Rain & Pain

Tokyo Marathon 2007 Report
Something or someone made the gods very angry (Gov. Ishihara, perhaps?). On Sunday, February 18 they opened up the heavens and pissed on Tokyo’s little party. The gods must be silly if they thought a little rain was going to stop us. Runners laugh at rain. Actually, once I started running, I didn’t mind the rain one drip. And right after the start, as we crossed under the JR trestle, I was treated to a thrill I won’t forget: a sea of runners pouring down Yasukuni Dori. Goose bumps. Along the way, my spirit was continually buoyed by the cheers of the stalwart spectators and race volunteers. Way more fans and friends lined the course than the weather would have indicated. And I had the added pleasure of chatting to my running buddies along the way and making eye contact with friends and family in the crowd.

I remember seeing lots of spectators who had taken it upon themselves to offer food and refreshments to the runners: a young couple in Asakusa passing out mikan orange wedges on a plate, an old man on a corner in Ginza thrusting out a Wieder energy gel pack and yelling “ganbare!” (keep it up!), old ladies passing out small packets of candy. Images like that kept my spirits up and warmed my heart all day. The weather? An afterthought.

Overall, the race was well organized. The only problems were with the baggage check and pick up system. Granted, it’s no small task to manage the bags of 30,000 runners (in the cold rain!), but it could have been planned better. The panicky, pre-race pushing and shoving that marred the bag check situation was unfortunate. I also heard that many runners had trouble retrieving their bags after the race. People were holding numbers and screaming like they were on the trading floor of the NY Stock Exchange. I was lucky. I went to the designated truck, looked down and there was my bag at my feet. Put there by an angel, perhaps, because I wouldn’t have been able to yell or wait for my bag. I was in grave shape, sports fans. I was death, but not warmed over.

As for my performance, I was really rolling a long, having fun, through 25K. For my fitness level, I ran a great 30K. In fact, my 30K split was the exact same time as my Ome Marathon (a hilly 30K race) result from two weeks ago—2:22, which is a 4:45 pace. After 30K, things went downhill rapidly for me. Unfortunately the course did not. My 35K and 40K splits where 29:18 and 29:35, respectively. The last 2K plus took me15 minutes. I was cursing myself decided to do this race. Every step was mental agony. However, my net time, 3:37, was only two minutes off my goal of 3:35, so I’m satisfied with my performance. And I know that with a little more long distance training (perhaps 2 months more), I could have turned out a much better performance, and felt better at the finish.

After the finish, I was a shivering, monosyllabic wreck, and the shivering didn’t stop for about an hour. Thankfully, my elocution skills have also returned. I enjoyed the post-race party, but I could not walk properly on the following Monday, and it wasn’t because of a hangover. Going down stairs was near impossible. But hey, that’s why we run marathons. We’re gladiators. And I think I might just do another one. It’s time to attack my PB (3:09) and join the Sub-3 Club. New York, New York?

Here are my 5K splits:
5K—24:01
10K—22:39
15K—22:35
20K—23:21
25K—24:36
30K—25:43
35K—29:18
40K—29:35
2.195K—15:16
Total: 3:37:10

Survivor

Just a quick note to let the world know that I survived the cold rain and finished the Tokyo Marathon only two minutes over my target time: 3:37 vs. 3:35. Actually, once you're running, the rain is not really a factor. At the beginning (lining up) and the end is when it's a drag. It took me about an hour to stop shivering after the race. I'm so glad I took part. What a great experience. Thanks to all the thousands for supporters who lined the course and cheered us on and a special thank you to Minako for coming out to cheer me on despite the weather. More to come.

Swag Bag

I got my Tokyo Marathon "swag bag" last night and I'm pretty excited. So much so that I had dreams and nightmares all night about the marathon, which is Sunday, February 18. Here's what was in the bag worth mentioning:
1) The T-shirt, not a very good design. In fact, the design stinks. The Asics logotype is the most prominent design element. That wouldn't be bad if it was an Asics shirt, but the other items don't balance out well. The Tokyo Marathon logo, which is very cool (it's the Japanese character for "big" rendered to look like a running person), is too small.
2) A very well produced and informative "race book." It features very clear race day instructions, pre- and post-race fitness tips and lots of informative maps. All in Japanese and English. Whadaya know? Tokyo is stepping up in the world. There are also 2 other maps in the bag, one is for people who want to do a stamp rally (kids go around to each train station and get a book stamped with an icon. It's a Japan thing.) And a small wallet-size map.
3) A huge bag, also Asics branded (but with a cool design) used to put your stuff in when you check it before the race. They will truck your stuff to the finishing area.
4) A box of NatureMade Glucosamine, the vitamin and many runners take to promote healthy bones and joints. It is very expensive, ($35 to 450 a jar) so this is a nice gift.
5) A box of Amino-Value supplement. Some carbo-energy powder that I don't know much about.
6) The number of course. My is 13026. Look for me on TV!

Tommy Lee as Boss Coffee

There's a vending machine near my house that features an unflattering photo of Tommy Lee Jones as a promotion for the Boss brand of can coffee. I believe he has also been in some TV commercials, but I tend to avoid terrestrial TV these days. What struck me about this photo is how old and grizzled he looks. He was never a real heart throb, but I can't imagine that he was too happy with that photo. Maybe it helps explain why he's not getting leading-man roles any more. Anyway, I decided that he's setting a good example. A genuine Hollywood star who hasn't had 15 face lifts and tummy tucks....Good going Tommy Lee!

St. Valentine's Day

It's difficult to find the true story behind St. Valentine (apparently there were 3 of them), and his day. Was he a martyr, a lover, or a religious zealot? Was he tortured under the direction of Roman Emperor Claudius? Was he decapitated? Was he in love with a prison guard's daughter, and did he send her a note signed "Your Valentine." I think I like the last version the best. