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.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
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.
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.
*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...
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.
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
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.
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)
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.
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 ;-)
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
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