stanchow.net

2011 review / 2012 preview

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:43:00 +0900

My training volume chart for 2011: Chart

2011 Review
Swim: 53km
Yikes! Not enough distance. In my peak weak in 2010, I swam close to 10km… Not surprisingly, my swimming has stagnated resulting in my 1500m and 2000m times being 2-3minutes slower than my peak condition from last year.

Bike: 1,808km
Most of this was done on an exercise bike/spinner. Considering the lack of outdoor rides, I was surprised to have managed a PB at the 40km and 90km distance (though one was with a huge tailwind and the other was my first time doing exactly 90km).

Run: 2,571km
It’s been a breakthrough year of running with huge PBs in all distances:

Mile -> 5:32 (2010 -> 5:50)
5km -> 18:29 (2010 -> 19:52)
10km -> 39:29 (2010 -> 41:00)
Half Marathon -> 1:30:29 (2010 -> 1:36)
Marathon -> 3:29:29 (2009 -> 3:58)

2012 Preview
(subject to change if I decide to get a triathlon coach)
Swim
The 50m pool in Sendagaya will close in April and I doubt I’ll get much swimming until mid April. For the first time, I’m thinking of joining a proper swimming school in Tokyo. Hopefully, Ill be able to fix years of bad swimming techniques before IM Western Australia in December. If I can start swimming every weekday early morning for a solid 4-5months, I think I’ll be in pretty good shape by December.

Bike
I’ll upgrade a few things with my current road bike but I’m NOT going to bike a proper triathlon bike in 2012. After Ultra Trail Mt. Fuji (UTMF) in May, I’ll start concentrating on cycling. The plan is to do a lot of hill climbing mixed in with some good tempo rides at Oi Futo.

Run I’m 100% lazer focused on running until Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 26th. The target will hopefully be around 3:10. The plan will be to run the first half in around 1:32:30 (4:23min/km pace) and then at the 30km mark, I’ll make a decision based on my aerobic capacity and how I feel that day:

(A) 100% all out which will hopefully put me under 3:04:59 which is good enough to qualify under the new Boston Marathon qualifying times in 2013
(B) continue on pace and try to run comfortably hard to finish under 3:09:59
(C) blow up and employ a walk/run strategy while trying to finish under 3:14:59

In any case, I’ll be satisfied with any of these outcomes..=P

After Tokyo, Ill continue running high mileage while preparing for UTMF in May. The idea here is to develop my endurance and build that aerobic capacity. I dont have any specific goals in mine but I’d like to enjoy the event and finish in the middle of the rankings.

Finally, after UTMF, I reduce running to maybe 2-3 runs a week with a focus on speed work/running in the heat/brick runs.

Ironman Taiwan 70.3 Race Report

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:54:00 +0900

Pre-race:
It’s been a year dominated by running. Aside from a 3 week period in June and August to train for an oly. distance tri, I’ve done very little swimming and almost zero outdoor rides. After my marathon in Montreal, my legs were destroyed so leaving running aside, I had about a month to concentrate on nothing but swimming and biking. Training went well and by the end of it, I felt I was almost back to last year’s fitness. Although I wish I was able to get more than one 10km+ run and a few more brick runs. Anyways, It was a public holiday in Japan on the Thursday before the race but it took nearly the whole day to get to Kenting, the southern tip of Taiwan. 90min train to Narita, 30+mins to check in my bike along with at least 20+ Japanese triathletes, 3hr flight to Taoyuan, 90min high speed train to Zuoying, 2hr bus to Yoho beach resort. The resort was the official accommodations of the event and a lovely resort to stay at. After a nice buffet dinner, I quickly went back to my room and fell asleep. The included breakfast buffet the next day was pretty good and I happened to see a certain 2xIM world champ there. Ran into Macca on the way back to my room and said hi. The rest of that day was fairly uneventful: met up with other triathletes I knew, checked in the bike, carbo-loaded lunch, race briefing, early dinner, early bedtime at 9pm followed by cursing at the loud music coming from the kids disco room..

Race:
The race started at 6:45 at a beach about 15km from the resort. This meant waking up at 3:30, breakfast at 4:00, shuttle bus to the start area at 5:00. Breakfast consisted of one cliff bar, hi-5 energy bar, 3 bananas, 2 cups of coffee.

Swim (target: 35-37mins, actual: 0:39:20)
The swim was two laps from the beach which meant a beach start as well as getting out of the water after the first lap. Water was quite warm and though I didnt need to wear a wet suit, I wore one anyways to converse energy. The water was very nice and I felt I was going at a fairly easy pace. I think I could have pushed the pace a bit more on the first lap but overall, was satisfied with being only a minute or so off my target time. Actually, after talking to other people and hearing about their times, the swim might have been a bit long.

T1 (4:52 + 0:50 + 1:13)
Took off my wetsuit before going up the long stairs. When I finally made it to the transition area, I ate a cliff bar and took my time getting ready for the bike. But shortly after I got on my bike, I realized I didnt have my race number. CRAP!! Can I be disqualified for that?? Not wanting to take any chances, I ran back to the transition area (this messed up my chip time!) to look for my race belt. Doh, it wasn’t there. I gave up after half a minute and went back to my bike to find it was on my aero bars all along! Whoops. Oh well, lost about 2minutes there.

