Run For It

week 8

2011-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have been back at this for 8 weeks already? This week the total is a bit small but that was because of a long week last week, making this a short week. Monday I did my long run for last week because I was dragging all weekend. That left me dead on Tuesday, but I did go to the gym for upper body. Wednesday I was so sleepy all day and sore all over so i decided not to do anything. Thursday I had a 6k easy run and yesterday I went to the gym for some lower body. Today I knocked out 15k and tomorrow I will go to the gym for some upper body no matter what. I have the whole day with nothing to do so no matter how tired I will make it there. That leaves me with only 21k this week, but really that is not so bad. I only took one day off from exercise and I needed it. I have been working on a plan for my 1/2 in July and I got to say that the prescribed long runs are not the toughest thing to do. its the little varied runs where I kind of shrug and think, I can do that later. I need to stop doing that. 6k easy, 15k interval, 1 lower body workout, 2 upper body workouts. total 21k.

Week 7

2011-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week on Friday I had done some ladder with my kiddos. I ended up doing two sets of 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50 with rests of 200 in between. Well it killed me. Even as practice ended I knew I was going to be sore because my legs were jello. I just don't sprint, so it was tough. I got in my 14k the next day because I knew my legs were going to be raging on Sunday. They were.
Since then Middle School track has ended. We had our meet last Saturday and a couple of kids got medals, but as a school we got crushed. The middle school team is just too small, 8 kids, vs the other schools which bring 12-20. So we ended on a low note, but I bet I will see some of them next year in CC and Track. Now my days are free after school which feels really weird to me.
I had really sore stiff hams all week basically which really did not encourage running. I tried twice, once on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. Wednesday I got 5k in, but oh it hurt. Saturday I did 3k and could still feel the pain so I gave it up. By Monday I was feeling ok so I put in for my 14k of intervals. It was tough, but I am finally getting some feeling back in my hams. It makes me realize that I need to do at least a touch of spring/strider work. This week, 5k easy, 3k easy, 14k interval, 2 upper body, 2 lower body. total 22k.

Week 6

2011-05-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Week 6 was a fairly normal week. I picked up going to the gym a bit more and am pretty much over that whole first two weeks of being sore as I flesh out my routine. two days of leg work, one day of upper body, 5k easy, 3k ladders, 5k easy, 14k intervals. Total 27k.

Week 5

2011-04-29T02:57:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I forgot to put a miles total for last week, but I don’t think I will go back and edit, it was too meager to matter much anyways. This week I was back on track, but also got some bad news. Once again I am aiming at a phantom race. The ½ marathon I was planning on doing in July was cancelled because it is about 70k from the nuclear power plants in Japan and well… So I was talking to my buddy who got me interested in it and he says he is now aiming for one in Nagano around the same time. Sounds nice, but Nagano is about 4 hours out of my way, so I am not sure if I will do it, but probably.

Another interesting thing this week is that I finally got a gym membership. After being out of the gym for 10 months I was back in this week and it felt great. I have a treadmill and a few small weights at home that I used over the winter, but going to a gym is like being a kid in a candy shop.

This week, 34k. 8k intervals, 5k race pace, 5k intervals, 3k jog, and 13k race pace.

Week 4

2011-04-26T02:01:00.001-07:00

Yes, I slacked a bit getting this week’s entry posted. Why? Because this week was not good and I wasn’t too enthused about writing about it. I have been having stomach troubles since I got from India and this past week just felt too tired, beyond a few short runs with the Middle School Track team, to do much of anything. Last Thursday I went back to the doctor’s office for the third time and hopefully this round of antibiotics will squash whatever I have. I am feeling ok now and this have run about 15k so far and its not even Wednesday yet, so that is shaping up well.

Week 3

2011-04-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Not too much to say this week. Middle School Track started so I got that going and there is a meet tomorrow. Its fun to see them run and to think about how much they will improve in the next few years.
I did not do much running myself this week. Last week on Wednesday I hurt my calf, but didn't really realize it until Thursday. I took it easy and on the race last Sunday I felt fine, but I knew it was still there. On Wednesday I went out to test it and it still hurt. So I took Thursday off and then did stairs with the kids on Friday. Saturday I did 3k to test it out and was feeling fine so today, Sunday, I did 8k but got tired really quickly. Overall, it has not been a good week for running, but I am confident that this week will be better.

Jinqiao 8k

2011-04-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been an eventful weekend of running for me. Yesterday market the last day of the track season and so my end as long distance running coach. Our school traveled to another nearby school which hosted a meet of 8 area schools. Both boys and girls teams placed 5th, which to me was a little disappointing. However, we did have a lot of individual winners and placers and that was great. One of the girls, someone I have mentioned in previous posts, had to leave early for health reasons. She also had a soccer game the next day and was battling a cold. She did take 1st in the 3000m and I am sure she would have taken first in the 1500 and 800 as well as placing in the 400 had she been able to stay. I wonder a little bit if that would have skewed the scoring enough to bring the girls team to a 3rd place. We also had one boy break the school and probably the city HS record for 100m dash at 11:02 seconds. That is pretty darn fast. It was kind of sad to see the season end, but coaching is not over for me. On Monday I will start coaching the middle school team for a month (they have a short season) and many of the HS kids have agreed to come by and help out with the younger ones. That will be fun, and hey, there is always CC to look forward to next fall. I am pretty sure we can do much better than the previous year, just about everyone who ran last year is coming back and a year older so I think we could win 2nd or 3rd overall.

The second part of this weekend was that I ran the Jinqiao 8k on Sunday. The weather was pretty nice, but a bit hazy. Although this is Shanghai, so it is almost always hazy. I haven’t been training specifically for an 8k, basically I have been training to get 5min k’s and to just keep expanding the distance I can keep that up for. Right now I am on 13, but hope to be to 20 by the time I run my half marathon this summer. Sure would be nice to get under 2hrs for a ½.
Earlier in the week I had done practice run around the track so I could time my splits and sprints and I did an even split with a time of 38:something. I even stopped twice for a minute to drink some water and walk so that was good time. I was hoping for the 38 min mark, but being realistic races are always different and slower. Too many people and too much excitement usually slow me down. Today wasn’t much different. I forgot the start time, thinking it was 5 minutes later, and so was just getting to the back of the pack and working my way forward when the gun went off. Needless to say I was log jammed for the first k and didn’t have a good open path until 3k. At that point I was 3 minutes behind my pace. 3 minutes! I tried to keep just a little bit faster than pace and the next thing I knew I was passing the 6k mark and was just 30 seconds shy of 5 minute pace. I picked it up a bit and by the time I crossed the finish it was 39:30. Retrospectively I really wish I could have broke out more at the start, I may have gotten under 38, but 39:30 isn’t too bad and I felt like I could have kept running strong for another 2k which would have given me a decent 10k time.
I don’t know the split, but it was definitely negative and that is the first time I have been able to do that in a race as well as keeping better than 5min pace. I wasn’t as nervous either and didn’t feel as rushed as I have in the past. I guess I am learning a few things along the way.
The race itself was ok, but the t-shirts were a hideous yellow and red that made you look like a wearing ketchup and mustard. Very typical Shanghai atmosphere; traffic going the wrong way down one lane to get past runners causing traffic jams, wafts of industrial smoke filling the nostrils, fans ignoring the race demarcations and walking onto the course. However, I was surprised that no one pushed during the race even when I was in tight quarters. Chinese people are renowned among foreigners for pushing and cutting in line, but no one pushed me today (though someone did cut in line when I was waiting for a urinal pre-race). The course itself was ok, nothing special; it followed some pretty broad streets and new buildings so it was nice to have a little room and the roads were nice too, no potholes that I could see.
All in all a good day. I am glad I went and I think I came away with a decent time, even if I did look like a hotdog while doing it.
This week’s kilometers 12k intervals, 3k easy Vibrams, 8k 5min pace, 6k easy. Total 29k.

Week 1

2011-03-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

I just got around to drawing out a "plan" for the 1/2 marathon this week so there is that and I got some new shoes, the Nike Free. I have only run in them twice, just haven't had occasion for them yet. I now have 4 types of shoes, though two of those pairs are looking at retirement in a couple months so I have to keep my eyes peeled for a new pair of "all around long distance" shoes. The Nikes feel ok, but a little.... not supportive. Ha! I guess that is the point though.
I also signed up for the Jinqiao 8k on the 10th of April. Will be nice to race again. I am not thinking this will be a super fun run. Honestly I hate running in Shanghai. The air tastes bad and there is no where that is quiet.
This weeks runs, 12k long run, 5k easy run, 5k intervals, 7k easy run, 4k Indian run. 33kilometers total.

Back At It

2011-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome back. It’s been over a year since I wrote anything of note on this blog and I wasn’t really sure what to do with it. Should I scrap it? Should I expand it to include other tales of athleticism such as hiking? I never made a decision and so it has sat here collecting virtual dust.
Since running the Tokyo marathon I considered other races, but I just wasn’t hungry for it. I ran a 10k in the summer of 10’ and in the fall I coached cross country at my school which re-awakened me to regular running. That is not to say that I had quit running, I was still doing a few runs each week, but nothing regular. Then I went home for a time and had to deal with moving to Shanghai which at first was terrible for running as it was around 30C everyday, the sun rose around 4am and the night time was only a couple of degrees cooler, not to mention I was very busy with my new job.
In the fall I volunteered to coach cross country which was great. I had an assistant coach and talking with him and the kids each day was a good experience. I actually learned a bit too, always a good thing. My team did ok, ranking in the middle of schools we competed against, but one notable exception is that one of my girls was the ladies season champion. That was a sweet moment.
Over the winter I continued running, mostly on my treadmill, and I intended to do a half marathon in November. Unfortunately that weekend I was swamped with work and couldn’t do it. That was kind of a let down as I had never backed away from a race before. I kept at it though, but with no goal ahead of me it was kind of hard to take training seriously.
Fast forward to about a month ago and you would find me doing about 20k a week with just a bit of other training. I was asked to coach the long distance runners for the track team and jumped at the opportunity since I had so much fun coaching the CC team in the fall. I didn’t realize that track is a different animal. I felt really out of sorts when at the first practice only a handful of kids said they would distance run and the majority went for field events or sprints. Only a few of the kids from CC came out for track and the best girl only comes occasionally because she joined soccer which practices at the same time. I was also not the head coach so anything I did I had to discuss with someone else. The kids also did not look to me, but the to head coach for final decisions. Not that I am power hungry, it was just different. Since the first practice a lot of the sprinters have reluctantly done long distance training to improve their stamina and there have been a few times when I was the only coach able to make it to practice so my bond with the team has gotten better and I am enjoying it a bit more. Last week we had an informal meet with 4 of the schools we will compete against. Our runners did very well getting 1st places in 7 races and a few other ranks as well. The field events didn’t place. The CC champion girl won the 1500 meter race by 7 seconds, a blowout in track terms. It was a great meet. However, I am looking forward again to CC in the fall and I know that the champion girl will be back so that gives a good backbone to the team.

