1-2K. Blister from running on Friday got pretty nasty!
Mon: 12.2/57:40/4:42/Mach 11. Decided on the Brooks because I though they would be the easiest on my blister. Took out the glued-in insole to see how it would feel. Over all good, no pain in the knee, and could feel the blister, but it didn't get worse.
Tue: Rest. Support Xmas party.
Wed: 8.9 total/Evo. Meant to do speed work, but didn't get very far partly because of stomach problems from the party the night before, but mainly because speed work alone is hard and I mentally flailed. 1000@3:31/500@1:46, the rest was warm up/cool down at around 4:30 pace.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: Rest: Disneyland!
Sat: 25/1:57:58/4:43/Evo Another gorgeous day for a long run, sunny, not too windy, and a comfortable 17C or so. Set out to do 25K, and was able to do it without any real issue, although my left knee did start to bother me for the last 5K or so, and was sore afterwards, which has not happened in a while. Pace felt good for most of it, feet did get a little beat up, and have been getting some soreness in the joints of my big toes lately, hopefully something that won't get worse. I was also thinking I need to do some more running up the banks of the Arakawa on these runs to at least somewhat simulate some hill work.

Total mileage: 66.3 I'm happy with this, will take a slightly easier this week and maybe next week for xmas, but would like to figure out how to get my mileage up into the 70s or higher.

3000k total!

Added up the mileage from all of my blog posts and also from my training plans for the HM in Tsukuba and Tokyo Marathon and got about 2800k. That was from August, and I started to get somewhat serious from April before that, so I think a 3000K estimate total is fair and possibly conservative.
Anyway, a decent number for a year and a half of running. Had a lot of weeks with very little and even no running because of injuries and recovery, but hopefully that will subside.
What have I learned after my miles so far? Well, I do feel like my body recovers faster now from long runs, and when I have gotten hurt, my body tends to heal faster than I think, but that is probably at least because I tend to be pretty fatalistic every time I get hurt.
Rest is important, having weeks with less mileage is important. Speed workouts are tough, but important. My core muscle/back exercises are important, and I really wish I could do more resistance work in a gym, but the time just doesn't allow. Mixing in biking is good, although I've really only been doing that with commuting.
I'm faster than I imagined I might be, but know it would take a lot of time and hard work to be much faster, not that that has been my goal, but it is fun to be able to run fast. Running 100k when I am 40 is not impossible, but would take a ton of training time, which probably would not fit well into the family balance.
I wish I could run more in the hills and in nature, but now is not the time, hopefully sooner than later.

2000 km of Training Week 2: 1884.2 to go

Weight: Probably 78ish, I was afraid to check after this weekend of birthday cake and way too many beers...
Sun: Rest. And beers.
Mon: 15.5/1:11:28/4:36/Evo Went out pretty fast right from beginning and felt good. Did get a little winded and some stomach cramping about 10K in, so slowed down a little, but no problems with the leg. Got close to home and did some laps around Shiori Park to add on about 3k.
Tue: 12.4/?/?/Evo Forgot to restart my watch at one point so not sure of the time or pace, but was consciously taking it real slow, probably a 5:00-5:15 pace. Felt easy and good, again no problem with the left leg.
Wed: Namban workout! Total of 12.4 including WU & CD. 6X1000. Should have worn my normal watch for this, b/c the garmin was too complicated to easily get lap times, but the times were 3:35/3:31/3:31/3:31/3:35/3:27. Not bad, but felt like much harder work than when I did this same workout a couple of months ago. It was fun anyway, and was a good reminder that speedwork is challenging, but definitely good for me. Can't make it to these workouts more often, but will try to get back to doing it on my own at least once a week.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 12.4/?/?/Trek Garmin froze on me! Hopefully that won't happen often. Got some blisters on my right foot for the first time in a long time, first time ever in the Treks. Blister on outside of right foot, don't know if it was the socks or what. Time was around 1 hr, so probably 4:45ish pace.
Sat: Rest. Family stuff and wanted to rest the blister.

Total mileage: 52.7k

2000 km of Training Week 1: 1936.9k to go

After having to drop out of the Tsukuba marathon due to what I'm pretty sure was ITBS in my left leg/knee, I decided to take a step back from racing marathons (not like I've run so many, but it was to be my third in just over a year of running) to try and build up the strength in my legs more. The idea came actually after a run, and the idea is that I want to learn to train regularly without the pressure and or goals of a big race, as my real aspiration is to be a long term runner, since it feels good and is good for me. Not to mention that I have a history of not doing stuff long term, and it seems like this could be different.
So, I decided on not running a marathon again until I've logged 2000km starting now. The idea behind the number is that it would take me around a year, which would be good timing for some of the races next year, particularly Tsukuba again. Whether I will run other races such as 5k, 10k, HM, remains to be seen; I don't want to be overly strict about it either way.
I also want to get involved a little more in the running community, which is pretty tough because of the time limitations I have with family and work, but I will try to attend at least one Namban track workout per month and plan to volunteer in a few races as a start.

Here's how the first week went:
Weight: 78 Gained close to 2kg due to being in the US and cutting back on training. Not being very careful about sweets lately either.
Sun: 13.4/1:04:33/4:49/Treks I was a bit surprised at this pace, as I felt like I was moving along at a better clip than that. Good run though, and almost no stiffness in the leg.
Mon: Rest A rare night out in Roppongi with headhunting buddies!
Tue: 10.8/46:05/4:17/VFF This was a great run, just meant to go out for something short and took a different route than I ever have, just tooling around and keeping up a good speed the whole time. Leg and feet felt good!
Wed: 11.9/54:01/4:31/Evo This was good too. Feet and legs felt good, no tightness from the day before at all. Wanted to get home quickly for my b-day celebration with the family so kept up as good a pace as possible.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 16.1/1:16:36/4:45 Mach 11 Good run until about 7-8K in when I started having discomfort in my left leg again. Thought it might be from the shoes, so decided to experiment and run BF the rest of the way home; ended up running about 6K barefoot, but it didn't really help. Was happy to see that I could run BF without any real issues, even though I haven't done it in a month, and it was pretty dark and chilly. Pace with shoes was 4:37, 5:10 BF.
Sat: 10.9/51:01/4:41/Treks A decent run out at the in-laws, took a new route and got a little lost. My leg was bothering me towards the end, so I guess it wasn't just the shoes.
Sun: Rest. Was a perfect day for a marathon, lucky for those who got to run Tsukuba!

