Excited about doing a long run in the hills again this coming weekend. Will combine road and mountain!
Weight:
Runs: 5
9/11: One hour run home from work. Slightly sore right hamstring.
9/12: 40 minute run home from work. Hamstring still sore, so cut it short and took the train partway.
9/14 run home from work after a good ride in the morning.
9/17 A very tough run home from work with screaming hamstrings from the run up the mountain the day before.
9/20 Fartlek run home. After two days off, my legs were really wanting to run fast, so I went for it. Felt great while I was doing it, but I'm afraid it set off my shin splint again…
Long Runs: 2
9/16 40 km in the mountains! Ran from Hanno station, about 18k on the road, then onto the trails for a tough climb. Back onto the roads after 10k of trails, but didn't make it all the way to Hanno because of time (and fatigue!). 1200m total elevation.
Cross Training: 2
9/10 bike to work
9/14 Friday roppongi ride, a good, hard 60k
Power: 3
Rest: 2
9/13, 9/15, 9/18, 9/19
Thought I was over my shin splint, but still having issues.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Cycle 4 August 31- Sept 9
Going to Izu this week, so won't get to do as many runs, so will try to focus on doing a couple of longer runs, hopefully combined with hills. Also some swimming and bodysurfing!
Weight: 79.8
Runs: 4
9/1 1:30 along the river. Legs were beat after the big bike ride the day before, but overall was a good (hot!) run.
9/2 Meant to go for a solid two hours, but ended up only being about 1:20. Ran from Ueno to the palace with the intention of getting some hill work in, but my shin splint started to feel a bit off, so I called it quits early. Doesn't feel bad now, fortunately. Wore the Altra Instincts though, and they really made my right big toe sore, so won't be wearing those again for a while.
9/4 1:07 run home from work
Long Runs: 2
9/8 3:00 28k with Don in Shimoda! Ran during the hottest part of the day, and ran up a lot of hills. Was a little worried about my leg, but although I could feel it, it was ok!
Stairs: 2
Cross Training: 2
8/31 Another big bike ride! Rode from home to the hills for a total of 133 km/5 hrs. Got a little deeper into the mountains and got to climb up one ridge, which was enough! Next time will take the train to Hanno first, so I don't have to do so much mileage before getting to the mountains.
9/5 Commute by bike
9/7 About two hours of diving with Don. Speared two fish!
Power: 2
Rest: 3
9/3, 9/6, 9/9
It's really starting to feel like I am out of the woods with my shin splint. This was an odd week because of vacation in Shimoda, but the long run with Don was a confidence builder. I'm getting closer to signing up for the big race, just need to focus on keeping myself injury free - somehow not as easy as it sounds!
Weight: 79.8
Runs: 4
9/1 1:30 along the river. Legs were beat after the big bike ride the day before, but overall was a good (hot!) run.
9/2 Meant to go for a solid two hours, but ended up only being about 1:20. Ran from Ueno to the palace with the intention of getting some hill work in, but my shin splint started to feel a bit off, so I called it quits early. Doesn't feel bad now, fortunately. Wore the Altra Instincts though, and they really made my right big toe sore, so won't be wearing those again for a while.
9/4 1:07 run home from work
Long Runs: 2
9/8 3:00 28k with Don in Shimoda! Ran during the hottest part of the day, and ran up a lot of hills. Was a little worried about my leg, but although I could feel it, it was ok!
Stairs: 2
Cross Training: 2
8/31 Another big bike ride! Rode from home to the hills for a total of 133 km/5 hrs. Got a little deeper into the mountains and got to climb up one ridge, which was enough! Next time will take the train to Hanno first, so I don't have to do so much mileage before getting to the mountains.
9/5 Commute by bike
9/7 About two hours of diving with Don. Speared two fish!
Power: 2
Rest: 3
9/3, 9/6, 9/9
It's really starting to feel like I am out of the woods with my shin splint. This was an odd week because of vacation in Shimoda, but the long run with Don was a confidence builder. I'm getting closer to signing up for the big race, just need to focus on keeping myself injury free - somehow not as easy as it sounds!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Cycle 3 August 21-30
Weight: 80.4 on 8/21
Runs: 5
8/21 1:08/12.6k/5:26 First time I ran with the Garmin in a while. A good run home from work. Hot as hell, but managed to keep a decent pace for the whole ride home, and no problems with the shin splint. Some tightness in my right hamstring, but a welcome change of pain!
8/23 Run home from work, hot, but overall good condition. Used HRM and averaged 142, a little over one hour total.
8/25 About one hour running in Chiba. Legs a bit tired from the big bike ride the day before, but overall felt good. Did a little upper body stuff in the park as well.
8/26 run home from work, a bit over an hour.
8/28 Run home from work, 1:10?
