This was the a perfect day in Shonan touristy old capital town, Kamakura, home of the big buddha and luxury resorts an hour from Tokyo. Thanks to Jay, the trailrunner guru, 20 of us, weaved and bobbed around the mountain trails, beaches, and temples. This was our 3rd annual run, and we seem to be getting into a nice groove. It took us 2:37 to run 25K, so probably the longest time running for your humble narrator in 10 months (since the Tokyo marathon) and over 6 minute pace. After the "warm-up" on the mountain trails, we hit the accelerator button on the beach for a nice 2-3k stretch, than a tough climb up to "Beverly Hills", and back along the beach to the station. Nearly 3 hours of running reduced us to cravings for food, drink, and sento, which were all gratified instantly after the run. Numbers for the week:
Run: 35K, 2 runs
Swim: 2.2K, 1 swim
Swim: 2.2K, 1 swim
Bike: 20K, 1 bike
Total time training this week: 5:20
I am starting to feel better in the legs (hamstring), albeit some lower left back discomfort. I have actually been able to improve my endurance and times at the track with only 2 runs per week in the past month, thanks to the cross training I guess...no big rush yet as the Tokyo Marathon in February will probably be a 3:40 to 4 hour jog for me, than the half-ironman in Hainan, China in April, than the climax of the year, the July Zurich, Suisse ironman. Bring it on, 2008!