Total mileage: 63.1 A good week, but hopefully I'll have less issues with the leg next week!

Evo II Review: http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/11/vivobarefoot-evo-ii-review-and-giveaway.html

Weekly Mileage Nov 14-20

Sun: 11.5/54:12/4:47/Mach 11 Almost made the run all the way home, but stopped early because didn't want to overdo it.
Mon: Bike 33K
Tue: 12/55:49/4:39/Evo Good run overall, decent pace for these shoes. Still had the same stiffness from about 6-7K, but decided to keep at it, and it didn't seem to get worse.
Wed: 12/56:46/4:43/Zoom XC Thought I would try running two days in a row to see how it would feel, and it was ok. Was going to go a little longer, but it was raining and a bit chilly.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 16.5/1:20:25/4:53/Mach 11 This was my test run to see if I could actually run Tsukuba on 11/28. I figured if I could make it 20K, I would be able to run the race. The pain did hold off longer than usual, but at about 10-12K, it started, and got a sharp pain right at 16.5, so walked the rest of the way; will not run the race, and pretty sure this must be ITBS.
Sat: Rest. Left leg a little sore, but not too bad, so hopefully is getting better.

Total mileage: 52K. Decent for recovery.

Weekly Mileage Nov 7-13

Sun: Rest
Mon: 7.86/41:11/5:14/Evo Thought I would be able make it all the way home, but the leg started feeling tight at about 5-6K and so I decided to take the train part way home.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: 7.94/38:04/4:47/Mach 11 Same as Monday, but big pace difference because of shoes?
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 10.46/48:53/4:40/Zoom XC Really hoped to get in 15K on this run, but my knee started bothering me at the same 6-7K mark, but decided just to deal with it to get in at least 10K. Made the official call not to run Tsukuba today.
Sat: Rest. Meant to get in a barefoot run, but got to busy with family stuff.

Total Mileage: 26.29

Weekly Mileage Oct 31-Nov 6 (Still injured!)

Sun: 13.7/1:02:43/4:33/Mach 11 Felt pretty good after a couple days of rest, but the knee started to bother me for the last 4-5K. Was really sore after that, very painful to go up and down stairs. Damn.
Mon: Rest.
Tue: Bike 14.8K
Wed-Sat: Rest

Total Mileage: 13.7K

Weekly Mileage Oct 24-30 (Injured again!)

Sun: 15.3/1:09:02/4:30/Mach 11 & BF Great run from dad's to Erin's. Got in a few solid miles of BF on the beach at low tide. Really felt great to run on the beach, feet were a bit numb towards the end, but still loved it.
Mon: 18.5/1:21:21/4:22/XC Zoom Needed to get in a solid run in terms of distance, but this didn't really feel great from the get go. Legs felt pretty tired from early on, but wanted to push through. Really surprised at the pace, although I think the garmin measured it slightly long. But I think the combination of the pace and having tired legs made my left knee hurt for the last 5k at least. May be combined with the fact that this was only my second time running in these shoes, but it was a new pain, and one that has persisted now. Fucking Nikes?
Tue: Rest, travel to Mass.
Wed: 10.5/1:05:26/6:00/Treks My first real trail run! Left the place we were staying and found a trail right into the woods along a river. Followed it up into the hills, did some bushwhacking, and some walking because it was so steep. Got up to about 430 meters (250 total gain) according to the Garmin. The downhill was great because it was quite technical in terms of rocks and roots, actually quite amazing that I didn't bust an ankle because of all the leaves hiding stuff. Just a great feeling to get out into the woods, and I was super satisfied with the feel of the Treks considering the terrain. Did about 6K of road after getting out of the woods, and the knee was pretty tender towards the end.
Thu: 6.1/30/4:55/Mach 11 Knee started bothering me about 2k into this run, so had to turn back. Depressing.
Fri/Sat: Rest. Wanted to rest the knee, and was busy with vacation stuff.

Total Mileage: 50.3K Not looking good for Tsukuba.

Weekly Mileage Oct 17-23

Sun: 13.5/1:00:06/4:53/WMU Legs a bit stiff from the run yesterday, and thought I was going to have issues with blisters again in the WMUs, but it was ok. Left foot got tender again for the last 3-4K, but not bad as long as I keep the pace easy. Will do bike tomorrow to give it a break. Should be in good shape for getting in the running I want to in the US, but not sure when I'll be able to do speed work.
Mon: Bike 35.6k
Tue: 17.6/1:23:51/4:45/MWU3 Good run! Thought it would be chilly, so wore a vest at first, but took it off within about 15 min. Legs pretty loose, although could feel the muscles from the last two runs because of the time off. No pain at all in the left foot, only slightly tender for the last 1-2K when I was speeding up a bit. Timed the last 2K at 4:39/4:33.

Wed: Rest (travel to U.S.!)

Thu:13.3/57:58/4:21/Mach11 First run in the U.S., and first run in the Brooks Mach 11s, and it felt great! Nice rolling hills, beautiful foliage, and cool. The shoes are not cushioned really, but there is quite a bit between my feet and the road compared to the other shoes I have. Legs felt great running, no blisters, and no soreness today. A bit surprised at that pace, but I did feel like I was moving pretty briskly. Will run with the new Garmin next and in the Nikes.
Fri: 14.52/1:04:27/4:26/XC Zooms Another run in new sneaks. The Nikes felt good, although a little strange near the ball of my foot at the beginning. This pace is fast again, I guess because of the cushioning. I'm at a dilemma of how to record my runs now, because the garmin distance is off when compared to the same route with gmap pedometer.
Sat: 12.8/1:13:03/5:34/Mach 11 Ran out to Aggie to meet Dave and do some trail running. Was fun to run and chat at a very slow pace. Pretty rocky, but the shoes obviously protected my feet no problem.

