Running in Okinawa

Buffalo Wild Wings – Visit their website, and you’ll hear GGGggrrrr!!! in the background.  It reminds me of really bad acid reflux.  I ate their yesterday with Dad, Yukino, and Claire.  The food tasted delicious, but it was the oiliest, greasiest meal I’ve ever eaten.  I had the sampler plus ribs and popcorn shrimp (Buffalo Wild Wings menu).  Yukino ordered the mushrooms for Claire, cut them into smaller pieces, and a pool of grease came out – yummm, I’d like my grease in a cup please…  I was too full to eat dinner that night.

Ran this morning around 9am.  Felt heavy and bloated from yesterday’s lunch.  I ran 40 minutes build up (build up run is where I run increase pace over the last 20 minutes of the run) through the sidewalks of Lakewood Springs.  My wife and I went to the mall after breakfast.  There was a small kiosk in the mall that had little red stroller cars.  Claire rode in one which was nice because I didn’t have to carry her the whole time.  I bought a cofee, some work shirts, and hair pins for my daughter.

This is Wednesday, so you know what that means…point workout day.  My evening point workout was rushed because I wanted to make it to Jack’s ball game by 6pm.  I measured 400 meters with my GPS watch (Garmin Forerunner 305) from the front of Dad’s house to the stop sign, and marked start and finish lines with my shoes; I did this workout in my racing shoes since I’ll be racing this weekend.  I ran 7 x 400s rather than the normal 10 x 400s on race week in attempt to save up enough time to shower, pack some dinner, and go to the game.  Unfortunately Dad wasn’t ready, and we left 10 minutes late missing Jack’s 1st inning where he pitched perfectly striking out all three batters.  His team was up to bat, and when we arrived Jack was on first base.  My niece Ryann played with Claire the whole time.  Claire’s smile was never bigger than it was while she plays with Ryann.  Jack’s team won the game.

Every second interval was against the wind (kinda strong).  Here’s the breakdown:
1. 67   5. 70
2. 72   6. 70
3. 72   7. 62 (4:08 mile pace)
4. 74

Morning run
I ran a comfortable 7.3 miles this morning, but was cautious in doing so. I stayed close to the starting point in case something happened. I felt great after all. No worries. I was excited that I completed the run w/o pain.

Afternoon run
I came home early to take my kid to the doctor, and my wife took the car and left me at home to relax. I played a game for bit, and decided I’d better get my run in before they come back. So off I went. I felt good enough to stick to the regular training menu since this morning went well, so I set out for a 9.5 mile course. There must have been a holiday today because after 3:30, kids from kindergarten to high school were getting out of school early. They crowded the sidewalks, so I had to hop on and off the busy road more than a few times. Overall the run felt great, and I was finished just after my wife and kid got home. We went out to got her car back after getting it JCI’d, and then we ate out. It was very fun, and I’m looking forward to spending more quality time for our next vacation which is coming soon!

Thank goodness for Mama-sans!! I was hurtin today, so decided to take it easy, and jog the kinks out. I was still hurting after my jog, and spoke to one of the kids’ Mom who is a masseuse. She gave me a massage right there on the spot. My wife and Reiko were there watching. The first thing she checked was my balance. She said it was really bad. She showed them that my left leg was longer than my right (I already was told that by the chiropractor, so no surprise there). She hit places my chiropractor never does. It felt so good to have her work those neglected areas. When she was done, she checked my alignment again, and showed my wife and Reiko the difference. Both legs were even now! There was a three inch difference when she started, and she fix it. I wanted to ask where she works so I could make an appointment, but it was getting late, and she was in a hurry. She said it may be because of running the same direction on the track so much. She’s probably right.

I told Hase how messed up my alignment was, and how much difference she had made. I asked him, “Why does this happen?”

He said, “Bo-Tai-So, yatteru?” (are you doing the bo exercises?)

I said, “NO!” and immediately I realized that I had forgotten all about Bo-Tai-So. Bo-Tai-So is the core of FreeRun training.  It is a set of bo exercises that strengthen the body’s core and alignment.

I know what I need to do.

