2007/07/02

6/25 - 7/1

6/26(Tue)

I woke up at 5:45am and started to run from 6:10.It clear and the temperature was 73°F.I ran 5.1 mile loop of the Central Park. I finished the loop in 38'30"; 7'33" per mile.
It was a good start of the week.

6/27(Wed)

I could not wake up that morning. So I ran from 6:30pm.The temperature was 84°F. It was so muggy evening.I ran whole loop of the Central Park. I finished the loop in 45'56"; 7'39" per mile.
I was drenched in sweat during the training.

6/28(Thu)

I joined the running class by NYRR as usual.
It was slightly raining. It was better than the muggy weather of the day before. And due to the rain, there were fewer runners than usual.The menu was 1mile run x 3. We started from the east drive at E6801 pole and head south to the marathon goal.I did each lap with 6'02', 5'59", 5'59".
Actually I wanted to run the last lap faster; around 5’55”. But there were not faster runner I could follow, so I leaded the group; I could not push myself enough.

6/30(Sat)

I ran in the evening after watching the Yankee game at the stadium.
The temperature was 79°F. It was not cool, but I got used to hot weather after the training of this week.This day, I ran 2 whole loops of the Central Park. I finished 12miles in 1:46’00”; 8'50" per mile pace. I did slower pace than usual.


7/1(Sun)

I started to run at 9:15. It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was 65°F.
I ran a whole loop and 4 mile loop of the Central Park.The time was 47'48" for the whole loop and 30'09" for the 4 mile loop. The average pace was 7'47".


My weekly mileage was 36.1. I cleared the target of 36.Next week, my target will be 40. I will go to the Yankee Stadium every day. So to run 40 mile in the week will be another challenge for me.

2007/06/24

6/20 - 6/24

6/20(Wed)

I woke up at 5:45am and started to run from 6:10.
It slightly rained. The temperature was 70°F.

I ran 5.1 mile loop of the Central Park same as the day before.
I finished the loop in 39'28"; 7'44" per mile.

6/21(Thu)

I joined the running class by NYRR first time for three weeks.
The menu was 0.25mile run x 6.
I did each lap with 1'13', 1'14", 1'14", 1'15", 1'15" and 1'15".
According to the Bob's book, this pace is that of sub-6-minute-pace mile in 10K runner's. Actually it was too much for me; 6'15" per mile is enough.
However, I was happy to run the last one in 1'15". I got confidence that I had become a better runner than I was in one month ago, when I did the same work out with 1'19", 1'14", 1'13", 1'14", 1'16" and 1'18".

6/22(Fri)

I ran in the morning for the third time in this week. It is good news.
It was a little chilly this morning. The temperature was 62°F.
I finished 4miles in 33'49"; 8'27" per mile pace.
I felt fatigue from the speed work of the day before and slowed the pace.

6/23(Sat)

I ran a whole loop and 4 mile loop of the Central Park.
The time was 49'08" for the whole loop and 31'26" for the 4 mile loop. The average pace was 8'03".
I started to run at 4:00pm. It was 5:00am of Sunday in Japan when the Saroma 100K ultra marathon started. I tried to imagine how I feel at the start of the 100K race, but I could not. I am not ready yet even to imagine.

6/24(Sun)

I ran three loops of the Reservoir. The each lap was 13'37", 12'00" and 11'28". The average pace was 7'43" per mile.

My weekly mileage was 33.5. I cleared the target of 30.
Next week, my target will be 36. I should run in the morning again. It will be another challenge.

2007/06/19

5.1 Mile in the morning

I started this week's training with 5.1 miles run in the morning.

I waked up at 5:45 to start the training at 6:10.
It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was 69°F.

I ran the lower loop of the Central Park.
It took me 39'20" to finish the 5.1 mile loop; 7'42" per mile pace.

The weekly mileage is 5.1. I have 24.9 to go.

6/11 - 6/17

6/12/07

I ran in the morning before I left to work. I started to run on 6:00am.
I don't remember when I did so last time.

I ran the lower loop of the Central Park. I finished 5.1 miles in 39'01"; 7'40" per mile.

The temperature was 68°F. I felt sleepy but enjoyed the morning in the Park.

6/17/07

After 6/12, I was not able to run. I could not wake up early at all.
I was supposed to run 30 miles. However, I could not do it. I ran only 5.1 through Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, I ran the whole loop of the Park twice; 12miles.
I finished the first loop in 50'11" and the second loop in 48'42".
The average pace was 8'14" per mile.

It was beautiful day. I started my training just after the noon; it was hot. The temperature was 85°F. I thought that it was too hot to run 12miles. But I took water often and controlled the pace to finish 12 miles successfully.

The bad news was I ran only 17 miles. The good news was the pain in my shin was eased during the unexpected rest.

Next week's target is 30 miles again.


It took 1:38'53" to run 12miles.

2007/06/10

Shin Splints? - Maybe no problem

After the race on last Sunday, I felt slight pain in my left shin. I thought that maybe it was one of the typical injury of runners, shin splint.

According to the Bob Glover's book, the causes of the injury are "tight clf and hamstring muscles; muscle imbalance- weeknesses in the fron of the leg compared to the back of the legs; running too high on toes; overstriding; leaning forward while running; running shose that are inflexible or have heels that are not thick enough; sudden change from soft to hard surfaces; slanted surfaces; sudden changes in mileage, speed training, or hill running".

For my case, the speed training with a new running shoes should have been the one. On 5/31 I did speed work by NYRR with my new shoes. I did so because I would like to run the Sunday race with that shoes. Usually I use insoles for my running shoes to support my arches. However, I misses to use them at the speed training. The shoes are for light racing shoes with thin heels. I felt very slight pain after the speed work. So I used the insoles at the race. But it might be too late. That is the story.

I tried to run on Wednesday. But I felt storonger pain and stopped the training after 10 minutes. I decided to take a rest for couple of days.

And I tried again today. I ran around the Reservoir of the Central Park. I did three round of it, which was 4.8 miles, in 37'50". The average pace was 7'53" per mile.
I focused my attention on my thin. If it hurts, I should stop and take another rest maybe one more week; such rest could make it impossible for me to try PR in my next race in July.

And it was fine. I felt slight stiffnes but no pain. On wednesday, it was defnitely a red signal. Today it was a yellow. I was relieved so much to realize that I can keep training for my next target.

I will run 30 miles next week and skip the speed work of this week.

2007/06/03

Japan day 4M

I jogged to the start line as usual and got sweaty when I got to there. The temperature was 71°F, but it was a muggy morning today.

Today I participated in the Japan Day @ Central Park 4mile race.



It was one of the events in the Japan Day @ Central Park, which was the first Japanese promotional event in the Central Park. There were more Japanese runners than usual race.

The course of the race was typical 4 miler in the park. Start from east drive at 68th street head to north and turn to the left at 102nd street cut off to the west drive and head to south to 72nd street and turn to another left to the goal line at the middle of the cut off.

Today's target was to run the pace of between 6'10" and 6'15" per mile to finish between 24'40" and 25'00". I would like to break 25minutes.

Because recent races were so many of runners who started from the area much faster than his/her level, I lost a lot in the first mile to weave among those runners, I tried to line in front as possible and I did successfully.

Today I started so smoothly to ran the first mile in 6'01"; it was too smooth.

I tried to save my pace in the second mile and ran at 6'06".

I would like to keep the pace in the third mile, where I always lose some seconds. But I could not. The uphill mile was so tough, and it took me 6'30" there. I lost 15 seconds.

I tried to come back in the last mile. I did. I picked up my pace again and ran the final mile in 6'08".

The result was

0-1 6'01" / 6'01"
1-2 6'06" / 12'07"
2-3 6'30" / 18'37"
3-4 6'08" / 24'45"

I broke 25 minute for the first time. I thought that this result should be good step for my next target 10K race in July in which I planned to run at faster than 6'20" per mile.

My place was 64 of 4,594 runners, and 64 of 2,552 male runners. I ran faster than the first woman for the first time.

2007/06/02

9.9 mile

I was supposed to run 10miles today in the morning.
However, I was not able to get up early. I started my training on 12:30pm.
I ate steak and drunk a glass of brandy last night, maybe that was why I woke up late.

As soon as I started to run, I found that it was too hot and the sun was too tough to for me run 10 miles. So I stopped after I finished 5.1 mile loop. The time was 42'31". I realized that I was not ready to run in summer condition.

I ran again in the evening at 6:40pm.
The weather was much better at that time. I ran around the Reservoir. I did 3 loops; 4.8miles. Each lap was 12'42", 12'21" and 11'27.

The total mileage was 9.9 miles and the average pace was 8'00" per mile.
The weekly mileage was 26, 4miles to go.

2007/05/31

Interval 600y x 6 - NYRR Class

It was another beautiful day and another hot day.
The temperature of the afternoon might be over 90°F.

But it was eased to around 70°F at 7:00pm, when the NYRR running class began.
Today's menu was interval at the slope in front of the Tavern on the Green.

We started at 60th street of the west drive of the Central Park and ran to north to the Marathon goal in front of the restaurant. It was around 600y course. A set was made of rush at the uphill and easy jog at the downhill. We did six sets.

The time of the six rushes were 1'44", 1'42", 1'40", 1'40", 1'40", 1'34". The total time was 10'00". I did the same training in 10'03" in March. I was not sure if I improved my running. However, I was able to run the final one fastest. It was not bad.

Including 3miles from the round trip from ps6 to the start line, my weekly mileage is 16.1, I have 13.9 to go.


2007/05/30

6 miles at another slightly brisk pace

It was another beautiful summer day today.
I started jogging at 6:45pm. The temperature was 80°F at that time.

Today I ran the whole loop of the Central Park; 6miles jog.
I ran at 7'27" per mile pace to finish in 44'44".

The weekly mileage is 11.1, 18.9 to go.

2007/05/29

5.1Mile at a slightly brisk pace

It was so beautiful day today. The temperature at 7pm was 73°F; much better to run than last weekend.

Today I ran 5.1 mile loop of the Central Park.
I finished the loop in 38'06", 7'28" per mile pace. It was a little faster pace than my base pace, however I felt very good.

The weekly mileage is 5.1, I have 24.9 to go.

2007/05/27

5/21 - 5/27

My next target is 10K race on 7/14/07.
I am going to prepare for it. I have 7 weeks to go.

Because I need both speed and endurance, I have to train to enhance both of them.
As I feel that I have to improve my aerobic capacity, I would like to put the speed work with the NYRR's running class in the center of my training and I would like to enhance my endurance with weekly mileage of up to 40 miles per week.

My training of last week was as follows.

5/24(Thu)

I joined NYRR's running class.
The menu was 6 x 0.25mile run at the track on the great hill of the Central Park.
The rap of each run was 1'19" 1'14" 1'13" 1'14" 1'16" 1'18".
It was so tough work out. I could not keep the pace through the last rap. Maybe I should have run middle raps at 1'15". But it should be good training because I was able to challenge my limit.

Including the jogging from PS6 to great hill, the mileage was 5.5miles.

5/25(Fri)

The temperature was 89°F at 4:30pm. It was so hot.
I ran a 4mile loop of the Central Park.
I did in 36'55", 9'14" per mile.
Due to the speed work of the day before, all of my body were so soar.
I could run only at the slow pace.

5/26(Sat)

I began my training after I came home after the Yankee game.
It was another hot day, the temperature was 83°F at 6:20pm.
I ran the whole loop and the 4mile loop of the Central Park; 10 miles.
The time was 50'38", 8'26" per mile for the whole loop and 32'00", 8'00" per mile for the 4mile loop. The average pace was 8'16" per mile.

5/27(Sun)

I began my training at 11:00. The temperature was 74°F. It was better.
I ran the whole loop of the Central Park.
As I felt that the fatigue from the speed work of Thursday's class was eased, I ran at the brisk pace.
I finished 6miles in 44'52", 7'29" per mile.

My weekly mileage was 25.5 mile. I will run 30 miles next week. I would like to start the morning run.

2007/05/20

12miles LSD

Today, I ran 12miles at an easy pace.

Due to the AIDS Walk, the Central Park was so crowded and I could not run there.
So I ran the outside streets of the park.
I started from the Central Park West Avenue at 100th street and head north.
I turned to the right at 110th street and made another right at 5th Avenue to head south to the other end of the park. And at 59th Street I turned to right to Columbus circle and made the final right to the north to 100th street. I finished the course in 56'14".