Total Mileage: 71.7

Weekly Mileage Oct 10-16 (Injured)

Sun: Rest. Foot finally starting to hurt less.
Mon: Bike 32K. Commute to work. Thought about adding more distance on, but foot felt sensitive.
Tue: Bike 32K, Swim about 50 min.
Wed: Bike 33K
Thu: Rest. Going to run tomorrow!!
Fri: Bike 48.6K Foot felt tender, so decided to bike. Was a nice long ride along the Arakawa, foot felt tender during a lot of the ride, but was ok when I got back.
Sat: 12.4/1:00:26/4:52/MWU Took it at an easy pace, foot felt tender and almost turned around before going 5K out, but foot did not seem to be getting worse, so just ran on the grass.

Weekly Mileage Oct 3-9 (Injured)

Sun: 7.8/40:04/5:08/Evo The bottom outside of my left foot was bothering me at work today, but I figured it was no big deal and would go away. It did mostly by the end of the day, so did my run home, but about 5K in it started to bother me, and so I stopped in Asakusa and took the train the rest of the way home. Must have overdone it at the end of my run yesterday. Will rain tomorrow, so will take an unexpected rest, then hopefully bike on Tuesday and should be ready for a good track workout with Namban on Wednesday.
INJURED!
Mon: Rested because of sore foot and rain.
Tue: Bike 33K. Foot sore and was standing all day at work, foot really sore at end of day.
Wed: Went for x-ray. Said there was not fracture and that I need at least two weeks off. That sucks!
Thu: Rest
Fri: Swim in KS for 30-40 min
Sat: Swim 50 min

Total Mileage: 7.8K

Weekly Mileage Sept 26-Oct 2

Sun: Watarase HM 21.1/1:25:08/4:02/MWU
Mon-Tue: Rest
Wed: Bike 40K
Thu: Rest (Blisters from Sunday almost healed, but taking one extra day)
Fri: 13.5/1:03:05/4:44/Evo Good first run after the race, legs feel good overall, just a little tightness. Should have stretched more this week during my rest period. Blister didn't bother me at all.
Sat: 18.9/1:29:34/4:44/VFF This seems to be my default pace these days. A beautiful day and nice run. Feet felt good in the VFFs, even with no socks and the healing blisters. Took it easy for most of the run, but some guy started to pass me at about a 4:30 pace with about 5K left, which was a good chance to turn on some speed. I kept up with him for a while and it felt good, so I took off an left him behind. May have been more social to chat with him, but I guess I'm too competitive for that. Paced a couple of the last 1ks at 4:18 and 4:25 - glad I could do that comfortably in the VFFs.

Total mileage: 53.5 Will take it up to over 60K next week, and then into the 80s again after that!

Watarase Half Marathon

This was to be my fourth official race since I started running last spring, my second HM, and my first time really trying to set a PB. I ran my first HM last year faster than expected at 1:27:51, and think it was at least partly because I really tapered beforehand (probably more than really necessary), so I decided to do a decent taper this time as well with only around 60K the week before and around 30K the week of the race.
For some reason I had it in my head that to get the time I did in my last HM, I had to run a 4:17 pace, but when I sat down to double check a few days before, I was a bit shocked to see how off I was, and how fast I would have to run to beat my old time with any kind of respect.
This did not help with the pre-race jitters and nervous stomach I always get, but fortunately the beautiful weather (and some stomach meds) helped calm me down on the actual day. I planned to just do my best to run with Bob, but had trouble locating him beforehand and headed to the front of the pack. The temperature was great if a little warm, but the breeze was picking up and conditions felt perfect.
I can't say I'm a big fan of doing laps for a race, but it didn't feel that bad. I had one guy in my sights during the first 1.5 laps who I eventually passed, but he stuck right on me, and eventually helped me to kick in the last lap to lose him. My 5k splits were 19:24/19:53/20:04/21:33, overall time of 1:25:08. I'm with Bob on thinking that the last 5K were strange, as I did not feel like I was running much slower, and actually started my kick mid way through that.
Overall, I was happy with how I felt throughout the race. I was paying a lot of attention to how hard people around me seemed to be breathing, while I was able to keep good, steady breathing throughout. I didn't have any cramping or leg pain, but for some reason my Mizuno Wave Universe 3 racing flats, which I have worn in two marathons and for plenty of training, gave me blisters on the outside of both feet (my right foot to the point of a blood blister exploding and getting blood all over my shoe).
Great race for setting PBs, beautiful (if inconvenient) location, and likely to become a very popular race in the coming years for both of those reasons...

Weekly Mileage September 19-25

Sun: 14.2/1:11:44/5:03/VFF A late run home from work to the car rental place to pick up the bike. The beginning of my taper before my race next Sunday, so made an effort to keep it slow and easy. Feet a little tired in the VFFs, but ok. Will only do a few short days for the rest of the week.
Mon: Bike 33K
Tue: Total Distance: 7.7K/Evo. Warm up: 3.4/15:57/4:41; Three 1K intervals: 3:56/4:01/4:06; 1.3 cool down. Meant to run the intervals at race pace (4:15), but ended up going too fast. Hopefully this won't mean I go out too hard on Sunday.
Wed: Rest
Thu: 8/35:25/4:25/Evo Measured this using Gmap Pedometer for the first time, and think it might be a bit long because the pace seems fast. I did do 1K fast about 4:10 pace, but I think the average is low. The run was good, legs seem stiffer than they should for how little I have been running this week, but it's probably pre-race paranoia.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5.7/BF Easy pre-race run. Decided not to time it, just took it at an easy pace with one short distance at race pace.

Total mileage: 35.6 Hopefully a good enough taper, and not too much!