8/29 Run around Yoyogi with the boys 1:10ish
Long runs: 2
Power: 2
8/25 Only about 15 min of upper body stuff in park.
Cross Training: 3
8/24 138 km ride from Tokyo to mountains!
8/27 ride to and from work. Legs feeling pretty tired, and upper body still a bit sore from big ride last week.
Stairs: 2
Double Days: 2
Rest: 2
8/22 Unplanned day off, Sky was sick and Miho was out with Taiyo for his b-day.
8/30
Did more runs than expected, but nothing long. Guess I consider a long run at least 1:30. No stairs again, and still not getting in enough upper body and power stuff. But no complaints from the leg, despite doing some consecutive runs, which is great news!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Cycle 2: August 11-20
Weight: 79.6 on 8/12
Runs: 5
8/11
8/14 40 min home from work, leg felt pretty good, but started to feel a little tight around Asakusa, so grabbed the train home
8/16 about 45 min including the stairs
8/19
Long runs: 2
8/11 about 1:45 along sumida and Arakawa. Was meant to hook up with Don but we missed each other. Legs felt pretty good until about 1:00, when left leg started acting up, and could tell I was favoring it by the difference in sound tried to relax a bit, and it got a little better, but I was really wiped at 1:30 and even walked a little. Shin splint bothering me still two days later.
8/19 Aboout 1:30 with Don. Felt good overall, but did start to feel the shin splint after about an hour, that plus the toll of the heat and the 50k bike ride I had done in the morning, and I was really dead at the end. Iced the leg a bit after the run, and no pain at all the next day!
Power: 2
8/16 pull ups, dips, crawling, push ups, jumping, all 3 sets
Cross Training: 2
8/12, 8/15
8/17 bike 50k and basketball!
8/19 Bike 50k and 1:30 run
Stairs: 2
8/16 only about 15 min. Really felt the shin splint going down the stairs.
Double Days: 2
8/17 bike 50k and basketball!
8/19 Bike 50k and 1:30 run
Rest: 2
8/13
8/20
Overall pretty close to what I had been planning. Short on the runs, but more than planned on the cross training. Only one power workout, and that plus the basketball left me with a pretty sore spot on my collarbone, so need to be careful with stressing my shoulders, but also be more consistent with the power work.
Runs: 5
8/11
8/14 40 min home from work, leg felt pretty good, but started to feel a little tight around Asakusa, so grabbed the train home
8/16 about 45 min including the stairs
8/19
Long runs: 2
8/11 about 1:45 along sumida and Arakawa. Was meant to hook up with Don but we missed each other. Legs felt pretty good until about 1:00, when left leg started acting up, and could tell I was favoring it by the difference in sound tried to relax a bit, and it got a little better, but I was really wiped at 1:30 and even walked a little. Shin splint bothering me still two days later.
8/19 Aboout 1:30 with Don. Felt good overall, but did start to feel the shin splint after about an hour, that plus the toll of the heat and the 50k bike ride I had done in the morning, and I was really dead at the end. Iced the leg a bit after the run, and no pain at all the next day!
Power: 2
8/16 pull ups, dips, crawling, push ups, jumping, all 3 sets
Cross Training: 2
8/12, 8/15
8/17 bike 50k and basketball!
8/19 Bike 50k and 1:30 run
Stairs: 2
8/16 only about 15 min. Really felt the shin splint going down the stairs.
Double Days: 2
8/17 bike 50k and basketball!
8/19 Bike 50k and 1:30 run
Rest: 2
8/13
8/20
Overall pretty close to what I had been planning. Short on the runs, but more than planned on the cross training. Only one power workout, and that plus the basketball left me with a pretty sore spot on my collarbone, so need to be careful with stressing my shoulders, but also be more consistent with the power work.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Cycle 1: August 1-10
81kg on 8/2 Yikes!
Really not any progress with cutting back on sugar/carbs
Cross Training: 3
8/2, 7 bike to work, 8/10 morning ride with guys from Roppongi, about 50k total
Runs: 4
8/1, 3, 5, 8 home from work, 50-75 min
Power/core: 2
8/5 body weight stuff in shioiri
Rest: 3
8/4, 6, 9
Pretty much on target for this cycle. Left leg has gotten a lot better, should be ready for some longer and back to back runs next cycle.