Bike (target: 2:45-3:00, actual: ~2:52:30)
The bike course was a 2 lap course consisted of two short moderate hills. The road conditions were decent in most places but some parts of the roads had potholes, unpredictable stray dogs on the side of the road and even one short unpaved section of the road. Luckily I had no flats and no misfortunes. My strategy was to keep it at a fairly high cadence and to hopefully average around 31-33kph throughout. The uphill wasnt as bad as I imagined and on the 500m caution zone going downhill, the organizers had told everyone to keep the speeds below 30kph and to not pass anyone. I dont think anyone followed that rule and I ended up following a few people that were going at 55kph+. I had brought 3 gels and one cliff bar and consumed one of them every 40mins or so. There was an aid station every 15km and I stopped at 3 of them to quickly refill my bottles. I have got to learn how to catch water bottles on the fly! The other mistake I made was wearing my aero helmet. It was simply not worth it. It was a very hot day and my head was just boiling inside the tight fit. Other than that, I was fairly satisfied with the bike portion.

T2 (~3:00)
Coming off the bike, my legs felt relatively strong. I think the mercury hit 31-32 degrees and at the transition area, ate a cliff bar, consumed a few salt tablets, poured the rest of my water bottle on myself, took a quick leak behind a tree before finally setting off. No mistakes this time..=P

Run (target: 1:45-1:50, actual: ~2:12:35)
The run course was a 17km hilly course back to Yoho resort and then a 4km in/out section to the finish. My legs felt fine and I felt fairly hydrated but I simply could not run fast. Up to then it was partially cloudy but it start to clear up. The heat was bothering me. There were aid stations at every 2km and even after stuffing myself with sponges, my body was not able to cool down. I walked at every aid station and up every hill. The last 4km was probably the worse as it seemed to drag on forever. It was the worse run Ive had in a long time but it was a fairly steady pace throughout.

Post-race:
Overall, I finished with a time of 5:54:20. Was targeting 5:30 or less but given the tough run, I suppose Im partially satisfied. For next time, if there’s one thing I really need to work on is mental toughness during the run. If I can learn to switch off my mind and go into auto-pilot, I’ll be flying. Anyways, after the race, I relaxed and chilled out with other triathlete friends. It sucked that we had to go back to the transition area to collect all our stuff (bike, wetsuit, etc..) but luckily, there were taxis and shuttle buses available. Later that day, there was a nice after-party. It was fun race and I can definitely see myself doing this race again. I havent quite made up my mind what my target races are next year but this will definitely be taken into considerations.

Off the OK pleateau??

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:05:16 +0900

Reference

I definitely feel I’ve been improving as I finally managed to complete a goal that has eluded me for a while.

Splits
Umegaishi checkpoint (1:08:15/11.4km)
5th station checkpoint (2:08:25/16km)
8th station (3:45:20/19.8km)
Summit (4:18:43/21km)

I’m hoping I don’t stop improving as I look ahead to two more target races this year:
Montreal Marathon (9/23/2011)
Taiwan Half Ironman (11/5/2011)

The focus will be on smashing my previous marathon time (3:5x) set back in 2009. In my previous ill-fated attempt, I was aiming for something around 3:20-3:30. I’ll still be happy if I can manage that time but hopefully with a LOT of training in the heat & humidity over the next 40 days, I’ll be in great shape.

Triathlon training is on a bit of a hold but I’ll aim to do one bike ride and swim per week.

Up in Minamisanriku, Miyagi... (宮城県南三陸町)

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:18:00 +0900

Photoset

… the damage done to this tiny town is horrific. With about half the population (~10,000 people) wiped out by the tsunami, it has become a ghost town.

I was only up there for a short time with some fellow bank employees and it’s something I won’t forget. Clearing and separating rubble for disposal was just one task but the task that really touched me the most was cleaning up photographs and photo albums found through the town. Photographs of family vacations, silly moments with friends, childhood and other precious moments captured through still-frame shots each with its own story to tell.

Golden Week

Mon, 09 May 2011 06:58:44 +0900

Weekly total: 110km/7runs/~9:15/~@5:03

Tuesday (Holiday)
[1] 22km/1:55/@5:13
Progressive: 11km/1:00/@5:27, 11km/0:55/@5:00

Wednesday (Holiday)
[2] 22km/1:50/@5:00
Progressive: 11km/0:57/@5:11, 11km/0:53@4:49

[3] 5km/0:22/@4:20
Intervals (barefoot) on track: 1200m x 3, 800m, 400m, 400m

Thursday (Holiday)
[4] 26km/2:23/@5:30
Recovery/LSD: even splits

Friday
[5] 5km/0:23/@4:40
Mile repeats (barefoot) on track: 1600m x 3, 200m

Saturday
[6] 10km/0:43/@4:18
Tell Charity Run: even splits

Sunday
[7] 20km/1:38/@4:55
Steady: even splits

Back on track!