Weekly Mileage September 12-18

Sun: 12.2/59:26/4:52/VFF A bit hot again, but overall a good recovery run. Took the fraying straps off the VFFs and they work fine like that.
Mon: 12.2/57:48/4:44/Evo Super hot and humid with no wind! Felt like I was definitely running slower than yesterday, so a bit surprised by the pace. May be because I stopped my watch for a bit while getting around some water under one of the bridges, although not for that long. Legs are tired but ok, but my back has really been stiff. Tired in general, so will rest tomorrow.
Tue: Rest
Wed: 20/1:34:51/4:44/VFF About 10 degrees cooler than my run on Monday, a north wind down the Arakawa and rain, what a difference! A bit stiff in my left leg, and could feel some tightness in my back, but the rest and a long sleep yesterday seemed to help. Was a bit slow when I took a split about 15K in, so pushed a bit at the end to get a decent pace. I wonder how I'm going to cut 30 seconds off this pace in the race on Sep 26, but I'll just have to wait and see.
Thu: 12.2/59:44/4:53/Evo Stiff legs, tired body, north wind and rain made for a slow run. Went by relatively quickly though and glad that I got out there and did it.
Fri: Rest - great relaxing night at beach with family!
Sat: 10.7/50:54/4:45/VFF Really pleasant run out in Katsutadai along the river after dropping off the rental car. A little stiff at first, and little painful on some of the big gravel on the trail next to the river, but focused on running slow and relaxing. Cool air, great fall insects and birds, and beautiful sunset!

Total mileage: 67.3 Good recovery week, although I wonder if I should have done less miles or focused on running more slowly. Will do a taper next week in prep for my HM on Sunday, will it be enough of a taper?

Weekly Mileage September 5-11

Sun: 10.6/50:42/4:46/BF Good BF run with no blistering. Feels good that I can do this sort of recovery run after a long run, legs are definitely getting stronger.
Mon: 13.5/1:06:07/4:53/Evo Very stiff legs to begin with and felt pretty tired throughout. Tough run, and almost no breeze until the last few km. Hoping to do the long route home from work tomorrow, hopefully my legs will recover a lot by then.
Tue: 17.6/1:24:25/4:47/VFF Felt much better than yesterday, thankfully. Timed my splits for the middle and last 5K, and they were pretty good at 23:38/23:49 considering I wasn't trying to push. My default pace is definitely coming down. Strap on my right VFF is almost completely shredded now, so it felt a little loose, but I think they can be used with no straps when they both come off.
Wed: Rest (Typhoon!)
Thu: 13.5/59:24/4:24/Evo Decided to do a tempo run since I took yesterday off. Got off to a pretty fast start, probably faster than I should have before getting warmed up, and started to get some of the old pain behind my right knee. I backed off a bit, and it subsided a bit, and was there but not bad for the rest of the run. The typhoon totally cooled things off which was great. Got to the 10K mark at 44:20. Legs feel fine now.
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: 30/2:22:01/4:44/MWV Was really exhausted today and my back has been bothering me, so I wasn't sure how well the run was going to go, but felt good from the start, so decided to go for it. Glad to finally get in a 30K run! Overall was very comfortable for the whole run, and felt like I was moving at a good pace. Some random splits: 11k 50:54/21K 1:43:06/26K 2:06:42, basically slowed a little in the middle, but then picked it up a bit. Only really felt tired the last 2-3K. Tried a couple of gel packs, one from Power Bar, can't remember the other, but they were disgusting, felt like sucking down a tube of toothpaste. I'll be sticking with real food from now on. Stopped for water 5 times. Got home and felt really sick to my stomach for about 15 min, I guess it was just energy depletion.

Total Mileage: 85.2 Great! Two over 80K weeks in a row. I am exhausted, but legs feel good!

Weekly Mileage August 29-September 4

Sun: 12.2/55:51/4:34/Evo Wanted to push since I haven't run in two days, but it felt like I was working hard and still running slow, so the pace was a happy surprise. Feet feel good, but left calf is a bit tight.
Mon: 17.6/1:24:47/4:49/VFF The heat will not let off! Went at this with the intention of just taking it as easy as possible. Checked my pace about every 5K, and was happy to see that I was under 5:00. Was a bit tough at the end, but I didn't seem to lose speed. Still some blistering on the ball of my right foot, and left ankle a little stiff, but ok.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: Namban Workout 13K total/7K warm up/cool down, 6X1000 intervals: 3:38/3:39/3:33/3:32/3:35/3:27 Great workout, much better times than I anticipated, and actually didn't feel very tough until I really pushed on the last one. Hopefully can get out for that workout a little more regularly.
Thu: 13.5/1:05:24/4:50/VFF Felt good considering the workout yesterday, took it easy and was happy with the overall pace. The heat is definitely letting up at night, and there are whispers of fall in the wind...
Fri: Rest
Sat: 27.3/2:11:38/4:49/Evo Was aiming for my first 30K training run, and got worried about getting back in time, and was pretty tired, but frustrated that I didn't stick it out for a little longer. Otherwise a nice run, pretty sunset and good breeze; happy with my pace as well. Some blistering on ball of right foot, and my left big and middle toes are a bit banged up.

Total mileage: 83.6

Weekly Mileage August 22-28

Sun: 9.3/44:40/4:48/VFF Opted out of BF to save my feet for running next week. Stiff left ankle at first, but overall ok. Paced myself along the jogging route at 4:36/4:11, which makes me think the measurements are way off, considering my overall pace, and the fact that I really wasn't pushing at all.
Mon: 13.5/1:06:09/4:54/Evos Hot and slow! But put the insoles back in the Evos which seemed to help my feet. A little stiffness in the left ankle again, which is worrying, but hopefully not a real issue.
12.2/58:17/4:46/VFF Not quite as hot as yesterday. A little slow at the 10K mark, so pushed a bit towards the end. Feet seem to be in good condition.
Wed: 9.2/41:02/4:27/Evo Running at the beach, I guess the distance is right, but a bit surprised by the pace, because it didn't feel like I was pushing at all. I guess I run faster when I know I don't have to run far.
Thu: 7.2/35:41/4:57/Evo Second day of running on vaca at the beach. Think the distance is short, and pace slow, but makes up for the day before.
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest. Had planned to do a long run, but came back from the beach and decided to bag it and get ready for the week ahead instead.

