Sunday, December 21, 2008

9th Mitake trail race (kind of) report


On December 14th I woke up at 5:45 am and half asleep headed to the Ome city to take part in the very challenging Mitake trail run.
Mitake did not only mark the end of my 2008 racing season and my debut in trail racing, but ended up marking me with memories of pain and fear.
Before I continue I will post a list of 8 factors/excuses that may have affected the race in order of meaningless to fear factor.

- I did not look at the course description and knew nothing other than the registration time and location.
- This was my first trail race and have minimum experience in trail running.
- I went to bed at 2:00am after having more than a few drinks at the Namban Bonenkai.
- I twisted my ankle 10 days before the race and took 10 days of full rest (was unable to test my ankle the day before).
- It rained the night before so the course was very muddy and slippery.
- I was totally lost pace wise with no km marks.
- It snowed throughout the entire race and I was wearing a singlet.
- I have falling phobia. I wear cycling shoes when I cycle but do not clip them for fear of falling. I do not run down a steep mountain but slowly and carefully crawl down at a speed of 2 meters / 5 seconds.

With that said I had decided to take this as a fun run. Once at the start though I was pumped up and ready to run it. The first 2 km were uphill (and paved), and by uphill I mean a 50 – 60 degree slope. Some how though I kept myself in the lead for the first 15 minutes at a comfortable pace. Perhaps I should have pushed harder (perhaps this was a bad decision all in all). Then the trail began and with it came the snow, the uneven ground and gone were the leaders. I was able to stay in the top 7 places until the 10th kilometer (marked). At this point though I knew winning or even staying top 10 was out of the question. The pace felt easy, the competition level at mine, but it hit me: I am not a mountain person. Every time there was a downhill somebody went by me and usually that somebody was not even at sight before the downhill began (and would be out of sight after the descend).
Between kilometer 10 and 11 the trail was very beautiful. I don’t think I’ve used the word beautiful in previous reports, but it really was a nice view. At this point the course runs along a shallow stream shaded by trees with just the perfect amount of sunlight going through.
Between kilometers 13 – 14 the trail was hell. I was still in the top 10 positions and actually felt rested after the easy run along the stream. Probably with a lot more energy left in me than the 400 runners behind me. Then it came … the last long descend. It looked like a cliff. I looked back and could see nobody. I had at least a minute lead on the guy behind. I grabbed the rope tightly and began going down. Step one, two, three (out of 300) … 10, 11 … osakini a Japanese tarzan flew by me jumping down. CRAZY I thought. 12, 13 – 25, 45 … osakini 2 wildmen went by me SUICIDAL. 50, 80, 81 …. Another two JEEZ … oh man I just need to get this 100 meters over with. In that descend only some 10 – 15 runners went by me. Kept running until the trail’s end at a shrine where a long flight of stairs waited. I was frustrated, freezing and tired at this point. Ended up walking half of the stairs been passed by some other runners there was well.
It was over, my first trail run.
Overall time 1.24.48
Place: 34th
I do recommend the race as it is a great course and the organization is wonderful as well. Yes it is a bit far and a bit more expensive than your usual 2000-3000 road race (4000) but you get free hot bath and a nice (big) pouch (not sure how to call it).
I will probably not do it again – although I’ve heard those who say that return for more.



Wednesday, December 3, 2008

November: Another good month

With a 60 second record improvement at Ageo half I can give closure to this fall season with satisfaction. Not much training this month due to the half marathon and a cold I caught on the last week, but the runs done were all of quality. I now have one more race left next month and that will be it for 2008. Whatever result I get, this will be a successful year in sports for me.

November

1.- Jog 11 km
2.- Rest
3.- Jog 20 km @ 4.08 pace
4.- Jog 17 km @ 4.10 > 3.40 pace
5.- Rest
6.- 13,250 meters tempo – 47.50 : Total 20 km
Avg: 3.36
7.- Jog 17 km
8.- Jog 13 km
9.- Trail jog at Takao: 17 km
10.- Jog 17 km
11.- 8 x 1000 – 1 min 200 meter recover jog : Total 18 km
3.36 – 3.28 – 3.26 – 3.24 – 3.21 – 3.18 – 3.17 – 3.03
12.- Rest
13.- Jog 15 km
14.- Jog 14 km
15.- Rest
16.- Ageo half marathon : 1.13.39 (read report) PB
Total: 26 km
17.- Rest
18.- Rest
19.- (3 x 2000) + 3000 – 5.30 min 600 meter recovery jog : Total 20 km
6.23 – 6.24 – 6.27 – 9.31
20.- Jog 17 km
21.- Jog 18 km
22.- sick
23.- sick
24.- sick
25.- Jog 13 km
26.- Jog 15 km
27.- 2 x 5000 – 4 min 400 meter recovery jog : Total 19 km
16.44 – 17.19
28.- Jog 20 km
29.- Rest
30.- Jog 18 km

Total running: 345 km

Saturday, November 29, 2008

AU smart: Gotta love japanese phones

About a month ago I finally got a new phone (I had been using my previous one for over 3 years) after my old one stopped breathing. Did not get a new model as I wanted one made by SANYO and their latest mobile was from the spring lineup. Why SANYO? Because their phones have a really useful dictionary software that allows me to read and copy/paste Japanese characters without having to leave email mode (most dictionaries force you to leave your email and get into the dictionary program to use it).
Anyways, fortunately the phone was new enough to have the AU smart sports software installed. This new software (not so new anymore) with the use of GPS allows walkers, runners and cyclists know the distance they cover and the speed they are going to on any given training session. The software also shows you a map of where you are at any given point during your journey. It also has other features such as calories-burned counter, mp3 player and a website where you can record your daily training.
I've had my phone for a bit over a month already and two days ago finally decided to give the system a try. Pretty useful and accurate. I will definitely be using it whenever I do free runs to know the distance I am covering. And good thing the phone I have is water proof so sweat and rain shouldn't be a problem ... wonder though if it is free of charge hmmm....

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The most competitive half marathon in the world: The 21st Ageo City Half Marathon - report

On November 16 I took part in Ageo half marathon. For the past years I have chosen this day in November as my main race event. First, because it represents the first race I ran in Japan - November's 2005 Toda Marathon. Second, because for some reason there are MANY races on this weekend - to mention one: Tokyo Woman's Marathon. Third, because the weather is always perfect: very cool and usually accompanied with light rain.
It was the first time for me to run this event, not my first time to apply though. Last year I got injured a week before the event and spent that weekend in bed.

Unlike most races that I run without any pressure I had two things in mind here:
- My last serious attempt in a half marathon pb was November 2006 therefore I not only needed to pb, but I needed a pb good enough to cover two years of training.
- I might be running Betsudai Marathon in February and to do so I needed a sub 75 minute half marathon before December to qualify.

I needed a pb and what better place to do it than in Ageo, where maybe 500 of the participants have personal bests under 71 minutes.
The start takes place on the track (imagine over 1000 runners all with fast times starting inside a track – the mess it was) where I had to come to full stops several times. The race continued crowded for the 1st 3km, after that, everything went out smoothly. Surprisingly from this point on I kept on passing people, been passed by perhaps 10 runners throughout the entire race. Following are my splits with some comments:
17.23.03 - 5km
The 1st km split was 3.38 (but considering the stops itwas more like a 3.25). Pretty sure the first 5km were done in a 17.15ish effort.
17.16.80 – (34.39.83 – 10km)
Good even pace trying to keep Brett at sight
17.42.31 – (52.22.14 – 15km)
I am a runner that needs the km marks and after the 10km mark they had them every 3km or so which was not very helpful.
17.38.20 – (1.10.00.34 – 20 km)
Same time as my Takashimadaira 20km result. Began pushing at about 18km.
3.39.88 – last 1.1 km
Total net time: 1.13.39

Ran a good last km in about 3.18 and finished on two legs thinking "this wasn't that hard."
All in all great race. About a minute pb and my legs already feel good.

For more information on this great Race: http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/deeper-and-deeper-goes-greatest-half.html

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

October running: PB month

I think October has been my best training month so far. 422 km ran in 25 trainings, averaging about 17 km per run. I was able to put in 3 tempo runs, a couple of fast semi long runs and speed training. As a result: 3 major personal bests in 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and 20km. The best part was I did not run any of these at 100% - which doesn’t exactly mean I will run faster when I do give it all (so many factors can affect a race result other than how much effort you put in it), but at least it is a fact I can go faster.
Now I have to concentrate in Ageo half marathon.

October

1.- 10 km tempo – 34.34 : Total 18 km
Splits: 3.23 – 3.27 – 3.26 – 3.29 – 3.29 – 3.27 – 3.27 – 3.28 – 3.30 – 3.23
Avg: 3.27

2.- Jog 17 km
3.- 12 x 200 – 70 sec 200 meter recovery jog : Total 12 km
Avg: 33 seconds per 200
4.- Rest
5.- Itabashi track meet 1500 1st place
Total 18 km
6.- Jog 15 km
7.- Jog 17 km
8.- 10 km tempo – 34.38 : Total 18 km
Splits: 3.30 – 3.30 – 3.30 – 3.27 – 3.30 – 3.30 – 3.30 – 3.30 – 3.29 – 3.11
Avg: 3.28

9.- Jog 15 km
10.- Jog 20 km
11.- Rest
12.- Jog 20 km @ 4.06 pace
13.- Jog 15 km @ 4.15 > 3.50 pace
14.- Rest
15.- 6 x 1000 – 1 min 200 meter recovery jog : Total 17 km
3.07 – 3.14 – 3.10 – 3.09 – 3.11 – 3.09
16.- Jog 16 km
17.- Jog 14 km
18.- Jog 10 km
19.- Takashimadaira 20 km : 1.09.58 (read report) PB
Total: 24 km
20.- Jog 15 km
21.- Jog 18 km @ 4.03 pace
22.- Rest
23.- 5 x 1000 – 2 min 350 meter recovery jog (hilly course) : Total 16 km
3.22 – 3.21 – 3.22 – 3.16 – 3.22
24.- Jog 18 km
25.- Rest
26.- Track race 5000 : 15.53.14 (read report) PB
Total 14 km
27.- Jog 19 km
28.- 10 km tempo – 33.58 : Total 18 km PB
Splits: 3.30 – 3.25 – 3.25 – 3.24 – 3.23 – 3.21 – 3.23 – 3.24 – 3.24 – 3.16
29.- Jog 16 km
30.- Rest
31.- Jog 20 km

Total running: 422 km

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

5000 meter track race - mission two clear

Ran a small track race last Sunday (26th). Still had my legs tired from the 20km, but was confident of running a good time.
Unfortunately I could not run under 15.50 like planned, but I did manage to break my record by 5 seconds. Pretty sure running under 15.50 will be no problem next time.
Splits:
3.09.72 - 3.11.49 - 3.09.69 - 3.11.57 - 3.10.67 = 15.53.14

Friday, October 24, 2008

Takashimadaira road race report: Mission one clear

Last weekend I took part in my first serious event for the fall: Takashimadaira road race. I was nervous as my training had had many interruptions, but looked forward to the 20 km run as I knew a pb was at reach.
The course was not new for me as I had ran this event last year as well, ending with a disappointing performance (last year’s report here). Good, flat, 5 km loop with kilometer marks on the 3rd, 4th and 5th km. Only problem here is the weather. For some reason it is always hot and sunny and very windy between the 4th and 5th kilometer. This year was not the exception.
The goal time was to run in around 70 minutes at an even 3:30 pace per kilometer. I ended with a 17.09 for the first 5 km. 21 seconds faster than goal pace … a bit too fast. I ran the 2nd 5km loop in about 17.22 … also a bit too fast. At that point I thought “push this 3rd loop and then fight in the 4th loop where you’ll have 30 seconds extra”. Surprisingly I never really had to fight at any point except for the last 200 meters to make sure I ended under 70 minutes.
Official gun time was 1 hour 10 minutes 0 seconds. Time in my watch (from the start line) was 1 hour 9 minutes 58 seconds. Perfect performance.
I did end up slowing down as the race progressed but I think that it was just because I was running according to how I felt. I put the same % of energy in the 1st 5km as I did in the last, except that in the last the total amount of energy I had was obviously less.
Five days later I still feel a bit tired from the run which means I tried harder than I thought, but still I am pretty sure I had some more gas left in the tank.
Either way a personal best for the distance and a confidence builder for the upcoming half marathon in November and the 5000 meter race this weekend.

Splits:
6.51 - 3.28 - 3.27 - 3.21 - 6.58 - 3.29 - 3.27 - 3.27 - 6.56 - 3.38 - 3.31 - 3.32 - 7.03 - 3.41 - 3.35 - 3.26

*km 1, 2 - 6, 7 - 11, 12 - 16, 17 are together as there is no mark between them.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

And now to the important stuff ...

Summer is over meaning the road racing season is here and with it my most important events of the year. I compete all year round, however between October and March I tend to run my most important races. What's in the menu so far?
October 19th: Takashimadaira 20 km
I will not give 100% in this race, but I will give it more than 90%. Planning to pass the first 10 km in 35 minutes and either pick up the pace or maintain it. If I can manage a 70 minute run I'd be a very happy person.
October 26th: Machida 5000 meter track race
Haven't done any speed training in the last months, but I will try to go for a personal best in this, my first official 5000 meter race. If I fail I will go for it again on the 30th at the Atomi time trial.
Breaking 15.50 should be possible.
November 16th: Ageo half marathon
Main event of the year. I haven't had a personal best attempt at a half marathon since January 2007 so I am looking forward to this race. My goal will depend on how Takashimadaira feels but if everything goes well there I might try to go for a sub 73 minutes.
December 14th: Mitake 15 km trail run
My debut trail run. Apparently lots of climbing to be done. I will be going in with no practice or experience but hoping to be in the top 15 places.
December 21st: Ota-ku 10 km road race (maybe)
I have done this event twice already and it seems like the perfect place to attempt to break my personal best in the 10 km by hopefully 60 seconds or so.
If I do not race this I might do a 10,000 meter run at the track on my own.
January events:
Wanted to do Shinjuku half but apparently applications have closed due to its popularity. Might do the 10km run instead though.
I will also be doing Shibuya ekiden and perhaps a duathlon or some road race I find.

I think that's all for now.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

September running: Ups and downs

Ran a week of high mileage followed by two weeks of really low mileage. Pretty mediocre month regarding training. Racing wise though I came out victorious in the 2008 Aquathlon series tournament winning 2 of 4 races.
Had a strange injury that forced me to take 5 days totally off from running. Still haven't figured out what caused my severe abdominal pain. Went to a clinic and a big hospital, had x-rays, urine tests, blood tests, but nothing. A doctor said it was asthma ?? Another just a cold ... who knows ...

September

1.- Injury
2.- Injury
3.- Jog 15 km
4.- Rest
5.- Jog 17 km
6.- Jog 16 km
7.- Jog 13 km
8.- Jog 19 km
9.- Jog 18 km
10.- Jog 18 km
11.- Jog 19 km
12.- Jog 17 km
13.- Rest
14.- Meguro Aquathlon - 300 mt swim / 4.2 km run
Time: 19.57 (1st place)
Afternoon: Jog 16 km
15.- 9 km tempo - 31.15 : Total 18 km
Splits: 3.27 - 3.27 - 3.30 - 3.29 - 3.30 - 3.29 - 3.31 - 3.29 - 3.18
Average: 3.28
16.- Jog 17 km
17.- Jog 3 km
18.- Strange pain
19.- Strange pain
20.- Strange pain
21.- Strange pain
22.- Strange pain
23.- Setagaya Aquathlon - 200 mt swim / 3.1 km run
Time: 15. 14 (2nd place)
24.- Jog 10 km
25.- Jog 12 km
26.- Jog 11 km
27.- Rest
28.- Jog 20 km @ 4.06 pace
29.- Rest
30.- Jog 16 km

Total running: 290 km

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Aquathlon series: 2008 Champion

The Aquathlon series is a yearly event organized by Art Sports (a chain store) that consists of 4 aquathlon races that take place mostly in the Setagaya-ward in Tokyo. The four events are: Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon, Meguro Aquathlon, Shibuya Aquathlon and Setagaya Aquathlon.
Participants of each event get points in the following way (from first to tenth):
12 - 11 - 10 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
This year, although I only took part in 3 of the events I was able to come out victorious.

Nihon Gakuen

Race Name: Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon
Distance: 300 meter swim - 1500 meter run
Course: In a 25 meter pool and inside a school (3 laps)
Price: 1000 yen
Prize this year (by place): Nike shoes / nike bag / nike towel
Nearest station: Meidaimae on the Keio line
Categories: Kids, general, masters

Last year I took part in this event and came in 2nd and got an XL nike shirt (still have it if anyone wants it). This year I wasn't going to let first place slip out of my hands.
The swim was divided into 4 waves starting from the youngest - usually whoever wins the first wave wins it.
So it began ... at the start I spotted a guy wearing a long speedo swim suit. I thought about to things: Will he run with that? and he will win the swim because no young boy buys a $150 dollar suit to just keep in shape. Indeed he won the swim ... but in what a way. A real swimmer ... Asia university freestyler memeber of the Japanese Junior Olympic team for several years. I had 50 meters to go (2nd) and he was out which is amazingly fast considering it's only a 300 meter swim. Like lapping someone in the 1500 run.
Fortunately his run was quite slow. I managed to catch him and pass him with 100 meters to go ... winning a new pair of Nike Free shoes and 12 points in the tournament.
But it all wasn't happy news ... I don't know what's up with my balance but for the 2nd time this month I fell and bled all over the place. Really nasty fall while trying to catch the 1st place. At least now I have a nice balance in my scars ... one on the left arm from cycling and now this one on the right leg from running in the mud.

Meguro

Race Name: Meguro (Komazawa) Aquathlon
Distance: 300 meter swim - 4200 meter run
Course: The swim in the 50 meter pool / the run at the park running course.
Price: 500 yen
Prize this year: Trophy, towel, 2000 yen and 5 litters of an energy drink.
Nearest station: Komazawa Daigaku Station
Categories: Kids, general, masters

Last year I had taken part in this event as an unregistered runner due to my late arrival. I won the event with an unofficial 20.29. So this year I was the unofficial defending champion (of course only I knew that).
Anyways I expected to win, and that, I did. I finished with a surprising time of 19.57 beating last years official winning time by 2 minutes. 2nd finished in an also surprising time of 20.54 beating last years time by a whole minute. Places 2-7 were actually really close together.
Pretty happy to have won this event as it was a lot bigger and more competitive than last year. Got my plastic trophy (that looks more like a toy), some gift certificates, a towel (with the price tag still on) and some energy drink box thing.
2 more events left and in the lead with 24 points. 2nd place has 15 points and 3rd 13 points. Unfortunately due to work I will have to skip one of the events, but hoping the guy now in 2nd doesn't win it.

Setagaya

Race Name: Setagaya Aquathlon
Distance: 200 meter swim - 3100 meter run
Course: The swim in the 50 meter pool / the run at the park running course and track
Price: 300 yen
Prize this year: Diploma, 2000 yen and a medal.
Nearest station: No stations near. It's at the park near the intersection of Setagaya dori with Kampachi dori.
Categories: Kids, general, masters

I got really sick/injured during the week and was unable to put in any sort of training. With 24 point already I thought racing this would not be necessary but took a look at the point ranking last night and discovered I was 2nd place. I woke up feeling okay and decided to cycle to the park (an 8 km ride), if that felt fine then I would race.
I raced Setagaya 2 years ago and came in 5th. For some reason university tri-athletes join this event making it very competitive.
Anyways, to the race. My swim was decent. Got out of the pool 4th and began the run 6th. After 1km I was already 3rd and exactly 100 meters from the 2nd and 1st place. I felt a bit uneasy during the run. Not sure if it was because of the week off from sports I took or beacuse of my illness/injury (not sure what it is). Finally managed to catch 2nd with 200 meters to go but never really saw the first place.
I have to admit I felt bad, even ashamed of not winning as many competitors asked if I had won again, but after meeting the winner I felt better. Who knows, maybe I could have won with a healthier body although a 31 second difference is pretty big for such a short race.
(The winner was a Keio University tri-athlete with a personal best of 2.01 in the Olympic distance triathlon - pretty damn fast).

