How many miles did you run today?

[jbarwick]

Another 7 miles last night. Great weather in the 50s before another rush of cold air next week.

 

[jbarwick]

7 lunch miles again in the 50s.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

It was my mountain race today. I wasn't feeling too good, and certainly not at 5am, which was when I had to get up - but I went anyway.

The weather was a perfect late autumn day in the Japan Alps, just starting to get properly cold (it was 1ºC at the start, which some people wheren't very happy about), but with red maple leaves still on the trees, a clear blue sky - we even say Fuji from the train, its peak already covered in snow - and the sun increased the temperatures gradually during the race.

Mitake-san isn't a race you can really 'pace' in a normal way. The majority of the course is super steep and mostly up - it finishes over 500m up from where it starts, with 3 other peaks in between, meaning there is a total of well over 1000 metres of ascent, and over 500m of descent, all in the course of just over 12km or maybe 13km. The organizers aren't very clear on this and GPS readings are very variable. And the steepness, did I mention the steepness? There are many sections where you have no real choice but to walk, and this starts right from the gun, with 500m up in just over 3km, and on the narrow rocky interior paths the whole thing can become like a route march with a long line of 'runners' just trudging upwards. And then the even steeper downhills where you have to keep your footing or you take the guy in front of you out (or worse). And it all finishes with what feels like 45º steps up to Mitake shrine with people shouting at you not to give up.

So you basically have to imagine almost doubling the time you'd expect for a road 12k, and then maybe add a bit more to take account of the extra fatigue and muscle strain. Last time I did this in December 2013, I was super fit and 4kg lighter than now. Then I ended up with 1:37:31 and was around 150th overall. Today, 6 years older, fatter, in not quite as good shape and feeling a bit under the weather I got 1:51:18 and was almost 100 places down - although the race has grown and there are a lot more runners these days. Afterwards, you get a free onsen (hot spring bath) in one of the many little hotels and B&Bs in Mitake itself - there are a lot of really good things about this race - and I got chatting to some people. There were better runners than me who finished over 2:30:00 - it's just not an average race.

I love it.

 

[jbarwick]

That's a proper race FM!

I got in a couple 7 milers this weekend. Nothing special other than weather in the 50s. 35 miles last week after a couple weeks of nothing. I really need to work on my core as it is the sorest part of me and easy to fix...I am just lazy

 

[imatlas]

That sounds amazing FM. I do a lot of hill training but I have a long way to go before I could take that on!

Today was quite flat, as I’m in Amsterdam for work. It was chilly and rainy so it was a chance to try out my waterproof kit. I was nice and dry but too warm. I definitely could have skipped a layer on my legs.

 

[Fueco]

5 road miles with the dogs. There’s still lots of ice, but it was mostly easy running. Temps in the low to mid 30s.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

That sounds amazing FM. I do a lot of hill training but I have a long way to go before I could take that on!

I think because it's so short, it's only classified as 'intermediate' in difficulty by the organisers! They have a whole series of mountain races. Technically, some of it is harder though, I think - one of my clubmates who finished 20 minutes after me said that it was the super-steep downhill section that did for him - he just couldn't find his footing properly and had to slow down to almost a crawl.

 

[sugarbutch]

I ran a similar route in Amsterdam, but it was April and perfect weather.

 

[Fueco]

3.5 miles with the dogs on sloppy muddy and slushy trails. Temps were in the low 40s.

 

[jbarwick]

The normal 7 miles last night. I've learned 4-way stops seem more dangerous in the winter time even with a headlight shining right into the windshield of a car...it's like they don't notice and almost hit you.

 

[Fueco]

3.5 on the dreadmill. ‘Tis the season.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Got a bit of a cold, but I went down to the track on Wednesday anyway. It was 1000m x 3 / 800m x 3 / 400m, and I ran with the 4 min/km group, hoping this time that people wouldn't actually run down near 3:45. And actually, they didn't. I could really feel that my lung capacity wasn't as large as normal, and I didn't have any 'kick' at the end, but I did keep up a pretty consistent 3:54 pace.

 

[jbarwick]

5.3 miles last night. Short on time but wanted some miles.

 

[Fueco]

3.5 miles on slushy trails. This has to be the longest lasting snow since we moved here. It hasn’t snowed for 2.5 weeks, and I’m still running on it.

 

[jbarwick]

7 lunch miles yesterday before a quick weekend trip drive