Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon

Last summer, while looking for new races to participate in I discovered the sport Aquathlon. A triathlon without the cycling part. This got me very interested as runners usually do not swim and swimmers usually do not run (competitively that is), I however do (did) both.
I was only able to put in a few swim sessions in and 6 years of no swimming were really noticeable.
I got 2nd place in my first aquathlon (a really small race in Hachijoji) and 5th the second time (a bigger event in Komazawa).

This year I was not going to miss out on these fun events and signed up on the Setagaya Aquathlon championships: A tournament composed of 4 aquathlons. Nihon Gakuen, Meguro, Shibuya and Setagaya.
Top 10 of each event get points, the tournament winner is of course whoever gets the most points.

Race Report

Race Name: Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon
Location: A few minutes from Medaimae station on the Keio line (click for map)
Price: 1000 yen
Distance: 300 meter swim / 1500 meter run .... really short!!
Age groups: men under 39, men over, women and elementary kids.
Sponsor: Nike and artsports
Prize: For the first place a pair of running nike shoes of your choice (no flats it seems).

As this was my first aquathlon I wasn't really looking for much other than warm-up, place high and have fun .... LIE ... I went there to win it (I did not know what the prize was).
In the amateur aquathlon scene of Japan it is very hard to find someone who is fast in the water and on the ground. The best you can get are triathletes who are usually great on the swim but not as great on a short runs.

This race had a 1500 meter run AKA my favorite and for the time been, best event. The swim part was not crazy long and I was sure I could fight my way through.
10 minutes before the start all participants in my age group gathered around the pool to prepare their shoes, etc for the transition. The guy next to me asked me if I was a track athlete, to which I replied, "Yes, in fact my favorite race is the 1500, I can run it in about 4.10" (a little white lie right there). He said, "oh really? I run too, I run 1500 in about 4.09, but I cannot swim at all."

If there was a guy to beat it was him ...

We all got in the pool and the race began ... man was it a tough swim. Punches, kicks, grabbing, pulling. Some 20 guys in a 25 meter pool trying to get the first position, this was the obvious result. After the first 30 meters I was in the front pack with 5 swimmers and could focus more on my stroke ... peace did not last long. Three swimmers infront began to slow down after the first 75 meters and at the same time we were catching up to the slow people. Once again I was trapped between punches, kicks, etc.

Why would you swim breast stroke during a swim meet??? In a lane with 15 guys all around you ... breast stroke kicks can be a dangerous weapon.

By 200 meters I was not sure which position I was anymore, I was not even sure how many laps were left.
300 meters were done and I left the pool 2nd and in one piece ... the 1st place, a triathlete, with a 10 second lead(I had a super slow transition after).

The swim was actually about 350 meters as we had to swim the perimeter of the pool.

The 1500 (actually 1600) run began: 2 small loops around the school ground and one big lap covering all of the school ground.
Within the first minute I quickly catched and passed the first place. By 500 meters I had a huge lead with nobody to be seen behind me.

Now ... I began slow ... after a 300 meters swim I needed a few seconds to catch my breathe. Why oh why didn't I bring up the pace to 1500 meter speed?? Why didn't I take it up to at least 3000 meter racing pace? I tured around and there was nobody, but does that mean I can just jog and wave to the crowd taking for granted my victory? I have never seen the leading man raise his arms during a full marathon race at the 25 km mark.
I am no olympic runner ... these races are my own personal olympics and I should try 100% in all of them (unless there is some tactical / experimental plan going on). What was I thinking ... or to better state that ... why wasn't I thinking!

Back to the race.
400 to go I turn around and I see the track runner a few meters behind me coming at full speed. By the time I was running at 1500 race pace he was next to me. 100 meter to go he was infront of me. 50 meter to go I took the lead ... 10 meters to go he catched up, and well he is a faster runner and of course won by a few centimers.
I had a huge lead on this guy ... like having a 10 km lead during a marathon ...

5 days after and this race is still in my head. How did I finish second place?

I will have another chance. He will race meguro on September 9th. Once again I will have a 40 second lead (maybe more as the swim will be in a 50 meter pool). The run will be 4 km so he will have a better advantage in the run.

I guess I should try to concentrate on getting the points more than taking it personal ... And to remember to focus on my stroke rather than moving my arms quickly.

For amateur athletes these small races are their own personal big events and should be treated as such ... A cocky attitude like the one on Sunday will only give me disappoinments.
Click here for the swim part of the race

Anyways ... I really recommend this race. The distance is short enough for beginners and there is not much competition. Also the place is easy to get to. Most importantly the first place gets a pair of nike running shoes of their choice.