With a win - win - 2nd I was able to become the champion of this small event. Thinking about making it a yearly thing.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

August running: New member in the triathlon club

My first triathlon ended up been surprisingly good. The time itself isn't amazing, however I finished fresh and had so many mistakes ... next year I will try to blow myself away.
Also the Aquathlon Tokyo series began and I won the first round !! Next round will be September 14th.
Lots of accidents during the month but nothing too grave. No pain no gain.

August

1.- Morning: Jog 17 km
Afternoon: 5 km tempo (17.04): total 16 km
2.- Rest
3.- Jog 30 km
4.- Jog 27 km
5.- 20 km bike ride + 16 km jog
6.- 31 km on a stationary bike (85rpm) + 7 km jog
7.- 36 km on a stationary bike (103 rpm) + 10 km jog
8.- Morning: 47 km bike ride
Afternoon: Jog 15 km
9.- Rest
10.- Jog 27 km
11.- 40 km on a stationary bike (95 rpm) + 9 km jog
12.- 45 km on a stationary bike (105 rpm) + 11 km jog
13.- Jog 15 km @ 4.07 pace
14.- Circuit training hills: 19 km
15.- 1700 meter swim
16.- 21 km @ 4.01 pace + 1 km jog
17.- Morning: 1800 meter swim
Afternoon: Jog 10 km
18.- 55 km bike ride
19.- Morning: Circuit training hills: 19 km
Afternoon: 2300 meter swim
20.- 35 km on a stationary bike (102 rpm) + 8 km jog
21.- 2800 meter swim
22.- Rest
23.- Rest
24.- Teganuma Triathlon - Olympic distance (read report)
25.- Rest
26.- Rest
27.- Jog 16 km (with a 5 km tempo included)
28.- Jog 17 km
29.- Morning: Jog 15 km
Afternoon: Jog 10 km
30.- Rest
31.- Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon - 11.47 (1st place)

Total running: 349 km
Total swim: 10.4 km
Total bike: 349 km

Monday, September 1, 2008

I am in pain!!! (graphic)

This blog is called running like the Gingerbread man but after this summer should be changed to having great falls like Humpty Dumpty.
First time was early August. The weather forecast said it would rain a lot, but the sky looked clear so I decided to go for a bike ride to prepare for my triathlon. A few minutes later it began to shower ... 30 minutes later it was pouring ... 1 hour later it had become one of the rainiest days Tokyo has ever had. I lost control at a curve and since I was clipped to the pedals sled together with the bike. It was really painful.
Several floods were reported that day in the city as well as some deaths. Bad day to cycle.
Pretty gross huh?

And the most recent, my leg ... this time however I fell to win.
This weekend took part in the Nihon Gakuen Aquathlon (report to come soon) and fell while trying to catch the leader. At first it looked like a regular wound but my leg is now all red and swollen. Just slipped, flew and smacked my right leg between some rocks. It is actually my shin the part with most damage although you can't see it here clearly.



Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Debut Triathlon race report

On August 24th, while the olympic men in China were running the marathon, I was in Chiba-Japan, taking part in my debut triathlon.
Race details:
Name: The 3rd Teganuma triathlon
Location: Chiba at lake Teganuma
Nearest stations: Abiko and Tennodai (Joban line) both about a 20 minute bike ride
Distance: Olympic Distance (1.5 km swim / 40 km bike / 10 km run)
Swim
At Lake Teganuma and out and back course - no waves - pretty dirty.
Bike
A 4 km course out and back so you do 5 laps.
The course is pretty much all flat but both turns at the ends are pretty much 180 degrees and one actually is like turning around a tree - so many people fell there. I'd say of the 400 participants 30 fell there and 4 got injured or their bikes broke due to the fall (some on video - thanks to my mom who filmed everyone else except me).
Run
A 3.3 km course. Pretty much flat as well. Water stations and drums to cheer the runners.
Now to my race:
Taking part in my first triathlon was a bit of a last minute decision. With a good marathon debut during the winter I thought why not keep the debuts coming and decided to sign up for Teganuma about 7 weeks before the race date. Of course till that day I had not done a single swim nor ride, but I just wanted to get over it and enjoy the challenge.
My training consisted of: 13 swims and 8 rides (4 in a stationary bike at the gym) and well, my regular running training.
Far from appropriate, specially for the bike leg as all 8 rides were very short - the four in the gym were of 60 minutes and the remaining four were pretty much under 50 km except for my first ride with Gordon where I learned (tried) all in one day - I was about to step into unknown territory.
The Swim
I had done 13 swims - no other swims this year (maybe one or two after Tokyo marathon). Then again I have a 10 year swimming background and bounce back easily into shape.
I was pretty confident about it and ready to beat those with years of recent experienced. Maybe too confident to be an ex-pool swimmer in his first open water swim event. My main goal was simple, to break 28 minutes. My "in my heart" goal was to break 24 minutes which ended up been realistic.
The whistle blew and off we went. Where? That I did not know as I was on the phone while they were giving the swim instructions. I lifted my head after about 80 meters in and found myself in top 5 or so. It felt good, I am going for the leader ... what a mistake ... put my head down and began swimming without breathing (breathing is a waste of time in the pool). Put my head up again and I was totally off course facing the opposite way ... oh I am first place !!! turned around ... nope I am now 50th place or so.
Turned around and began swimming hard. Trying to concentrate on my stroke was hard as I kept lifting my head to keep on course. Open water swimming so different than swimming in the pool. I decided I'd keep someone to my right and follow them ... but concentrating in someone made me swim towards them and eventually on top of them.
I swam in zig - zags I think ... I bet I did about 1600 meters in all ... who knows.
Total official time: 26.39
19th place ... yes very disappointing because I was wrong and the wetsuit did make me faster ... meaning a sub 24 was possible for sure.
Note: The water was so dirty. I could not see anything under water and when I say anything I mean not even my own arms.
The bike leg
I only shifted gears once in the entire race because I didn't really know what to do with the gears. I came to total stops in the 10 turns/curves the entire leg had because I did not want to fall - and I didn't. I had to slow down to mamachari (shopping bike) pace every time I took a drink or ate some gel because riding one handed is pretty hard for me. And every time someone went by me (so about 300 times if you count those that lapped me) I shaked in fear.
What can I say: Loved the bike leg.
Things to improve on are those things mentioned above plus actually training for it. Perhaps a good start would be to buy my own bike. I think owning a bike is important for the sport of cycling.
Tried my best to keep the speed-meter at 30km/hour but going down to 22 km / hr was sometimes inevitable. Did the last 8 km keeping over 33km/hr so was pretty happy about my "rasuto supato".
A funny thing: I was thinking man some of these guys will have a 10 km advantage when they finish the bike leg ... how am I suppose to catch a guy who has a 10 km advantage on the 10 km run.
Total unofficial time: 1.18.30
193rd place ... sounds ridiculous, but I was actually happy with this time and very happy with this leg because I thought breaking 80 minutes was impossible. One day I am breaking 70 minutes.
Official time: 1.22.31
This time has both transitions included...meaning each transition took me about 2 minutes ... pretty slow ... put on my socks ... stretched ... ate a gel.
The Run
Terrible ... disappointing ... underperformed.
I wanted to do 35 minutes. I wasn't really tired and the weather was really cool. 35 minutes was challenging? I'd say more like easy.
However ... cramps ... I cannot believe ... I mean I was cramped ... severe ones on both legs and in different muscles. After 1.6 km I could not move. So I stopped and stretched each leg for like 30 seconds ... but it was useless because the pain was in different muscles and a certain stretch would not stretch the entire leg.
So I just ran like that 8 km cramped keeping my legs almost straight .... I bet it looked funny. I actually discovered that if I step behind my shoulders and lean forward as if I were to fall down the pain would be less.
Still not one person passed me. And I passed so many people skipping, wobbling, running moving my legs in circles - I just could not bend my knees. Last 2 km my legs finally relaxed a bit and I was able to put in a 3.30 pace or so.
Official time: 38.38
8th place ... yea the number looks good ... but this was by far my worst leg.
Total time: 2.27.48
All right for a first time I guess ... but breaking 2.20 should have been possible without cramps and faster transitions. Then again I guess this is what triathlons is about ... been able to control your body through the 3 sports.
I placed 49 out of all athletes including elite. There were 7 elite so I actually placed 42nd ... which actually makes my run 6th and swim 14th.
In my age group I placed 11th. Too bad I couldn't get in the top 10.
I still have 4 years left in the 20's age group so hopefully by 2013 if I keep racing triathlons I can be more competitive.
All in all I loved it. It was really fun ... debut triathlon, debut bike race and debut open water swim. All in one so it was pretty challenging.
Had an amazing 2 hours 27 minutes ...
(Videos and pictures to come ... maybe)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

2008 Olympics - athletes? or super humans

I am still young and have many olympics to see. I'd be very impressed though if London or any other games to come are better - athlete performance wise - than this one.

With most of the media trying to convince the public that choosing China as a host was a mistake, it was hard to not think the 2008 Olympic games would be the games to never remember. Yes, there were some messed up situations like the little girl singing issue (how the real singer was replaced) and how terribly organized the women's marathon was (hopefully the mens will be okay). But the organizers are human, like us, so I guess a mistake or two is not such a biggie.

The organizers are human like us ... but are all the athletes? Because I have seen things I have never heard about or thought possible. Let's keep in mind this is the Olympics. EVERYONE participating is a professional athlete. Everyone taking part in the games is amazingly good at the sport they play. Pretty much every athlete here can take an entire elite high school team from any country single handed. How elite can you be among the elite? What if a boxer can knock out any other boxer with both feet tied and an arm tied to his body? And with his eyes shut ... that did not happen, but maybe one day it will ... because in another sports it pretty much did.

Michael Phelps:
8 Golden Medals in one olympics. 8, yes eight. Some countries don't even have 8 medals in their whole history. In fact all of the South American continent together doesn't have 8 golden medals, even if you add Central America reaching 8 is still not possible.
So who can win more gold medals? Michael Phelps or 1000 super elite athletes? What does probability teach you ... well probability is wrong.
Not only did he win 8 gold medals, he beat 7 world records while doing it. That is not normal, that is something that will never ever happen again (unless they extend the olympics to 4 weeks, thus giving the next super human that appears more time to rest).