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:08:00 +0900

Events (in order of focus):
1. Lake Toya, Hokkaido (Full Marathon) - May 22
2. Yokohama (Olympic Distance Triathlon) - May 15

Summary (April 11-17):
s - 2.5km
b - 70km
r - 90km

Training Log:
Tues - 5km + 12km (avg. 4:57/km)
Wed - 6km + 11km (avg. 5:02/km)
Thurs - 12km (avg. 4:55/km)
Fri - 10km (avg. 4:44/km)
Sat - 70km (bike), 2.5km (swim)
Sun - 30km (avg. 4:43/km), 4km (avg. 6:30/km)

Data Breakdown:
2:21:46 - Garmin
5km - 0:23:37
10km - 0:23:03
15km - 0:23:14
20km - 0:23:32 (1:33:26)
25km - 0:24:01
30km - 0:24:06

Notes/Plans:

Assuming I’m not injured, I will break my previous PB and go sub 3:50
If the conditions are similar than Arakawa river on 4/17, I should be able to make 3:30
Hopefully with proper tapering, I’d like to target 20km/1:30, 30km/2:15, 42km/3:15-3:20
My HR was very erratic for the first 30mins but settled down to a nice 160bpm
Carboshotz gel at the 15km and 25km mark. May need to carry one or two more for the full
Weight currently at about 61kg. Optimal probably around 58-60kg
Until Golden Week, continue doing one bike ride/swim a week. Four days off during GW means four biking/swimming sessions
Assuming legs are feeling ok, weekly milage will now be 100km+ peaking on 5/9

3hr_training_run.pls (use at your own risk!)

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:57:29 +0900

Song	Artist	Time
Titles	Chariots of Fire Soundtrack	00:03:34
Intro	The XX	00:02:08
Let’s Get It Started	Black Eyed Peas	00:03:37
Welcome to the Jungle	Gun N’ Roses	00:04:34
Uprising	Muse	00:05:05
Run To The Hills	Iron Maiden	00:03:53
Running Up That Hill	Kate Bush	00:05:01
Right Here, Right Now	Fatboy Slim	00:05:40
Run	Air	00:04:13
Running One	Run Lola Run Soundtrack	00:05:32
Burning Heart	Rocky Soundtrack	00:03:54
Rabbit Run	Eminem	00:03:12
Born To Run	Bruce Springsteen	00:04:31
Run	Amy Macdonald	00:03:47
Pump It	Black Eyed Peas	00:03:34
Running Free	Iron Maiden	00:03:16
Run Run Run	Velvet Underground	00:04:19
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger	Daft Punk	00:03:46
Run	Collective Soul	00:04:34
Training Montage	Rocky Soundtrack	00:03:41
Running Two	Run Lola Run Soundtrack	00:04:13
Run With The Wolves	The Prodigy	00:04:25
Eye Of The Tiger	Rocky Soundtrack	00:03:50
Montage	Team America Soundtrack	00:02:02
Power	Kanye West	00:04:54
The Distance	Cake	00:03:01
Lose Yourself	Eminem	00:05:27
I Ran (So Far Away)	Flock of Seagulls	00:03:40
I Run for Life	Melissa Etheridge	00:04:23
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner	Iron Maiden	00:06:31
Running Three	Run Lola Run Soundtrack	00:04:56
Push the Tempo	Fatboy Slim	00:05:38
Marathon	Rush	00:06:10
Never Surrender	Kickboxer Soundtrack	00:03:21
Gonna Fly Now	Rocky Soundtrack	00:03:19
‘Till I Collapse	Eminem	00:04:58
I Will Survive	Cake	00:05:11
Push It To The Limit	Scarface Soundtrack	00:03:03
Don’t Stop Me Now	Queen	00:03:31
Stronger	Kanye West	00:05:15
You’re The Best	Karate Kid Soundtrack	00:03:00
Now You’re A Man	Orgazmo Soundtrack	00:02:12
The Final Countdown	Europe	00:05:09

Halfway there...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:58:00 +0900

My best running month ever!

Ran 248km in February focusing on speed-work. Was able to hit a few PBs:
Yasso 800s (avg. 3:03/800m)
5KM in 19:44 (Garmin was a bit off with 19:27 so I extrapolated)
Half Marathon in 1:30:19

Target time is still 3:30-3:40 but I’ll dream of something better.
Regardless, I have a LOT of work ahead of me. This includes…
1) Rest for a week
2) Increase weekly mileage (72km, 80km, 90km, 100km)
3) 20miles long runs (LSD, progressive, hills)
4) Quality tempo runs (45mins, 60mins, 75mins)
5) Nutrition (daily, pre-race, hydration)
6) Marathon pacing on tired legs (5:10, 5:00, 4:50)

My run is my haven.

Marathon training begins..

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:11:00 +0900

After some tough times, I’m back in a relationship with running! (CF. NB love/hate advert)

Last week’s HM at Yokota air base was a good benchmark and wakeup call. With a time of 1:38, I was about 2mins off my last HM and 3.5mins off my best. Time to get back into proper training…

My running goal last year was to PB and break 3:50 but I wasn’t able to achieve it due to shin splints before Tokyo marathon (which turned to be a miserable day) and having to swim/bike before running the marathon in Cozumel.

