I have been impressed with the outstanding performances of Olympic runners despite the scorching Tokyo temperatures and oppressive humidity.  Inspired after watching the women’s marathon on Friday morning, I decided to see what time I could record for my regular 5K walk/jog through our Tokyo neighborhood.

The temperature was 32^○C (89.6^○F) with 70% humidity at 10:30AM, sunlight filtered through a heavy cloud cover.

Although weather conditions have caused me to curtail outdoor exercise activity, to my great surprise I clocked a 5K Personal Best time of 45:08.  My split times were 9:30, 8:50, 8:59, 8:49 and 8:49.  Since I did no jogging the first kilometer, limited my jog intervals to roughly 30% for the other four segments, and did not finish with any “sprint,” I was pleased with my performance.

A new pair of ASICS running shoes with features that are perfect for power walking really helped.

This fall, I plan enter some local 5K races to measure my improved fitness level and relative age group performance.