Usain Bolt:
100 meters in 9.69 ... yea it's true he did have a 9.72 before. Did you watch the race? He jogged at the end. He extended his arms to the point they acted like a parachute slowing him down. He pounded his chest, looked at both sides, smiled, was totally not concentrated. That 9.69 is actually at least a 9.59. And if this 21 year old is normal, meaning he will peak in 5 years, that time will go down to about 9.39. In 5 years nobody ... NOBODY will be running under 9.70. And maybe you will have this guy running under 9.40. I mean he will be able to jump rope his way to the finish line and still win.
So you are not sure how far 100 meters is .... think about a 25 meter pool like the one in your gym. At max speed in 5 years Bolt can run from one end to the other in less than 2 seconds (at max speed - maybe a 2.2). So by the time you say his name - Usain Bolt - he is at the other side. That is something you only see in cartoons - beep beep.

And there are some others like Jelimo the 18 year old Kenyan 800 meter runner or the sexy Russian pole vaulter who already has 24 world records under her belt.

Human evolution ... right before our eyes.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

July running: At top shape

Haven't raced for a while but somehow and well through how I feel during runs I can tell I am in the best shape ever. Probably ready for some personal bests, it's not time for that yet though.
I pretty much just jogged long and did some tempo's and a few workouts.
Highlight of the month: Back to the pool and my first bike ride training ... why? Because I signed up for my first triathlon.

July

1.- 10 km tempo - 3.28 pace: Total 20 km
Splits: 3.31 - 3.33 - 3.31 - 3.29 - 3.32 - 3.33 - 3.28 - 3.28 - 3.29 - 3.09
2.- Jog 15 km
3.- Jog 15 km
4.- Jog 10 km
5.- Jog 16 km
6.- Jog 12 km
7.- Jog 17 km
8.- Morning: 1600 meter swim
Afternoon: 3 x 2000 - 2 min 400mt recovery jog: total 16 km
6.58 - 6.59 - 6.32
9.- Jog 15 km
10.- 1500 meter swim
11.- Jog 17 km @ 4.08 pace
12.- Jog 17 km
13.- Jog 18 km
14.- 1700 meter swim
15.- Morning: 1800 meter swim (1500 meter trial - 25.24)
Afternoon: Jog 15 km
16.- Ladder workout 400 x 2 - 800 x 2 - 1200 - 800 x 2 - 400 x 2: total 17 km
17.- Rest
18.- 1700 meter swim
19.- Jog 18 km
20.- Jog 18 km
21.- Rest
22.- 5 x 1000 - 70 sec 200mt recovery jog: total 16 km
3.06 - 3.06 - 3.10 - 3.10 - 3.07
23.- Morning: 2100 meter swim
Afternoon: Jog 17 km
24.- Jog 18 km
25.- Jog 14 km
26.- Jog 18 km @ 4.05 pace
27.- Jog 20 km @ 4.06 pace
28.- Morning: 90 km bike ride
Afternoon: Jog 14 km
29.- Morning: 2100 meter swim
Afternoon: Jog 12 km
30.- 1500 meter swim
31.- 3 km + 2 km @ 3.10 pace: total 15 km

Total running: 400 km
Total swim: 14 km
Total bike: 90 km

Thursday, July 24, 2008

It's so HOT I am literally burning myself out

Summer is here and with it a disgusting humid environment and temperatures reaching over 35 degrees celcius on very hot days. Running in the summer is asking for it, funny though, many runners (me included) use these hot months as build up period, meaning hard long runs and lots of sweat.
In the last 5 weeks somehow I have managed to loose 4 kilos. I weight myself the other week while trying to figure out my wetsuit size and to my surprise I was at 54.5 kg. SHOCKING!
I am very picky about my weight as I know I have to be light to run, but at the same time want to stay near 60 kg so I try to eat a lot whenever I can. Yesterday after a swim I weight myself again to see if there was any improvement ... !!!! 53.8 kg. I am disappearing.
Hopefully it's just summer thing ...
One good thing is ... the hotter it gets the less clothing athletes wear ;-)


On another note ...
I finally applied and paid for my triathlon. It's such an expensive sport. To give you an idea here is what prices normally are for gear:
Bike: USD 700 - 7000
Wetsuit: USD 200 - 800
Tri-suit: USD 100 - 300
Bike gear: USD 200 - 500 (shoes, helmet, etc)
And of course you need your running wear, gels, drinks etc.
As for me, for now I will borrow a bike, perhaps when I take this sport seriously I will buy my own. Wetsuit I am buying online. A De Soto Wetsuit. Apparently on the high end of competitiveness. Bike gear I will not wear. I trust my running and swim so I will just struggle and survive on the bike leg.
Oh man can't wait! Can't wait for the punishment and pain! 1500 meter swim - 40 km bike - 10 km run. I know it will hurt as I just began preparing 6 weeks before rather than 6 months before ... but I know ... I think ... I will do a good job.
...hopefully my application wasn't rejected....

Friday, July 18, 2008

June running: Just jogging

Summer is here and races are over. Nothing really to prepare for ... it's a time to build up, crosstrain and enjoy playing other sports.
Highlight of the month: Football!

June

1.- Soccer (5km)
2.- Jog 20 km
3.- Jog 15 km @ 4.10/km
4.- 4 x 1000 - 3 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 15 km
3.20 - 3.23 - 3.15 - 3.04
24 km cycling
5.- Rest
6.- Jog 17 km
7.- Jog 18 km
8.- Jog 15 km
9.- Jog 17 km
10.- Rest
11.- Jog 15 km
12.- Jog 18 km @ 4.02/km
13.- Rest
14.- Soccer tournament (about 17km)
15.- Soccer tournament (about 11km)
16.- Rest
17.- 6 km Tempo – 3.40 pace: Total 14 km
Splits: 3.43 - 3.44 - 3.43 - 3.43 - 3.48 - 3.27
18.- Jog 12 km
19.- Jog 15 km
20.- Rest
21.- Rest
22.- Jog 26 km
23.- Jog 14 km
24.- 15 km Tempo - 3.38 pace: Total 23 km
Splits: 3.37 - 3.38 - 3.37 - 3.39 - 3.36 - 3.36 - 3.38 - 3.38 -3.39 - 3.37 - 3.39 - 3.39 - 3.38 - 3.34 - 3.38
25.- Jog 15 km
26.- Rest
27.- Jog 17 km
28.- 6 x 1000 - 1 min 200 meter recovery jog: Total 15 km
3.17 - 3.16 - 3.14 - 3.13 - 3.09 - 3.09
29.- Easy circuit training
30.- Jog 17 km

Total run: 351 km
Total bike: 24 km

Monday, July 7, 2008

To try a tri or not to try ...

I really want to do a triathlon. Why? Because triathletes look cool.
I think, or well, I should be able to become a pretty competitive triathlete with some training and races under my belt. I am a relatively strong runner and my swim is above average than most triathletes. The cycling section would be the main problem, however I am sure I can handle it.
Unfortunately > no time to practice 3 sports > but still I want to do a triathlon.
There is one going in in exactly 7 weeks and I have 3 more weeks before the registration closes.
How things look so far: Pretty much no swimming in the last 10 months. Definitely no cycling in the last 306 months. Lots of running though if that counts for anything.
7 weeks though ... if I can get 2 swims per week I am sure I can go under 30 minutes in the 1500 meter open water swim easily.
7 weeks .... with a bit of commute cycling I can probably manage to get under 80 minutes for the 40 km leg.
Transitions would be the enemy to beat. Not used to this multi-sport deal and my legs might not be able to take the changes.
To try a tri or not to try.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

My 1500, 5000 and half marathon progression

*Listed from oldest to recent times (only pbs are listed).

Half Marathon

2005 Nov. 20: 1 hr 23 min 06 sec
2006 Jan. 08: 1 hr 21 min 41 sec
2006 Mar. 26: 1 hr 19 min 18 sec
2006 Oct. 29: 1 hr 19 min 14 sec
2006 Nov 19: 1 hr 14 min 39 sec

5000 meters

2006 Mar. 29: 17.33.35
2006 Apr. 26: 17.22.79
2006 Aug. 30: 17.01.53
2006 Sep. 27: 16.41.22
2006 Oct. 04: 16.31.50
2007 May. 31: 16.19.98
2007 Jul. 26: 16.19.53
2007 Sep. 27: 16.10.50
2008 Mar. 27: 15.58.55

1500 meters

2006 Jul. 15: 4.32.90
2006 Sep. 10: 4.32.17
2006 Oct. 15: 4.26.73
2007 Apr. 01: 4.17.63
2007 Jul. 16: 4.13.31
2007 Sep. 02: 4.13.30
2008 Apr. 06: 4.12.98
2008 Apr. 29: 4.10.06

So far so good. My 1500, 5000 and half marathon times are improving at a still good rate, meaning there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Another positive point is that my latest personal bests were done out of shape, weeks after my marathon debut (race that I did out of shape). I am very sure in the fall all the above times will be in the past.
Now the important thing to think about is what to do from there. Going under 70 minutes in the half marathon of 4 minutes in the 1500 requires more than 22 days a month of training. I will have to re-think my running goals and how they could affect my other goals by the end of this year.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Track is in the air ...

With some 40 days left for the start of summer olympics, countries are now in the process of selecting the athletes who will represent them in each discipline.
Although Euro 2008 is taking the spot light in all newspaper headlines, the past weeks and few weeks to come have had and will have exciting meets in various sports.
Yesterday Japan concluded their 4 day track and field national championships/ olympic trials. I'd consider track the unofficial national sport of Japan, and although fierce competition, it was pretty obvious who would win which races, but like any event, there were many surprises. You can find detailed news at www.japanrunningnews.blogspot.com.
I guess of the runners going those who have a realistic chance of winning a medal are Murofushi, Noguchi Mizuki, perhaps one of the male marathoners depending on both their and the competition's performance, and with a PB race Shibui Yoko.
Another country having their track and field olympic trials is the USA. Having as main headline Gay's 9.68 victory on the 100 meters. Due to wind aid the time was not considered as a new world record, but his 9.77 in the semi's made him the fastest man the USA has ever had. Pretty impressive, and with Bolt having ran a 9.72 this year (not confirmed as runner in Beijing) and Powell with a PB of 9.74, the XXIX olympic promise to be be the fastest ever.
In other pre-olympic races Liu Xiang's 110 meter hurdles 4 year world record was broken by Cuban Robles making this an interesting event as well for the Olympics.
40 days left and as the day comes closer Beijing might be witness of new world records, shoulder to shoulder races and many surprises. Hopefully all the bad news surrounding China's recent scandals will not ruin what promises to be a great summer event.

