Week 13 (54k,kind of)

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)

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)

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

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)

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)

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)

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!