NEW BLOG

I am planning to run the Berlin Marathon and the Chicago Marathon in the space of two weeks.

A new blog has been created to record my progress.

Marathondouble.com

Enjoy

 

RUNNING: WEEK TWO

So that takes  care of week two on my 12 week plan to get back into running. Pretty easy week I admit but I am in no great hurry.

SUNDAY: After running long the day before and falling over hurting my knee and side I was not up for much. A fairly  quick 5 km. Weight 68.3 Kgm on the first day of the year.😢  Only slight pain in knee but side hurt the whole time.

MONDAY : Didn’t feel that good so only ran a slow 5 km in the dark by myself. Picked up near the end. 😪 Side still painful.

TUESDAY: Good group run with a group of friends. Covered 21-22 km which was ok although had many stops for photographs etc. Enjoyable time. 😁

WEDNESDAY : Met fellow Namban runners in the park. Did not train with them as I want to take it easy at this stage and just slowly ease myself back into running.Ran about 40 minutes along  the paths in the dark. Was it ever cold !! Good outing.😀 Tamami said my face had gone a bright red !!😱

THURSDAY : Using newly purchased racing flats ran a quick 20 minutes with a number of surges. Wind made the whole exercise very interesting. Felt a little sick but no big deal. Chest still hurts but only when I run.

FRIDAY : Didn’t get out till late so just ran the same as yesterday increasing the pace bit by bit near the end. Wore my other NEW pair of racing shoes. Weight 68.2 Kgm. Still eating too much. GYM: Hard gym session….I need more strength.

SATURDAY : Met Nambanners and ran some hill sprints. 8 hills. Still not very fast but getting there if somewhat slowly. This is not that demanding and  is lots of fun to do. A little dizzy but kept moving so all OK.Went to Starbucks afterwards with team mates….not a place I would ever think of going but it is fun to do something outrageous now and then 😱😱

TOMORROW I will meet fellow Nambanners for a ‘ long’ run. Pace will on for from the start so I will not be able to stay with them….still lunch afterwards will be good. We are going to a place that serves Pizza so it looks like another wild eating adventure.

TRAINING STARTS

COMPLETED ✅First week of training done and dusted.

After being ill in October and doing very little running apart from a couple of races and my usual daily run,I have started training again…even if what I have done has been fairly easy.Hopefully I can push myself a lot harder as time goes by.

SUNDAY : First day back had to be taken easily. Ran 12 km with Tamami really pushing myself hard over the last bridge. Felt pretty ordinary afterwards.A  little dizzy as well.

Monday : Out with a friend all way.Walked and walked and walked. Home 🏡 late. Short jog. Easy day.Legs tired. Enjoyable day. 😁

Tuesday : Ran an easy 23 minutes and then did 8 hill sprints. Really tried hard.Legs wobbled near the end.Felt sick in my stomach which is always a good sign.Did not faint.

Wednesday: Good gym session. Stretching and weights. Left hamstring felt very sore….maybe as a result of hill sprints? Only a short jog as leg hurt 😭.

Thursday : Le Tour de Yamanote. Namban Team runs every station on the Yamanote 🚃Line in Tokyo. 29 stations.About 44 km…or more 😱. Only ran 19 stations.Very slow but a good day out.My distance was maybe 19 or 20 kms. Weight 66.7 Kgm. 👌 

Friday. Slightly longer in the gym….weights and exercises. A little scared of hurting my hamstring so light on leg exercises.Did some squats which I normally never do. Only short jog in the afternoon. FIRST week is an easy one.

SATURDAY: Stupid stupid stupid 😨 Ran long with Tamami san but being a complete idiot I tripped over a concealed vine  in the secret forest 🌳 and crashed onto the pavement after only 7 or 8 kms.😡😩. Really only bruises and cuts ( and some blood lost)but still a shock. I have now fallen 3 times 😵.I suppose over 50 years is not too bad an average but still pretty miserable. Tamami helped me up and managed another 13 kms to actually make it quite a decent run. No need really to call a doctor 👨‍⚕️ or go to hospital…although others may have thought otherwise.