Results:
Men 40 up (1st - 3rd)= 12:23 / 13:00 / 13:41
Women= 13:06 / 13:24 / 14:58
Mine: 11:54

Running in July

Hot and humid ... running during the summer is horrible in this country. Peru can get quite humid but the weather here is sticky and even running late at night can be uncomfortable.

I spent the month of July doing track sessions and long runs with Patrick (a 3.45, 1500mt runner). Although we only spent a few weeks training together I have to admit I learned a lot from him, especially regarding pace during training. He would make 1000 mt intervals while I was doing 600 - 800 mt intervals. The idea was for me to pace him ... haha the first couple of times it was hilarious.

"Omar what are you doing!!" I could here behind me.
"Omar why are you going too fast!! no no you are going too slow now" (all this in the starting 50 meters).
"Oh my God, you are a yo-yo, pace up-down, up-down" (all while running at 3 min/km pace).
By the end of the month I could finally hold my pace ... sometimes.

July

*most if not all of the jogs are between 4.05 and 4.25 pace

1.- Jog 18 km
2.- Jog 19km
3.- 3 x 1200 - 4.30 break : total 13 km
3.38 - 3.37 - 3.32
4.- Jog 18 km
5.- Rest
6.- 5 x 400 - 60 sec 200mt recovery jog : total 18 km
1.08 - 1.08 - 1.07 - 1.10 - 1.07
7.- Easy jog 5 km
8.- Jog 15 km
9.- 6 x 400 - 90 sec 200mt recovery jog : total 20km
1.04 - 1.05 - 1.04 - 1.05 - 1.05 - 1.05
4.30 break
4 x 200 - 90 sec 200mt recovery jog
29 - 30 - 30 - 29
10.- Jog 15 km
11.- 4 x 800 - 2min 200mt recovery jog : total 17km
2.24 - 2.21 - 2.23 - 2.24
5 min break
4 x 200 - 90 sec 200mt recovery jog
31 - 31 - 31 - 31
12.- Jog 15 km
13.- Jog 15 km
14.- Rest
15.- Jog 10 km
16.- Track race at Yumenoshima : 4.13.31 PB
17.- Jog 17 km
18.- Easy ladder workout at 1.15 pace all the way
800 (2.28) - 1200 (3.46) - 1600 (5.03) - 1200 (3.45) - 800 (2.26) - 400 (1.01)
19.- Rest
20.- Jog 18 km
21.- Jog 10 km
22.- Jog 13 km
23.- Rest
24.- Jog 15 km
25.- 10km jog in the morning and 10 km jog in the afternoon
26.- 5 km time trial : 16.19.50 PB by 0.4 seconds
27.- Morning: 1500mt easy swim
Afternoon: 10 x 20 - 60 sec 200mt recovery jog : total 15 km
35 - 36 - 36 - 36 - 36 -35 - 34 - 35 - 35 - 29
28.- Jog 10 km
29.- Jog 24 km
30.- Jog 15 km
31.- 5 x 1000 - 90 sec 200mt recovery jog : total 16 km
3.13 - 3.11 - 3.13 - 3.10 - 3.00

Total km : 404km
Total swim : 1.5 km (a start for the upcoming aquathlon season and hopefully my first triathlon)

I was really satisfied with my track workouts. I think soon I will be able to run a mile under 4.20 and a 5 km under 16 minutes.

Looking forward for the summer to be over. I have a busy race calendar this September / October where I will take part in about 7 races.

Click here for a video of my 1500 track race

Patrick's (on the left) good bye night

Training begins : June

For those who have never been to Japan, summer here can get very hot, and this season was no different. It seems that Al Gore made sure this summer was even hotter ... and with less rain in Tokyo during the first months. I couldn't let that stop me though ... training had to begin if I wanted to become a good runner. Hora de dejarse de huevadas.

