Back in the medals!

8 degrees and cloudy

Did my hilly half this morning but as is the pattern with this marathon always something bad happens when I run it. The last two times at this time a person died on each occasion and this time although I could avoid any major drama I did stub my toe the day before.

Now this was no ordinary stubbed toe, it actually gave me a headache! Just after I did it I let go with a spray of cuss words. These had my wife and kids increasing their vocabularies. In fact I even learnt some things and surprised myself with what was coming out of my mouth! By the way, what the hell is a "Chicken Faggot!"?

Anyway it didn't really hurt my run but it didn't help. Still, all up I was very pleased with this half. A course record for me. Five minutes faster than I've ever run this course before so I think that my 1:19:50 could easily be a PB if I actually ran this on the flat. ;)

2nd in my age group 40~50 years old and 12th overall.

出場種目 ハーフ男子40才代の部
距離 21.0975 km
タイム（グロス） 1:19:50
タイム（ネット） 1:19:45
種目別順位 2/189
総合順位 12/914

Back on the podium with more medals and back to running fast. Now for some PBs!



yesterday early on a cold morning, my youngest son closed the door just as I was walking out behind him while fighting with the wife! She reckoned it was my punishment. I said to the heavens "Don't you think this marriage is punishment enough!"

Still waiting for a piano to fall on me.



Going to have to put up another shelf soon. But you never know I think I'll wait a bit. Nothing worst that a bare 2nd shelf!

Is it just me or is it hot in here?

How is everyone? Well I hope. Now enough of you let's talk about me ;)

Things are good here. Yesterday went to the gym to run on the treadmill. Did 10 x 1K runs at various speeds just concentrating on getting up on my toes for the faster ones.

Also at the gym I did an "In-Body" check just so I can know where I am 8 weeks out from my marathon. I will do another one of these a week out and try to see if I can't get these numbers down. Now 62.2kgs and 15.3% Body Fat.

The photo is of me last month running the Osaka New Year 10K. Except for the tightness of the upper body I reckon my form is looking pretty good. By the time that guy I'm passing could focus his eyes, I was gone ;)

Registration Open!

The early bird.....

Just a reminder that registration opens for the 1st Osaka Marathon from 10:00am Tuesday the 15th of February. Go to the "Latest News" section of the "Samurai Running" website. Copy and paste below link.

http://samurairunning.com/paypal.htm

Osaka is an experience! See video or better still come on over!!

Never say No

Free advice.

Never say no to your wife/girlfriend! Or, a Panda!!

It's snow good

Our area gets a rare snow storm.

It snowed last night but did get a run in as it wasn't icy in fact it was fun to run in it. Even though I couldn't run the 5KTT that was planned I was happy enough just to run as I'd missed a couple of days this week already. Missed one on Monday cause I was shafted after my Sunday long run and one on Thursday cause I went hiking with some friends from work and came home late, and drunk ;)

Still feeling fit but not losing weight as this winter "comfort food" is hard to say no to and frankly not running enough kms. Anyway I still have 8 weeks before my goal marathon to fix this.

At the moment I'm particularly worried about getting the FLU. My eldest boy has had it for the past 8 days and the younger one is now asleep on the sofa running a high temperature so that's snow good :(

Some photos from today.

The "secret" of training

Words of wisdom.

Toshihiko Seko's coach, Kyoshi Nakamura, likened correct training to the steady fall of raindrops which slowly forges a hole in a rock. Some days the rain falls harder and some days it doesn't fall at all, but the process cannot be HURRIED. There is the "secret" of training.



Be water my friends!

Kawachinagano Half

アップダウン、すごいでしょう。




My next race is in about two weeks time (The Kawachinagano Half Marathon). This is a local race for me, 20 minutes from home, and a special one as I was a member of the "Kawachinagano Running Club" and I'm very fond of the locals here who haved treated me so kindly over the years.