Really not any progress with cutting back on sugar/carbs
Cross Training: 3
8/2, 7 bike to work, 8/10 morning ride with guys from Roppongi, about 50k total
Runs: 4
8/1, 3, 5, 8 home from work, 50-75 min
Power/core: 2
8/5 body weight stuff in shioiri
Rest: 3
8/4, 6, 9
Pretty much on target for this cycle. Left leg has gotten a lot better, should be ready for some longer and back to back runs next cycle.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Recovery and a New Plan
I've been away from this log for a long time, basically a loss of interest in tracking all the details of my running. But Don and I are cooking up some 100 mile madness for our birthdays in November, and that plus the fact that I have put on too much weight, and I figure it's worth seeing again if making plans and tracking data will be effective in getting me back in shape. The shin splint on the inside of my left leg has really slowed me down for the past couple of months; I can only assume it is the result of the transition into doing a lot of trail and mountain stuff after having done basically none before. It has been feeling better though, and I figure if I can get up to previous training levels by mid September, I should be able to really work hard for a month after that to get ready for the big event.
I've been thinking about getting into a 10 day training cycle for a while, and this seems like the right timing. As usual with running, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'll just give it a whirl and see what happens.
I'll plan a cycle at a time depending on how that week's training is going, and these are the elements I plan to include:
Stairs (at my apartment building¥
Trail runs (twice a month if I'm lucky)
Power workouts (plyos, sprints, jump rope, and upper body work outside¥
Back to back long runs (I think a 30/50 combo will be the max, but Don thinks it should be more - he's probably right)
Two a days (combining early morning and evening workouts, not necessarily running only)
Rest (the ever elusive balance of knowing when I need it with trying to train as much as possible)
Nutrition (I haven't tracked how I eat with training before, but I've got to shed 4-5 kgs, so I need to do whatever I can)
More on the first cycle soon.
I've been thinking about getting into a 10 day training cycle for a while, and this seems like the right timing. As usual with running, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'll just give it a whirl and see what happens.
I'll plan a cycle at a time depending on how that week's training is going, and these are the elements I plan to include:
Stairs (at my apartment building¥
Trail runs (twice a month if I'm lucky)
Power workouts (plyos, sprints, jump rope, and upper body work outside¥
Back to back long runs (I think a 30/50 combo will be the max, but Don thinks it should be more - he's probably right)
Two a days (combining early morning and evening workouts, not necessarily running only)
Rest (the ever elusive balance of knowing when I need it with trying to train as much as possible)
Nutrition (I haven't tracked how I eat with training before, but I've got to shed 4-5 kgs, so I need to do whatever I can)
More on the first cycle soon.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sole Runner T1 Allrounder
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| Sole Runner T1 Allrounder |
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| Laci laces up for the first time. |
A couple of months later, I got an email from the company telling me they had found a Japanese distributor, and I requested that they forward him my contact info in case he wanted someone to test them in Japan. I was quite surprised to get an email from the Japanese distributor soon after. He invited me to a trade show where they were going to display the shoes, and I told him that while I couldn't make that, I would be happy to test them and tell some Namban Rengo running club friends about them if he wanted. He ended up sending me not one pair, but five of the T1 Allrounder, and all in the sizes I had requested for myself and friends. I have to say one of the coolest parts of getting them was the 'Made in Europe' tag on them, a welcome change...
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| Chris shows off a dance move. |
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| Jay preaching the good word. |
I have been using them as my primary running shoe for about a month now, have run mainly on roads on them, as that is where I do all of my running, and my longest run in them so far has been 26k.
What I like:
- Super light, flexible, simple. You don't get a more minimal shoe than this without it being a sandal/huarache. (T1 Allrounder=163g, VB Ultra (no liner)=112g
- Rugged and solid design that seems durable, but too early to tell yet.
- Smart wraparound rubber sole that keeps your feet pretty dry in wet conditions (mesh uppers, so certainly not waterproof).
- Great lacing system that makes them quick to tie up or loosen up and take off. They also come with two different sets of laces (black and red)!
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| Sole Runner power, activate! |
- Not crazy about the hightop design, although it is not uncomfortable, and does keep shit from getting in the shoe well.
- The fit is not snug, although it may be if you have wide feet; I do not. (The VB Ultra 43 is slightly small for me, I got the 43 in the Allrounder, but probably could have gotten away with the 42).
- The sole is super thin, which is great if you want a very minimal shoe. I will do a lot of training in these, but my feet could not handle the pounding in an actual race. It also makes for cold feet when walking on cold ground, easily remedied with warm socks, of course.
- The sole will not provide any traction in mud or snow.
Overall I see this shoe as great for those with a lot of experience running barefoot or in truly minimal shoes like myself. Versatile (haven't tried them for slacklining, but sure they would be perfect!), light, functional. Fine for casual wear, although others may not consider them very stylish.
I hope that I will have the chance to try one of Sole Runner's low top models as well, but until then will be doing most of my training in the T1 Allrounders.
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| 'Hey, where'd you get those shoes?!' |
Saturday, March 3, 2012
First Post Race Run
Was very sore for the first two days after the race, but started to be able to walk without pain by Wednesday. Rode my bike into work on Thursday, and that felt good, although still a bit tight in my right hamstring. Took Friday off again because of the rain.
