Tuesday afternoon - I missed my morning run today. For the afternoon I was on the track. Two miles warm up and then 30 minutes at 7:20 pace. Two miles warm down. This is my "tempo" pace. Tempo pace should be about a minute per mile slower than 5K race pace. It went pretty well. It felt easier than last week. I feel like I am getting in better shape.

I was on the track at the same time as the university track team. It is always kind of interesting to interact with them. I have tried many times to initiate contact and been ignored or laughed at so now I let them initiate. Recently when I run by they say fighto fighto, which means good job. Last week one member of the team came up to talk to me. He lived in the US for one year and went to school at WSU. He is quite a nice kid and of course it is nice to have some interaction with other runners. Last week I also saw another western runner working out with the team. I said hello to him but he kind of ignored me. It is always a dodgy thing when you meet another "foreigner here in Japan. Most will ignore you. There are not many "gaijin" in this area so it is quite unusual to bump into one. It seems most white foregners will not say anything if they run into a fellow traveler but non-white foreigners will often say hello. My pet peeves are those who are staring at you but when you say hello they look away.

Wednesday - am 4 miles- cemetary run. PM 4 miles reverse cemetary run. The afternoon run, actually at 5:30 was quite humid and I was overdressed. I think it is time to switch to shorts and a t-shirt

About my goals - About a month and a half ago I ran 5K in 19:58. My goal is to get into the 16+ range. I know it seems like a giant jump but I think it is possible. My personal record for 5k is 15:18 which was run when I was around 25. I am 45 now. So I have age working against me and I also have weight. In my best running days I was in the 130-140 range. Now I am 180. So I have some work to do.

My training has been going well for the past couple of months. I am running between 50-60 miles a week with two speed workouts and one long run. I am working with the famous internet coach Tinman. He has really been great to work with and has really helped my running. So I hope to be able to reach my goals.