See 2009 post for some background

http://the-long.blogspot.com/2009/02/kawachinagano-half.html

I've run this half twice before in 2008 (1:35:20) and in 2009 (1:24:35). I was all set to run the 2010 one, trained up and fit, when the week before my Father died and I went back to Australia.

Now barring any major dramas, I'll do it again. While I should get a course record it won't be easy to PB (look at course elevation map above). This is a pretty tough race. Yet I do like to run it and if I can get it right, pace and good weather, it will be a good race!

I'd like to get your feedback about running such a race. How should I approach it if I want to PB it? And, please, I'd like any advice you have on running hilly half marathons or preparing for them.

I'm in PB shape cause if I take the net time on my last half a week ago I ran 1:18.55 into the wind so I reckon if the kawachinagano course was flat and windless, in the shape I'm in, I could run it somewhere in 1:16~1:17 range.

But I have to take into account the up down aspect of this course and get this just right. Still, the more I think about it the more I think it may be possible. After all if I can make it up in reasonable shape I will fly down the hills on my way home and a PB could be on the cards.

Last year the first 3 came in between the 1:11:20 to the 1:13:30 range so in theory a PB is possible for me here!

What do you all reckon?



Jogging up the actual course.

Riddle me this!

Osaka Half Marathon 2011

What do you call it when you don't go under your best time but had a race that you thought was your best ever?

Well whatever it's called I had one of those today! I'm waiting for the chip times to be posted but I have me about 40 seconds shy of my PB.

It was a good race, plenty of support, and I felt good throughout. A couple of things slowed me down and probably put pay to a PB. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "I was robbed" just making note of it cause I think it was significant.

Firstly, I was in the 2nd block back from the start which meant I had to battle my way through the first two K nudging slower runners when I had to. One fella wasn't too happy about this and threw his cold protecting "garbage bag" at me as I past. I lost about 10 seconds slowing down so I could give it back to him (Yes, I'm petty and vengeful too) ;)

After a few laps of Osaka Castle we were out on the road straight into a heavy head wind! This didn't help matters as it was just 3 degrees and the wind felt like it was going through the bones. Still, this was OK at first but with every turn it seemed to change course and be pushing back into our faces. This really didn't let up until the last 3K when it was at our backs. One guy I talked to later reckons that cost everyone at least two minutes and I agree the bloody thing almost bought me to a stop on occasion.

Well, I know I had a good race and that I'm in the best shape I've ever been so that's good enough for me! And another thing I'm pleased about is in the last K I past this guy I know to be a great runner and I have never beaten him before so unless he just had a really bad day; I'm making progress.

I've got another half in 3 weeks and even though it's a high climb up and back course I might PB there if it's a calm windless day ;)

The photo sees me heading for the goal (I'm the one in the attractive arm warmers in front of the guy in blue).



The boys and I after the race. Yes the sign says "Osaka Womens Marathon" the half I did was part of this and open to everyone. The elite women started at Nagai Stadium, our goal, and they looped back to Nagai stadium after running up to Osaka Castle, our start. The lead women past us at about our 10K mark. This along with the amount of crowd support, of course mostly for the ladies, was great and made us all feel like rock stars!



RESULTS JUST POSTED

1st 5K split (18:37)
10K 37:05 5K split (18:28)
15K 56:11 5K split (19:06)
20K 1:15:42 5K split (19:31)
last 1K and a bit(3:41)
Finish 1:19:23

Boys be Ambitous!

Once all the training is done if you want a PB, it's down to bold child like foolishness!

OSAKA MARATHON DETAILS

Breaking News



Just up, the details on the Osaka marathon in English. It seems that you will be able to apply yourself online on Feb the 15th, the day after Valentines, so lovers get your applications in early. Starts at 10:00am Japan time.