I’ll aim big this year and go for something around 3:30-3:40 (if possible…)

First week of my 12 week plan went like this:
TUE: intervals (1600,1200,800,400m), capoeira (90mins)
WED: intervals (2000,1600,1200,800,400m)
THR: pace (12km/4:30-4:45pace)
FRI: speedwork (10x400m, avg. 85seconds)
SAT: easy (5km/27:00), indoor trainer (50mins), swim (1500m)
SUN: long (27km/2:32)
Total: 58km running

I plan to increase distance on the pace run to 17km and after 3 more weeks of speedwork/intervals and I’ll start to replace the intervals workouts with longer runs to increase the mileage to 80km in Feb. If my legs feel good in March, I’ll increase it to 100km. I know I should focus on running but I simply cant let my other interests slide. In addition to the above, I’ll try to climb twice a month and for trail running, I’ll replace one of the long runs with a monthly trail run.

Ironman Cozumel Race Report

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:19:00 +0900

(photos to come later)

My first long-distance triathlon was supposed to be Ironman Japan back in June. But due to foot and mouth disease plaguing certain parts of western Japan, illogical government officials from the hosts, Goto Island, decided to cancel the event. In some ways, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to a brilliant move by Reza in signing up Cozumel, I shortly followed in hopes of completing the challenge I had set for myself about a year ago. It turned out to be a great choice and the race was nothing short of amazing. It was my first triathlon over the standard olympic distance and I had no idea how I would fare in a half-Ironman distance let alone a Ironman-distance so I was extremely pleased to finish the event with a finishing time better than I was expecting. A big thanks to family and friends for their support. Also a special thanks to Namban: the triathletes for expert advice, the trail runners for endurance survival tips, the expert runners for helping me improve speed and everyone who for all those fun events/training sessions.
Here’s my report:

Stats
3.8 km swim: 1:09
180 km bike: 5:52
42.2 km run: 5:08
Total: 12:22 (76/191 age category, 738/2300 overall)
Official stats

Pre-race
After a longish flight and then a speedy taxi ride to catch that last ferry of the day, I arrived in Cozumel, Mexico just three nights before the race. After a bit of sleep, I awoke to blue skies, lush landscapes, crystal clear water, warmish temperatures and a place that truly lived up to its motto: “Heaven on Earth”. Friday and Saturday was spent checking out the swim course and parts of the bike course, chilling out with some of the 2300 nervous participants, loading up on nutrients and getting mentally prepared for the big race. The weather on the morning of race day turned out to be perfect. Water was calm, there was a gentle breeze and it’s sunny with clouds in the horizon. One last check of the bike and everything was fine except my sunglasses. I had clearly put then on my helmet during the bike check-in the night before but they aren’t around my bike (this will come back to haunt me). Shortly later and after the pros start, it’s time to get into the water. Waiting in the middle of the pack, the organizers put on a mini dolphin show. It’s 7am and the horn sounds. My Ironman race begins…

Swim
The swim course was one closed loop. During the orientation, the officials proclaimed how the course would be a fast course (average time was fastest out of all the IM in 2009) and that it would be a great swim. They couldn’t have been more correct! With crystal clear warm water and aquatic sea life visible from all angles, it was the most pleasant outdoor swim I’ve ever done. It ended up also being the fastest. My plan was to relax from the start and take it easy until the first turn. I had no issues with other swimmers aside from the usual jostling of swimmers vying for position near the start. I felt very calm and zoned out. After the first turn, I had positioned myself in the outer lane. With no one in front of me, I started swimming faster and was able to maintain a good swimming stroke. With the help of the speed suit I was wearing (no wet suits were allowed), I was able to finish the swim with a 1:09 time (6-11minutes faster than what I was hoping for).

Bike
Taking my time at T1, I consumed two SoyJoy nutrition bars, one Wieder gel and about 250ml of water to get that nasty salty ocean taste out of my mouth. The bike course was roughly three loops around a super-flat beautiful course. Though it was flat, the officials were saying that there would be very strong cross/head winds on the other side of the island. Months leading up to the race, I had focused my training primarily on cycling. But thank goodness for all that training on the Arakawa river as it was the perfect place to simulate race conditions. My plan was to take it easy for about 20-25mins in order for my stomach to digest and to transition into my cycling mode. I would go into a steady cadence, try to ride at least 30km/hr and stop every 30km (there was an aid station at every 10km). At each 30km point there was an aid station where I dismounted, refilled my water bottles, briefly stretched my legs/back, consumed solid foods (ate M&M-like chocolate/coffee beans), power gel, sports drink (Shotz electrolyte Tablets + pre-mixed Aquarius/BCAA powder) and if necessary, went to pee in the designated areas (Reza, one day I’ll learn how to pee while cycling..=P). I didn’t lose that much time at the aid stations as I found a way to catch up to whoever I was following within 4-5mins. My plan worked nicely as I was able to do the first loop in about 2hrs. After the first loop, my plan also consisted of taking some salt tablets to make sure I’m well fueled. I reach behind my tri-tops and uh-oh! They are nowhere to be found. Turns out I had left them in my T1 bag. This would come back to haunt me dearly. Anyways, my speed remained constant. Interestingly enough, I stayed in a 52-11 gear combination the entire race and never felt the need to shift at all. Also, I wasn’t using a speedometer nor heart monitor so I was relying on muscle memory and my instincts to guide me. My effort for the second lap was roughly the same and it ended up being just slightly faster. Things got a bit scary shortly after the 3rd lap when a fly flew into the corner of my left eye. Luckily, it was only the corner of my eye so I was unscathed. I still wasted a minute or two making sure I was ok. This is why you wear glasses when cycling! Things also got a bit tough during that last cross-wind section. Not sure if the wind had picked up or I was starting to feel bonked after 125 km of cycling but I eventually got through it and was able to pass a few people along the way. Shortly after with the wind on my side and an enthusiastic TdF-ish crowd, I flew the rest of the way to T2 on that last section of the course. I cross the line with a 5:52 time and I’m super happy I had no mechanical problems and was able to meet my goal time. I was NOT looking forward to what waited ahead of me.