After the out side rectangle, the AIDS Walk people had gone. So I ran the whole loop of the park.
I finished the loop in 48'30".

The average pace was 8'44" per mile.

My weekly mileage of this week was 21.2.
Next week I am going to run 25 miles.

2007/05/19

Health Kidney 10K

Today I participated in the Healthy Kidney 10K race in the Central park.
It was overcast, the temperature was 54°F at 9:00 am. The weather was perfect for running; but my condition was not.

I had not run so much after the NJ Marathon because to take the enough rest was my priority. So I was not ready for today’s race and did not set a clear target. Actually I had a target to break 40 minutes, which I missed by 1 second in the Scotland run on 4/1. Also I felt like to try to my challenging pace of 6’20”, which is my acceptable goal of this year.
That turned out to be a mistake later…

The result was


0- 1   6’24” / 6’24”

The first mile was more crowded than I expected. And I have to weave through runners and lost energy.

1- 2   6’19” / 12’43”

2- 3   6’18” / 19’01”

I should have slowed down in these miles. That was main fault in terms of the tactics of this race.

3- 4   6’43” / 25’44”


I could not keep the pace in the toughest mile of the course.

4- 5   6’29“/ 32’13”

5- 6   6’28” / 38’41”
6- 6.2  1’24” / 40’05”

I tried to get back, but I could not. I finished in 40 minutes 5 seconds.

I missed both of 40 minutes and 6’20” per mile.
I should have accepted that I was not in good shape due to luck of training to concentrate on breaking 40 minutes. It was a strategic fault which caused tactical fault.

Although I was not satisfied with the result, I think it was a good experience for me. I am in the level where it is not easy to break PR. To do so, I should be ready in both physically and mentally. Next 10K race in July is my target race, I should be at the start line as a better runner than today.

My place was 279 of 5,413 runners, and 249 of 3,084 male runners.

Mr. Kahlid Khannouchi was among the 5,413 runners. He is one of the top marathoner of the world. I got his autograph at the NYC Marathon Expo last year.
He was 14th place with a finish time of 30’06”.

The winning time was 28’08”, which is the Central Park record. Wow

2007/05/15

Next targets

In the NJ Marathon on 4/29, I have cleared the first target of this year, which was to finish marathon in 3:15 to be qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Now it is time to think about the next target.

First of all, I would like to set my target for a marathon. My next marathon is the NYC marathon on 11/4/07, which is 6month ahead.

My ultimate target of this year is to run at a pace of 7 minutes per mile. I can finish a marathon in 3:03'32" with that pace. Yes, it is tough to achieve in half an year.
My challenging target is 3:05'45". The pace is 7'05" per mile.
My acceptable target is 3:08'00". The pace is 7'10" per mile.

For half marathon, I want to set my target pace faster than marathon by 30 seconds.
So the ultimate target is 1:25'00", 6'30" per mile.
The challenging target is 1:26'15", 6'35" per mile.
The acceptable target is 1:27'20", 6'40" per mile.
And my target race will be the Queens Half-Marathon on 9/23/07.

For 10K race, my target pace is faster than half marathon by 20 seconds.
The ultimate target is 38'20", 6'10" per mile.
The challenging target is 38'50", 6'15" per mile.
And my acceptable target is 39'20", 6'20" per mile.
My target race will be the race in the Central Park on 7/14/07.

They are not easy ones, so I may have to adjust later. However, I would like to train for my targets.

- - -
Today, I joined the running class by NYRR for the first time after the NJ Marathon.

Today's workout was 3 x 1mile. It was tough one.
I did with 5'53", 5'55" and 6'02". It was not bad for the first time in 3 weeks and the renewed start for the new target.

2007/05/01

NJ Marathon

Finally my big day for the first half of the year 2007 has come, the Sunday of the New Jersey Marathon. It was my second marathon following the NYC Marathon last November.

The race was held in the city of Long Branch, NJ, located middle south area of the State of New Jersey along the Atlantic Ocean. It took me about one and half hour by train from the Penn station of NYC.

I stayed in the Holiday inn express of Long Branch the night before and I arrived at the marathon site at 6:00am. It was sunrise time. It was so beautiful.


Cloudy and relatively low temperature, it was the best weather for marathon.
And the course was almost flat. There was nothing to prevent me from running as I planned.
My target finish time of the race was 3:15, and I planned to run each mile at the pace between 7’20” to 7’25” per mile. With that pace, the projected goal time was between 3:12’18” to 3:14’28”. I intended not to run faster then 7’15” pace especially in the first half. And the course was two of 13.1 mile loops, so I was going to observe the course during the first half.

The race began at 7:46am delayed by 16minutes by unknown reason…

0-1 7'23"/7'23"
1-2 7'02"/14'25"

The start was very smooth; actually too smooth. I tried to slow down gradually.

2-3 7'14"/21'39"
3-4 7'17"/28'56"
4-5 7'22"/36'18"
5-6 7'23"/43'41"
6-7 7'17"/50'58"
7-8 7'23"/58'21"

I was so relaxed and stayed calm. From my experience in the NYC Marathon, I tried to save my energy for the second half. I let other runners pass by me and kept my pace. I took the first Power Gel at the 8mile mark.

8-9 7'09"/1:05'30"
9-10 7'20"/1:012'50"
10-11 7'17"/1:20'07"
11-12 7'13"/1:27'20"
12-13 7'21"/1:34'41"

I finished the first half in 1:35’29”, at 7’17” per mile pace. It was slightly faster than my plan. But both of my physical and mental conditions were pretty good.

13-14 7'11"/1:41'52"

Most of all the runners around me were disappeared after the end of the first loop. They ran half-marathon. Suddenly I had to run by myself. I lost my pace for a while.

14-15 7'25"/1:49'27"

I refreshed my mind to think that the race began from there and was able to adjust my pace successfully. I took the second Power Gel at the 15 mile mark.

15-16 7'13"/1:56'30"
16-17 7'13"/2:03'43"
17-18 7'19"/2:11'02"
18-19 7'27"/2:18'29"
19-20 7'13"/2:25'42"

The course was so flat that I was able to keep my pace slightly faster even in the second half. I concentrated on my pace and my form. By this point of the race many of other runners began to slow down. I used those runners as my target and went from runner to runner.