Total mileage: 51.4 Will definitely beef up the mileage from next week!

Weekly Mileage August 15-21

Sun: 10.5/48:18/4:36 or 9.9/48:18/4:52/BF Depends on if I believe the markings along the running route or Google Earth. Annoying. I was moving at a pretty good clip despite being barefoot, so I think the second pace must be off, but I thought Google Earth was pretty accurate. Been thinking seriously about getting a Garmin GPS watch, and this kind of shit may force me to do it (as if I need a reason).
Mon: Bike 35K
Tue: 12.9/1:00:42/4:42/Evo Thought I was taking it slow, but got to the 10K mark much faster than expected. Had some blister issues on my right foot, perhaps a result of running too fast BF on Sunday. Actually quit 500M early and walked to try to minimize the damage. Slight blood blister for the first time in a long time, but hopefully not running tomorrow will take care of it.
Wed: Bike 36K
Thu: 19.7/1:33:14/4:43/MWU What a difference a nice north wind makes! Feet felt good in the MWUs also, ran a couple K further than I had originally planned.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 13.5/1:02:49/4:39/Evo Had to work, so just ran home. Did 5 intervals of probably around 1-2k each. Only timed the one I could measure which was 1K/4:00, I assume the pace for the others was similar. Felt good overall, but still some blister issues on my right foot. May need to pick up some new insoles for the Evos.

Total Mileage: 56.6K Good off week, will try for high 70s for the next two weeks, hopefully no issues with the feet...

Weekly Mileage August 8-14

Sun: 9/44:54/4:59/BF Good easy Sunday run like last week. Did almost no damage to my feet this time, I think. Also did some more upper body exercises when doing the loop.
Mon: 13.6/1:04:35/4:44/VFF Good run considering four days in a row so far. Did not feel tight at all, and felt like I was keeping up good speed, actually a little surprised that the pace wasn't better. Got to thinking about running a bit, and realized that it's not so much do I like it or not or why, it's more about am I going to do it, and as long as I can answer yes to that I'm fine. Satisfaction in consistency and achievement?
Tue: 17.7/1:25:10/4:48/Evo Five days in a row of running, can't remember the last time I've done that. Especially pain free! This long route always feels long, probably because of the long section along the Arakawa, but it gave me time to try to really focus on my form. I was worried if that was slowing me down, but apparently not too much. First time running without the insoles in the Evos, and my feet seem fine.
Wed: 12.2/59:37/4:53/VFF Definitely stiff, slow going for the first 2-3K. Loosened up after that, and was able to pick it up a bit at the end. Legs and feet in good shape overall. Run again tomorrow?
Thu: Bike 33K Seemed best to take at least the day off from running.
Fri: 21.6/1:41:39/4:42/Evo Definitely recharged after the rest and was cruising comfortably at a good pace for most of the run. Got tired for the last 3-4k and lost speed. Some toe blister issues with the Evos.

Total Mileage: 74.1

Weekly Mileage August 1-7

Sun: 8.3K/BF Ran around the park in Sumida, did intervals of 2K with some upper body work in between. Splits for laps: 4:55/4:42/4:35/4:49/4:56/4:48/4:50. Managed to not tear up my feet too much, although one hot spot on left foot near space between first two toes.
Mon: 12.1/57:39/4:45/Evo Good run overall considering my third day of running in a row. Did not have any pain in right leg, but could not run as fast as wanted because of the heat. Did manage to push it a bit for the last 2-3K.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: 16.8/1:19:07/4:42/Evo Best I've felt on the mid-week long run yet. Again a nice breeze helped, and I felt like I was not pushing at the beginning, so I was able to pick it up the last 2-3K.
Thu: Rest
Fri: 13.4/1:01:23/4:34/MWU This run felt great the whole way, never felt winded, felt smooth the whole time. I think it was mainly due to the day off yesterday, but it felt also somewhat related to the shoes and also to the slightly cooler conditions with a good breeze. Will be interesting to see how my long run goes tomorrow.
Sat: 20.6/1:39:27/4:49/Evo Beautiful run in Chiba at the in-laws. Took the river route further than I ever have and was about 1.5K away from the bay when I turned around. Felt good overall, hot, but not prohibitively so. Great sky, greenery and buzzing cicadas!

Total mileage: 71.2 Sweet! Will try to get in another 70+ week this week!

Weekly Mileage July 25-31

Sun: Rest
Mon: 11.9/56:03/4:42 A couple of days off and slightly less oppressive heat allowed me to push the speed a few times, which felt good. Had to stop halfway for a CB, but otherwise all went pretty smoothly. Some blisters on the fronts of my toes, not sure why, ran in the Evos
Tue: Bike 33k
Wed: 17/1:23:24/4:54/Evos. Same route as the run that nearly killed me last week, but very different. Cooler temperature and great breeze from behind along the Arakawa. Got a bit slow in the middle, but was able to pick up the pace for the last 4K.
Thu: Rest
Fri 12.9/1:03:57/4:57/VFF Felt like a good, loose run, at a decent speed, so I am a bit suprised/suspicious of the distance and pace. Tried using Runkeeper again for the first time in a while, and of course it was useless. Considering a Garmin watch, but pretty pricey.
Sat: 16.2/1:16:28/4:43/Evo Intended to go out for 18K with 3K intervals, but didn't have the time, so decided to shorten it to 15K. But after the first 1K of the first interval was totally sucking wind, so ended up doing one 1K interval then one 2K interval, splits were 3:59 and 8:15. Was a bit disappointed at how hard it felt to run intervals, but hope that it more due to the heat than to being out of shape.