June

1.- Jog 13 km
2.- Jog 10km
3.- Rest
4.- Jog 18 km
5.- Jog 13 km
6.- Jog 20 km
7.- Jog 15 km
8.- Jog 13 km
9.- Rest
10.- Jog 20 km
11.- 2 x (4x400) - 60 sec 200mt recovery jog - 4min in between : 15km total
1.06 - 1.07 - 1.07 - 1.07 / 1.08 - 1.08 - 1.09 - 1.08
12.- 9 x 300 - 60 sec 100mt recovery jog : 17km total
54 - 54 - 53 -53 - 52 - 53 - 52 - 54 - 52
13.- 4 x 200 - 2 min 200mt recovery jog : Total 18km
29 - 30 - 28 - 28
14.- Rest
15.- 10 x 200 - 60 sec 200mt recovery jog : Total 16km
31 - 32 - 32 - 32 - 32 - 31 - 32 - 31 - 31 - 31
16.- Rest
17.- SAIKO ROAD RACE - 20.5km ... no comments terrible results
18.- Jog 21 km (at 4.10 min pace as recovery jog from my shameful run the previous day)
19.- 600 (1.46) - 400 (1.11) - 600 (1.47) - 700 (2.07) - 600 (1.47) - 800 (2.25)
rest a bit and 5 x 200 - 2 min 200mt recovery jog
33 - 34 - 32 - 32 - 30 (total run 17km)
20.- Jog 24 km
21.- Jog 19 km
22.- 6 x 1000 - 60 sec 200mt recovery jog : Total 16 km
3.29 - 3.21 - 3.20 - 3.18 - 3.20 - 3.14
23.- Rest
24.- Jog 19 km
25.- Jog 16 km
26.- 5 x 1000 - 4 min recovery : Total 15 km
2.59 - 3.00 - 3.01 - 3.40 (1200) - 2.57
27.- Jog 18 km
28.- Jog 13 km
29.- 5 x 400 + 4 x 400 - 55 sec 200mt recovery jog / 3 min break : total 15 km
1.10 - 1.09 - 1.10 - 1.11 - 1.10 / 1.11 - 1.11 - 1.11 - 1.10
30.- Rest

Total km ran : 409 km

Why the sudden mileage up? Well I have to thank that to my friend Brett who constantly brought up the fact that if my mileage didn't go up there would be no more PB's for me. Also to Patrick and Jason, two really fast buddies who have helped me with my training.
Am starting to feel the pain though ...

2007 running: January to May

After this post I will have one more post left (June / July running) and I will have catched up with time. I will then be able to write at the end of the month or after an event, etc.

The first 5 months of this year I had a slight improvement. I ran a total of 1,189km, averaging 238km per month.

Competitevely things kicked out on the right foot. I took part in 7 events (3 ekidens), achieving personal bests in 4 of them. Out of the 3 ekidens (Japanese road relays) my team won 2, mostly thanks to my fast teammates. Although I was absent during the ceremony, I got my first gold medal in this country.

Another thing to note is that I finally broke the 300km barrier, running 311km in May.


Some highlights of 2007


Jason and I running 1500mts at the Setagaya spring track meet. One of my favorite races till now ... wish I had it on video.









Jason, Brett, Patrick and I ... a truly international team ... winners of the 2007 Inagi Ekiden.

The beginning: 2006 running

2006 was a year of many surprises and changes. In sports, it was my warm up.

I ran about 2,164 km throughout the entire year. It may look like a big number, but any experienced runner knows that it is insignificant mileage if you are looking for something more than just burning fat. My monthly average was of 180km, again poor compared to the 600+km some elite athletes put in.

Most of this mileage was done in jog sessions going from 9km short runs to 20km long runs. A few speed and interval sessions were done at the end of the year, but not enough to have meaningful results.

I was still new in town and was more concerned in the night life scene more than the healthy sport scene this country has to offer.

I did though compete a lot.

It may sound surprising, but I am not a fan of training. Running around, doing nothing other than think and move my legs ... I actually find it a bit boring. Not to mention losing weight (I really wish I could gain weight). In the other hand, I love competing and winning. So I find myself in a dilemma. To train or not to train ... my love for victory is stronger so I force myself to practice.

In 2006 I took part in 19 competitions.

Out of these 19 competitions I won: 0 (jaja que cagada!!).

I did come 4th out of 1800 in a half marathon and 5th in an elite aquathlon competition so do not laugh too hard ... do feel free to laugh though.

However I improved all of my high school personal bests and realized that between the level of competition of Peru and Japan lies a HUGE GAP.

Then 2007 came, but that is for another post as I have to make this an efficient day by getting offline.

(In the picture me and my sister at 2006 Kumagaya Sakura half marathon)

A cold date during the hot summer

Yesterday Takako prepared a date for us. She took me to watch Friends on ice at the Yokohama skate center. I had no idea if it was going to be an exhibition, competition, free skate or ice show, but was really excited as I rarely get to go to a rink.

Friends on ice is an annual event in where former olympic, world and national ice skate champions show their routines as well as some new choreographies.

This year among the participants were:

1. Shizuka Arakawa
2006 Torino winter olympic gold medalist and 2004 world champion

2. Yuka Sato
World champion and 2 time Japanese national champion

3. Yukari Nakano
2007 Asian champion and GP final bronze medalist

4. Takeshi Honda
6 time Japanese national champion and 2 time world bronze medalist

5. Evan Lysacek
US national champion and 2 time world bronze medalist

6. John Baldwin and Rena Inoue
2 time US national champions

(by clicking on their name you can see a performance video of them)

There were about 10 other participants all of elite level. You can see more information about them by clicking on the friends on ice link at the beginning of the post.