Went out today (Saturday 3/3) for about 16k along the Arakawa. Was surprised how stiff my legs felt, and it was a pretty tough effort overall. At the turnaround point, I ran up the side of the riverbank for some hill repeats 10 times. Got chilled by the south wind on the way home.
My first second run in the Sole Runners, and they felt pretty good. Got some thick, warm socks from LL Bean, which helped. Ran quite a bit on the grass, although it was quite wet and muddy in places, which was a bit slippery, although I was happy that my feet didn't really get wet. Ran mainly on the road on the way back, but no soreness on the bottom of my feet. I think these will workout great as my main training shoe, but won't likely do much racing in them.
Probably going to have to take tomorrow off because of work, although I may try to sneak in something short.
Went out today (Saturday 3/3) for about 16k along the Arakawa. Was surprised how stiff my legs felt, and it was a pretty tough effort overall. At the turnaround point, I ran up the side of the riverbank for some hill repeats 10 times. Got chilled by the south wind on the way home.
My first second run in the Sole Runners, and they felt pretty good. Got some thick, warm socks from LL Bean, which helped. Ran quite a bit on the grass, although it was quite wet and muddy in places, which was a bit slippery, although I was happy that my feet didn't really get wet. Ran mainly on the road on the way back, but no soreness on the bottom of my feet. I think these will workout great as my main training shoe, but won't likely do much racing in them.
Probably going to have to take tomorrow off because of work, although I may try to sneak in something short.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Tokyo Marathon 2012: A Painful PB
Well, my fourth marathon, completed. As always I didn't really know what to expect going into this, and mainly just hoped I would be able to stick with my 'run fun, run hard' goal.
I got a relatively good night sleep the night before, and the pains in my back and right hamstring that I had been having seemed to have subsided, and I didn't seem to have any flu symptoms after Sky and Miho had been sick with it all week, so I considered myself lucky. I got up before 6:00 and stuffed three eggs and two thick pieces of toast down my gullet, food that I thought would give me energy, but not upset my nervous race stomach. From there I took a nice, long, hot shower to loosen my body up a bit, got into my gear, did some warm up core exercises, took some meds to block up the works, and I was out the door. Took Chiba-san's advice to get off at Nishi Shinjuku (instead of the very crowded Shinjuku), and it was great. The station was not crowded at all, and had a nice out of the way space for me to do some warm up squats and other exercises.
I got out of the station and was pretty disoriented, but it was easy enough to follow the other runners in the general direction of the starting line. It was getting down to the wire to find my luggage truck, and really hard to maneuver around, but got there in time and got my costume out of my bag. Was a bit shocked to see that my magic glasses had broken in my bag (jinxed by Denni-kun!), but the guy at the luggage truck had some duct tape, so I was all set. Went to the A starting block and listened to all the opening ceremonies, and saw Haile Gebreselassie pass by with the other elites on the way to their starting block.
The weather was ideal, a little chilly with total cloud cover, but very little wind. As expected, my cape kept me nice and warm while we were waiting. People were super excited, lots of first time Tokyo runners, and a few fellow Nambanners around that I could see but couldn't get to through the throngs. When the gun finally went off, it was a slow, but unstoppable shuffle. Two years ago I was in E or F block, and it took me a solid 5k before I could run freely without swerving around people, this time, it was within about 5 minutes or so.
Within 5k, I saw a familiar bald head, Bob, from the Namban running club. It was my first time actually running with him in a race, and it was great to have someone to latch on to, as I knew our time goals were similar, and that he would be solid with pacing. We exchanged a few words here and there, but otherwise were pretty focused.
Running in a costume was a blast right from the beginning. I got lots of hoots and cheers, although the most common thing I heard (in Japanese) was, 'What the heck is he supposed to be?! Whatever you are, good luck!' There are a lot of people that run in costume, but most of the costumes are based on characters or things people know, so spectators can call out to them. I got, 'Green Man, Superman, Hero, Tohoku (the kanji on my cape), Kamakiri (preying mantis), Batta (grasshopper)', and who knows what else. Bob got a lot of hoots too because he knows so many runners in Tokyo, and there were quite a few spectators looking for him. At about the 12k mark I ran by my friend Hiroshi and his family, so stopped for a quick high five for him, and at around the 15k mark ran by the crew from KidZania that were there to also cheer for the mayor of one of the towns hit by the tsunami that was running. So great to run by people you know in a race.