Total Mileage: 58K

Weekly Mileage July 18-24

Sun: Rest
Mon: 13.5/1:03:44/4:43 Was worried that my legs would be stiff after the long run on Saturday, but felt good. The heat really seemed to slow me down, and it was hard to maintain a steady hard-working pace. I wonder if that is the big difference between the great few weeks of training I had in late May/early June and now. I felt much lighter on my feet and it was much easier to maintain a good pace. But most of those runs were also during days off with no backpack on also.
Tue: 12.2/1:00/4:55 Perfect recovery run. Felt totally relaxed, not too hot (ran later than usual, around 8:00 p.m.), and legs felt good. Ran in the Mizunos.
Wed: Bike 33K
Thu: 17/1:22:38/4:51 Felt like the toughest training run I've done due feeling overheated for most of it. Intended to do the first leg from work to the Arakawa as a warm up and then do some intervals, but I ended up running faster than I meant to on the first part, and really died on the last half, some splits over 5:00. The worst part was that I kept thinking about stopping, fortunately, I was able to push that away and finish. Evos.
Fri: 12.2/58:59/4:50 Hot again, but happy to be able to run again after yesterday without any issues with my legs. Hot again, so I stopped to drink water in Asakusa. Might need to start bringing water with me. VFFs
Sat: Rest

Total Mileage: 54.9K

Weekly Mileage July 11-17

Sun: Rest. Knee still feels tight/sensitive?
Mon: 12.1/56:52/4:41 Decent run, no real pain in the knee, although it usually doesn't bother me when I run anyway. Ran in the Nikes for the first time in a while, felt pretty good. The Sumida river was amazingly high, almost got soaked by a wake wave from a fireboat!
Tue: Rest
Wed: 13.5/1:03:09/4:40 Overall a good run in the Evos, did feel pretty beat at about the halfway mark, so I think I lost speed in the last half of the run. Right knee/leg felt a little sensitive, but pretty good after stretching at home. Am trying to get into my routine of doing calf raises and other leg exercises every other day.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 10.2/49:59/4:54 First morning run in a while. My left hamstring did the weird popping thing about 4 minutes in again, but was able to continue after stretching/rubbing it out. Still sensitive after the run, so I iced it.
Sat: 23.9/1:56:28/4:52 Planned to go out for 2 hours instead of planning for distance, but turned around at the 55 minute mark because there was a km marker. Got killed on the second half by running into a strong south wind. Felt like I was running at 4:45 pace effort, but was mainly getting just under 5:00 splits. My longest run in the Evos so far, and I am happy overall, minimal blisters and my legs feel good. Getting back to stretching is helping.

Total mileage: 59.7K

Weekly Mileage July 4-10

Sun: Rest
Mon: 13.6/1:02:19/4:52 A hard run. Stiff at the beginning, hot and super humid all along. Frustrated by how much sweat the Evos absorb, makes them heavy. Knee still sensitive, making me wonder when I'll feel comfortable getting in some fast running again.
Tue: Bike 33k
Wed: Got about 3 min into my run and I felt a light, but painful popping behind my left knee, and my right knee felt really tight, so I decided to take the train home. Pretty disappointing, as I haven't had to do that for a long time, but I guess I needed the break.
Thu: Bike 33k.
Fri-Sat: Rest.

Total Mileage: 13.6K. Bummer.

Weekly Mileage June 27-July 3

Sun: Rest - Right knee quite sore from yesterday, even stiff when walking.
Mon: Rest - Right knee is much better, happy with recovery time, but playing conservative this week.
Tue: 12.7/1:03:28/4:59 My first run in the Evos!! Still not in top form with the knee, that plus new shoes, so I took it relatively easy. I like the shoes, not the glove fit of the VFFs, but no blister in my first run and pretty good foot sensation. Ran through a long puddle along the river and was impressed with how they basically do not hold water at all.
Wed: Bike 33K.
Thu: 13.5/1:03:59/4:44 Still feeling strange in the knee, so not a fast run, but tried to push a bit more than the last run. Ran in the VFFs because the Evos were still wet from the last run!
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: 18.2/1:26:10/4:44 Intended to run 20K, but left a bit late so cut it short so we could all eat dinner together. The Evos felt pretty good again, although seemed to be heavy with sweat towards the end.

Total Mileage: 44.4K Even though I'm not in a formal program right now, this was a good reminder that I need to back off the miles every few weeks. Hopefully my knee will let me pick up the miles and speed again next week.

Weekly Mileage June 20-26

Sun: Rest
Mon: 15.7/1:11:42/4:34 Almost bailed on running today because felt a little crappy and was busy with family stuff, but managed to get myself out the door at 6:30 p.m. It was a beautiful night for a run, with a pink sky and a gentle breeze, and not too hot. Felt smooth and solid form the whole run, and really felt better when I got home than when I had left. This was the first time I've felt like maybe I need running now possibly physically and mentally...
Tue: Bike 33k
Wed: 12.7/1:00:05/4:43 A bit stiff and uncomfortable, although a faster pace than I thought. Wore the VFF Sprints for the first time in a while, and will not wear them for running anymore. A bit tight and made it hard to relax. Funny what a different fit they are from the KSOs, even though they are the same size.
Thu: Bike 33K
Fri: 17.4/1:21:26/4:40 Thought about doing a tempo run after getting to the Arakawa from Toyosu, but was feeling a little strain in my legs, so decided to just go for a decent pace overall. Ran in the Mizunos. Hopefully the Evos will arrive tomorrow so I can take them for the first run!
16.7/1:24:16/5:02 A bit of a tough run, felt quite stiff in the beginning, especially my right leg. My pace was slow for the first leg, a little better after. New shoes did not arrive, so ran in the VFFS. My right knee is sore today and has me a bit worried that I overdid it.