20-21 7'29"/2:33'11"
21-22 7'27"/2:40'38"

Finally I felt that my pace began to slow down gradually after 20 mile. Now it was mental game beyond that point through the finish line. I took the third and last Power Gel at the 21 mile mark.

22-23 7'21"/2:47'59"
23-24 7'36"/2:55'35"
24-25 7'48"/3:03'23"
25-26 7'49"/3:11'12"

It was not easy to keep my planned pace any more. And the course was slightly up slope in this part of the course. I ran with thinking of the miles left and minutes left. At 24 mile, it was 2miles to go, it was 17 to 18 minute for me, and I had 20 minutes for my target of 3:15. At 25 miles, it was 1 mile to go….

And the final 0.2 mile was….
26-26.2 1'43"/3:12'55"


Finish time: 3:13’21” (Gross), 3:12’55” (Net) / 7’23” per mile
1st Half: 1:35’29” / 7’18” per mile
2nd Half: 1:37’26” / 7’27” per mile
Place: 76 of 1,576 runners/ 73 of 996 male runners

I cleared my target and was qualified for the Boston Marathon!
I think I did very well. I set the target successfully and executed successfully.
I was relaxed and able to concentrate through the race.


My next target is the NYC marathon of this November.

My target would be to break 3:05. I would like to prepare for that.

2007/04/28

The last week

4/24
I participated in the running class by NYRR as usual.
The menu of the day was 6 x 0.25mile at a dirt track on the top of the Great Hill of the Central Park.

The time of the each run was 1'33", 1'39", 1'37", 1'36", 1'35" and 1'32". The total time was 9'32", the pace was 6'21" per mile.

I joined 8'00"-to-8'30"-per-mile-in-5K-race gruop that evening. That pace was slower by two minutes than usual group.
I don't need a speed work with the NY marathon 5days ahead.

4/28
The day before the marathon, I ran 4mile loop in the Central Park.
I ran the distance in 29'55". The pace was 7'29" per mile, which was almost the marathon pace.
Now I got ready.

2007/04/25

Run for the Parks 4mile

A beautiful and hot Sunday morning, I participated in Run for the Parks 4 mile race in the Central park. The temperature was over 70°F at 10:00 am.

I did not plan to run this race. However, I heard that many of my running mates including Chiho and Yuichiro would run so I decided to run.
This race was another farewell run for Chiho and first one for Yuichiro.

I did not have any image of the target for the race. Only thing I tried was not to run too hard. With the NJ marathon was a week ahead I did not have to challenge my limit in this 4 miler.


The result was…

0- 1   6’37” / 6’37”
1- 2   6’08” / 12’45”

2- 3   6’25” / 19’10”
3- 4   6’12” / 25’22”

It was not bad.

The first mile was so crowded with the runners who were much slower than I. So I have to weave through them and lost 10 to 20 seconds. It could not be helped. It was the Central Park…

The bad point of my run was that although I intended not to go too fast in the second mile to prevent slowing down in the third mile, I failed.
Maybe I ran too fast in the last half of the first mile to get away from the crowds and kept that pace in the second mile.
The most part of the third mile was uphill, so I was among many runners who slowed down there.

So if I tried to run my best race in this course, I should line in front position as possible of the starting area. Also I should run the third mile in the pace not slower than five seconds than other miles. I would like to run within 25 minutes in some races this year.

My place was 95 of 6,575 runners, and 88 of 3,300 male runners.

After the race, we gathered to say good-bye to Chiho and Yuichiro.
We took a picture in front of the cherry blossoms. It was like a typical graduation picture in Japan.

2007/04/21

LSD in the Rockefeller States Park

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I went to the Rockefeller States Park. I headed to Tarry town by Hudson line of the Metro North, from there my running friend picked me up to take me to the park.

I ran the trail course in the park with other six running friends.
We gathered there to run with Chiho, who was supposed to leave NYC to Japan next week with her husband, Yoichiro. It was a farewell run for her. She stayed 2 and half years in NYC. It is usual for Japanese people in NYC to go back to Japan after there assignment periods are done. Most of them stay only 3-5 years in NYC.


Chiho was one of the first running friends I had. We saw after a half marathon race in Queens April of last year. Before I saw her and other friends, running was lonely act for me. I trained alone and ran races alone. However, after I knew them I realized that I could obtain something to share with other guys through running. It made big difference on my running life.


We ran about 15 miles trail course in 2 hours and half.
The course was so beautiful and full of up and down; it was pretty good training course.
Actually we did not realize that we ran so long time and so long distance. It was easy to run speaking with friends, especially with running friends.
With best weather, best course and best friends, I thought that it was one of the best and forgettable run ever.

2007/04/20

2 weeks to go

4/17(Tue)
I participated in the running class by NYRR as usual. It was raining and chilly evening.
There were less runners than usual participated in the class. Because it was the next day of the Boston Marathon those who ran there were not there.
The course of the day was along the east edge of Manhattan along the East river. We ran from 81st Street to the bridge at the 106th street. It was 1.25 miles course. We ran through there three times.
I was not fully recovered from last Saturday’s half marathon in Brooklyn. So I felt so tired after the first one and was not sure I was able to do next two runs. But I did.
The time of each run was 7’52”, 7’45” and 7’40”. The average pace was 6’13” per mile. I managed to keep up with other runners and ran through three laps. It was a good exercise.


4/19(Thu)
I ran along the whole loop of the Central Park.
It was a beautiful evening. The temperature was 60+.
I finished 6miles in 46’17”; it was 7’43” per mile pace.


NJ Marathon is 9days ahead.I will run 12 miles tomorrow and run 4miles race on Sunday and taper the training mileage next week to ease my fatigue.

2007/04/15

Brooklyn Half-Marathon

I ran half-marathon in Brooklyn last Saturday. It was my second one of this year.

The race is one of the NYRR Half-marathon Grand Prix, which consists of 5 races in 5 boroughs in NYC.

It was so beautiful day. The temperature was 41F. It was the best day for a running race.