After the halfway point things started to go downhill for me, and it started to get harder and harder to keep up with Bob (he went on to finish 10 minutes faster than me, and he's in his sixties!). I had green leggings on each calf, I had written 'Run Hard' on one, and 'Run Fun' on the other, and symbolically, the 'Run Fun' one fell off around the 25k mark, and things started to get a lot less fun. The main issue was that the shoes I was wearing were minimal (no cushioning), which is what I always train in, and that I had done a 40k run in a few weeks earlier, but racing is a different story because you tend to pound your feet a lot harder. Dealing with sore muscles is one thing, but dealing with sore foot bottoms is harder to deal with and hard to ignore. Then my legs started to get pretty heavy, too. To exemplify how much I slowed down, here are my 5k splits:
5k 21:22
10k 21:17
15k 21:51
20k 21:36
25k 21:59
30k 23:14
35k 25:59
40k: 28:12
Wow, 7 minute difference between my first 5k and the last! Sore feet, heavy legs, some stomach cramps, and just no push. I wonder how much of it may have been 'bonking' or just running out of energy. I had one Weider gel with me that I drank over the course of the first 20k, I stopped for water a few times, and grabbed some energy drink and half a banana, but maybe I should have done more of that in the first half of the race instead of waiting until the second half. I always have such issues with my stomach that I am hesitant to put anything in it, and I hate the taste of most of that energy drink and gel stuff.
Somehow I kept pushing through the final distance, greatly helped by the great spectators, and also by pure stubbornness. I hated having such a weak finish to the race, and having so many people push by me, but that's just the way it goes sometimes I guess. I was happy to get in for a PB (3:18:50 official time, 3:17:50 net time because it took time to get to the actual starting line), but really would have preferred a stronger finish. Back to the drawing board, or back to training as it were, and see if it can't get in closer (or under!) three hours next time.
It was another good lesson in what an art is is to race well, especially the marathon distance. It was also a good reminder that Tokyo is a really fun race, and that the spectators in Japan in general, no matter how small or in the middle of nowhere the race is, are great!
I'm grateful for the experience, and grateful for all of the generous people that supported me on the run. I know the money we raised won't make huge difference for the charities we gave to, but the collective effort of everyone that ran for charity will certainly help!
I got a relatively good night sleep the night before, and the pains in my back and right hamstring that I had been having seemed to have subsided, and I didn't seem to have any flu symptoms after Sky and Miho had been sick with it all week, so I considered myself lucky. I got up before 6:00 and stuffed three eggs and two thick pieces of toast down my gullet, food that I thought would give me energy, but not upset my nervous race stomach. From there I took a nice, long, hot shower to loosen my body up a bit, got into my gear, did some warm up core exercises, took some meds to block up the works, and I was out the door. Took Chiba-san's advice to get off at Nishi Shinjuku (instead of the very crowded Shinjuku), and it was great. The station was not crowded at all, and had a nice out of the way space for me to do some warm up squats and other exercises.
I got out of the station and was pretty disoriented, but it was easy enough to follow the other runners in the general direction of the starting line. It was getting down to the wire to find my luggage truck, and really hard to maneuver around, but got there in time and got my costume out of my bag. Was a bit shocked to see that my magic glasses had broken in my bag (jinxed by Denni-kun!), but the guy at the luggage truck had some duct tape, so I was all set. Went to the A starting block and listened to all the opening ceremonies, and saw Haile Gebreselassie pass by with the other elites on the way to their starting block.
The weather was ideal, a little chilly with total cloud cover, but very little wind. As expected, my cape kept me nice and warm while we were waiting. People were super excited, lots of first time Tokyo runners, and a few fellow Nambanners around that I could see but couldn't get to through the throngs. When the gun finally went off, it was a slow, but unstoppable shuffle. Two years ago I was in E or F block, and it took me a solid 5k before I could run freely without swerving around people, this time, it was within about 5 minutes or so.
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| Running with Bob from Namban. His comment: 'I feel so plain running next to you!' Plain, perhaps, Bob, but damn fast, too! |
Running in a costume was a blast right from the beginning. I got lots of hoots and cheers, although the most common thing I heard (in Japanese) was, 'What the heck is he supposed to be?! Whatever you are, good luck!' There are a lot of people that run in costume, but most of the costumes are based on characters or things people know, so spectators can call out to them. I got, 'Green Man, Superman, Hero, Tohoku (the kanji on my cape), Kamakiri (preying mantis), Batta (grasshopper)', and who knows what else. Bob got a lot of hoots too because he knows so many runners in Tokyo, and there were quite a few spectators looking for him. At about the 12k mark I ran by my friend Hiroshi and his family, so stopped for a quick high five for him, and at around the 15k mark ran by the crew from KidZania that were there to also cheer for the mayor of one of the towns hit by the tsunami that was running. So great to run by people you know in a race.