* Personally looking forward to watch many swimming world records broken and perhaps see Michael Phelps win 8 golden medals in a single olympic.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Soccer - Football - Futbol !!!

On June 14th and 15th I took part in the ALL ALT JAPAN SOCCER TOURNAMENT. Although its name, this tournament is not only for ALTs. Many Japanese and local teams registered in the Metropolis and other local leagues take part in it as well.
About 18 teams took part in the male tournament (female tourney available too). Probably some 10 competitive teams, 4 okay teams and 4 "not so okay" teams.
First day teams were divided in groups of 4 and 5 and played a league style competition. Everyone against everyone. The following day the winning teams went to a competitive tournament of lose and done and the losing teams to a less competitive tournament of same style.
It was great fun to get in the field after years of not playing the beautiful game. And even though we lost every single game and ended with a goal difference average of -4 goals I enjoyed the weekend all in all. Yes, there is no excuse for such a shameful result. The truth though is we were honestly playing for the fun of playing.
Well the scores might make one think this tournament is hardcore, but it really isn't. We were just kinda bad. I'd say the best 3 teams were as good as an average university team and the remaining 7 good teams as good as a highschool team. The rest as good as you and your buddies playing football. For sure not semi-pro although there were some really good players here and there.
But like I said, fun! fun! fun! A great escape from all my running training and went through the weekend with just a minor hip injury which is gone now.
Will I participate again next year?
Well most of my team mates are leaving Japan, but some 6 players will be staying and I guess we could recruit a couple of more. So yea, I might go for some more punishment next summer.
Till then I'll just keep running ...

Monday, June 23, 2008

May Running: A bit of frustration

I wanted to break both my 1500 and 5000 personal records before spring ended, but was not able to do so even though I was prepared to. I did run close to my PB times and in some cases with a better pace or in worst condition than when I did my PBs ... still it was a bit frustrating not to run faster.

May

1.- Rest
2.- Rest
3.- Niigata mid prefecture championships
1500 meters: 4.12.7
4.-
Niigata mid prefecture championships
5000 meters: 16.21.8 (*32 degrees)
5.- Rest
6.- Inagi ekiden – 9.48
7.- Jog 13 km
8.- Jog 17 km
9.- Jog 15km
10.- Rest

11.- Arakawa Ekiden (~5000): 15.15
12.- Jog 17 km @ 3.59/km
13.- 15 x 200 - 1 min 200 meter recovery jog: Total 16 km
30.2 - 31.7 - 32.3 - 30.3 - 31.7 - 31.7 - 31 - 31.3 - 30.8 - 30.5 - 30.9 - 30.4 -

31.1 - 31.3 - 30.9
14.- Jog 15 km
15.- Jog 15 km
16.- 1200 @ 1500 pace: 3.23.10 – Total 12 km
17.- 6000 Tempo (3.40/km). Total 14 km
18.- Jog 15 km
19.- Jog 14 km
20.- 2 x 800 - 7 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 10 km
2.12.29 - 2.12.37
21.- Strides - total 10 km
22.- Rest
23.- 5 x 300 - 1 min 100 meter recovery jog: Total 10 km
44.8 - 47.9 - 46.7 - 46.7 - 45.5
24.- Rest
25.- Konosu track
1500 metros: 4.10.31
26.- Jog 13 km
27.- Jog 9 km
28.- Jog 12 km
29.- 5000 time trial (*alone): 15.58.96
30.- Rest
31.- Rest


Total running: 287 km

Monday, June 2, 2008

Two other runs in May

Running alone
Last Thursday I head out to Oda field to take part in the monthly Atomi 5km time trial. It was a rainy, but the weather was too good (really cool) to skip this monthly event. To my surprise though, when I got there the track was pretty much empty. And by that I mean 4 guys doing 50 meter sprints occupying nothing of the field.
"To run or not to run" That is the question.
I am terrible at pacing myself when doing race pace time trials on anything longer than 800 meters and running a bad 5000 would be a waste of energy.
"What to do"
An interval session of 1000 reps at 3.10 pace seemed like a wise choice.
Went out at a perfect pace passing each 200 in 38 seconds. It felt so easy compared to my recent speed workouts where I have to pass each 200 in 32/33 seconds. With 100 meters to go before the first 1000 I decided to change the repetition to 2000 meters.
The pace stayed even and the light rain was pretty refreshing. "Man, should I do a 5000? I'd be disrespecting this cool weather if I don't"
After the first 2000, the interval session had become a 5000 time trial, and what a good decision that was.
Splits were: 3.10.21 - 3.10.69 - 3.12.88 - 3.14.34 - 3.10.84
Time: 15.58.96
The time was good, but better than that was the fact that I cruised all the way. I had no pressure from the competition or spectators. I could have stopped at any time and nobody would have ever known about it. This run was all about keeping the pace and my running form.
Yes, I slowed down at km 3 and and 4. For km 3 I have the excuse the after 2000 meters I was about to stop but then picked it up to change my interval session to a time trial. Still, I was running alone. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come in the fall.

5 days before that
On May 25th I ran my last 1500 of the Spring.
I always have this "problem" called a hangover when I run 1500's. Every time I run a 1500 race I drink the day before. I rarely drink nowadays, but for some strange reason, every time there is a 1500 race I drink on the Saturday before. This time wasn't any different in that sense.
I did though however get a good 9 hours of sleep and due to time confusion arrived 2 hours before the race start.
Had an excellent warm up. Was today a pb day?
The start was messed up ... instead of the usual gun they used this baby gun toy thingy attached to a megaphone so the gun would go and 0.03 seconds later the sound would come out of the megaphone. I started out so low waiting for the sound to reach my ears and ended up going through the first 200 in 34 seconds compared to my usual 32. I was able to gain some places though and bring the pace up passing the 400 mark in 1.05 / 06.
With 1,100 to go I was in a solid 2nd place.
The pace was great, perfect (the split seconds are made up)
1.05.8 - 2.11.9 - 3.19
When I looked at that 3.19 I thought "Oh man I am going to run a 4.06 today, keep it cool, keep it cool" ... but my legs just didn't it that afternoon. I finished with a 4.10.31. A good time, but with a 3.19 at the 1200 mark I should have been a lot faster.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Peru host for the summer olympics???

I'm at work now ... supposedly "working", but I think most have realized that I am surfing the net after I couldn't hold my laughter. What could I have ran into?
Well I was/am reading a news paper online. El Comercio, the oldest and most respectable news paper in Peru and one of the oldest new papers printed in Spanish. Of course everything written in it is 99% of the time true.
It says in big letters:
If Peru does not become host country for the 2016 summer olympics they will bid again for the 2020 summer olympics.
Did you just laugh? I mean someone must have hacked this article because it's ridiculous.
First of all can Lima (Peru's capital) still bid? I thought the applications were due September 2007. Second of all, why are they even applying!? And third, why will they apply to be host of the 2020 and 2024 olympics!?
Apparently the idea came from our very smart, trilingual president. A master of making beautiful speeches and having very bad ideas.
Bidding to be the olympic host is even worst than his famous electric train project.
If you ever visit Lima you will notice that there are bridge like constructions at random places. When I say random I mean random: as in blue sky and bam a bridge without a beginning or end ... aka with no connection to the ground or anything whatsoever. Just there a piece of street suspended by columns and 5 km after another and another and so on.
The usual tourist will probably think there is some kind of construction going on, but the truth is those bridge like constructions have been there for the past 20 or so years.
Why don't they knock them down? Because they are very well constructed and it would cost a lot of money to break them plus the money invested in making them will then become a waste (not that it's not already).
Yup, the president we have now was also elected years ago and he presented an electric train project. Let's make a train that will run throughout the entire city ... so they constructed about 30% of it, he then stole a lot of money and fled to Europe ... then came back and became president again ... and now he wants to be host for the olympics ... in a country that doesn't have a single Stadium.
I mean seriously Peru has no infrastructure. It has two good soccer stadiums. One that is very old and the other very unaccessible. It has one track and field "stadium" that is worst than a high school track in the United States. It has an olympic pool in an ugly area ...
I mean freaking crazy ... freaking Alaska has more chances than Lima.
Money wise: not only will you need investment to build things you would need investment to destroy old buildings, etc. The construction materials would probably be stolen before any stadium gets finished.
Don't get my wrong ... I love Peru and can't wait to get back. I now live in Japan, but I think I would feel so much happier in Peru, best country to live in seriously.
But if Peru becomes host for the summer olympics I will break 2.15 for the marathon and participate. I mean if Peru can host the olympic games I can break 2.15 with no problem.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Invaded by yankees?

Shibuya is one of the 23 wards of Tokyo and by far one of my favorite places in this country. It has a mixture of wealthy, poor, educated, serious, crazy and extreme individuals. It's a place where bad and good meet and mix. It is so popular that Gwen Stefani dedicated one of it's songs to the lifestyle girls have in Harajuku, Shibuya's (and perhaps one of the worlds) fashion center.

For me Shibuya went from my partying / walking around (hueveo) zone, to my track and field training ground. Having Yoyogi park and one of Tokyo's main public tracks, Oda field, it's by far one of the best places to run in.

Now in both of these (Yoyogi and Oda) you can see the clash between "getting down and dirty" and "getting down and dirty". In one hand you have the athletes running and working out and in the other young rebels, party boys, couples ... well getting down and dirty.
Until last week I thought it was cool and interesting how both coexisted in the same environment. However, last Saturday (and I wonder if it's every Saturday) a group crossed one of the invisible boundries.

I headed to Oda field on Saturday night to do a mini tempo 6km workout and to my surprise the track was packed ... but with who ...
A couple lying on the grass making out
At least 10 guys drinking beer and smoking on the tables outside the changing rooms.
Another group of 15 girls and guys coming in and out of the track shouting and acting crazy.