My plan for this race was to run a build-up training, to run with picking up the pace gradually.
I think I might be able to run at 6’45” per mile pace to finish 1:28’30” if I tried. However, as I have NJ Marathon 2 weeks ahead, it is not very wise to challenge my limit in this half marathon.
So I planned to run the first 4mile at 7’15” per mile, next 5miles at 7’00” and last 4.1 miles at 6’45”. The finish time would be 1:31’40”, which was my PR.

The course was from the Boardwalk of the Connie Island to the Prospect Park.
As I saw it, there were two points to care along the course; first 3mile and last 4miles.
The rest of the course was so flat and straight.

The first 3mile was on the Boardwalk. At the start line, there were almost 5,000 runners, and the Boardwalk was narrow. So if I lined up back of the crowd I would loss a couple of minutes.

The last 4miles was in the Prospect Park. There ware some uphill there. The first one was so long and tough to run after 10miles at race pace. So I kept in mind that I should save some energy for the hill.

The result was…

0-1 7'04"/7'04"
1-2 6'50"/13'54"
2-3 7'07"/21'01"
3-4 6'48"/27'49"
Maybe it was because I started from 7minutes per mile mark, the start was much smother than I expected. I was able to set the tone soon. But 6’48” in 3-4 was too fast, so I slowed the pace.

4-5 7'00"/34'49"
5-6 7'01"/41'50"
6-7 6'50"/48'40"
7-8 6'50"/55'30"
8-9 6'50"/1:02'20"
The middle miles were along the Ocean Avenue, it was so flat and straight.
After 6miles I picked up the pace as I planned. It is not so easy for me to keep the same pace in such flat and straight road; I tend to run faster. But in this race, I found a Mexican runner who was running at the slightly faster pace than my pace just ahead me at 6mile mark. I followed him. He was the best pace keeper I ever had. I was able to run at exactly same pace from 6 to 9 mile because of him. Actually I was not sure he was a Mexican or not. He might think that I was a Chinese.

9-10 6'50"/1:09'10"
10-11 6'47"/1:15'57"
11-12 6'24"/1:22'21"
12-13 6'36"/1:28'58"

Now we were in the Prospect Park.
The uphill between 10mile and 11mile was tough as expected, most of all the runners ahead slowed down so much. The pace keeper also did. But I did not. That was the hill that I focused on during the race. I saved my pace only to run through the hill, and it paid off. I passed almost all the visible runners on the hill all the way.
I was able to pick up my pace last three miles with using runners up ahead as target. Finally I was able to run as the race strategy in Bob Glover’s book.

13-13.1 0'35"/1:29'33"

Wow, I broke 1:30 for the first time!
As a result to start at slightly slower pace might help me. I was not sure whether I could brake 1:30 if I rushed at 6:45 pace from the start to aim 1:28’30”. I might get tired and slow down.
It was interesting and good experience to think about my pace in the NJ Marathon 2 weeks later.

My place was 256 of 4,847 runners, and 234 of 2,828 male runners
.

2007/04/11

6 miles at the base pace - 3 weeks to go

It is the fiscal year end closing season. It is the busiest time for me.
I was not able to have time for running on Monday and Tuesday. I cancelled the running class for the first time in this session.

Today I managed to come home early and started to run from 7:45pm.
I ran around the whole loop of the Central Park.
The sun had just settled. It was cloudy and the temperature was 45F°.

Today I tried to run at my base pace of 8minutes per mile. And I did.
I finished 6 miles in 47'39", 7'57" per mile.

I'm not very sure I have time however I would like to run 40 miles in this week. I have 34 to go.

2007/04/08

4/5 - 4/8

4/5(Thu)
I ran in the morning before work. It was the first morning run after the NYC marathon.
I jogged around the 4-mile loop of the Central Park. I finished 4 miles in 34’20”, mile 8’35” pace.
Running in the quiet park with hearing birds’ singing, morning run is my favorite.

4/7(Sat)
A walk off home run by A-Rod made the worst game into classic game. Today’s Yankee game was exciting. The bad news was Igawa and Matsui
I ran after returning to home from the game. I jogged around the whole loop of the Central Park at brisk pace. I finished 6 miles in 44’41”, 7’27” per mile pace.

4/8(Sun)
I did long run training of 22 mile.
It was the second of this season. The first one was 18 mile on 3/25.

It was cloudy and windy. The temperature was 37°F.
I ran 3 whole loop (6 mile) and 4 mile loop.
I was supposed to run at 8’30” per mile pace. But I starter too fast and ran even faster at the second and third whole loop. My time was 48’54”, 47’44” and 47’25”, the pace was 8’09”, 7’57” and 7’54” per mile. Yes, it was too fast.
I was so exhausted in the last 4 mile loop. Both of my physical and mental condition fell down. I was not able to keep the pace. It took 37’11” to finish 4 miles, 9’38” per mile pace.
It was not perfect, but it was good training because I realized that my winter mileage was not enough to run the marathon at my best pace. I have to decide race pace for the NJ marathon in 3 weeks. Today’s training provided me much information on my condition, which I should consider most in planning the race.

2007/04/03

2 miles x 2; 4weeks to go

Tuesday is NYRR running class day.
I participated in the class as usual by taking a day-off to watch the game.

It was a nice weather day today, however it was a little cold at 6:45pm when the class began.

Today's menu was 2 x 2 mile run in the Central Park.
We started at a small bridge close to the entrance at the Columbus Circle. And run north to the 72th street cutoff. Turn right at the cutoff to the East Drive. Turn right again at the East Drive and run south along the drive to the goal in front of the Tavern on the green.

The time was 12'26" for the first one and 12'27" for the last one. It was 6'13" per mile pace. It was not bad. Especially it was important for me to be able to keep the pace in the second run.

After that we ran extra 3 miles. I think the pace was 7'30" per mile.
My weekly mileage is now 7 miles; I have 38 miles to go.

2007/04/01

Scotland run 10K

I participated in the Scotland Run 10K race in the Central park.
Today it was overcast, the temperature was 45°F at 10:00 am. It seemed that rain was about to start. It was a little cold morning.

My weekly mileage is 34.8, 0.2 short of the target. It is fine.
Scotland Run is one of the events of the Tartan week, which is a Scotland promotion event held in Manhattan from 3/31 to 4/14, built around Tartan day of 4/6.
This morning 5,717 runners were cerebrated by bagpipes. Some runners wore kilt skirts.