Back to me, I train with the team which has forced me to do more and more as the weeks go by. I am back up to 25-30k a week with 2 or 3 times a week doing other training. A friend of mine in Japan is doing a ½ marathon this July there and it looks like I will be heading back to help with the cleanup effort in July as well. I asked him to keep me up to date about registration; it looks like I will run that race with him.
So here I am, amping up my weekly miles, a race ahead of me, and I am hungry again. I can feel it. I want to run, hard. I want to push it. I am going to use this blog again in sort of the same way I did last time, as a training journal of sorts. I can use it to keep track of my weekly mileage (kiloage?) and anything else that comes to mind. If you all are reading this, well, welcome and enjoy, but I am writing this for me so sorry if it is a dry read. Here we go.

I'm still here

2010-04-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today is April 24th and I feel good. Following the marathon I had trouble getting back into running. My knees just wouldn't hold on long enough for me to complete a long run. After fighting in early March I went on vacation for 2 weeks, during which i tried to run once or twice but had knee pain. Again coming back I tried running and did get a few runs in, about 10k being the longest, but there was always nagging knee pain. Now, I am taking it slow, doing 3-5k runs which is working out well and now I am back to running at least 3-4 times a week. In June I have set up a 10k with a few friends, we are going under the team name of Southeastern University. In July I am hoping to run a half marathon with my friend Jon. He is training towards doing a full marathon this fall. Its been nice sharing what I have learned with him.
Golden week, a 10 day holiday in Japan, is rapidly approaching. For the past 2 years I have done hiking during golden week, but this year I don't know if I will get a chance to. The weather has been pretty cold yet and the peaks are not thawed out. That picture is on top of Adatara last year, about 1800 meters up. There was snow on the way, but not enough to stop me from reaching the peak, but this year, I don't think that will happen.

Week 19, 47k

2010-03-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

This week was the marathon, so with the 5k I did last Monday and the 42k I did on race day that brings my total to 47 for the week.Its amazing to me writing that, 47, just about all of that from one run. Crazy. I only did 5k on Monday because two spots on my left leg, my lower calf and my knee, were feeling a bit tender. Being that it was race week I weighed the options and decided it would be better to stop running (and just do bike/eliptical in the final days), instead of pushing on and possibly injuring myself. It seems I made the right decision because I made it through the marathon relatively injury free. Right now my legs are broke down sticks that I can only slowly walk on, but in another week or so I imagine they will be up and running again and I intend to push them some more. About the marathon there are a few things that I would like to note. First about eating and then about the finished product. Race morning I had a bit of the jitters and of course went to the bathroom about 4times just to make sure that I was as fully empty as I could be beforegetting into my block for start. I did about as expected during therace and only went to the bathroom twice, both times just to take a leak. Both times I was on target for amount and consistancy. I feel like I planned my fluids before the race pretty well. As far as food,the night before I ate rice, salad, a little cheese, and tea. All foods that I figured were light and wouldn't give me trouble. For breakfast I had some nuts,
oatmeal, and just a few sips of coffee along with about 10oz of sports drink and 10oz or so of water. I would have skipped the coffee, but I always have a little bit and it never has affected my running before so I figured it was ok. Better to keep to routine in this case. I never had to go #2 during the race and didnt have any problems after the race either. In fact after the race I wasnt even especially hungry
or thirsty and I think this had to do with good spacing of eating and drinking during the race. I took my first drink at 5k and then regularly took about 5oz every 3-5k as the race provided. I ate for the first time at 10k as I was standing in line to pee, it was a Gu packet. Next I ate a Soy Joy bar at 17k, a couple pieces of banana at 23k, a piece of sugared plum (offered by fan) at 30k, and a few pieces of chocolate around 35. I felt like I could have eaten anything during the race just because I was burning through energy so fast. The only thing that concerned me was the sugared plum just because it was kind of acidic, but everything turned out fine. As far as after the race,it took me about 100oz of sports drinks and water to have a good amount of nice colored pee about 15 hours later. That is not to say I didn't go before then, but I wasnt back to normal til then. Today,Tuesday, I measured my weight at the gym and I was 68.5 kilograms, 1k lighter than usual.I imagine, based on the input and output of food from my body since, that I must have burned through about 2kilograms, or roughly 6lbs of stored engery and water while racing. That is also strangely interesting to me. 6lbs! that's a lot of weight.

My body did ok.

