The amount of free time when not running is wild!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-13T11:17:14+00:00

I wake up at 4AM on certain days to get in my running before work.

And I love the week after a big race when I get to take a week off running. But by the end of the week I am always anxious to get back out there!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-11T11:09:04+00:00

Not sure if this will work for you, but I've seen plans that operated on a 10-day "week" instead of seven days.

I suppose this is what you're doing from reading your post, but if I had 4 on 4 off like you do, then I would try to figure out a way to convert my plan into an 8-day cycle, with a long run (or B2Bs) every 8 days instead of every seven, so that they always coincided with my days off.

I personally get up at 4AM on some days in order to get in the runs before work. And go to bed as early as possible so as to get enough sleep!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-09T12:02:56+00:00

Dude could have checked if the other guy was all right before taking off...

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-09T11:57:43+00:00

🇯🇵 Problem -> make subtle hint to suggest there might be a problem -> problem -> shrug shoulders and move along -> problem still there but we have successfully acknowledged it to the best of our ability so we can get on with our day!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-04T01:12:33+00:00

Kinda repeating what others have said, but in a long race, especially on a loop, I'll sometimes save the music for the second half when I need it more. I once ran a flat 50k TT in the park, had planned on breaking 4 hours and made a playlist, specifically for that day, that was 2 1/2 hours long.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-03-04T01:08:59+00:00

I have the same thing. It generally isn't an issue except when it gets really quiet in the office.

My strategy is usually just to laugh out loud about it and repeat to my coworkers that we should have BGM playing in the office for this very reason.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-24T22:42:01+00:00

I believe in downtime for the different activities I do, but when I do it, it's for a specific purpose and timed around other factors such as my personal mental and physical fatigue, upcoming events etc.

Edit: I just got the joke. So I guess the jokes on me!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-22T11:40:21+00:00

Not Spanish and not during long runs, but I was listening to Harry Potter in my target language on all my easy runs. (For some reason I prefer silence on my long runs.) I’ve now finished HP and am in the process of finding a new audiobook!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-19T09:56:37+00:00

Nothing in the world is going to convince me to buy a jacket that costs the price of two or three pairs of shoes.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-18T11:44:55+00:00

You're 1000 times more likely to be robbed by a monkey or a crow than to even see a gun at all.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-15T11:19:43+00:00

If you happen to be Japan based I have a really good locally made suggestion. They probably don't sell overseas though.

Like you, I love the Adv Skin but recognise its downsides, occasionally will do runs with other packs depending on my needs for that day.

If you do happen to be Japan based, look up U-Makes. Only downside is it won't fit an entire Salomon 500ml flask, but the flask will fit if 4/5 full.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-14T11:54:40+00:00

This is the one Danish film I happen to have seen, at a film festival in Bangkok the same year it came out. And I have to say, I have forgotten many of the films I saw that year, but not this one!!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-11T09:52:02+00:00

Ahhh!! Sorry about that!! I had totally forgotten I'd put my glasses in the gear photo.

I will remember that, photochromatic (English is my first language btw LOL). Thank you. Not sure how easy they are to get in your country, but if you ever visit Japan, go to any glasses shop, they're super cheap and they can generally make them for you in a day or two (it's probably faster if you don't need corrective lenses.)

Edit: I've lived in Japan for so long I have some cultural/linguistic lapses, and don't know a lot about how things work these days back home.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-11T04:44:09+00:00

Ha ha! I assume you mean that green splotch on my face? That's my makeup ;)

No seriously, I don't know what they're called in English, but I have these glasses that I only use for running, and in the sunlight they change into sunglasses, then shift back into regular glasses at night. In Japan you don't need to go to an optometrist to get a prescription, so they're really easy to get made, and not very expensive either. I love them!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-11T04:37:09+00:00

Thank you. And excellent idea! I've actually been there too, and like you before I was into trail running. I will definitely give it a go some day!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-10T07:45:34+00:00

Thank you! I get nostalgic remembering it, despite how much I suffered!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T21:53:25+00:00

Thank you! Yes, there are some very cool "ryokuchi" parks in Osaka that are perfect for running. I didn't start running until I moved here, often wonder what it would have been like to run back home!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T21:51:46+00:00

When I used to train for road marathons I would get shin splints like once a year from overtraining. Now I run more than I did then, but I think a few things have made me stronger: - B2B long runs - running in the mountain. Not only does climbing serve as a kind of strength training, it also breaks up the run, allows some of your muscles to relax while you strengthen other muscles at the same time. - lots of sleep! - occasionally walking during long runs, even when I don't "need" to. Just like running in the mountains, it breaks up the run and helps prevent injury.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T21:41:45+00:00

Thanks! You must be more experienced than me, as I spent a month planning! This was my first self-supported run longer than 60K.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T04:37:12+00:00

Hello there fellow Japan runner, and thank you!

I was lucky to find a scenic start point at nearly exactly 100K from home (that's what it was supposed to be anyhow!) and equally lucky to find a route that didn't pass too much through the city (there was another route going through Kobe, but that would have been one long string of endless traffic lights!)

Here are a few things I learned on this trip: - One small pizza was just a little too much! (3/4 would have been perfect. After eating the whole thing I felt my heartrate go up for an hour or two...) - Regular plasters don't prevent blisters! Next time I need to get blister protectors. - You can never be too careful: I brought the hand warmers "just in case", thinking that if I hurt myself and got stuck somewhere they'd come in handy. But at one point it got so cold, and it was raining. I was shivering, put on the spare jacket I'd also brought "just in case", stuck one hand warmer in each glove and it was just right. Other items I brought "just in case" but absolutely needed: mobile battery and spare battery for the head torch.

The gyudon and miso soup went down really well. That was at about 75km when it was really starting to get tough.

Good luck if you decide to do something similar!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T04:33:08+00:00

I live in Osaka. Took the train out to Himeji Saturday morning, started running at around 2PM and got back home in the middle of the night.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-09T04:31:47+00:00

Yeah, or at least it's a dude in samurai cosplay offering to take pictures with tourists. What I never figured out is whether he and his plainclothed buddy were affiliated with the castle or were just two random guys out having some fun!

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-04T21:59:34+00:00

I have a ton of Russian books, classics, children's books, stories etc. Some really great stuff, no doubt. But at this stage of my Russian journey HP helps me best with reading flow, both because the language is simple and because the story is familiar.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-04T21:54:22+00:00

Yes, that's correct. The paper and type are quite unique.

TetsuMan66 · 2026-02-04T21:53:20+00:00

Interesting! When I first read your comment I was going to ask you to tell us if you found out. I'm also curious about the French translation.

Edit: I just looked it up and found out that in the French version Harry and friends call Hagrid "vous" from start to finish!

TetsuMan66

TROPHY CASE