Week 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!).