We at "Samurai Running" will still be organising great reasonable accommodation, tours/sightseeing and get togethers. Let us know you're coming and we'll help plan a trip that you'll never forget. Really it's going to be a great event. Come on over!!

http://www.osaka-marathon.com/2011/schema/gist_en.html

http://samurairunning.com/

http://www.osaka-marathon.com/2011/schema/pdf_en/course_en.pdf

"Slut"

Things are good, training is going to schedule. I'm really starting to feel like I've reached another level of fitness. I was running my own unscheduled 1K efforts today and did 3:17, 3:35, 3:19, 3:30, 3:16, 3:35, 3:19, 3:40 and finished feeling I could have done at least 3 more before slowing down. The thing that was different this time was that I was doing it relatively easy. Not that my heart rate reflected this cause for the fast ones it was near max, but I was doing those without busting a gut. I don't know if my heart rate is redlining and I feel like I'm not, if that is altogether a good thing? But it is a new development for me. We will see.

Have a look at the following my blog title is in reference to it, makes me laugh every time ;)

HR Training

Came across this blog somehow a few days ago.

I've not done it before, that is take whole chunks of other peoples post at put them here, but thought you'd be interested in what Tim Waggoner had to say and in his blog. I was, and am.

"And a little something to add. I've been doing MAF work since I had an ice cream with Mike Pigg after my first triathlon, the St. Croix International triathlon back in 1996. He told me to just train at HR 145-155 as much as possible and I would do anything I wanted. I listened and was the #1 amateur in the world at Ironman by 2000. I pretty much trained exclusively in that HR range. If you're patient enough to do the correct work you will see big gains. I posted a video on here in November where I was gasping for breath and walking up a hill to keep my HR down. Even jogging down a hill my HR would hit 150 with no effort. But I walked every hill and paid attention and I did the right thing. Today's run, just ~7 weeks after that video, illustrates what happens. I am a responder to this kind of training now because of the years I spent patiently building my economy. I was running sub 5:20 pace on the downhills today and my HR was holding right at ~155. Just sayin."

What do you reckon about what he said?

Recovered

Feeling better but took the second day off just as a precaution. Back to it tommorrow but in the meanwhile wanted to upload this cover of "Baker Street" which I was turned onto by a guy at work. Really like it. RIP Gerry Rafferty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8vXoFrKpa0&feature=related

Sorry couldn't upload here, copy and paste link.

Out of sorts

A day of rest.



Feeling a little out of sorts today and didn't run. I'm not sure if I'm just fighting off a bug or if I've just been running too much too fast of late. I had this kind of feeling at the end of my last training cycle when was doing 200K weeks. While I've only been running about half of that mileage recently I've done plenty of speedwork and I have a similar sort of pain in my lower back kidney area and I generally feel like someones put a big syringe in me and sucked out my energy!

Anyway should be fine after a couple of days rest and even feel a little better after spending time in the sauna tonight.

What I know now is I'm not going to run when I'm feeling like this anymore, I learnt this the hard way last time when I almost ended up in hospital! You can ignore most everything I say but I reckon, like Thomas, that recovery is the key to a long and successful running life and I'd advise you to forget about keeping up a "Running Streak" for its own sake. I reckon you don't have to take a break, day off, unless you feel bad but definitely have a down week, with less effort and mileage, once a month, whether you think you need it or not!

A minus

10K race report

Raced today. The local Sakai New Year "Marathon." They had a half, 10K, 5K, and 3K and 2K races for the school kids. I ran the 10K. It's the 4th time I've ran on this course, a 3K loop of Izumiryoukuchi park.

My time 35:52. That was 4th overall and 1st in my age group (40~50). It's not a PB but well pleased with the race as I felt strong, running well within myself and only really struggled the last 800m or so. Now I think about it I could of really pushed and got a PB but I don't know if I could have gone faster (things always look different after the race) anyways PBing is not always possible and it was a good workout for the upcoming full marathon, I just want to get used to running 17 to 18 mins per 5K at a clip were I feel strong and smooth and in control, and I think I at least did that.

Besides coming from an unhealthy base in September I've made steady progress with my fitness and speed (Oct 10K 38:26) (Dec 10K 37:26) (Jan 10K 35:52).

Next a half on Jan 30th and one on Feb 20th and another 10K on March 20th were I will target 34~33mins.