My muscles held up remarkably well. Today I am a bit sore in the hips and inner thighs, but the places you would expect to feel pain, the calves and hamstrings, those feel fine. My calves are completely pain free and my hamstrings have only a hint of soreness. Suprisingly my upper back and biceps are feeling a little sore. Being in runners stance for 5 hours, arms half cocked, did a number on those muscles. My left ankle, somewhat as I expected, swelled after the race,but I didn't notice until the next morning once most of the swelling was done. I dont know exactly what happened there. At 13k it just started to hurt and even though it never got worse the pain stayed there the rest of the race. Now its a tender fluid filled ankle, but I am pretty confident in a few days it will be looking normal and a few more will find me abusing it again. The worst part of my body are my knees. They really hurt. I never expected that. It doesnt feel like muscle pain, though it might be, it feels like joint pain. I'm ok with that, but I do have to wonder if I can train myself to take that kind of knee use better. If this is going to happen whenever I do a marathon that may be a reason to not do marathons. Knees are damn important in life and I don't want to ruin mine. Side note; my nipples chaffed a bit despite the vaseline I put on them.

Now for the race itself. It was so fun! Lining up with 30,000 other people in the freezing rainy morning was more fun than I think anyone could imagine. The anticipation was awesome and when that gun went off, far in the distance, all of us felt a jolt of purpose. I was so happy to be running with so many people and being that there were so many and the race was so long I never took the time to compete with anyone or care about timing. As Dan told me before the race, just have fun, and I took that advice to heart. Every step of the way was fun. I also took another racers advice to not walk at the end of the race because it would be that much harder to run again. I think he was right. Walking is not the root of all evil, but when you get to that point where you can't go on any longer do not walk! Just keep running, keep running to the next lampost, the next block, the next mile marker, just don't stop. If you are feeling exhausted and you stop you may not be able to start again.

Overall, this was a great race. I learned a lot about the marathon and about me as a runner. I intend to use that to improve my running and my marathon running in the future. So you may be asking what now? Well, now I recover, but after that more running. I don't know what the future holds for me or this blog. I think, without a clear race ahead of me, I won't do a weekly blog, but I will check in every few weeks to update what I am up to. I hope to run a half marathon in May, but have to find one first. If that happens I will track the progress here.

week18, 42k

2010-02-21T01:20:00.000-08:00

This week I am right on track for distance. Did a few shorter runs during the week, cross training Friday and a 16k on Saturday. I am getting anxious for next weekends run. Two things to talk about, my left leg. Ok, I guess that is only one, but there are two things wrong with it. First, my knee, which stopped me short 3 weeks ago, still feels funny. It hasn't stopped me since, but it never feels normal. I hope nothing comes of that. Second thing, my achilles is getting tight again. This is not such a worry, it seems to happen to me all the time, but this time its pretty stiff and has worked its way a little higher into my calf. There is also a sore spot this time too, not just general, like place I can put my finger on and push that is where it is tender. I guess this week I will just take it as easy as I can. By this point, training isn't going to do anything more for me. I just have to keep loose and well rested for next weekend. Fingers crossed.
Other than that I have been running outside more and more. The weather is getting good. It got above 10C today which is like... well, not that cold. I'm really looking forward to finishing the marathon, taking a week off, then getting back to some aikido, new training, and my trip to Australia and New Zealand (hiking!).

Week 17, 54k

2010-02-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

This week’s running was fair. I did three straight days of 10, 10, and 12k with the usual mix of hills, fartlek, and easy running. Friday night moseyed along and I was planning for my Saturday morning long run when Aya told me that we had to get up to help her brother move at 9am. I knew that I would not be able to get in a morning run because to run/stretch/shower would take near to 3 hours and there was no way I was going to be able to wake up by 6am. It was around 10pm when she told me and I'd had a few beers. So Saturday I helped her brother move, was tired all day and didn’t get to eat lunch till 2pm by which time I was really hungry and I ended up stuffing my face with pizza. Fast forward 2 hours and the sun is soon to set. I am now home and quickly putting on my running gear so I can get in at least half my run before it gets dark. So I do 10k while it’s still light out, but it’s awful. Every 5 minutes I am pushing down pizza bile, freezing my butt off and tired. At 10k I say screw it and take a few steps toward home before I say screw that and run again, but only for another couple and then give up. I was just too tired. So Sunday, normally a short run day, I ended up doing the rest of my long run. I ended the week with enough distance to be happy, but a bit peeved my long run did not go well.

At the end of Sunday’s run that familiar tenderness in my knee returned. Again, I think it has to do with the road as I never get it on the treadmill. I guess I will just keeping plugging away at the road, weather is getting better for it, and hope that things work out. However, I think there is a distinct possibility that I will be 25 or so k into the marathon and have to give up because of a sore knee. That would really suck.

Week 16, 65k

2010-02-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

Yeah week 16! 65k is the most I have ever done in a week and the reason for that is I took the longest run I have done yet, 30k. No injuries this week, nothing special to report as far as gear. This week I lightly came back to full throttle after hurting my knee a bit last weekend out on the road. I am pretty sure it was the roads fault that I got hurt so I will be making more attempts at road running. I did 7k on the road this week and hope to get out for another 20 or so in the coming week. I can't expect to run the full marathon if my knee is getting tender at 20k.
Just a bit to note about the 30k, I think I am going to have to revise my estimated finish time. I got to 25k ok, right on schedule at about 2hrs 20min, but after that I started to get slow. Right below my butt my tendons where starting to get tight and give me trouble. Getting to 30 was hard and I did it right about at 3hrs, but that means that the 5k from 25-30 lasted almost 40 minutes. Thats no good. If I took that time I would be finishing the race at 4hrs and 30minutes or so. I think this is a realistic expectation. I wouldn't say I hit the wall, my legs were killing me and I wanted to stop running, but I wouldn't say that I was out of energy. I Just couldn't shake that pain in my legs. I guess in the next few weeks I will take special care to stretch out my hamstrings a few times a day, hopefully loosen that up.