Run
After fueling up at T2 with a Wider gel, one SoyJoy bar, two bananas and 250ml of Gatorade, I take a deep groan of despair as I proceed to start a full marathon. The time was 2:15pm and it was HOT (wasn’t as bad as Obuse HM and Aizu triathlon but I simply cannot tolerate heat). My initial goal was 4:45, which is a full hour slower than my best marathon time or 30 mins slower than my worse marathon. I would first start off by fast walking/slow jogging the first 25-30mins to get my stomach to settle and to get my legs working. The run course was 3 laps up and down the main road with one turn around point and aid stations at every mile or so. At mile 3, I’m mentally ready to start running but I still can’t seem to take off yet. I’m carrying way too much. I have my cycling gloves that I forgot to take off, 4 power gels, a Soyjoy bar and a can of RedBull. I ditch everything except the RedBull and I’m still unable to pick up the pace. My legs feel ok but my body just isn’t ready. I decide to down the Red Bull and it works. I’m finally able to run properly but my fortunes would only last until after the first checkpoint. After the turn-around, the intense sun is shining in my face. Despite stuffing myself with ice, I’m still overheating. I try to run it off but I get a bit dizzy shortly and decide to stop and rest/cool-down in the shade. I devise a new plan to walk/slow jog when it’s sunny and run when it’s cloudy. More importantly, drink lots of fluids, try to consume more sodium and take advantage of all aid stations. It was essential I try to survive as much as I can until the half-way point when I would have access to my special needs bag and the sun would be less intense. With a time of 2:26, my HM splits were terrible but my legs were still feeling ok so there was hope I could try for negative splits and still manage a 4:45 time. I retrieve my special needs bag and down a Red Bull and 4,000mg of BCAA. It kicks in a short time later and I’m finally running properly again. That is until the “stomach” issues hit (sodium deficiency??). GI problems would plague me for the rest of the race so there was virtually no chance of 4:45. It was pretty much survival mode. I would relieve myself at an aid station, feel strong enough to run for a bit until my stomach would hurt, walk until the next aid station and then repeat. This would be my running pattern until the last 2 km where I was able to use the crowds to muster one last track-like sprint. Strangely enough, my legs felt fine so perhaps this was just a mental barrier? Overall, I was well off my expected run time with 5:08 but near the finish line, it didn’t matter one bit. I knew I would finish. When I heard the words “Stanley, you are an Ironman”, it was nothing but sheer joy!

Post-race
It was amazing to see the entire island support such a wonderful event. The cheering from the people, live music, superb organization at the aid stations all made my first Ironman experience that much better. I finished at 7:22 pm and after taking all my gear back to my hotel, Reza and I spent the rest of the evening eating Mexican food and cheering on the rest of the Ironman participants finishing their race. At about 11:58 pm, there were still a quite a number of people at the finish line cheering on one last person finishing the race. It wasn’t just that day. I stayed on the island for another three days and even on my last day there, the locals were still giving me 10% discounts at certain restaurants and asking me about my experience. I can see myself doing this race again in the future and I would definitely recommend IM Cozumel for those interested in doing an Ironman-distance event overseas.

25 days to go..

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:54:58 +0900

..and if things go my way, I should be able to complete my first Ironman.

Training logs
I wasn’t able to complete my planned ~200km bike ride due to the typhoon at the end of the month so my October stats are a bit lower than September. The focus was on cycling and trying to get back into running forum. Here are my total dailymile logs:

Week1 (10/4~10/10)
swim: 3.9km
bike: 80km
run: 11km

Week2 (10/11~10/17)
swim: 2km
bike: 140km
run: 93km

Week3 (10/18~10/24)
swim: 2km
bike: 185km
run: 40km

Week4 (10/25~10/31)
swim: 1km
bike: 155km
run: 25km

Events
Completed Hasetsune 71.5 trail run and Katsunuma half marathon. The half marathon was intended as a kick off to get back into proper running form. Managed a 1:39 on a hilly course and on somewhat tired legs. Also managed to run around the Yamanote line with members of the running club. Took about 5hours with lots of small breaks in between to complete the almost 40km loop.

November
I’ll start tapering on the afternoon of November 13th but until then, I plan to do an epic ride in the mountains, one superlong session on the Arakawa, Namban half, one 30km paced run and maybe two more 3km swims in the pool.

swim:
I was able to manage a 3km swam in just over 59mins going at a steady pace. Two more endurance-distance swims and short swims after a session on the trainer is what I plan to do.

bike:
About 2-3 more long rides outside. The rest of my cycling efforts will be done on the trainer.

run:
On the track, I managed a 20:32/5km at the last time trial which was about 30 seconds slower than my best. I need to do a few more 17km paced runs and more importantly, some more brick runs. My right leg is a bit of an issue. It’ll cramp up during and long sessions. Also, it sometimes feels very sore but goes away after 3-4days rest. Will definitely need to take it easy.