Total Mileage: 62.5

Weekly Mileage June 13-19

Sun: Rest
Mon: Rest (rain/Taiyo day care)
Tue: 15.2/1:13:13/4:49 A bit slower than expected, my form started well, but got sloppy and heavy/slow towards the end. Hot spots/blisters in the VFFs again as a result. First run in really humid weather this year.
Wed: 12.4/58:39/4:43 Legs felt pretty heavy, but was a better pace than expected. Ran in the Mizunos b/c my feet were tired from the VFFs yesterday.
Thu: Bike 29K
Fri: 12.2/57:50/4:44 Same run at Wed, but in the rain, ran in the VFFs w/socks. Feet felt fine, but legs felt a little tired.
Sat: Interval workout: slow 3.3/fast 3/s3/f4/s3/f2 times: 16:34/11:42/14:59/15:59/15:03/8:07 Was happy with the workout overall. During the f4, went too slow for the first two, and made up over 30 seconds in the last two, really kicked my ass. Was pretty wasted for the last f2. Did 19.4 total including cool down, 1:28:29 total time, 4:33 avg pace.

Total mileage: 59.2K

Weekly Mileage June 6-12

Sun: Rest
Mon: 13.5/1:07:52/5:01 Left hamstring has slight pull (must be from Saturday, but didn't feel anything until yesterday), so kept it easy. Good evening run in the VFFs.
Tue: Bike 31K First time using Taiyo's new bike seat on my white bike, dropping him and the seat off and going directly to work from there. Good system!
Wed: 18.4/1:22:06/4:27. Same 18K loop that I have been doing for the past couple of weeks. Decided again not to check my time except at the halfway point and 3K before finishing. Feel like I have a good handle on my pace, and was smooth today with a good time. Used a little vaseline on my feet before putting on the VFFs, which seemed to help with the blisters.
Thu: Bike 33K.
Fri: 10.2/48:00/4:42 First morning run in a while, and was a bit stiff, not nearly as loose as Wednesday, but good to get in 10K in the VFFs.
Sat: 23.2/1:48:17/4:40 Wanted to get in a long run at an easy pace and was really happy with my time. Felt smooth the whole time, almost meditative in terms of just paying attention to how it felt to run and to my surroundings. Running with no music/podcast, etc. I think may be the way to go so I am not distracted. Ran in the Mizunos.

Total Mileage: 65.3K

Weekly Mileage May 30-June 5

Sun: Rest - Miho sick.
Mon: Bike 33K
Tue: 18.4/1:25:34/4:39 Really incredible weather for a run. Decided not to keep track of pace for the first half (same run as last Thursday), felt good, but a little tight in calves. Feet started to get sore for last 2-3K, so slowed down, but happy to get basically the same pace as last week.
Wed: 10.2/49:10/4:49 Wanted to do an easy 10, so decided to run on the grass on the Arakawa between the 10K and 9K markers. My splits for the 8K on the grass were: 4:46/4:39/4:47/4:39/4:45/4:36/4:44/4:45. Notice that every other lap was faster, this was when I was running with the wind, the others were against the wind. I was pretty surprised to see the wind having such a measurable affect on my speed - it was a solid wind, but not that strong...
Thu: Rest.
Fri: Rest - Taiyo sick. Need to remember to run when I can...
Sat: 18K total. Intervals. 3X1K Times: 11:25/11:56/11:42. Alternated 3K off and on, the off 3K were at 5:00 pace. Felt really good, way less effort than when I tried the 4X5K intervals a couple months ago. Feels like the less I run, the faster I get, although it is probably related to the fact that I have been doing all of my running at a faster pace lately. Ran in the Mizunos.

Total Mileage: 46.6K

Weekly Mileage May 23-29

Sun-Tue: No time to run b/c taking care of Taiyo while Miho is in the hospital.
Wed: 11/48:51/4:26 Felt great to get out again for my first exercise in five days. Ran in the VFFs, and it was no problem at all to run at this pace, feet had a couple hot spots, but good overall.
Thu 18.4/1:25:01/4:37 Only planned to go out for 15, but got in some extra. I think the km markers are incorrect on the far side of the river, and so I thought my pace was too slow and I pushed. Had planned to make it more of a 4:45-5:00 pace, but am happy with the results!
Fri: Bike 36K.
Sat: Rest-Didn't feel up to running, pretty wiped out from family stuff.

Total Mileage: 29.4

Weekly Mileage May 16-22

Sun: Bike 33k
Mon: 13.3/1:01:04/4:35 Was a bit surprised by this pace, I wasn't keeping track (b/c RunKeeper sucks), but didn't feel like I was pushing. Ran in the VFFs, got a few blisters, wish I could be done with blisters, but I assume it is due to running fast and not having perfect form.
Tue: 11.9/1:05:59/5:32 First run in the Invisible Shoe huaraches. Intentionally went slow, but still managed to get blisters. Don't love the huaraches, but hope they will grow on me. Can't really imagine being able to run fast in them comfortably.
Wed: bike 29K
Thu: Rest
Fri: Sky is born!! 10.7/54:18/5:05 Ran in the huaraches again, and really screwed up both feet with blisters. Time to get back to basics? May not have much of a choice in terms of running time now that the new boy is here...
Sat: Rest

Total mileage: 35.9

Weekly Mileage May 9-15

Sun: Rest
Mon: Bike 43.7K
Tue: 13.9/1:03:59/4:36 Pretty good run in the rain; VFFs. First time using RunKeeper in a while, it still sucks.
Wed: 7.6/38:30/5:03 All BF, felt good on smooth surface near Sumidagawa.
Thu: Rest
Fri: 7.8/37:56/4:51 All BF.
Sat: 25/1:57:35/4:42 Good run overall. Bumped into a guy named Yamada from Namban and he joined me for about 10K, and kept it at a good pace. I was hoping to keep my pace under 4:45 and did that, but thought I was actually doing better than that.