Week 15, 49k

2010-02-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

This week’s running; a few things to talk about. I only did 49k this week and you are saying what? Only 49? and yes, you are correct that I was aiming for more. Let me give you the break down. During the week, as usual, I had some good medium runs at the gym. All of them around 12k. No problems there. New shoes are still good, old shoes back in rotation. Friday I had a birthday party, but still managed to get to the gym for an hour of lifting before hand. Saturday, once I had shaken off the previous night’s beer, was good. I was out ON THE ROAD by 12. Yes, the snow has slacked off enough that my paths are open. Joy.
So Saturday, which was my actual birthday, I went out for what I hoped to be a 20k run in the balmy 3 celcius weather with overcast skies and rain spitting on me. Despite the perfect weather I was feeling great. Do you have any idea what it feels like, after 6 weeks of treadmill running, to be liberated to the outdoors? It was awesome, happy birthday to me. Plus I had my REI OXT jacket which kept me mostly dry and mostly warm. Got a nice reminder of how hot I get running in winter gear and how cold I get if I stop even for a couple minutes. Thanks winter.
Unfortunately around 15k my left knee started to feel a bit of pain, so I stopped to walk for a bit, felt better and kept going… for about 2 minutes then had to walk again. I repeated this a couple times, each time thinking; ok, just working out a kink. Not so.
I ended up walking the last couple of kilometers and even that began to be a bit painful on the knee. So the rest of the day Saturday I spent keeping my leg up and keeping ice on and off (watched The Book of Eli). I'm pretty sure it has to do with switching from a soft surface treadmill to a hard surface road. In the next couple of weeks I will be forced to make my runs outside so I am fit enough to do the marathon on the road. Blessed be the road. Sunday and Monday felt ok, but I wasn’t taking any risks. I only counted 15k of that run because the last 5 were more like a run/walk/hobble. Here I am Tuesday, ran 5k today and feel ok. But hey, that’s this week. Not week 15.

Week 14, 58k

2010-01-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

This week, super. Super because I made it through without an unusual amount of pain and hit my goal. Super because these new shoes are working out pretty darn well. Super because I figured out that the shoes I bought this fall, which I thought were wasted, are not. Super because I feel an injury starting, but I know how to treat it, I think, and that makes me feel in control and optomistic. In a way, it was super because just 7 days ago I thought I might be facing the end of the line. My feet in constant pain, barely able to make my miles for the week, I thought it might be time to throw in the towel. That is something that I love and hate about running, the highs and the lows. This week high, last week low.
This week I did the 20k Monday, which doesn't really count for this weeks total, but last weeks. Then I did 7 Tuesday, took wed off, Thursday 12, Friday 7, Saturday 25, and Sunday 7. What does that give the week? 58, if you weren't already adding that together. Its a few kilometers short of what i was hoping, 60, but what is 2k? Screw it. I had a good week.
I continue to mainly run on the Asic Gel 16's, but I put the NB 993's back in the rotation. Unfortunately the Saucony Shadows are dead. I tried running on them Sunday, but they clearly were out anything good they ever had to give me. Thanks for the kilometers Saucony Shadows. Sayonara. The other two pairs of shoes are a bit heavy as far as running shoes go, but they all make me happy which is what I am aiming for. If I get a little extra money and happen to be near a good shoe store, I will pick up a pair of lighter shoes, something geared towards running 10k and not really long runs.
Today Aya and I were talking about how my running is going, we went to a sold out movie so had a long drive home to talk. I think after this marathon I will scale back for a bit. Two reasons for that. First, I am getting a bit bored having to run. I guess, that is part of training, but when you face 3 hours of running that you don't particularly take enjoyment from it starts to grind on you. Second thing is that in about 6 months we will be packing up our life to move somewhere else and I don't want to be in the middle of a great program just to lose it to 2 weeks of inactivity. I think, the next step, is aim for about 30 or 40k a week and focusing on making my 5 and 10k stronger. Quality, not quantity. Maybe, just maybe, I will do another marathon next spring, but I think this summer I will focus on taking my 5k and 10k beyond my best times.

Week 13 (54k,kind of)

2010-01-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

This week has some things to talk about. Yes, I reached 54k which is what I was aiming for (7,10,7,10,20)and I am happy about that, but it didn't come about exactly like I expected it to and I thought, right up to the end,that it wasn't going to happen.
Those aches I felt in my feet became way more intense. By Tuesday last week I was feeling dull aching all the time, both feet, like in my sleep aches. It got me to thinking, both feet? For real!? Which got me to thinking, both feet? hm, problem solved, I need new shoes. While in Tokyo I went to the Asics store, which was way over staffed and really really busy, but also hit the nail on the head for me. There I took a little test where they popped some sensors on my foot then stuck one foot at a time into a box and scanned them as I stood. They took readings of how my feet are shaped and how I was standing. Presto, information. So I pronate, and my left foot is a bit flat, and both my feet are narrow! I knew about the pronation, but wow, I feel like I huge jerk for spending all this time running and not taking the time to do this very simple, and free, test. So I broke the bank and got some new shoes that they recommended, hoping hoping hoping that these would help the pain in my feet and maybe be nice shoes to boot. I just got 6 more weeks, I can make it! (right?)
Long story short, they are awesome. I got the Asics Gel Kayano 16's which is funny because I was just reading about them this past week. I can say they are good because I have already put 27k on them (its wed night) and my feet have no pain at all and haven't from the moment I slipped those on.
Second story, I didn't exactly get 54 within the confines of the week, I did my long run Monday instead of Sunday because Sunday I was too hung over to get up in time to run around the palace which is awful, I know, but let me explain. I went to Tokyo to meet up with my friend Yoshitsugu, whom I met on the farm in Shizuoka, the farmer's son. We promised to meet up in Tokyo. We did, and I met a few of his friends and pretty early on I decided it would be better to have a good night with all of them then run the next day. You have to understand, for a foreign person living in the country like I do, finding a good Japanese guy friend is like finding a coelacanth swimming in your bath tub. So I didn't run Sunday, but I put 20 in Monday on the new shoes, then 7 the next day, and today I biked and lifted weights to give my walking sticks a break. Tomorrow 12, then 7 Friday, 25 on Saturday, 7 Sunday, I hope. Feeling good, I hope it lasts.