Midday Run
Ran at lunch time today because I was too tired to wake up at 5. It was the hottest part of the day, and believe you me, Okinawa can get HOT!! I did 45 mins at a comfortable pace.

Active Recovery Steps taken today:

1. iced after morning run – I used a paper cup of ice to massage my legs (something I learned in high school).
2. read about my injury – I finally opened a book I bought last year. Kinetic Anatomy by Robert S. Behnke, a Professor at Indiana State University. I read one the first chapter on movement, and learned the general concepts, but then flipped to chapter 10: The Hip and Thigh. I found out that the muscle(s) that’s been bothering me is called the Psoas major and possibly the Gracilis also which runs from the pelvis to the knee.
   
3. I did a Power Stretch video with my wife. The video is by Madeleine Lewis, and takes about 20 minutes. I feel like I’m working muscles that I don’t normally use because I feel mild soreness afterwards in my quads and back.
   

Late Evening Run
I ran nice and slow for 30 minutes.  Felt good.

I enjoyed sleeping in until 6:30 am today.   It’s nice to get that extra hour of sleep in to start the week off feeling refreshed.

I tried something new this evening.  I tried Yoga and later on some Power Stretching.  I noticed my body imbalances when doing the stretching.  I was more flexible on my right side than my left.  I plan to continue exploring stretching and power exercises until I find a routine that works for me.

I set off this morning on a two and a half hour slow solo jog only to have problems half way through.  I felt a familiar sharp pain in my left glute when I was 11 miles out.  I knew it was time to stop, so I walked to the nearest convenience store, bought an onigiri and a sports drink, and took a cab home.  The pain I felt was sharp.  Most likely onset from not running regularly, stretching, and/or not doing any strength exercises lately.  I really upped my mileage this week, and started doing hard quality workouts again.

Later on in the day, while my wife and daughter were taking a nap (she was sleepy from going to the beach today), I decided to go to the Seikotsuin (chiropractor/message place) to get started recovering from this ongoing nuisance of an injury.  It felt great, they really worked some kinks out that had been bugging me for a while, especially in my shoulders, back, and neck.  Afterwards they hooked me up to an electric machine that pulses through your muscles causing them to contract.  I think its to strengthen the muscles.  Now I’m realigned, strengthened, and ready to recover from a hard week.

3k – 9:36
2k – 6:16
1k – 3:00
3k (did lap extra so 8.5 laps) 11:39
felt on verge of injury so stopped here.

The track was closed today, so we ran on the park course. 2k out, u-turn, and 2k back.  It was nice to be off norm for while (not running the track).  I was on my own for this workout which was also a plus – no pressure.  Hase was tuning up for his race at Sendai Half Marathon this weekend, so he was doing 400s.

My pace was pretty good, and I felt decent.  I kept all my K’s under 3:30 with my last 2k being 3:20 and 3:10.  I remember as I was coming in for the final 1k, I felt like I was running in a tunnel that outlined my body.  I don’t think my form could have been any better.  This is the type of feeling I want to have during a race.

After two months of less training and more studying, I’ve passed my exams, and am ready to get back into running two-a-days starting next week. I wasn’t in good enough shape to do the full workout today which was 12k at 3:20 pace (5:20 per/mi). I kept pace until 6k, and decided that was enough for the day. I ran a 66 second kick lap to finish up the 6k. after a fast start. Hase and I traded off 1k’s, which means I would lead one, then he would lead one while Seth did 1k repeats, and the new guy did 400s. The youth B group did their own workout of 4000m x2, and the youth C did 400s.

My alarm didn’t go off early enough to get a run in this morning, so I only did one recovery run after work.  I ran 4 miles down to a “go green store” that I’d heard about earlier today.  The prices there were unbelievable!  They wanted more than $5k for a wind turbine that costs only $500 on the internet.  Isn’t that insane?  I was really looking for a gadget that could maybe power a t.v. or home appliance.  It’s hard to find anything small that can give you affordable solar power.  The turbine is best I could find.  Anyway, I’m glad I went, and I enjoyed my 4 mile run back.  I felt pretty strong doing strides afterwards.