My last and only 10K race was on 12/11/2005; I did not run a single race of the distance last year. At that time my finish time was 48’36”, 7’50” per mile pace. It was not bad record for me in 2005. But my running was so improved through 2006, so to break the record of 2005 was not my target of today’s race. Today’s target finish time was 41’00”.

The result was…

0- 1   6’33” / 6’33”
1- 2   6’24” / 12’57”
2- 3   6’19” / 19’16”
3- 4   6’35” / 22’51”
4- 5   6’20“/ 32’11”
5- 6   6’28” / 38’39”
6- 6.2  1’22” / 40’01”

I made it!!!

I tried not to push too much in the first half of the race, especially the second mile. It is typical failure for me to run the second mile too fast. Because in the first mile it is usual to have some delay due to the crowded course, and run the second mile faster than planned pace to recover the delay; like first mile at 7’00” and second mile at 6’00”.

Fortunately I had minimum time loss in the first mile today. And I did not run too fast in the second mile, in stead I found the pace smoothly.
The toughest part of today’s course was the north hill, which was from the last half of the third mile to the first half of the fourth mile. It was tough as I expected however I ran very well both in the uphill and downhill.
The fifth mile and six mile were also tough, but I had enough stamina to keep under 6’30” per mile. It was first time for me to run at that pace in the last mile.
I think today’s race was one of my best races. I am so satisfied with the result. However, I would like to break 40 minutes; two seconds…

My place was 144 of 5,717 runners, and 137 of 3,176 male runners.

2007/03/31

12 miles at an easy pace

It was clear at 10:00am in NYC. The temperature was 48°.
There were so many runners in the Central Park in this spring Saturday. I thought that some of them should be in the training of the Boston Marathon on 4/16.

Today, I ran 2 whole loops of the park; it is 12miles.

I started at an easy pace of around 9 minutes per mile and picked up the pace to the base pace of 8minutes per mile.
The time was 51'48" for the first loop and 48'26" for the second one.
I finished 12 miles in 1:40'14". The average pace was 8'22" per mile.

My weekly mileage is 28.6, 6.4 to the target.

I will run 10K race tomorrow in the park.
Because the first 3 miles of the course is tougher than the rest I should try not to push too much in the first half. I would like to keep 6'30" per mile pace through the race and finish in 41'00".

2007/03/30

It was a so beautiful spring day today, and yes, it was Friday.

Today I ran the whole loop of the Central Park.
I started at 7:30pm; the temperature was still 63°F at that time.

I finished 6miles in 46'25". It was 7'44" per mile pace.

My weekly mileage is 16.6; I have 18.4 to go for my target of this week.

2007/03/28

6mile at the base pace

It was clear, but it was not like summer like yesterday.
The temperature was 58°F at 7:00pm.

Today, I ran the whole loop of the Central Park, 6miles.
I tried to run at my base pace of 8minutes per mile, and I did.
I finished 6miles in 47'55", 7' 59" per mile.

My weekly mileage is 10.6. I have 24.4 to go.

2007/03/27

Half-mile x 6 and the Reservoir; 5 weeks to go

The temperature was over 70° at 7:00pm. How roughly scenes had changed in NYC; we had a lot of snow 2weeks ago.

Actually I was not ready to do speed work in this high temperature yet. However, I did.I participates in the running class by NYRR as usual Tuesday.

Today's workout was 6 of half-mile dash. As far as I knew, it was the toughest one of all the workouts of this class.

In the central Park, we started from E9902 pole and ran the east drive toward north to the transverse at 102 street and turn left to run the transverse to the end; it is a half-mile. And after 3minute break we ran the other way. We did 3sets of this, it was 6 half-mile run. Yes, it was definitely tough also today.

My time of each run was 2'53", 2'49", 2'51", 2'50", 2'48" and 2'50". I ran 3miles in 17'01", 5'40" per mile. Yes, it was tough. But I thought I did so fast.

After the dash, we ran around the Reservoir. Manhattan in twilight, it was just beautiful.

I think I have finally got back to the pre-injury level in speed.Still I am far behind in distance. This week I would like to run 35miles.

2007/03/25

18miles

Rain from last night had stopped when I wake up this morning; actually it was 10:00am. It was clear and beautiful day.

I went to the central park at 12:30pm. The temperature was 46°F at that time.

I thought I had recovered from groin injury. I did some speed work successfully.
The only training left was long distance run. So I did today.

I ran 3 whole loops of the Central Park, 18miles. It was the longest distance run since the NYC Marathon.

The time of each loop was 52'22", 51'15" and 50'25". I did in 2:34'02"; it was 8'34" per mail pace. I was supposed to run at 9minutes per mile pace, so I ran faster.
I felt soreness in my calf, hamstrings and quadriceps during the training especially after 15miles. The soreness was that I can experience only from a long run training and that was exactly I wanted from today's training.
I would like to run the long distance like today twice, hopefully three times before the NJ marathon on 4/29.

2007/03/23

6mile at brisk pace

It was a beautiful day in the morning today.The temperature was 50°F.
It was perfect day for running!

I ran the whole loop of the Central Park.
I was supposed to run at my base pace of 8minutes per mile.
However, due to the great weather I did at brisk pace.

I ran 6miles in 43'55". It was 7'19" per mile. Actually it was too fast.

I will ran 18miles at an easy pace tommorow.

2007/03/21

6 miles at an easy pace

I was not sure I have time to run today, as I might have to stay late in the office for some task to be done. And I had time because the task was postponed. I was not sure it was a good news or bad news. I still have heavy task...

Anyway I had time to run. So I jogged around the whole loop of the Central Park from 6:50PM. The temperature was 38°F however I think that windchill was under the freezing point.

As I was not fully recovered from yesterday's speed work I ran at an easy pace.
I ran 6miles in 52'15"; it was 8'43" per mile pace.

The weekly mileage is now 6.5 miles. I have 23.5 miles to go.

2007/03/20

Interval Training at the Cat hill: 6 weeks to go

I have only 6 weeks to the NJ marathon on 4/29.
Due to the injury, my training is behind the schedule so much.
But the good news is... I am finally recovered from the injury and am ready to pile up my weekly mileage.