I didn't really mind them ... I mean who am I to judge them hmm ... but they definitely stayed after been told by the track staff to leave ... and I wonder what the situation would be like with a track filled with runners.
*In Japanese yankee is a word to describe a rebel, a bad person. If you are a yankee you are bad news.

Monday, May 12, 2008

9 days - 4 races

I felt a bit worn off after the 5000 time trial and 1500 race on the last week of April and decided to fix that by racing a bit more ... no pain no gain.

May 3rd and 4th - Track meet in Niigata
Went on a racing / visit Takako's family trip to Niigata for Golden Week this year. The visit was fun, but the racing turned out to be terrible.
I thought that by going up north where winter had recently ended, I would find nice cool weathered races. Unfortunately for a number of factors, my plan failed.

1. I should have known though that racing and "there is nothing really planned" trips, don't mix well together.
2. I didn't know what time my races were until 40 hours before the actual race.
3. This was the hottest spring in Niigata with temperatures passing the 30 degrees C.
4. The races turned out to be late in the afternoon which meant that the barbecues and beers had to be done in the morning/early afternoon (before my races).
5. It was just one of those weekends where your body doesn't feel like yours.

I had the 1500 on Saturday and was going out for a personal best and hopefully a win. That is what I planned ... but I was in terrible pain after my race on Tuesday and had had no cool down runs due to the trip.
Arrived to the race venue on time and warmed up as I watched the heats go. The competition seemed week ... then again all the fast runners were in my heat. 3rd heat came up (I was on the 4th) and BAM two kids fell flat on their faces ... and I am sure they were pushed down. "oh man"
My turn came out, waited there for the gun shot. Every time I stand there I tell myself I have to go out quick, catch the top 3 positions and slow down to my goal pace all in the first 80 meters. Just how I like it ... top 3 in the first 80 meters. Oh wait ... I am 11th now and just 210 meters have gone by!! The race was pretty much over ... I was trapped in between high school kids getting kicked and bumped. The next 1000 meters were about passing people and changing speeds ... by the 1200 mark I was tired with no energy for a final kick. Finished with a 4.12.7 or so ... still faster than my April 6th time, which keeps me happy, but the way I raced was disappointing.

Next day though, after a day of racing I felt a lot better (physically). The muscle pains were almost gone and a good 5000 run looked like a possibility.
"Oh man it's hot in here ... gotta open the window" "Damn it's even hotter outside"
Over 30 degrees C... running the 5000 today was going to be a race for survival.
Again arrived to the venue with enough time to warm up ... but did I really want to warm up under the hot sun? ...
To keep this nightmare short ... I ran the first km in 3.05 after been pull by the pack. Strangely this first kilometer felt really comfortable. Then the heat hit me and I ended up running the 4th kilometer in 3.30, making it the slowest km split I have ever had in my life (for a 5000 race).
Time: 16.21
Considering the winner won with 15.11, going off his pb by over 20 seconds I could actually call this a pretty satisfactory run ... but I think I'll keep calling it a total mess.

May 6th - Inagi Ekiden
Inagi Ekiden has officially become the race I've participated in the most, running with this, 3 out of its 4 editions.
First year the team consisted of myself, Brett and Swiss visitors Stephan and Daniel. If I remember correctly I ended up running a bit over 10.10 for the 3000 hilly course. We finished second, losing to the winners for just a second.
Inagi 2006 (left to right): Daniel, Stephan, Omar, Brett
The second time, with the Swiss boys gone, the team members changed to Patrick, Jason, Brett and myself. We finished first in a course record time of under 39 minutes. My time been of 10.04 running in the first leg.
Inagi 2007 (left to right): Jason, Brett, Patrick, Omar
This time, keeping up with our reputation, we finished second again. The members this time were Jason, Brett, Christian and well me of course. Unfortunately for this year two of our runners (Brett and Christian) were in post marathon recovery stage and Jason was ran injured. Fortunately though we managed to gradually move up positions up to the 2nd spot. Perhaps if the race would have been some 10 days later we could have managed to steal the first place ... next year I guess.
Inagi 2008 (left to right): Brett, Jason, Christian, Omar
Oh and mission accomplished. I finished with a 9.48. A relatively good time for a hard course.

May 11th - Ekiden Carnival
In my head I had the idea that I would run the 3km leg in the B team wearing my running uniform under beautiful spring weather conditions. Fate however had a different plan. I was to run the 5km anchor leg of the A team under terrible weather (cold, rainy and muddy) wearing a sexy chinese one piece (want more details: white, short and tight).
It was so cold I had to run to the nearest department store and wait there until it was time for me to run (hence I had no idea what place we were in when my turn came).
I made Jason wait some 10 seconds before I took the sash from him as I was a bit lost and confused once I got to the start line. With this in mind, my start was fast and I went out to catch whoever was infront (how many ... I had no idea). I saw a fast guy in the distance and once I managed to get next to him I noticed his 4th leg bib number, he looked at me and had a "I can't believe a foreigner dressed as a Chinese easy girl just passed me" face ... one down.
Passed the first kilometer in 3.02 ... way too fast, but it's a relay and slowing down is out of the question ... plus I already had another guy on my aim.
Caught up to him by the 1.5km mark, but he kept at my speed when he noticed my presence. Seconds later another 4th leg runner caught up to us ... and race within the race had begun.

Before I continue I must say that unlike other races, the ekiden carnival has thousands of participants running in a narrow road. Therefore after the 1st leg is done, the 2nd leg fast runners must not only run fast, but also zig zag in between all the slow 1st leg runners. The 4th leg runners must deal with the very slow 2nd leg runners and the slow 3rd leg runners ... which usually only leave one or a maximum of two openings between their bodies.

Back to the race ... we are three runners trying to fight our way through two openings. Slowing down is not an option. Elbowing and stomping on inocent weak girls and boys and running over them of course is. Making a situation (which didn't happen) like:

You are running and cross eyes with a beautiful girl who smiles and has a look that says "wow it's so cool you are running wearing a Chinese dress". But you have no time for any of that, so you knock her out by putting your hand on her face tackling her over the drink table and getting her out of the way in order for your to keep your pace.

Anyways, a lot of bumping and "foul" moves took place between kilometer 1.5 and 4. I definitely pushed through at least 10 runners making them lose their balance. And I was definitely pushed off the road, forced to run on the hilly grass where the crowd stands for about 30 meters. It was fun, but more was to come. At about the 4km mark we spotted one more runner and began sprinting pretty much straight, as there was no time to zig zag or excuse me's. The last 500 meters were pretty exciting ... unfortunately I was forced off the road again and had to jump a hurdle to get back to the finishers lane. Finished with an excellent time of 15.15 for the 5km course. Never had so much fun.
*The 5km course is actually about 4.8km, but considering the rain, my outfit and the amount of people around me I did a pretty good run...

Friday, May 9, 2008

2008 Shibuya ekiden video

This year I ran the Shibuya ekiden with my coworkers. You can read the report about it in my January races post.
Real fun as non of my team mates were runners and one was actually sick with a pretty deadly virus and he still came to run (January ... as in middle of winter).
Anyways I made a mini movie about it as I wanted to play around with a video program I installed in my pc. I made the movie a few months ago but uploaded it last week so here it is:


Shibuya ekiden !!! an epic movie from omar minami on Vimeo.

Enjoy

On another note, I recently discovered that my time for Tamako ekiden was of 20.01 instead of the 20.21 I thought it was. I was pretty happy with the 20.21 but 20 seconds faster ... oh yea

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Races in April

With road racing season over and the weather warming up, the time has come to take the spikes out of the closet and begin running in the track.
First month of track and things are going way better than expected.

April 6th - Komazawa track
Ran my first track race of 2008 in Komazawa Stadium.
This is the second time I take part in this event. Very well organized and with various events to participate in: 100, 200, 800, 1500, 5000 and 10,000.
Last year Taro won the 10,000 and Patrick the 1500 setting the event's record and Jason came 2nd in the 5,000 which he ran right after taking part in the 1500.
Although a personal best at that time, last year's 1500 ended up been my slowest 1500 in 2007, as it's in April right after the half marathon season ... meaning no appropiate track training done.
Today I didn't really know what to go for.
Had the confidence of having ran a 5000 pb recently. Did two fast track sessions this week, both ended up been faster than when I did them in 2007 ...
"Well first track race ... I guess I'll start fast and see how far I can get that way." I thought.

Excellent start, and stayed up front (except for the beginning as two crazy kids bolted to the front for who knows what??) changing between the first 4 places throughout the race.
Official time: 4.12.94 ... a pb ... barely ... but hoping this will again be by far my slowest run this year. Oh and won the race which was a good confidence boost.

(The video runs twice - twice the action woo)


Komazawa track 2008 from omar minami on Vimeo.

April 24th - 5000 GODO time trial - running under the rain
I had broken 16 minutes for the first time four weeks ago and was looking for reconfirmation in this time trial. Unfortunately the weather predicted rain and hard wind.
Looked out the window all day during work (the race was at 8pm) and not a single drop ... very strong wind though. Came home and the minute I closed the door it began to pour. Took a 90 minute nap and by the time I woke up it was raining very hard.
"To go or not to go ... that is the question"
"If I run under the rain I will not go under 16 ... and if I run under the rain I will have to use spikes and if I use spikes I will not even finish due to the rain"
Decision taken: Use spikes and run under the rain.
I was soaking wet after the first 400 meters, but felt very comfortable and strangely not too far away the leading guys (I guess the fast guys decided not to catch a cold). 4 km to go, still comfortable, 3 km to go, the rain is starting to feel heavy and my legs feel a bit cramped due to the cold. 2 km to go ... one of the two leading guys stop, I wonder if he was doing a 3km time trial or he got cramped. 1 km to go and all of the sudden I am second place right behind the 1st place. Waited for 200 meters to go by ... "time to spice things up" ... flew by the leading guy, opened a gap and "oh man, I am TIRED" ... 400 meters to go ... I just survive ... finish second with an almost pb of 15.59.02, just half a second slower than my personal best. Great run for such terrible weather.
Here are the splits: 3.09.02 - 3.10.47 - 3.12.85 - 3.14.34 - 3.12.34

April 29th - 5th Kumagaya Challenge track meet
Venue: Saitama - Kumagaya, at the track Stadium (200yen by bus, 1500 by cab)
Events: Time in parenthesis is the time you need in order to participate
1500 (4.40 for men / 5.15 for women)
3000 (10.15 / 11.15)
5000 (16.45 / 19.00)

Now the above probably seem like slow times, but I am pretty sure nobody in the race runs like that. They run A LOT faster. By far this has been the most competitive race I have taken part in. To give you an idea, in the 1500 there were 7 heats, each with 20-25 runners. The winner of the 4th heat (so 3 faster heats to go) won with under 4.15 so a 4.15 will place you in 70th place.
This year it was even more competitive as 15 guys went under the previous race record and in the last heat 12 guys went under 4 minutes. In the 5000 many of the runners were expected to go under 14 minutes - reason why I didn't register to run 5000.