 

SO…first week completed…ok I suppose…not trying to do too much too early. Just trying to ease back into with lots of rest. Next week will be better and certainly I will not fall over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUNNING TRAINING STARTS TOMORROW……

Tomorrow is the big day. I start training again. I have been doing some running and am thinking of what I have been doing as a sort of pre-season. I am not very fast or strong and am certainly the most inflexible I have ever been….but the plan is to change all that……starting December 25 th

This last week has gone as follows :

MONDAY : A steady run with Tamami San of about 14 km. Weight 67.7 km.

TUESDAY: Only a short jog followed by a hard 30 minutes on the exercise bike ( hate the bike )…I really hammer myself for 20 seconds and then go steady for 40 seconds and then repeat….Found this hard. I have done this in the past and almost fainted but not this time which was a plus.

WEDNESDAY : Ran a steady 5 km with Tamami and then did a fairly hard hill sprint session. Felt a but faint near the end but all good.

IN THE EVENING went to a running/ English class which involved lots of exercises and a short jog. A fun evening. Proved to myself yet again just how stiff I am. I Will stretch more !!! 👍

THURSDAY : Wanted to run around the paths next to the canals near our home. But this is mostly tiles.As it was raining heavily I did not want to slip so ran a miserable 2 km and went home. 😡 Pretty weak I know.😰

FRIDAY : RACE…..only a low key 5 km race along a path next to a river some where on the out skirts of Tokyo. Ran OK for this stage and finished 4 th. At one stage I thought I may be winning….but in reality the leaders out of sight😪 NO age categories so I went home with nothing part from some weird sort of hand warmer that came with the race entry. I CERTAINLY can do one hell of a lot better.

SATURDAY: HILL TRIBE…..ran with the Namban Rengo up 8 hills. I am still woefully weak and slow but finished ahead of 5 or 6 others….although saying that one was older than me and the other not well. Tried to match some strong young girl but eventually lost out to her …..she is my target next week.🏃🏻🏃🏻

AS stated tomorrow I will direct my energies to getting fit…getting strong and getting more flexible.💪

TOMORROW.

 

 

 

RUNNING IN TOKYO: Resting

Another week of running in Japan. I am trying to take it easy and to commence training again on December 25 th.

This current post is written via my delux super modern cherry red coloured new iPad. 😎

MONDAY : A good start to the week. I ran what for me was a solid 12 km. I tried to run a little faster with my last 4 kms run at 5.22, 5.22, 5.10, 4.53. Sure this is not fast per se ,but I was running over a bridge and had to run onto the road to avoid a truck. SO in my current state this was not too bad. Weight 67.6 Kgm….Blood Pressure 122/72. Wore my old heavy shoes with orthotics. Happy  with this as I actually pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

TUESDAY : Ran a steady 5 km with Tamami San and then ran 6 hill sprints. Weight 67.4  Kgm. EAch hill about 48 seconds.Found this reasonably hard.

WEDNESDAY : Good  solid morning session in the gym in the morning. In the evening joined with Namban Team mates to run reps  in the park. We ran 2000,3×1000,2×500. In the dark I missed the finish for the last 500m and carried on for another 300m. 😦  Certainly I am woefully slow. Long way to go.😥 More of this is certainly necessary.

THURSDAY : Nothing in the morning but solid gym session in the afternoon followed by 5 km with Tamami. Probably not such a good idea to combine gym and running so close together. Felt pretty poor at the start. Finished OK even if I did feel a little sick.

FRIDAY : Good Japanese friend from Melbourne in Tokyo for a funeral this week end. Ran over the Rainbow Bridge with her and Tamami. She is only a 3.30 marathon runner but just left me way behind running up the incline on the bridge. Actually I felt really bad at a photo stop and almost fainted. Ran about 12 km over all. It was probably more a race than a social run.😮 Felt sick.But it was great to run with her and hopefully made her feel a little better.

SATURDAY: Joined Namban team mates for hill training.They are called The Hill Tribe.After about a 2 km (?) warm up we ran 8 hills over a bit over one minute each. Found this hard and was very much at the back of the pack.In fact I was second last for most runs although I picked up a couple of places in the last couple of runs. I will do better next week. I lack both speed and strength.

BONEKAI: This is a Japanese end of year party. Namban Rengo hold one every year.A very interesting and enjoyable evening. Great to see fellow team mates in something other than running gear.

NEXT WEEK: Another rest and recovery week. Not much planned other than something called RunLIsh….combines Running and English ( true!)…on Wednesday…and a Race on Friday ( public holiday)…and of course The Hill Tribe on Saturday. Perhaps the hills Tamami and I run on Tuesday’s are too short…will try and make these longer and harder.