Week 12 (45k)

2010-01-12T02:41:00.000-08:00

This weeks running was good. Coming out of the shadow of an injury is never a pleasant time and although I got 45k in this week I am not feeling very happy about my running right now. Its been... oh, maybe 3 weeks since I have had a chance to run outside. Being hurt and then with all the snow we have had here, there is not good chance to get out. Sometimes the sidewalks are clear enough at noon that I would consider running on them, but then by night when I can go out they are frozen over or it has snowed again. This weekend I am going to Tokyo to meet up with a friend so I am hoping to get in some outside running there around the empirial palace, maybe do my weekend's long run there and make it worth it.
Otherwise my foot feels fine. Both feet have some dull aching that I havent really had before, but I dont think much of it, just normal ache I think. Race day is about 6 weeks away. I plan to do 55 next week, then 65 the week after. The next two weeks after that I am revising my running plan to a few short runs during the week and a monster run on the weekends reaching a peak mile week. I think 3 and 4 weeks from now I hope to hit 70 and 75k with a 30 and 35k long run at least, maybe I will go to 40. I would like to, but things havent been going as planned so maybe I shouldnt go that far until I have to. i would rather make there slow than not make it at all.

Week 10(5k) and 11(5k)

2010-01-03T02:50:00.001-08:00

Week 10 and 11 were awful. Period and. First, during week 9 I had a really long run on Sunday, 20k, and felt good after, little pain in the feet but nothing I was too worked up about. Long runs leave you hurting a bit, I wasn't worried.
Come Monday I got right back on the horse and went to the gym to do a little lifting and a 5k warm up. As soon as I got my shoes on I noticed my foot was tender on the side, like... the outside of the foot opposite of the arch. Despite being tender I thought that I would give it a go anyways. I did the 5k and after spent the rest of my lifting hobbling around the gym on the ball of my foot because my foot was so tender. Obviously wasn't a good idea to run I guess. So I thought I would take a few days off, which I did, and tried to run again on Thursday. I got about 1/2k before I could tell my foot was sore and swelling again. Boy was I pissed. Week 10 and 11 fell during my winter vacation, which means I had tons of time to run, but was not able to. Despite wanting to pound my foot into oblivion just to teach it a lesson I sat it out for 10 days.
Today was the end of that ten days and the end of week 11. I went back to the gym and did 5k and lifted today. The foot didn't hurt or swell, but it did feel a bit funny. Now for the source of the pain. I don't know. It was not a gradual pain, it just appeared after the 20k, and then really throbbed when I ran on it the next day. I think it might be from the shoes I have been wearing, so I will try to get some different ones, trying to order some tonight, but otherwise I guess i will just stick to the shoes I think are good and ice my feet like crazy.

Week 9, 60k

2009-12-24T02:17:00.000-08:00

Well, this week was right on track with increasing my total kilometers up to 60, hoping for 65 next week. I had to run at the gym again, trails were all snowed in, but weather later this week looks clear and I have off starting wednesday so I foresee a lot of running outside. Nothing much to note this week, pretty normal. Hint of pain in my right foot at the end of my 20k on Sunday, but nothing too bad and nothing that hurt during running, so its probably ok.
I noticed that my weight has come back to 69Kilograms, that is nice. Building some muscle!

Week 8 (55k)

2009-12-19T00:44:00.001-08:00

Don't call it a come back, but this week I got 55k in and three visits to the gym. However that is not the most exciting part of the week. There are a number of more important things to mention. First off, I did my first "long" run at the gym with 15k, it was awful. I was sweating like hell, not used to warm runs anymore, and the treadmill, I think, does not accurately measure distance. I have run a lot of path runs outside around my house and nothing ever seems as hard as the treadmill, or as boring for that matter. I used my ipod for about an hour of it and also discovered that I cant breath against a beat very well so based on what I want my breathing pattern to be I need to find music with the correct timing, does that make sense? Like I usually breath in a 3/3 patter, but my ipod has music that is 4/4 time, so I only felt comfortable running a 2/2 breathing pattern when listening to the music, but I cant keep breathing that hard for more than a few minutes without feeling bad. So I guess I will have to find some 3/4 music, I think I read that Creedence was good for that.
I also used my REI coat and Mountain Hardwear gloves for the first time. Both of which JUST keep me warm enough, like, I am not overheating, but I am not cold. Unless I stop for a few minutes and then I start to get cold. This week its been cold in Aizu, just above freezing, but sometimes windy and rainy/snowy. Its tought running outside but I really hate running in the gym. Just got to watch for ice on the bridges.
Probably the most important thing to note this week is that, despite my ankle getting a little tight again, my runs are becoming easier. Like the first 15k I did this week outside, didnt feel the slightest bit tired until I got to about 7k. 7k without feeling tired at all, what the hell has happened to my body? I like it.