Anyways to my race -
On the left hand ....
Had a party with my coworkers the previous night. Drinks, smoke and karaoke is probably not the best way to prepare for a race. Woke up a bit (very) late, took the train and headed to Kumagaya (90 minutes away). Arrived and took a cab (another 10 minutes). 100 minutes sitting down with a hang over ... This didn't look good ... did it?
The race was about to begin so jogged for a few minutes and was ready ... well not really but whatever, just wanted to go home and sleep.
On the right hand ...
I had done a pb a few weeks ago in Komazawa without any speed training at all. This time however I had spent April doing 1500 specific workout sessions.
I had arrived quite late ... which didn't give me time to warm up ... which didn't give me time to do that tiring warm up I do before running.

BAM the race began (5th heat). Took a comfortable spot in the 6th place after the first 200 meters to see just how fast the field really was. I was really surprise when I looked around, after the first 500 meters everyone was still pretty much together. Still with a bit of alcohol in the blood, I decided to go for it ... to hell with this, time to go up front. "It's not like I will win the event as there are still 2 heats to go with much faster runners." And so I did and with 400 meters to go I was in the first place ... 30 meters after that though I was in 3rd lol.
The finish was really tight I think the first 3 (I ended up 3rd) all finished in between 4.09.69 - 4.09.99 ...
And I learned a lot from the event ... I tried hard not to run in the very edge of the first lane but instead run almost in the 2nd lane to not be trapped in a box. And I thought it was a good move (not fair-but good) for the 2nd place to make me open all the way to the 4th lane in the last 50 meters ... I must have lost 0.09 seconds doing that.
Final time 4.09.60 in my watch but the winner did .69 so it was probably a bit more.
Happy to finally break 4.10

Here are the videos of both my heat and the 7th heat ... first place in the 7th heat finished in 3.51
...first video taken by my sister who cannot hold a camera ... sucks ... second taken by me which is okay.


Kumagaya track race from omar minami on Vimeo.


Kumagaya 5th callenge track meet - 1500 last heat from omar minami on Vimeo.

April running: More PBs

Took a bit too many days off this month and with a trip during Golden Week the same thing might happen in May. Fortunately, both workouts and racing have been great. Went under 16 minutes in 5000 again under terrible weather conditions and barely did not make it under 4.10 in the official time of the Kumagaya 1500 ... on my watch I did break 4.10 though so I will leave the pb as an unofficial 4.09 :-)

April

1.- Rest
2.- Hard ladder workout - 400 meter recovery jog 5-4-3 min rest respectively.
800 (2.08.7) - 600 (1.38.8) - 400 (1.01.7) - 200 (29.3) (10km total)
3.- Jog 13 km
4.- 10 x 200 - 1 min 200 meter recovery jog: Total 12 km
32.0 - 34.03 - 32.4 - 31.7 - 31.3 - 31.4 - 30.5 - 31.7 - 32.05 - 30.28
5.- Rest
6.- Komazawa track
1500 meters: 4.12.94 - first place PB
7.- Jog 13 km
8.- Rest
9.- 7 x 400 - 2 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 14 km
1.04.7 - 1.07.9 - 1.06.1 - 1.07.2 - 1.07.5 - 1.07.9 - 1.07.7
10.- jog 9 km
11.- 7 x 400 - 2 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 14 km
1.05.2 - 1.05.7 - 1.04.0 - 1.05.4 -1.05.7 - 1.06.2 - 1.05.5
12.- Jog 13 km
13.- Rest
14.- Jog 16 km
15.- Jog 15 km + 1 hour of soccer
16.- Jog 14 km
17.- Rest
18.- Swim 1600 meters
19.- 4 x 1000 - 1 min 200 meter recovery jog: Total 14 km
3.05.7 - 3.13.5 - 3.13.3 - 3.08.3
20.- Jog 17 km at 4.03 pace
21.- 6 x 800 - 1 min 200 meter recovery jog: Total 15 km
2.34.9 - 2.31.0 - 2.30.0 - 2.28.4 - 2.28.3 - 2.27.1
22.- Jog 15 km
23.- Jog 10 km
24.- GODO 5km time trial: 15.59.02
25.- Jog 15km - easy strides + 1 hour of soccer
26.- Rest
27.- Soccer (5 hours)
28.- Jog 11 km
29.- Kumagaya challenge track meet
1500 meters: 4.10.06 PB
30.- Jog 13 km

Total running: 276 km
Total swimming: 1600 meters
Soccer: 7 hours

I've been playing soccer for the past few months and have decided to post these days as part of my physical training. Apparently playing soccer is a good workout.
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/football/energy.htm
(link explaining the benifits of the beautiful sport)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Goals for this year

Now that spring is here, it's time to make new goals for the 2008-2009 season.
I already recorded two personal bests, in 1500 and 5000, but I am sure I can go a bit faster before the year is over.
Ideally, if I were to break the following times (or come really close to them) before next April I would be a very happy runner:

800: 2.05
1500: 4.07
3000: 9.05
5000: 15.45
10km: 32.30
Half: 1.12.30
Full: 2.45.00

* I will very likely not run an 800 or a 3000, at least not an official race.

Monday, April 14, 2008

2007 Ranking - where am I

Bought the 2007 ranking and results magazine from the Japanese athletics federation. It's the first time I buy one of these specials and was amazed by its content.
Let's start with the little guys, junior high school students aged 13 to 15 years old. The best 100 times for 1500 all went under 4.11, a time I haven't been able to break myself. The fastest been a 3.57. It gets better as the distant increases. For 3000 meters the best 100 times all went under 9 minutes. 9 minutes which translates into easily breaking 16 minutes for a 5000 meter run.
Let's step up and take a look at the high school kids, the adult wannabe's ... running wise, they are ready.
The best 100 times for 1500 all went under 4 minutes. Hmm how many people in Peru (all of Peru) can run 1500 in under 4 minutes? I think about 4 - 6 runners. If I were to count how many Japanese can do that I am sure it will be a number close to 500.
For 5000 all the runners went under 14.32 with 3 athletes (all foreign) going under 14 minutes.
But now let's look at the big boys, aka, my age group.
The best 100 times for 5000 all went under 14 minutes! The fastest 4 running fast enough to qualify for the olympics.
The best 100 times for 10000 all went under 29 minutes or to be more specific all went under 28.40. Just going under 32 would be amazing. Doing a 31.58 even better and better by the second ... but under 28.40 !?
And well the best 100 times for the half marathon all went under 1.03.45.
I don't think anyone is Peru ... actually I think only a few (as in around a dozen) runners in the entire South American continent can run fast enough to make it into the top 100 (with luck place 100th).
And where does this put me???
Well some of my times are probably ... hopefully in the top 2000 times of 2007 in Japan. And that actually places me top 15 in my country.
The goal for this year?
Try to be top 1900 ... or top 1,000,000 th in the world ... you gotta start somewhere u know ;-)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Selling new female Montrail shoes





I am selling a pair of Montrail shoes.
Unfortunately I have no idea what model they are, apparently spring 2006 models. For speed trail runs.
Gender: Female
Size: US7 - JP24
Condition: Completely new
* No box and no label
Price: Originally 13,000 yen ... want 6000

March Running: A good 5000

Now with the debut marathon out of the way, the time for real training had begun. The first half of March was part of the 4 weeks I took to recover from Tokyo Marathon. The second half involved getting fit for the coming track season.
Two good races this month ... a good run at the tamako ekiden and a personal best at the 5km on the track. Two good results without much training on me.

March

1.- Rest
2.- Rest
3.- Jog 14 km
4.- 3 x 2000 - 2 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 15 km
7.03.22 - 6.59.18 - 6.49.95
5.- Jog 16 km
6.- Jog 15 km
7.- 5 x 1000 - 85 sec 200 meter recovery jog: Total 15 km
3.15.63 - 3.13.46 - 3.14.08 - 3.13.13 - 3.12.09
8.- Rest
9.- Rest
10.- Jog 18 km
11.- Jog 20 km
12.- 1600 + (4x800) + (2x400)
1600: 4.55.2 - 5 min 400 meter recovery
4x800: 2.32.7 - 2.31.3 - 2.33.9 - 2.31.04 - 3 min 200 meter recovery
2x400: 1.07.4 - 1.03.14 - 3 min 200 meter recovery
13.- Rest
14.- Rest
15.- Jog 9 km
16.- Jog 17 km
17.- Rest
18.- Jog 15 km
19.- Rest
20.- Tamako ekiden - hilly 6km: 20.01 (very windy)
21.- Jog 10 km
22.- Rest
23.- Jog 27 km
24.- Jog 14 km
25.- Jog 15 km
26.- 5 x 400 - 2 min 400 meter recovery jog: Total 13 km
1.10.98 - 1.14.76 - 1.14.85 - 1.13.82 - 1.08.11 *5km pace
27.- Atomi 5km time trial: 15.58.55 PB
28.- Rest
29.- Jog 15 km
30.- Jog 29 km
31.- Rest

Total running: 322 km

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Races in March

Took a couple of weeks off after my marathon debut and began my racing season with an ekiden (road relay) and a 5000 time trial.

Tamako Ekiden
On Thursday March 20th, I decided to spend my holiday (which happened to be rainy and cold - perfect for sleeping in and dvds) by waking up early and heading towards lake Tama, west of Tokyo ... a place where ... there is nothing at all.
Two teams I run for were participating: Namban Rengo and Harriers.
This time I would be part of the Harriers B team 3rd leg.
It was a fun event. The weather was rainy, cold and windy and the course very hilly and difficult. It doesn't get any better.
Ran the 6km course in 20 minutes 01 second, passing 6 third leg runners making it ... considering the situation ... a successful run.
Next year if I run it again I would like to go under 19.40 ... we'll see.