 

RUNNING/RESTING IN JAPAN

 

I have decided to take a break until December 25 th. That is a Sunday and just the day to start again with a good long hard run in Tokyo.

This week has been the first week of my resting.

MONDAY : A good half an hour in the gym in the morning followed by a steady 15 km or so with Tamami in the afternoon.

TUESDAY: Another gym session in the morning and a short jog in the afternoon.

WEDNESDAY : Good session in the morning. In the afternoon I ran a steady 5 km and then did 6 hill ‘ sprints’. Longest about 47 seconds. Legs felt a little strange at the end. Felt good running a little faster.

THURSDAY : Longer gym session in the morning and an easy 22 minute run with Mi Chan in the afternoon. I am certainly resting.

FRIDAY : Ran a bit faster today but only for 20 minutes. Weight is 68.3 Kgms….must be extra muscle. 😉

SATURDAY : planned to meet a group called The Hill Tribe and run some hills….but got there an hour early by mistake so ran for about 40 minutes which did include 4 quite testing hills. A good outing.

SUNDAY : Acted as an official for a friend who was putting on a Half Marathon race some where out in the middle of nowhere. ran with last place finisher to the end. All that standing around really tested my legs. Must prefer running than being an official.

OK that was my rest week….this week I will also take it easy.

Another week running in Japan

Another week living and running in Japan concluding with a race in Sunday.

MONDAY  : Gym session in the morning of about 45 minutes. Not pushing it too hard at this stage. In the afternoon a slightly quicker run of about 20 minutes with Mi chan over a new route wearing light shoes.

TUESDAY : 13 km run which I found hard. Never felt good. Weight 68.1 Kgms Blood Pressure 140/85

WEDNESDAY : Did not sleep very well and only went for a short jog in the afternoon.

THURSDAY : 13 km finishing in the dark. String finish. Felt a bit better. Weight down to 67.4 Kgms. HR Max 190 which is not too good.

FRIDAY : 30 minutes in the gym and shortish jog around the streets. Blood Pressure Good.

SATURDAY : Again did not sleep well. Longer session in the gym with lots of stretching. Back hurting a bit when I run. Short jog in the afternoon.

SUNDAY: RACE: Ran a leg of a relay ( Ekiden) with my Tokyo Running club,Namban  Rengo,out in the middle of nowhere.

I found running at a faster pace than I was used to at training pretty hard. This was my first race since September.

My splits were are good indication of my current position. There was a very long hard at about 7km which went pretty much to the end. This really defeated me and I had to struggle to offer much of a kick in the last couple of hundred meters.

4.23/4.43/4.58/5.02/5.01/4.47/5.05/5.43 ( 4.54)

So again a so so week but I think a step forward. I will try and get some club training in this week and have another race before Christmas. Apart from pain in my back and a little pain in my foot plus sleeping difficulties I am getting reasonably healthy.

 

STRUGGLE IN JAPAN.

This last week running in Japan was ok I suppose. I am over my illness and my foot problems are now only minimal. My running week has evolved as follows:

SATURDAY( November 20th) : An easy two laps( 10km) of the Palace with Tamami San in a bit over 55 minutes. Crowds made it a little harder than I would have liked but that is of course to be expected.

MONDAY: Started the day( week) well with a solid gym session in the morning. However I left it far too late to go out running. Dark when I started and then it started to rain. I am scared of slipping on the tiles near the canals where I run. I tried a long surge on some rough road ( no slipping). Only about 600m. Felt terrible. Ran home slowly. Not good. Weight 68.1. 😦

TUESDAY: About 13 km the first two being with Tamami. Strong enough finish.Felt a little sick. Weight 67.4 Kgms .

WEDNESDAY: Tried to run a little faster. About 5 km. I am very slow. 😦

THURSDAY : Snow day. I can handle rain and cold and heat but I am too much of a wimp to run in the snow. 30 minutes on the treadmill.Boring. Managed 100 push ups for the first time in a while.

FRIDAY: Reasonable run with Tamami San of about 12 Kms. I still  take a long time to get moving. Weight 67.5 Kgms.

SATURDAY: Ran a slightly different route and made it to about 15 km running with Mi chan.Started terribly and at the end felt lacking in energy.

SUNDAY: Social run with friend and Tamami over the rainbow bridge. Slow pace with a few stops. Counting run to the meeting place probably about 15 km. A very enjoyable run.

Overall nothing special this week. About 67 Kms. Certainly  can get this up to 90kms soon. Not feeling great but getting a little better I think.

 

 

 

 

Marathon Woes.

Just over a week before the Melbourne Marathon I became ill and th did not run. I have never really been so sick I could not race. I am proud of the fact that since I started work in 1974 I have never missed a day’s work.

On the Friday before the Sunday Marathon I ran 3 km. I really had to dig deep to just finish this run.

NEW YORK: I went to America to support Tamami when she ran the NYC Marathon on November 6 th. Whilst she ran very well I was still a bit ill and ran for 42 minutes next to the East River.

JAMAICA: Day after the Marathon we went to Montego Bay for a week of R & R in the sun. I ran on the Treadmill( boring plus) everyday for up to 50 minutes. 

TOKYO: Arriving back in Japan this Monday after a very hard plane flight I managed a short jog just before midnight. Travelled economy class for the last time. I am a Spartan but there are limits! 🙂

THIS WEEK IN TOKYO.TUESDAY : : Very easy 5 km with Tamami. Plan is to be smart(!!) and start back slowly. Also started doing stomach crunches again ( 500) and push ups(40) again. My weight was up to 68.1 Kgms ( almost 150 pounds) which was to be expected after all the food available in Jamaica.

WEDNESDAY :Ran an easy 16 minutes with another 30 minutes alone…total 46 minutes. Felt terrible and struggled to finish.

THURSDAY  : Ran 5 km by myself in my new shoes ( 290 grams). Felt OK. Weight 68.8 Kgms…:-)

FRIDAY: One hour run which felt ok. Foot a little sore at the end. Took my Blood Pressure : 128/76. For me this is excellent. Weight 67.9 Kgms which is moving in the right direction. Resting Heart Rate : 49. A little high but no great worry. Will get down once I start running.

PLAN: Now back in Japan for another two months plan is to try to  get a little faster and a little lighter. Get my running flowing again..Also get to the Gym on a regular basis. And above all never get sick again

TWO WEEKS TILL RACE.

Only two weeks until the Melbourne Marathon.

This last week has been a little bit different to my normal training but I think it has been a reasonably worthwhile week.The aim is of course not to train just for the sake of training but to enable  me to run 42.2 Km.

MONDAY : After a solid 31 km run on the Sunday I took it very easy and ran just 3 km.

TUESDAY : I have sold my office building and have a ton ( ten tons) of guff accumulated over the last 30 years. Spent most of the day moving boxes and going up and down stairs. Too tired to run so only 3 Kms in the evening.

WEDNESDAY : Plan was for medium run of say an hour and a half. I decided to run shorter and wearing my light weight racing flats ran a hard ( for me) 7 Kms. It was quite fun to get out and stretch my legs after days of inactivity.

THURSDAY : Plan was again to get a medium long run of say 20 Kms. Tamami was to run the first half with me. However in the first Km my legs felt very sore due I suspect running hard the day before. Tamami is very good running down hills whilst I am very poor at this. After about 3 km she raced down from a steep bridge and left me behind. I took three Kms to catch her ( not good). After I passed her I really pushed myself hard to the end. I thought she was right behind me but in fact she stopped with 3 km to go…live to fight another day….wise move.

Quite happy as I beat my best time for that course by 2 minutes and 6 seconds.

FRIDAY and Saturday…..just easy jogging. Spent all Saturday at the Football Grand Final so only got out late at night.

SUNDAY : Tamami has a bit of an injury so ran a solid 30 km in the morning with me manning the drink station at 10 and 20 km.

I did not get out till almost 6 PM and just lacked the Will power to run for two hours…actually I was quite hungry and not feeling so great.Tamami drove me out about 11 km and I ran home. Again using my light weight shoes. Foot hurt a bit but I enjoyed the run knowing it would be fairly short. There were some quite steep hills which I enjoyed trying to run up hard although I was my usual woeful self on the way down. Generally a not so stressful 57 minute run.

Weight 66.2 Kgms. Resting Heart Rate 44.

Two weeks until I run my 15 th Melbourne Marathon.