After the halfway point things started to go downhill for me, and it started to get harder and harder to keep up with Bob (he went on to finish 10 minutes faster than me, and he's in his sixties!). I had green leggings on each calf, I had written 'Run Hard' on one, and 'Run Fun' on the other, and symbolically, the 'Run Fun' one fell off around the 25k mark, and things started to get a lot less fun. The main issue was that the shoes I was wearing were minimal (no cushioning), which is what I always train in, and that I had done a 40k run in a few weeks earlier, but racing is a different story because you tend to pound your feet a lot harder. Dealing with sore muscles is one thing, but dealing with sore foot bottoms is harder to deal with and hard to ignore. Then my legs started to get pretty heavy, too. To exemplify how much I slowed down, here are my 5k splits:
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| Literally panting. What happened to fun?! |
10k 21:17
15k 21:51
20k 21:36
25k 21:59
30k 23:14
35k 25:59
40k: 28:12
Wow, 7 minute difference between my first 5k and the last! Sore feet, heavy legs, some stomach cramps, and just no push. I wonder how much of it may have been 'bonking' or just running out of energy. I had one Weider gel with me that I drank over the course of the first 20k, I stopped for water a few times, and grabbed some energy drink and half a banana, but maybe I should have done more of that in the first half of the race instead of waiting until the second half. I always have such issues with my stomach that I am hesitant to put anything in it, and I hate the taste of most of that energy drink and gel stuff.
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| Can't even keep my head up here... |
It was another good lesson in what an art is is to race well, especially the marathon distance. It was also a good reminder that Tokyo is a really fun race, and that the spectators in Japan in general, no matter how small or in the middle of nowhere the race is, are great!
I'm grateful for the experience, and grateful for all of the generous people that supported me on the run. I know the money we raised won't make huge difference for the charities we gave to, but the collective effort of everyone that ran for charity will certainly help!
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| At least I finished in front of the guy in the body suit... |
Friday, February 24, 2012
Another failed taper?
Well, two days to go, and once again, I'm not feeling in top form before a big race. The main culprit is that I went to a Namban workout on Wednesday, fully intending to take it easy, but then getting caught up in trying to run faster than other guys, and ultimately pulling a muscle in my right hamstring. It's not too bad, but as I heard in an interview with Haile Gebreselassie (sp?) the other day, you have to be in 155% condition to run a good marathon, and I am not that. My back has also gotten a bit stiff over the past couple of days, which may just be stress. I went to a new massage place at LaLaport today to get it worked on a bit, which helped, hopefully it will feel better on Sunday.
Let's see if I can remember what else I've done for training in this taper. Took Sunday and Monday off this week because Sky was sick, rode my bike to work on Tuesday, Namban workout on Wednesday, then took Thursday and Friday off, and likely not run tomorrow. Probably the least I've ever run the last week before the race.
Last week I can't remember many details, but did a solid 18k run, building up to marathon pace for about half of it, and also doing some rope skipping every 3k, it was a pretty fun workout. I ran 2-3 times during the week, and also rode my bike.
Two weeks ago I ran every day except Monday, including a solid 25k run out in Chiba and then my fun tire, plyo, whatever routine on Saturday. Need to do that more consistently after the marathon.
So, not sure how things will go on Sunday, but I'm trying not to stress about it. At least i'll be running in style in my new costume...
Let's see if I can remember what else I've done for training in this taper. Took Sunday and Monday off this week because Sky was sick, rode my bike to work on Tuesday, Namban workout on Wednesday, then took Thursday and Friday off, and likely not run tomorrow. Probably the least I've ever run the last week before the race.
Last week I can't remember many details, but did a solid 18k run, building up to marathon pace for about half of it, and also doing some rope skipping every 3k, it was a pretty fun workout. I ran 2-3 times during the week, and also rode my bike.
Two weeks ago I ran every day except Monday, including a solid 25k run out in Chiba and then my fun tire, plyo, whatever routine on Saturday. Need to do that more consistently after the marathon.So, not sure how things will go on Sunday, but I'm trying not to stress about it. At least i'll be running in style in my new costume...
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Catching up Again...
Obviously that last post was published way after I had done anything with it, and this one has been a long time coming as well. For better or worse, I have lost much motivation to do regularly weekly posts, and therefore keep specific track of my training. Fortunately, it's not because I haven't been training!
I ended up doing month of training with only one day off. The training was mainly runs home from work at a reasonable pace, with some of what I have been calling, 'obstacle running', which is basically just running up, on, and over stuff on the way. I did do one 40k, which was a loop up and down the Arakawa, and a bit of a bitch because of a really strong north wind. I also ran a 18:59 5000m time trial with Namban, a time that I was happy with on tired legs and having planned to take it easy. It was the day after that time trial that I took off because I had a bit of a niggle in my right foot that I was afraid was getting worse. It didn't so I continued for a few days, including a 25k with 20 at marathon pace, which ended up being around 4:18 and with a nice low HR. However, the way my Garmin has been acting lately, I honestly don't know if I can trust any of the data from that thing.
I've been keeping up my general plan of adding more variety to my training as a way to get more fit generally, and one of the most interesting ways I have done that was by getting a used tire at a local taxi mechanic. Drilled a hole in it and put some vinyl cord through the hole. Originally thought I would just use it for dragging, but then started having some more fun with it, throwing it as high as I can and catching it, and jumping in and out for something like plyometrics. Shiori park is a great place for all of that, with some places to do pull ups and other jumping exercises.
So I'm two weeks out from Tokyo now, and don't have any concerns about running it, but wonder if I can make my focus to have fun, but also to run a good time. I know focusing on time makes me super nervous, and that's just not much fun. Maybe this costume I'm designing will help with the fun factor, and hopefully won't make the race miserable.
After Tokyo, I'm going to try to strike a better balance of doing more biking so I get home a reasonable time at least 2-3 times per week. Generally cutting down my mileage, but keeping some long runs, and doing the short, intense workouts as well. I also need to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my diet that is feasible and healthy. I weighed in at 78.6 today, which was a little surprising, as I think I've been pretty good lately, with very little sugar and almost no beer. Could be that that's just the right weight for me, especially if I have a bit more muscle than before.
I ended up doing month of training with only one day off. The training was mainly runs home from work at a reasonable pace, with some of what I have been calling, 'obstacle running', which is basically just running up, on, and over stuff on the way. I did do one 40k, which was a loop up and down the Arakawa, and a bit of a bitch because of a really strong north wind. I also ran a 18:59 5000m time trial with Namban, a time that I was happy with on tired legs and having planned to take it easy. It was the day after that time trial that I took off because I had a bit of a niggle in my right foot that I was afraid was getting worse. It didn't so I continued for a few days, including a 25k with 20 at marathon pace, which ended up being around 4:18 and with a nice low HR. However, the way my Garmin has been acting lately, I honestly don't know if I can trust any of the data from that thing.
I've been keeping up my general plan of adding more variety to my training as a way to get more fit generally, and one of the most interesting ways I have done that was by getting a used tire at a local taxi mechanic. Drilled a hole in it and put some vinyl cord through the hole. Originally thought I would just use it for dragging, but then started having some more fun with it, throwing it as high as I can and catching it, and jumping in and out for something like plyometrics. Shiori park is a great place for all of that, with some places to do pull ups and other jumping exercises.
So I'm two weeks out from Tokyo now, and don't have any concerns about running it, but wonder if I can make my focus to have fun, but also to run a good time. I know focusing on time makes me super nervous, and that's just not much fun. Maybe this costume I'm designing will help with the fun factor, and hopefully won't make the race miserable.
After Tokyo, I'm going to try to strike a better balance of doing more biking so I get home a reasonable time at least 2-3 times per week. Generally cutting down my mileage, but keeping some long runs, and doing the short, intense workouts as well. I also need to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my diet that is feasible and healthy. I weighed in at 78.6 today, which was a little surprising, as I think I've been pretty good lately, with very little sugar and almost no beer. Could be that that's just the right weight for me, especially if I have a bit more muscle than before.
Catching Up and Starting Fresh in the New Year
Well, it's been almost a month since I put anything up here.
I did a bit of running after my last race and around Xmas, but then Dad was here during the new year, and I got pretty slack, partly because we were busy, partly because we were up in Nagano, where it was too damn cold and snowy to run.
But I'm back at it now, and it's going to be a slog to getting back into decent shape. But, hey, it's what I do, and I'll do my best to enjoy doing it!
When I ran for the first time this year on Jan 6, I was doing a lot of thinking about what kind of running resolutions I could make for the year: not getting injured, doing a 40+km run once a month in preparation for a 100k in the fall, doing less running during the week to get in more family time, doing more varied training for overall fitness and strength, etc. Nothing stuck in particular, so I'll just make it up as I go along.
I also got some new shoes (again!) and was thinking getting no more shoes this year should definitely be my resolution. They are the Altra Adams, and I was pretty excited about them. Unfortunately, I got them too big, but when I ran in them the first time, I was pretty happy with them, and thought I would only run in them all year. But after running in them four times, I started to get some bruising on the outside corner of my left foot where a piece of leather hits my pinky toe knuckle. Bummer! I'll keep trying, though, and hopefully they will work out without me having to buy a replacement pair.
The other thing I thought I would try, for this month anyway, is to run consecutively for as many days as I can. It would be cool if I could do it for the whole month of January, but who knows.
Here's what I've done so far this month:
1/6: One hour home from work. Adams. Felt great, if a bit floppy in the feet.
1/7: One hour home from work. Adams. Still good.
1/8: 45 minutes along the Sumidagawa. Adams. Mixed in some rope skipping and running up and down hills.
1/9: One hour home from work. Adams. Mixed in what I will call 'obstacle running' jumping up on benches and low walls, hopping up stairs with two feet, etc. Definitely will try to make it a regular thing.
1/10:
I did a bit of running after my last race and around Xmas, but then Dad was here during the new year, and I got pretty slack, partly because we were busy, partly because we were up in Nagano, where it was too damn cold and snowy to run.
But I'm back at it now, and it's going to be a slog to getting back into decent shape. But, hey, it's what I do, and I'll do my best to enjoy doing it!
When I ran for the first time this year on Jan 6, I was doing a lot of thinking about what kind of running resolutions I could make for the year: not getting injured, doing a 40+km run once a month in preparation for a 100k in the fall, doing less running during the week to get in more family time, doing more varied training for overall fitness and strength, etc. Nothing stuck in particular, so I'll just make it up as I go along.
I also got some new shoes (again!) and was thinking getting no more shoes this year should definitely be my resolution. They are the Altra Adams, and I was pretty excited about them. Unfortunately, I got them too big, but when I ran in them the first time, I was pretty happy with them, and thought I would only run in them all year. But after running in them four times, I started to get some bruising on the outside corner of my left foot where a piece of leather hits my pinky toe knuckle. Bummer! I'll keep trying, though, and hopefully they will work out without me having to buy a replacement pair.
The other thing I thought I would try, for this month anyway, is to run consecutively for as many days as I can. It would be cool if I could do it for the whole month of January, but who knows.
Here's what I've done so far this month:
1/6: One hour home from work. Adams. Felt great, if a bit floppy in the feet.
1/7: One hour home from work. Adams. Still good.
1/8: 45 minutes along the Sumidagawa. Adams. Mixed in some rope skipping and running up and down hills.
1/9: One hour home from work. Adams. Mixed in what I will call 'obstacle running' jumping up on benches and low walls, hopping up stairs with two feet, etc. Definitely will try to make it a regular thing.
1/10:
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
A Few Weeks of Recovery
(Published a few weeks after I actually wrote it)
I knew I was in trouble during the race in Tsukuba, and I suspecte it would take a while to get back on track, which it has.
I took five days off after the race, no running, biking, or core work. My back started to feel a little better, so I did the hour run home on Friday. My hamstrings were junk, and my back was pretty sore. I made it the whole way, only to wake up the next day in ridiculous pain again on the left side of my back, and having the same issue with not being able to take a deep breath. So took another full week off with no exercise. Gave it a try again the following Friday, and did a very slow run home. Felt good that day and the next, so I ran Saturday too. Now, I'm back into it and feeling ok, although a bit heavy in the gut with the lack of training and excess of holiday cheers.
Summary
11/28-12/4
One hour run on Friday. Neos.
12/4-12/10
Friday: One hour. Neos.
Saturday: 50 min. XC2s
Sunday: Bike 33k
12/10-12/17
Mon: One hour on the way home. Neos.
Tue: Bike 33k. Amazed that I made it home after the KZ Christmas party and way too much booze!
Wed: Rest to go to the pre-open of Callejon 19.
Thu: One hour on the way home. Neos. A sort of tempo run after getting warmed up, and then some hard 100s towards the end. Wanted to see how it felt to push, and it was ok.
Fri: One hour on the way home XC3s. Meant to take it easy, but it was damn cold, so I had to keep up a good pace to keep warm!
Sat: Rest in prep for race tomorrow.
I knew I was in trouble during the race in Tsukuba, and I suspecte it would take a while to get back on track, which it has.
I took five days off after the race, no running, biking, or core work. My back started to feel a little better, so I did the hour run home on Friday. My hamstrings were junk, and my back was pretty sore. I made it the whole way, only to wake up the next day in ridiculous pain again on the left side of my back, and having the same issue with not being able to take a deep breath. So took another full week off with no exercise. Gave it a try again the following Friday, and did a very slow run home. Felt good that day and the next, so I ran Saturday too. Now, I'm back into it and feeling ok, although a bit heavy in the gut with the lack of training and excess of holiday cheers.
Summary
11/28-12/4
One hour run on Friday. Neos.
12/4-12/10
Friday: One hour. Neos.
Saturday: 50 min. XC2s
Sunday: Bike 33k
12/10-12/17
Mon: One hour on the way home. Neos.
Tue: Bike 33k. Amazed that I made it home after the KZ Christmas party and way too much booze!
Wed: Rest to go to the pre-open of Callejon 19.
Thu: One hour on the way home. Neos. A sort of tempo run after getting warmed up, and then some hard 100s towards the end. Wanted to see how it felt to push, and it was ok.
Fri: One hour on the way home XC3s. Meant to take it easy, but it was damn cold, so I had to keep up a good pace to keep warm!
Sat: Rest in prep for race tomorrow.
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