Hasetsune Cup Race Report

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:15:37 +0900

Hasetsune Cup Finished! Started the 71.5km race on Sunday 1pm and finished just before 6am on Monday with a total time of 16:54 (665 place/~2200 people).

The winner of this year’s cup (first time a non-Japanese won the event) managed a time of 8:03! Here is a good interview of the winner who gave his thoughts on the race.

Pre-race
I had only had time for two trail running sessions and one trail running event over the last 2-3 months. In the two practice session, I managed to recon the first 57km of the trails but both sessions were done during the day. It was informative but not training in night would come back to haunt me..

Anyways, the emphasis of this race is self-sufficiency and with only one aid station at the 45km mark where you are entitled to 1.5 liters of water or sports drink, you had to carry everything else with you. I carried:

3 VAAM gel packs
3 onigiri (konbu)
3 Soyjoy nutrition bars (blueberry)
3 BCAA packets (4950mg)
2 liters of water + 1 liter of Pocari Sweat
light fleece jacket

CP1
It was mostly raining the day before the race and it only stopped raining 3-4 hours before the race started. It started to clear up quite nicely and it then started to get a bit hot and humid (~26 degrees). Indeed, when the race started, I sweated quite a bit in the first 30mins due to the humidity and running to try to get into a good position. Realizing I would burn out and run out of water, I wisely scaled back my aggressive strategy. I ended up following the person in front of me even there were long queues on some of the narrow sections of the course. My goal was to get to the first CP1 before dark and I managed to achieve that. The 22.3km section took just under 4hrs and 30mins. Most importantly, I estimated I would have enough fluids to get me up to Mt. Mito (1,500m,7-800m elevation gain) and down to the next check point.

CP2
It got dark and my headlamp was on. This would be my first time trail-running at night. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning and it was interesting to see nothing but patches of light 20-30m ahead of you. BUT then it started to rain… It was a light rain at first but it started to pour! So much for jogging! The trail towards Mt. Mito had a lot of up and down sections with a lot of dirt which meant everything got wet, muddy and slippery. At this point, everyone was being very cautious of the people in front and behind them. I slipped twice on the mud but was able to land softly. I saw a few people wipe out and you could hear them cursing from a far distance. Anyways, it was one heck of a slog to get up Mt. Mito but when I did, the rain eventually stopped and the skies started to clear up. I drank the last of my fluids but with 5km left to the next CP, it was downhill to the checkpoint and it felt good jogging again. Got to CP2 just under the 10hour point. I was about 90mins slower than my target pace.

CP3
I was feeling pretty good so I didn’t spend too much time at CP2. Up to this point, I had eaten one onigiri, two nutrition bars and had one gel pack. Bad mistake! At about midnight, I bonked. Much like some of the runners that I had passed who laid down on the side of the trail to sleep, I had to do the same. After about a 30-45mins nap later, I ate another onigiri and got a nice dose of BCAA. It took about 20mins to kick in but I started to jog pretty solid again. After getting to the top of Mt. Gozen (1,405m), I knew there was only two more mountains to go and both were lower than 1,100m. At Mt. Odake, I decided to eat the rest of my food and make a nice dash along the nice runnable trail to the CP3. I crossed the marker at the 15hour point.

Finish
The sky was completely clear now and the stars were out. At CP3, the night view of the nearby cities and towns was magnificent. Other than a small uphill to Mt. Hinode, it was all flat or downhill. Feeling more alert and energetic because of the food, I felt I could go pretty fast in the last 13km. Indeed I did! I averaged just under 7km/hour and I felt strong enough to overtake about 30-40 people before finishing at 5:56am. Overall, I’m VERY glad to have finished the race without any injuries. It was also valuable learning experience for me with respect to nutrition management (very important with my first IM at the end of next month!). On a related note, I went for a recovery swim the next day and after weighing myself, I estimated I lost about 2-3kg during the race. Anyways, I may do this event again someday but will probably focus on exploring other trail running events.

58 days left...

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:30:29 +0900

..until my first Ironman-distance event! I can’t wait until Cozumel but before I go, I got another 45 days to give it my best and to reach my prime…

cue inspirational montage song

…That’s when you need to put yourself to the test,
And show us a passage of time,
We’re gonna need a montage! (montage)
Oh it takes a montage (montage)….

Training logs
September was a crucial month in getting back into triathlon specific training. The focus was on slow LONG-distance so that my body could get used to handling hours of physical exercise. Mission accomplished! I’ve trained more in September than June~August combined. Here are my September stats from my dailymile logs:

Week1 (8/29~9/5)
swim: 2.5km
bike: 25km (trainer), 20km (trainer), 115km (Arakawa)
run: 37km (Mt. Ontake race)

Week2 (9/6~9/12)
swim: 2.5km, 1.5km
bike: 25km (trainer), 150km (Arakawa)
run: 5km (recovery), 4.8km (intervals), 25km (Hasetsune practice)

Week3 (9/13~9/19)
swim: 3km, 1.5km
bike: 25km (trainer), 125km (Arakawa), 175km (Yabitsu)
run: 5km (recovery), 5.6km (intervals)