Today I participated in the running class by NYRR.
The other good news is... Spring is just around the corner.
The weather was mild and comfortable this evening. Compared with the last week's snow storm.

The menu of this evening was the interval run at the Cat hill and extra 1mile run.

It was same as 1/30; at that time I pushed too much despite of my injury, and I cannot run the extra 1 mile.

Today, my time of each run was
1'42" 1'36" 1;33" 1'32" 1'30" 1'31"

And I finished the extra mile in 6'10". I had ran in 6'45" at the last time.
What a difference it is, both with the time and the pain!

This week, I will run 30miles. 27.5miles to go.

2007/03/18

Weekend run of 6miles and 12 miles

3/17(Sat) 11:30AM Clear 35°F
6miles in 47'50" / 7'58" per mile / 1 whole loop in the Central Park

3/18(Sun) 12:45PM Clear 36°F
12miles in 1:34'13" / 7'51" per mile / 2 whole loops in the Central Park

---
The snow started late Thursday. It was continuously
falling down all the Friday.
Finally it stopped early Saturday.

I think we had over 10 inches of snow on Saturday morning. But it was cleared from the Central Park drive when I started jogging on Saturday morning.
I live in Manhattan...


Today I ran 12miles for the first time almost in 2months. I felt that my aerobic ability had been ruined so much during the injured times. But I was able to get through 12miles at a pace of under 8miles per mile. It was good news.

During today's run a man talking to me when I passed him at the north hill.
He was in his 20 miles run. According to him, he was training for the Cincinnati Marathon on May 6th.
His marathon is 1week later of mine, the New Jersey Marathon. But his training is much ahead of mine so far. I felt guilty a little. But I might not have to feel like that.
I will run 18miles next week. Maybe it is not too late.

2007/03/13

Speed work at the north hill: 7 weeks to go

I like the daylight saving time days' evening.
I am happy to see blue sky when I leave my office to home.

It was clear and the temperature was 55°F at 6:30PM today.
I participated in the running class by NYRR.
It was a paradise compared with the terrible condition of the last week.

Today's class was the first one of the spring session. There were over 100 runners there. It was huge. As far as I know, it was the most participants ever.

Today's menu was 1.1 mile run x 3 at the north hill of the Central Park.
It was the same training as 2 weeks ago.
2 weeks ago, as I still had pain on my right groin, I joined the 8'00"-to-8'30"-in-5K-race group.
Now my condition was much better. I ran with the group of 6'30"-to-7'00"-in-5K-race. I finally got to the one level lower of before-injury level.

The time of each ran was 7'14", 7'14" and 7'06". Total was 21'34". The pace was 6'32" per mile. It was faster pace than 2weeks ago by 1'17"; not bad.

Next week, I will join 6'00"-to-6'30"-in-5K-race group to come back to the before-injury level.

2007/03/11

Colon cancer challenge 15K

Daylight saving time has begun today. It is 3 weeks earlier than usual. Because it was so cold last week, I felt that it was too early for “summer time”. But today was a beautiful day. It was clear sky and the temperature was 43°F on 10:30 am. Although the Reservoir is still frozen, Spring is around the corner.




Today I participated in colon cancer challenge 15K race held in the Central park.
This was my first race since the NYRR half-marathon grand prix in Manhattan on 1/21, when I injured my right groin. I was finally recovered from the injury last week. So I decided to run today. It took me about 7 weeks.




The result was…

0- 1   8’08” / 8’08”
1- 2   6’56” / 15’04”
2- 3   7’59” / 23’03”
3- 4   7’15” / 30’18”
4- 5   7’17“/ 37’36”
5- 6   7’27” / 45’03”
6- 7   7’17” / 52’20”

7- 8   7’18” / 59’38”
8- 9   7’12 / 1:06’50”
9-9.3   2’20” /1:09’10”


Because I had not run enough to run at the race pace I tried not to pick up my pace too much. I planned to run at 7’30” – 8’00” per mile pace. It was 7’26”; not bad.

After the race I felt my legs soared. But it was regular soar after the race not a pain from injury. I was happy with that.

By now I should have been in the middle of the training for the NJ marathon on 4/29. However after I got injured I was not able to run as I planned. I am so far behind.
I will re-start the training this week. I will try not to rush to get back to the original schedule. I will do what I can do in next 7 weeks.

2007/03/08

5 miles at an easy pace

The temperature was 30°F at 7:00pm today. It was much better than Tuesday.
So I decided to go to the Central Park and jog.

It seemed that other runners thought like me. There were much more runners in the park than Tuesday. Actually there were very few runners on Tuesday.

Today I jogged south 5.1mile loop of the park.
As I was just recovered from the groin pain, I tried not to run faster than 8minutes per mile pace.
I finished 5.1 miles in 42'25"; it was 8'19" per mile pace. It was not bad.

I will run on Saturday. And on Sunday I will participate in a 15K race. It will be the first race since the half-marathon in the Central Park on January 21st when I injured my groin.
I will think that the race is one of training run and try not to push myself too much.

2007/03/06

Hill and the Reservoir: 8weeks to go

The bad news is winter had come back. The temperature was 15°F on 6:30 today.
The good news is finally the pain on my groin has gone. It took about 7weeks since I felt pain. I have wasted 7weeks...

Today I joined the running class by NYRR.
Due to the cold temperature and strong wind, there were only about 25 people. I was one third of the number of the usual participants.

Today's menu was hill training. We went to 92nd Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue. I did not know that there is a good slope there. It is not so long, maybe about 150 meters, but it is steep enough for the hill training.

We did 6 uphill runs there and went to the Reservoir in the Central Park to run one loop around it.
I joined 7'15"-to-8'00"-per-mile-in-the-5k-race group tonight. It was one level higher than last week. Although I did not feel pain, I tried not to push myself too much. That could cause another injury especially in the cold temperature like today.

Actually I forgot my watch. So I am not sure about the exact pace.
Maybe I ran at 7'15" per mile at the hill and 7'00" per mile at the Reservoir.

The condition might be the most terrible ever however the view from the Reservoir might be the most beautiful tonight.

I hope I could start to run daily this week. Of course it depends on weather.