Total Mileage: 54.3

Weekly Mileage May 2-8

Sun: Rest
Mon: 10@4:41 with VFFs, 5.2@5:09 BF, 15.2 total. Feet a little beat up.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: Bike 30K; Intervals 500/1:45, 1000/3:52, 1500/5:57, 500/1:57. Planned to do another 1000 and 500, but was wasted. Total 6K including warm up/cool down.
Thu: 15.4/1:17/5:02 Time may be a little off. I was sore from speed work, and my right leg was bothering me, so I actually had to stop early to walk for the last .9K.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 15/1:08:44/4:34 Great run in the VFFs, slowed down a bit in the middle, but am happy with the average pace. Want to do more long runs at this pace. 1.7 warm up/cool down for, total 16.7

Total Mileage: 53.3K

Weekly Mileage April 25 to May 1

Sun: Rest
Mon: 13.4/1:05:29/4:53 Good run overall, forgot my VFFs, so ran in the Osmas. Wasn't bad, but jammed my right big toe a bit (was left before?) and got a blister on the ball of my foot where I cut off some skin foolishly. Perfect running weather.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: 4.2 warm up 5K tempo splits: 4:00 (?)/4:04/4:10/4:11/4:07 Total time 20:32; .8 cool down, total distance about 10K. Was a pretty good run, but painful more on the cardiovascular side than my legs.
Thu: Bike 30K
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: My first official 10K, a charity run for TELL. Wasn't very optimistic about running 40 or under, but managed to pull off 39:25! Went out too fast with a 19:15 first split, and died a bit on the second half. Ran in the VFFs and that felt good.

Weekly Mileage April 18-24

Sun: Rest
Mon: 11.7/1:00:34/5:10 Okay run in the VFFs, but right hamstring still tight.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: 2K warm up, 9K tempo splits: 3:45(oops!)/4:03/4:20/4:15/4:10 (crap break)/3:59/4:02/4:17/4:17 Avg pace: 4:08 1K cool down, total 12K
This was way tougher than expected. The first split time probably did not help, and I obviously had trouble finding my rhythm. Lesson learned: I need to do more tempo runs and interval work. Resistance training would be good, too.
Thu: Rest, cold rain
Fri: 11.7/56:58/4:52 Good run overall, legs felt fine. NFs. Runs like this make me wonder if I'm better off in the NFs as opposed to the VFFs...
Sat: 22K in 6/5/6/5 intervals, splits were 28:41/21:39/28:53/21:17. Decided to try a workout that Bob told me about 20K with four intervals of normal and fast pace. The two fast intervals were really tough, I was shooting for 4:15 pace, ended up with 4:19 and 4:15. Avg 4:34 pace overall, which is faster than I have been running recently, and I felt it afterwards. Had to stop to crap twice, a bit frustrating. Ran in the Mizunos.

Total mileage: 57.4K

Weekly Mileage April 11-17

Sun: 11.7/58:24/4:59 The run home from work. Ran in the VFFs, feet pretty sore from barefooting yesterday, so couldn't really pick up the speed.
Mon: Rest/Rain
Tue: Bike 35K
Wed: Namban workout 1600/5:53 1200/4:14 1000/3:35 800/2:49 600/2:07 400/1:18 also 2/200 of 50 build up/50 sprint/50 slow down/50 walk and 2.8 of warm up/cool down. All in VFFS plus cool down BF! Surprisingly, arms really sore from final sprints. Total of 6K interval work plus about 4K light
Thu: 11.7/59:04/5:02 Right hamstring pretty tight. NFs
Fri: Rest
Sat 16K, didn't get time right, but probably around 5:20 pace. Not a great run, right leg quite stiff again, had to stop part way to stretch and felt better. VFFS

Total mileage: 49.4

Weekly Mileage April 1-10

Took some time off after Oshima, but my legs actually felt much better than after Tokyo.
4/1 Thu: Short run before taking off to Izu with Dad and Claire. 7.1/32:52/4:37 (really?) in the VFFs
4/3 Went on an easy 22 ride with Dad, some fun intervals up the river banks
4/6 22.8 Didn't record time, but my splits were all under around 4:45-50 until I took off the VFFs for the last 5K, but was able to pick it up again on the grass.
4/9 11.9/57:25/4:49 First run in Feelmax Osmas. Not bad, but pretty loose so my toes jam into the fronts on any sort of downhill. Probably won't use for much serious running.
4/10 about 11 in 1:00 All barefoot, the longest barefoot run yet! I was keeping my pace just over 5:00 for most of it, but slowed down a bit at the end, as my feet were getting sore, started running a bit on my heels as well.

Total: 52.8

Weekly Mileage March 21-27

Will be a light week as I have the Oshima Marathon on Saturday.
Sun Rest
Mon 11.6/57:04/4:55 Felt good overall, ran in the Mizunos. A little tender in the right leg when I picked it up for the last few kms, but good overall.
Did 2-3 runs around 8K for the rest of the week, but did not record the distances or times.

Weekly Update March 14-20

Sun 23.2/1:59:07/5:08
A long run after work to make up for my rest on Saturday. First time doing a long run in the VFFs in a while and felt quite good, but pretty tough the last 2-3K.
Mon 7.9/44:47/5:40
Pretty slow, but took a long time for my right leg to loosen up. Feels good that I can run the day after a long run as long as I take it slow.
Tue 9.5, forgot to keep the time, but around 5:00 pace
Wed Track workout with Namban. Skipped out of intervals because right leg hurt, did about 6K at easy pace.
Thu Rest
Fri Rest, Biked to work
Sat 16.81:28:47

Total for week: 63.4

Weekly Update March 7-13

Mon 7.7/38:52/5:02
Tue Rest
Wed About 8 total, int 4X500 at 1:59 1:54 1:57 1:57
500 easy in between each int
Thu 14.3/1:09:54:4:53
Good run considering the intervals the day before. Thought I was getting a little better pace, but didn't want to push too hard and risk injury. Also meant to run a full 15, but got mixed up and finished early.
Fri 8ish, easy pace (forgot to save info)
Sat Rest Gave Nevan a sendoff on Fri night, and was in no condition to run. Had a good family day instead!

Total distance 38K

First Post-marathon run

Out at the Tanaka household for the wknd. Nasty conditions, just like the marathon last week. Went out for an easy run in the VFFs, first time in a long time.
11.2/1:04/5:42
About right for what I wanted to do. A bit tight in the hamstrings, and my right leg was bothering me in the calf/ankle area, but should be okay for running this week. Too bad the weather is still cold and miserable.