Week4 (9/19~9/26)
swim: 1.5km, 1.5km (Murakami)
bike: 25km (trainer), 40km (Murakami)
run: 40km (Hasetsune practice), 6.4km (intervals), 10km (Murakami)

Week5 (9/27~10/1)
swim: 3km, 1km
bike: 40km (trainer), 20km (trainer)
run: -

Events
Last week, I completed an olympic-distance triathlon in Murakami:
2:37:12 (overall)
0:34:20 (swim)
1:15:06 (bike)
0:47:46 (run)

I’m too lazy to repost the race report I had written up in the forums but will summarize. It was an excellent opportunity to assess my training and although I got killed on the swim (along with everyone else) and was off my 2:30 target time, I felt good after the race (I even went for a 3km indoor swim the next day)

October
The focus will be more towards intervals and shorter sessions with more intensity.

swim:
I’ll scale back emphasis on swimming with 2 sessions a week. I’ll do one slowish endurance-specific swim (3km/65~70mins) and a short 30-40mins session focusing on bilateral breathing.

bike:
For me, cycling is the key to everything. I’ll aim for 2-3 sessions on the trainer during the week. For my long-ish ride, it’ll be laps along Arakawa every Saturday morning with a focus on short sprints. If the weather is good, I may also ride on Sunday.

run:
If I decide to go through with Hasetsune on October 10, it’ll be my last trail run this year. After that, I need to start properly running again. The focus will be on intervals at the track and 1-2 morning runs during the week. I really need to practice running after cycling so anytime I cycle on the weekend from now on, I’ll add in a 1.5-2hr brick run.

nutrition:
My weight seems to hover at around 62-64kg. It’s crazy how much I’ll sweat on the trainer (there’s always a lake forming on the ground). I may try to fatten up to 65kg+ if I go through with Hasetsune. Starting October, I’ll make an effort to eliminate certain junk food that I seem to eat regularly (唐揚げ, 肉まん, etc..). I’ll probably still eat like a beast but I guess my body will appreciate it all that fuel. For longer training sessions, I’ve been experimenting with various sports drinks, gels, etc.. and will continue to do so in October. Those VAAM gels at the local conbini are becoming a favorite of mine.

Hasetsune Cup (Practice session #2)

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 07:48:00 +0900

Picking up where I left up last week at CP 1 (22.3km point) at 浅間峠, I kinda wish I did more of the trail last week. Ended up finishing at the 58km point at 御岳山.

From the bus stop at 上川乗, it was a 2.5km uphill warmup to 浅間峠. Soon after, it was more or less uphill till 三頭山(1531m) which took about 2hrs and a bit.

From 三頭山, it was mostly downhill or flat. Downhill, there are a lot of different trails and mistakenly, I took the wrong trail. Didnt realize my mistake until about 20mins later but luckily, there was another trail that eventually took me back on the right track.

The trail is nice and wide and the downhill/flat bits are very runnable possibly even at night. The rest of the trail to 御岳山 included some two other mountains 御前山 (1405m) and 大岳山(1267m).

Overall, did about 40km total averaging about 5km a hour. I think I could have ran a bit faster on the downhill/flat bits but didnt want to push my legs anymore (cycled about 300km on Sat & Sun). I may do one more session to check out the last 13.5km of the trail.

Hasetsune Cup (Practice session #1)

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 07:24:11 +0900

OSJ Ontake was a good warmup test to see how I fare in trail running. It was a tough 37km event with a epic climb from 933m to 3063m, a loop around the crater of the lakes before descending back down. I did alright going up but I’m not very good at descending and about 30-40 people passed me on the way down.
Result: 8:35:41 (217th/600ppl)

Next big trail running event will be the big Hasetsune 71.5km event on Oct 10/11. That gives me less than a month to try out the course beforehand. Based on yesterday’s practice session, it will be a painful race. I tried out the first 22km (first checkpoint) and it took about 4hours and a half (including rests). More or less 5km a hour and my pace was very consistent through the run. Comparing that to the mini Hasetsune course, I ran the 32km event in about 4:15. The practice time is actually decent based on finishers from last year but I’m really hoping I can get to CP1 in 4hours or around 6pm in the actual event so that I can get another 5-6km in before dark

Some notes:

The trail is wide and well maintained but the uphills are quite long
I carried about 2L of water and all of it was gone by the 22km mark (my original plan was to get to the onsen near the 31km mark). It looks like I’ll be able to refill at CP1 but during the actual race, I should bring 2.5-3L just in case
It was still a bit hot despite being in the shade. I was drenched in sweat throughout the run
I’ll be trying out sections 21km to 47km next week

南アルプス

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:39:00 +0900

Pics

Day 1

There’s only two buses a day (6:45 and 12:45) from 伊那大島 to the closest trailhead of 塩見岳
Took the last train the previous night and slept at the bus stop (surprisingly comfortable)
Hike to 三伏峠 took about 1.5hrs
Left my gear at the hut and hiked to 塩見岳(3054m) in just over 2hrs
Low visibility, windy and sporadic rain. Unfortunately, the view was not very good
Got back to the hut in about 2hrs and it was raining pretty hard
The original plan was to hike to the next camp spot and setup a tent but decided not to with the crappy weather