Atomi 5000 time trial
Did the Atomi 5km time trial a week after the ekiden. Now usually when I do these time trials I go after work, sleepless and barely in time. This time however I had no work, slept 10 hours the previous night and arrived there 20 minutes before it began ... not to mention my recent good nutrition thanks to a special someone :)
And well things worked out great. An unexpected 12 second pb ... and considering I haven't began any interval training ... a big boost of confidence for races to come.
Here are my splits:
3.13.9 - 3.11.3 - 3.11.9 - 3.13.2 - 3.08
15.58.5

Thursday, March 6, 2008

February running: A good marathon

Perfect month. Began with easy jogs to taper for my marathon, ran an excellent marathon and ended with the recovery. In other words I barely ran, however training wise it went as planned.
The new goal ... pbs in 1500 and 5000 before the spring ends.

February

1.- Jog 14 km
2.- Rest
3.- Jog 25 km
4.- Jog 8 km
5.- Morning: Ome trail run 17 km
Afternoon: Jog 12 km
6.- Jog 2 km (strange pain)
7.- Jog 15 km at 4.07 / km pace
8.- Jog 14 km
9.- Rest
10.- Jog 20 km
11.- Rest
12.- Jog 11 km
13.- Jog 10 km
14.- Rest
15.- Rest
16.- Rest
17.- Tokyo Marathon (Full Marathon)
18.- Rest
19.- Rest
20.- Rest
21.- Rest
22.- Rest
23.- Rest
24.- Cycle 15 km
25.- Rest
26.- Jog 9 km
27.- Jog 11 km
28.- Rest
29.- Jog 13 km

Total running: 223 km
Total bike: 15 km

Thursday, February 21, 2008

My first time: I am finally a man

I want to start this by saying: “I did it!” And how: with a good time, big time negative splits and a fast last 1km. In other words perfect (of course mostly thanks to Brett who paced me).

The story behind

Two years ago I signed up for the first edition of Tokyo Marathon 2007. I did not feel very prepared so decided to give up my registration number. A few months before that though (Nov. 2006) I had ran a personal best in the half marathon breaking 75 minutes. Still, with results in hand I did not feel ready and chickened out.
Last year once again I applied, and once again luckily got in (lucky? Is what I thought). I had decided to run it this time. No matter what I would run my first marathon and get it over with. Summer came and I brought my mileage up to 400km per month. November came and with it the time to prepare for my first marathon.
I needed 3 months of 450km or more each to be ready for a good debut.
But it all went down the drain when I twisted my ankle buying band aids at the convenience store. BAM 21 days of absolute rest. When I was ready to jog again, my endurance was almost back to 0. And because fortune is always by my side I caught a cold a few days after my ankle healed, adding 4 more days of rest.
“I’m not giving up. Hell no ... sell my registration number again? People will start saying things”.
So I put on my running wear, and set out in the cold for a run and guess what I found. I got influenza type A. One of the worst flu types in the country. 13 more days to add to the already 24 days taken off.
I was so sick not even Santa Claus came near me during Christmas.
It hit me then. Running Tokyo Marathon as a serious race was out of the question. Aiming to break 3 hours became a ridiculous challenge.
I ran a total of 350 km in January. Raced 3 of the 4 weeks, reaching my goals in each of the events. Things looked good; that if the coming race was to be a half marathon. But the coming race was a full marathon and for such a distant the picture was not pretty.
I heard many things during the weeks of wait. “You will crash against the wall.” “Breaking 3 hours is out of the question” “Run for fun or you will not enjoy it.” “You are fucked.”
It was time to look for a buyer and chicken out again.
But there was Brett's voice ... among other mean people ... if you don’t run you won't be a man...
So I decided to take the challenge and to put the bar higher and decided to go for the 3 hour barrier.

February 17th: The day had arrived

Packed my stuff and set off to the meeting point.
I was really surprised (although I guess I should have expected it) to see Shinjuku station packed with runners ... and runners and runners all over the west side of the station. And it hit me ... this thing is big!! This is what a major marathon event is about.
Anyways so the race began ... before it did though I had to take a short toilet break which caused Brett (who was running as my pace maker) and I to line up in the middle of the A block rather than the front.

Off we went.
I was pretty much just following Brett and thinking about how cold it was for the first few kilometers. I was wondering if we were going too slow as I found myself running with people of different shapes and dresses rather than the usual front pack in the regular small race event. But there we were going at the set 2.58 goal pace.
First 5 km: 4:25 - 4:03 - 4:16 - 4:11 - 4:13 (21:08)
We continued and our fellowship got bigger with Yamada-san and Steve hopping in.
Chatting about the event ... I asked Steve ... "so this is what running a marathon is about" and he replied "No, this is what jogging at a 4.10 pace is about, a marathon starts after the 30km warm-up"
5 km to 10 km: 4:07-4:14-4:10-4:11-4:11 (20:53)
I felt perfect, no soreness, nor bored. Brett then decided we should bring up the pace if I felt the same after the half point.
Jay joined somewhere at this point (and quickly disappeared).
10 km to 15 km: 4:11-4:11-4:11-4:13-4:12 (20:58)
Perfect pacing ... Brett must have a stopwatch somewhere in his brain. The crowd was amazing and so were the runners dressed up in various characters. I was actually having fun for the first time during a race.
Mario Bros to my left. “I wonder where Luigi is.”
A girl dressed as a playboy bunny to my right. “Too bad she isn’t hot.”
A man dressed as a cow. “Am I going slow or what?”
15 km to 20 km: 4:10-4:14-4:11-4:11-4:10 (20:56)
Brett: "So how do you feel Omar?"
Omar: "I feel perfect"
Bret : "Lets bring up the pace then"
20 km to 25 km: 4:14-4:05-4:10-4:07-4:10 (20:46)
5 more kilometers and I was to enter a new realm where every step would be a PB even if I crawled. My knees were starting to feel a bit heavy and my back in pain.
“Does the marathon really find everything? Does the wall really exist?”
“Did a short girl just pass me? Or was she a he?”
25 km to 30 km: 4:08-4:12-4:11-4:11-4:07 (20:49)
I was seeing so many friendly faces (Takako, Gordon, and the entire Namban crowd) ... plus the runners themselves at the turns ... saying hello to everyone. It was so easy to forget about the pace and race.
But when I stepped on that 30 km line I knew it was time. Not properly prepared physically nor mentally ... images of Fukushi (Japanese record holder of various events) falling on her face during her first marathon flashed through my eyes.. Oh man ... it's coming.
30 km to 35 km: 4:06-4:08-4:06-4:06-4:02 (20:28)
Now for some reason ... no idea why ... it really got easy once I crossed the 30 km line. The pace went up, and I was tired so it felt a bit faster than it was. But the high speed enabled me to put less weight on my less and hips so my knee and back pain were relieved. Began concentrating on my form and following Brett's advice ... good thoughts ... think about good things.
“Hmm I think I want to go to the bathroom real bad.”
35 km to 40 km: 4:05-4:01-3:53-3:52-3:42 (19:33)
We were rocking ... although when Brett told me that I answered ... "are we? Isn’t this pace like really slow?"
Well, slow or not ... there were still two more km of fun and oh they were.
I think I was in 700th place at this point and passed some 300 runners in those two last km. Off went Brett to look for his under 8 minutes last 2.195.
And 10 seconds later off I went.
I was careful during the first km to not blow up a few hundred meters before the end.
40 km to 41.195: 4.28
“1km to go” sign was there ... time to rock for real...
Last km: 3.23 and I am very positive I ran the last 800 at under 3.10 pace.
What a debut ... 2.53
Thank you Brett, Takako, people that came to cheer and Tokyo Marathon.
Best experience I have ever had in a race or sport event in my life. Very VERY happy.
A better view of my splits:
1-5k: 4:25-4:03-4:16-4:11-4:13 (21:08)
6-10k: 4:07-4:14-4:10-4:11-4:11 (20:53)
11-15k: 4:11-4:11-4:11-4:13-4:12 (20:58)
16-20k: 4:10-4:14-4:11-4:11-4:10 (20:56)
Half: 1:28:34
21-25k: 4:14-4:05-4:10-4:07-4:10 (20:46)
26-30k: 4:08-4:12-4:11-4:11-4:07 (20:49)
31-35k: 4:06-4:08-4:06-4:06-4:02 (20:28)
36-40k: 4:05-4:01-3:53-3:52-3:42 (19:33)
40 km to 41.195: 4.28
Last km: 3.23
Total: 2 hours 53 minutes ... still waiting for the net time which might be 23 seconds.

After the race:

The first 30 seconds once the race was over felt amazing. I had completed one of the hardest challenges in my life in one piece and not even felt tired. 31 seconds after though the most terrible pain I’ve ever felt ran through my body. And a few seconds later my entire body froze as I was too tired to even keep my 36.5 degrees of body temperature.
Fortunately the volunteers handed me a heat coat quickly together with some food and drinks. I felt okay (as long as I kept moving, because if I sat I probably wouldn’t be able to stand up again).
Inside the changing area I got more food, a free massage and a few minutes in a feet hot tub. Oh what a feeling sticking my feet into the warm water, feeling the bubbles run through my calves.
And well after that is was all about mailing everyone and bragging about my great success lol. Well I deserved it.

Days after

I woke up the next morning in great pain. Walking was no problem, but going up and down the stairs was very challenging.
Those who read probably think it felt like playing a soccer month after a year of no sports. No, no, no. Very wrong. I know how that feels. Legs feel a bit crampy, and they hurt when you touch them, etc.
What I felt was pain.
Tuesday the pain increased a bit, but only in the morning. As the day went by, my muscles loosened up.
Wednesday I could walk again. Now it was then that I felt as if I had done sports after a while.
Today Thursday I still feel strange but I feel good enough to sprint up the stairs, which means I should be fine by tomorrow.

For pictures click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93880&l=f3990&id=737630111
.....
I use to wonder why people run marathons. Why the sacrifice to run such a long and apparently boring race. Now I understand.