Autumn 2006: Long hilly runs series

I do not have an elaborate or scientific or difficult marathon training program filled with self-sacrifice. My philosophy now is to find one interesting and enjoyable course each week for the crucial weekly long run.

Fortunately my desire for interesting new runs dovetails with the general expert advice that weekly long run on varied terrain is a key building block in the weeks from 15 weeks to 5 weeks prior to the marathon. Here is Joe Friel in Fast Marathoner:

1. Long runs. Before you can train for speed you've got to first be able to go the distance. I call a "long run" for the marathon one that is two-and-a-half to three hours in duration. Start from your longest run now and add 15 to 20 minutes each time you do one of these. The pace is slow – at least two minutes per mile slower than your 10k pace. 2. Hilly run. Besides the long run, this is the most valuable workout you can do early in the season. These will give you not only strength for hills on the marathon course, but also a more powerful stride.

Here is a list to date of my effort to find various long runs:

Week 1 (Oct 20) The Akasaka Yasukuni Palace Loop - 14k
Painful slog with Darshaun. It is clear from this run that I have a long way to go. 14k isn't really a long run, but it seems extremely long on this day.

Week 2 (Oct 28) The Tamagawa River stroll - 18k
Flat run along the river with Paddy, Juergen, Chris and Ingle. At least socializing takes my mind off the fact that I am out of shape.

Week 3 (Nov 4) The Takao to Fujino Mountain Climb - 24k
Grueling hill run with Terry, Keren, Motozo, Rie, Chika. This scenic point-to-point course starts with 4-5k of town running out of Takao, followed by switchbacks up to the Takao trail. The final section from Jimba Mountain to the small village of Fujino is great running. In Fujino, Keren Motozo and I inhale a lunch of ramen noodles in less than 4-minutes and catch the train back to Tokyo for yoga.

Week 4 (Nov 10) The Higashi Agano Trail Run - 20k
Steep climb and run along ridge in Saitama. Some of the steep sections are unrunnable, but it is enjoyable to explore an interesting new point-to-point course situated an hour out of central Tokyo.

Week 5 (Nov 18) The Kamakura Trail & Beach Run - 24k
My friend Martin who works for the State Department in Afghanistan visits Tokyo for a week and wishes to run the Kamakura loop course. This works perfectly with 17 Nambanners joining us for a long run. The first 12k is on hilly trails and the last half of the course follows the waterfront (2:45 minutes of running, 3:30 of total time with stops for pictures, temples, views, bathroom breaks etc).

Week 6 (Nov 25) The Ome Trail Run - 25k
Perfect blue skies and spectacular autumn leaves as Chris, Fabrizio, Gary and I cover the hilly trails of Ome, 90-minutes from Roppongi (2:40 minutes)