Week 7 (45k)

2009-12-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

This week was good, and awful. Back from Hawaii I got back on track and did some miles...err... k's this week. That is mainly the good part, also that since Dan gave me two more pairs of shoes I have a couple more to kick around in. Still having some pain in my heal, but not as much. I have been icing it after runs and wearing a little heel pad I got at the local running gear store. So, feeling a bit better.
The awful part was that I failed at my long run this week. I ran everyday of the week, along with doing some gym work. On friday I did 5k and then upper body work. I was also battling a little cold. Saturday morning I got up and wanted to do 15k, so I put on the shoes and headed out the door. By 4k I could tell something was up. I just couldn't keep a good pace and my nose was running like crazy. For the mid 5k I headed into some hills. It was here that I died. I couldn't keep a good pace, my nose was running like crazy, and my chest and back were hurting. I decided to cut it short. At this point in a run, because its just training and not a real race, I decided it would be better to go home and lay down than to keep going. So I did, I went home and laid on the floor... for some time. Good news is, I feel better now and I am heading into another week feeling ready.

Weeks 4, 5, and 6 (40, 35, 20k)

2009-12-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

The past three weeks have been very busy as I got ready to go to Hawaii to attend a friends wedding and get married myself. I feel lucky to have gotten in ANY running let alone get to write about it. I guess I will do my best to remember the past few weeks here and what happened during those weeks.
Currently my heel is hurting. I was having problems with my Achilles and those have largely gone, but now my heel is sore. I haven’t done any research yet, but intend to, and hopefully I can overcome that soon. The thing is, as I have found before, my injury doesn’t really hurt when I am running, its only after that it pains me. A few times I have even felt it during the night and in the morning when I had been off my feet for some time. Anyways, got to get on that.
I also got to meet up with my buddy Dan in Hawaii and he gave me some gels, two pairs of shoes, winter gloves, and a winter jacket for running. I also bought a pair of black running tights when I was in Tokyo on the way home. The jacket is REI, the gloves Mountain Hardwear, the tights… I cant remember the name, but Ichiro the baseball player was their ad guy and that was good enough for me. J
The race is now 3 months away, which means the serious training will now begin. I only foresee a small friction at the end of December as Aya and I will be doing a little bit of traveling, but overall as long as I don’t seriously hurt myself I should be able to amp up the miles to about 30 on the long run about 2 weeks before the race, then I plan to taper down a bit. Oh, one more bit of good news, after being missing for 3 months my ipod turned up in my buddy Richard’s car. Hello running mix tracks!

Week 3; 18k

2009-11-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

Nope, not a typo, 18k was all I did this "week" now, technically from Monday to Sunday I actually did 36, but 23 of that belonged to Monday which I had promised was going in the week before. In any case, details, the big picture is that the number of TOF was down this week. Here is the reason why.
My achilles, ever since my first over 20k run, has been feeling a bit weird. It doesn't hurt, but sometimes if I have been sitting for a while, or getting out of bed, basically when I am "cold" it gets this weird kind of clicky feeling if I move around too fast. Once it gets warmed up pretty good. But was worried about it, so I decided to take some time off of it.
The result of that is a couple of noticeable things. First, my achilles feels better. There is still the smallest of feelings that there is something not quite the same with the left leg as the right, but no pain and no clicking. So for now that gets a thumbs up.
I also am highly suspect what an easy week has done to me otherwise. I basically feel like crap. My body just feels weak and tight. This could be because I didn't run much, or because I drank more beer because I wasn't running as much and had more free time, or a combo of the two. Anyway it shakes out I am resolved to get back on my feet this coming week.
One final thing to note about this week is that I put on the 993s again. First I put them on for a 3k couples run that Aya did on Tuesday. We got 18 minutes something, which was nice, she did well. After the race I did feel a bit of the same old pressure on the left knee, pain in the left hip, but for whatever reason was not convinced, so Friday I did another 5k after school with them on and that was that. More pain = ditch the shoes. I am sorry to say that the 993s are out for me, stupid pronation crap. Dang. Saturday I did a 10k in the Saucony Shadows again and that felt ok, but that is also when I noticed the "I feel like crap" coming over me. So the run was less than thrilling. Here I am on Monday night, after another 12 in the Shadows and ... well, that will have to wait for next week.

Week 2, 53k

2009-11-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks running has been good. I have continued to use the Saucony Shadows instead of the NB 993s, I guess I will try to see if the pronation thing is an insole or something that I can rip out, I would have to waste the shoes after I just bought them (for 150!). Also, this week my ankle has been bothering me a bit. Last week on the long run I was on a very narrow shoulder, a car was passing so I moved over and wasnt watching carefully and hit the lip of the pavement, twisting my ankle slightly. It smarted then, but I walked it off and it was fine. Then Monday I was in the john and in japan johns are pretty tight, so I was making a turn and my ankle had some pain again, I think from the twist on sunday. So tuesday I did no running, but went to aikido, lots of twisting about, falling down, etc. But my ankle was fine. Wed I ran a 10k and did leg work at the gym, thursday I did 10, and friday I did 10 hill running. That hill running was awesome, just finished at dark and was running through really pretty colors with the sunset it was really cool. However, Thursday when I was at elementary school i was playing soccer with some kids, aware of my ankle, and still accidentally gave it a little tweak, nothing big, just hurt for 1 sec, but now my ankle feels funny, not painful, just funny, like I cant really rotate it the 360 without feeling kind of wrong. So, needless to say I am a bit concerned. I feel ok, running my ankle doesnt hurt and generally it feels fine, but of course I dont want to screw it up. Monday I did the 23k. Everything was good, had some Aquarius and a mikan about 45 minutes before, about 10oz of Aquarius and a Weider Energy Gel after the first 10k and a ...hm, what was it called Dakara? after the next 8 or so. Everything worked well. The gel gave me a little burping and gas, but just a little and it seems to have worked well as this week I did not struggle with the last 2k or so. I still have energy now. I also at a big plate of beef spaghetti after the run and did not nap for 2 hours like last week, so a bit of a change. Also, no pain this week, a little fatigue in my left hip while running, but no pain now, feeling good. Oh, last thing, the 23k was in 2hr 20 minutes, which isn't such a bad time. Maybe I will get to 4hr 30 after all.

So, in total, this week, 53k. Not too bad, I also had time to get in an upper and lower body workout and go to aikido once. Not too shabby, although I did go over one day and did my long run monday instead of sunday, but my days were changed at work, so that is that. anyways, good week. Looking forward to another good one to come. Oh, one more thing, I was trying to find out what the official drink is for the Tokyo 2010 marathon. My wife found it for me, here is a link. http://www.otsuka.co.jp/a-v/

Week 1

2009-10-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

This week I logged 51k. I did two 5k with Aya, monday and thursday; two 10 and 12 by myself on wed and friday; and 21k on Sunday by myself. I also managed to get in gym time for my upper and lower on wed and tuesday.My hip and knee on my left leg had been bothering me, feeling like joint pain, not muscle. my hip was just sore, but my knee felt more like pressure, like that feeling you get in your fingers just before they pop when you are cracking them.
I just started running with my new shoes, the New Balance 993 with support for over-pronation. I was running in a pair of New Balance 490 which I liked, but they were just getting old. I was looking into getting new shoes and read about pronation and looked at my old shoes noticing wear marks on the inner part of the shoe. So I decided to buy my new 993s with that in mind. That was about a month ago that I got them and started running with them, its also about that time that my k's started to get above 10 so when I started to feel the pains in my knee and hip I wasn't sure if it was form, my shoes, or just the extra miles.
On the advice of my friend Dan I switched out my 993s for a pair of 'normal' shoes, my Saucony Shadows, which I had just been using as gym shoes. I ran the 21k in them and felt fine after. I also had changed my form a week before to one with a shorter gait and more steps per minute. I think the form cut the hip pain and the shoes cut the knee pain because I felt pretty darn good after my long run.
after the 21k I came home to some little girls at my door, so I did not eat after, I just went and played kickball with them which was stupid because I was stupid tired. When I finally did get home I had some beef curry with spaghetti and then almost immediatly fell asleep.
A couple of notes for this run. At 10 and 15k I stopped to walk and drink. That was sorely needed. Putting some more drinks/food into the run would be super. At 19kish I was running out of steam. Also, popped in the mp3 player for the first time ever after 10k, it was good as long as I could keep good music going, so I have to make a playlist or something. Eat after the run, eat after the run.

This is me

2009-10-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have always been a runner. When I was in 7th grade my friend at the time, Tim, introduced me to running by way of his father. His dad was a runner. He would run a 5k a few times a week, if I remember correctly. He also would smoke cigars on occasion and drink beer with dinner. Generally I liked the guy and Tim and I would run with him sometimes, but more importantly it started me running an I loved it. That lead to my first pair of running shoes and my first races, all 5ks.
When I was in high school I joined the cross country team, but that didn't last too long. That also happened to be the time when I was discovering all the dirty pleasures of life and running took a back seat. I didn't run much again until college when I got a job at a valet company. Basically I would spend 3 nights a week, for 5 or so hours at a time, driving cars from restaurants to parking lots and then briskly running back. It got me running again and I felt great. Soon after I started lifting weights and running at the university gym. I continue that to this day.
However, in the last 4 months or so my running has taken off. I went from doing a couple 5ks a week to logging 20, then 30, then 40, now 50k a week running. I ran my first 10k in 51 minutes on October 4th and ran my first half marathon this past week while training in about 2:15. I am pretty happy with these times.
I also was excepted to the Tokyo Marathon, which is on reason for me starting this blog. Out of roughly 275,000 people who applied to run, 30,000 were excepted. I was excepted. It might have to do with my location. I doubt a whole lot of runner applied from my area of Japan, its a bit remote. It could just be a completely random lottery. No idea, but I'm in and that is awesome.
I plan to keep a weekly track of my progress up until the race, about 16 weeks away. It's mainly just for me to keep track of how long or how comfortably I ran. I hope this will give me some insights into what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong, good gear and good nutrition along the way. So here we go.