Day 2

Woke up early at 3:30 like all the other elderly mountaineer but was the first to start hiking at 4:00
Weather cleared up at around 10am and just in time for my ascent up 荒川岳 (3141m)
Left my gear at the junction point and made the hike to the highest point in about a hour
Ate lunch at the peak while enjoying the views
Hiked to 赤石岳 (3120m) by about 15:30 or so
It was just after 17:30 or so when I got to the next hut at 百間洞山の家
The original plan was to hike to the next camp spot but there was no way I could hike another 3hrs or so

Day 3

There’s only one bus that leaves 畑薙第一ダム at 14:25 which means taking the 13:00 shuttle from 椹島ロッジ
The ascent up 聖岳 (3013m) was exposed and the weather was not very good (very windy, foggy, a bit rainy)
Got to the peak at 9:30 and was in danger of missing the bus
The descent back down to 1400m was boring and dragged on
Whoops, got to trailhead/hard just after 14:30
It started raining pretty hard so decided not to hike over 20km (on the road) back to civilization
椹島ロッジ has very nice amenities (hot showers, bath, good food)

Spent the next half day chilling out in the surrounding area.

Chopin Nocturne (Op. 20 C# Minor Posth.) - timing is really...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:11:53 +0900

Chopin Nocturne (Op. 20 C# Minor Posth.)
- timing is really off but managed to learned the basics of this piece
- also gotta work on dynamics..

Mt Fuji Mountain Race Report

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 09:07:00 +0900

10-13mins.
This is how much more time I would have needed to finish the summit course within 4:30.

At the town hall, near the starting point

The race started off badly for me. Though it wasn’t as hot as Obuse, it was still hot enough for me to overheat really badly. It took me about 6mins to get to where I normally start my practice sessions and about 9mins to the shrine. When I got to the road, I was already walking a few seconds every 2 mins or so. I got to Nakanochaya at 0:47 which was about 3mins off my pace.

Mistake #1: wearing thick socks
My feet were tingling from the tightness

Once I took off my socks, it felt a lot better. Running improved a bit but I was still stopping quite a bit. I managed to get to Umagaeshi at 1:15. I was able to overtake quite a few people on the hike but there were sections where it was a bit congested. I ended up at 5th station with a time of 2:18 just 2minutes before the cutoff.

Mistake #2: carrying a bit too much
I managed to drink all 2L of water/sport drinks that I carried by the time I got to 6th station. The weather was hot so there was no need at all for me to carry an extra shirt, towel, gloves, camera. I think 1.5L, 1 energy gel and some change is probably more optimal.

The second part of the race is something I know I’m pretty good at. Here I managed to overtake a lot of people especially at the sections where you needed to scramble up some rocks. I got to 3250m (where I stopped in my longest practice session) at 3:38. My previous time here was 3:35 (starting from the train station). I was still passing quite a few people and when I got to the final checkpoint, I got there at 3:57, just short of the 4:00 cutoff.

With the pace I was going at, there was still a good chance I could finish within the 4:30 cutoff if I didnt stop. I went slightly faster initially but about 10mins later just after 9th station, I felt really dizzy to the point where I needed to sit down and rest. Up to then, I had a bit of a headache from the high altitude but was able to endure. I ended up resting about 10mins and afterwards I felt really good again. But by then, there was absolutely no way to make that last 800m or so uphill within 10mins.

Mistake #3: not enough training at high altitude
Instead of resting on Monday, I should have hiked up to the top and spent some time there.

Taken below 9th station on the way down

Overall, it was a good experience and someday I will finish the race properly. From the running club, there were 3 other members that attempted the summit race but only one of us finished.

Hills Training

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:01:55 +0900

Fujiyoshida train station @810m (0:00)
Sengen shrine (0:90)
Nakanocha (0:38)
Umegaishi (1:08)
1st station (1:13)
2nd station (1:27)
3rd station (1:35)
5th station - 佐藤小屋@2230m (2:07)
6th station (2:28)
7th station (2:45)
8th station - 元祖室@3250m (3:35)

The race starts about 1.5km from Fujiyoshida station at the town hall which will take as long as 10minutes. I stopped about 1.7km or so till the top which means if I were to run/hike at this pace during the race, I would have about 45mins or so to finish. This guy was able to finish with a pace similar to mine.
I think I should be able to run a bit faster at the beginning and if I can do that and still manage a time around 2:05 or less at 5th station, I’ll be in good shape.

Lessons learned:

I’ll be drenched in sweat by 5th station. Need to change clothing at that station
2L of water should be plenty. It should last until 7th and by then, I wouldnt need to drink as much
Both legs cramped up at around the 3:00 mark. Need to add sports drinks to the water (40% mix would do nicely). Salt tablet may also help
Fingers were numb after 7th. Gotta wear some gloves
Two gel packs and a snickers bar should be enough. One gel pack at Naka-no-cha and another at 5th
Need to practice mountain hiking with a big backpack

Chopin Nocturne (Op. 21 C Minor Posth.) - Finally have some...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:01:10 +0900

Chopin Nocturne (Op. 21 C Minor Posth.)
- Finally have some spare time to get back into classical piano
- I’m trying to imitate Claudio Arrau but I need more work getting the subtle details correct
- Op. 20 C# minor next up on my learning list