2007/03/02

Lunch at Wall Street

Today I had lunch with my tennis friends at the downtown. Actually I had a longer lunch break than usual lunch break. It was 2hours break. It's Friday!

That was my second visit to the Wall street during the business hours since October 1996.
I still remember the feeling when I walk this street for the first time. Because I had worked for a bank, the Wall street had been the one of the most prestigious place for me.

Attached is a picture of NYSE.

2007/02/27

1.1 mile X 3; 9weeks to go

Today I participated in the running class by NYRR for the first time since January 30th.
As the moderate pain in my right groin had not been gone, I took 4 weeks rest.
I still felt some pain and stiffness in this evening but it got better. Also NJ marathon is 2month ahead. So I decided to participate in the class.


It was overcast. The temperature might be about 35°F.

Today’s menu was 3 of 1.1 mile run at the North hills of the Central Park. It was a tough menu for me with the injury.
Usually I ran with the group of mile 6-to-6’30”-in-5K race. But I joined the group of 8-to-8’30”-in-5K-race. It was 3 grades lower than my usual. I did not run faster, instead I focused on my running form.

The time was 8’37”, 8’44” and 8’27”. The pace was 7'49" per mile.
Of course they were not the best for me. However, I enjoyed the jogging in the park.

Although my condition is not very good and I don’t think that I can run with usual speed so soon, it is true that it gets better day by day.
I wish the pain should be gone by the spring.

2007/02/11

5miles at an easy pace

I was supposed to run a half-marathon today.
But I still felt mild pain in my right groin and the temperature was 20°F, I decide not to run the race.

I finished all of the NYRR half-marathon grand prix races last year. The grand prix races are composed of five races each of which is held in five boroughs in NYC.
Today's race was the second one after the Manhattan race in January. I did not think I could pursue my PR today however I wanted to run today's race to finish all the race this year. But it was obvious that I should not run considering my condition.

Instead I ran the 5.1mile loop in the Central Park in the afternoon. The temperature was 34° at that time. It was much better.

I ran 5.1 miles in 46'13". The pace was 9'04" per mile.
I would like to run longer and faster. But it was good for today, maybe this month.
I should be recovered from the injury by the end of this month and try to get back to the track from next month.

2007/02/07

4miles at easy pace - 12weeks to Go

One month ago, it was over 70°F in NYC. It was historical warm winter. Even cherry blossom bloomed. Everyone talked about global warming seriously.

Now all of above are history...

It is coooold. The high temperature of the day has not exceeded the freezing point whole the week. Actually 20°F was the highest last Monday.

I have not run since Tuesday of the last week due to this crazy chilly condition and moderate pain in my groin. I think I ran with too much intensity at the running class of the last week.

This evening, the temperature was 23°F, which is acceptable for me. Also I felt better with my groin. I jogged in the Central Park for the first time in 8days.

I ran 4miles in 37'48". The pace was 9'27" per mile. It was cold, but I was happy to run without feeling pain.

I have 12weeks to go for the NJ marathon. I was not able to prepare for it as I planned so far. Actually I am terribly behind the original schedule. However, I don't have to feel guilty about that. I am training for marathon. I have to adjust the pace according to the weather and the physical condition of the race day. Like that, I should adjust the pace during the training days.

2007/01/30

Interval training at the cat hill - 13 weeks to Go

It was snowing at 7:00pm in NYC. I think the temperature was around 32°F.

I participated in the running class held by NYRR in this evening.
I still felt mild stiffness in my right groin. But it was much better than last Sunday.

Today's menu was an interval training at the Cat Hill in the Central Park.
- The Cat hill is located behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There is a statue of a lynx at the middle of the hill, so it is called the Cat Hill by the runners of NYC. Also the hill is known as one of the hardest spots in the park by the runners.

We started in front of the Boathouse Cafe at 74th street and ran up the hill to the peak at the race pace, then ran back to the Boathouse Cafe at easy pace. The one-way distance was about a quarter mile. We did that six times.

I tried not to push too much to avoid injury.
And the time of the uphill run was...

1'40" 1'37" 1;34" 1'32" 1'34" 1'31"

The total distance was 1.5miles, and the total time was 9'28". The average pace was 6'19" per mile.

After the 6 interval run, we did one more mile from 72 transverse to the Engineer's Gate at 90th Street.
As the interval was enough to me, I did not run at race pace; actually I could not.
I ran the extra mile in 6'45".

My weekly mileage is 2.5mile, 32.5 to the target.

2007/01/28

An extra rest day

Today I was supposed to run 15 miles to reach my weekly target. But I could not make it.

I felt mild stiffness in the right groin after I finished the half marathon last Sunday, which was under the temperature of 19°F. Actually the stiffness had not gone away. So I decided to take a rest.

The right groin is the part which I knew was one of most inflexible. Maybe the extra burden from the half marathon under the cold weather was too much for the part.
Also maybe I should have run the speed work on last Tuesday at easier pace.
And maybe I should not have played tennis on Thursday and Saturday.

My weekly mileage was only 19.1 this week; it is short of the target by 14.9.
It is difficult to pile the weekly mileage in the winter...
Next week my target will be 35miles.

2007/01/27

11Miles with the greatest runner

Today I ran 11.1miles in the Central Park under overcast sky. The temperature was 30°F, much higher than yesterday morning; it was 9°F.

I saw two friends during the training. - Nyarmam and Umajiro-san

Nyarmam was in the running of 35K. She was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon of next month.

Umajiro-san was training for Huntington Beach Marathon in California of next week.
Today I ran with him after we met.

Actually I did not feel very good at the beginning and thought that I would run 10 miles at 9minutes per mile pace.
But after I had a running mate, I forgot that feeling.
It was fun to run with someone, especially with the greatest runner I have ever seen.

He had finished NYC marathon 23times. His finish time at his first one was over 4:30. His best time was 3:18 at the age of 48, when he started to pursue the time seriously. And he finished last year's NYC marathon in 2:57'01" at the age of 54. He is definitely the greatest runner I have ever seen.
When I talk with him, I always think about two ideas at the same time; I could run the marathon in sub-3 hours someday and it must be long way to accomplish it.

I ran 11.1 miles in 1:32'48". The pace was 8'22" per mile. It was longer and faster than I expected. It was good training.

My weekly mileage is 19.1, 14.9 to the target.