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.

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…

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.

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.

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

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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.

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.

Manhattan half-marathon

On 8:30 am, the temperature was 19°F. I know that it is crazy to run in the morning like this. But I did. And I was not alone, I was among 4,394 people.

Today I participated in NYRR half-marathon grand prix in Manhattan.
This was my first race of this year and the first one since the NYC marathon last year.
The course was 2 whole loops of the Central Park and 1.1mile.

The result was…

0- 1 7’01” / 7’01”

1- 2 7’07” / 14’08”

2- 3 6’47” / 20’55”

3- 4 6’49” / 27’44”

4- 5 6’57“/ 34’41”

5- 6 6’58” / 41’39”
6- 7 6’51” / 48’30”

7- 8 7’10” / 55’40”

8- 9 7’01 / 1:02’41”

9-10 6’58” /1:09’39”

10-11 7’10” / 1:16’49”

11-12 7’28” / 1:24”17
12-13 7’21” / 1:31’38”

13-13.1 0’53 / 1:32’31”　

It was obvious that I picked up my pace too much in the first half and got exhausted in the second half. I knew that I ran too fast during the first half and might slow down at the cat hill of the 2nd loop. I did slow down there.
Actually I did not think about my pace management today; I just ran. Exactly speaking, it was too cold for me to think about the pace. I thought that I would finish around 1:35.
So 1:32’31” was much better than expected.
I think it was fine race as my first one of the year.

Next race is half-marathon in Bronx in February. I would run better and break my PR at that time.

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My weekly mileage was 30.2, which was 3.8 short of the target of this week. My target will be 34 again next week.