It was really amazing for me to be so close to world level athletes (although in the winter I helped a marathon super star get back to his hotel in Tokyo lol) and watch them perform.

I probably spend an average of 90 minutes a day in sports, now in the summer vacation maybe about 3 hours. These guys probably put 6+ hours a day of training, gym, lectures, etc.
90 minutes require great sacrifice. Not only physically do you challenge yourself, but socially you have to restrain yourself from going go unforgettable parties, memorable events, important family gatherings, etc. 6+ hours a day is something to respect ... well of course sometimes you get money and fame ... but still, 4 times the sacrifice I put now ... I don't think I'd be able to do it. No tendria los huevos ... like they say in Spanish.

Anyways, the show was first class as well as the performers. I definitely recommend it.

We were not allowed to take pictures or record during the exhibition, however I was able to take a short clip of Shizuka Arakawa at the end of the evening (I almost slip at the end).
Click me

Here we go ... my first post

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while already but have been lazy/busy. Well finally, and mostly due to the weather conditions (too hot to do anything else other then sit near the AC), I have gotten myself to begin. It will be a blog mostly about my sport life in Japan, but maybe in the future there will be all sort of posts...or no posts at all if I get lazy/busy.

For those who do not know about me before I arrived to Japan...

I was born and raised in Peru (if you do not know where that is ... think Machu Pichu, Inkas or Nazca lines) and lived there until I turned 20. During my school years I went to the American school of Lima, a private school with all sorts of sport facilities (a couple of indoor and outdoor soccer, volleyball, basketball fields, baseball fields, 5 climbing walls, a cheap gym, a 400 meter track, amongs other). We were taught to play all sort of sports as well: lacrosse, golf, wall climbing, swimming, skating, etc. And I'd say physically speaking, the students in my school were a lot bigger and stronger than those in normal Peruvian schools.
Ironically, nationally speaking we pretty much sucked in sports. We never had a chance to play public schools, but I am sure they would have kicked our asses in any sport.
I was ADCA (the group of schools we belonged to) track champion throughout pretty much all high school ... but was a joke in any other tournament.

Before track I was in love (initially forced by my parents due to my asthma problem) with swimming. I began practicing this sport when I was about 6 years old and had my last competition when I was about 18. After my 15th birthday though I was fed up with it and my transition to track began.

I was never to crazy about practicing, always too busy with weekend parties (like everyone in school, I guess that's why we were not elite in sports) and get togethers...and of course with school work...hmm. But I did get some runs done and had a PB of 2.08 when I was 16 in the 800 meter run. PB that had to wait 8 years to break (a couple of months ago).

The month after graduation I broke my ankle real bad and was away from sports for about 1 - 2 years. That was pretty much the end of competitive sports chapter 1 in my life's story.

For those who are wondering where in the world is Omar????....

After living in NY for a while I decided to make a trip to Japan ... learn the language, culture, tradition ... I am half Japanese but had never been to this side of the globe before.
I arrived September 2004 and began working as a language "teacher" in Saitama, about an hour away from Tokyo. One of the teachers in my school participated in marathon races and now and then would tell me about how running is big in Japan. That fall I decided I would get back in shape and race again ... I thought "if I can sprint 800 meters for sure I can jog 21 kilometers ... how hard can that be??"
So I signed up for my first race: Toda half marathon Nov. 19th 2005.
I began my training early October having 6 weeks before the race ... First two weeks I think I averaged about 30 km total after taking some days off from my two first runs. By the time the race day came I had run a grand total of 150 km in 6 weeks. I was ready to rock...
I do not remember much, as it was 2 years ago...all I remember is the frustration of watching girls, boys, grandpas and grandmas passing by me while I was suffering to finish.
I finished with a 1.24 ... with a terrible back pain and an ambulance waiting for me.... and of course with the next day or two off work as I could not really move.
A few weeks after that I began jogging again ... I was ready to give sports a second chance.

Currently

I joined a team the following year: Namban Rengo, where I met many experienced and fast runners who helped me out and gave me an idea of the Japanese running scene.
After a year with them I am now more of a loner, making my own running schedules (still learning) and chosing my own races (I race about twice a month now!!).

My Pb's to the date are:
800: 2.07
1000: 2.38
1500: 4.13
5000: 16.19
10km: 34.16
21km: 1.14

My goals for what's left of this year (2007) are:
800: 2.04
1500: 4.09
5000: 15.45
10km: 33:20
21km: 1.11

Next I will be posting some boring data just as a note to myself...about my training in 2006 and the first half of this year.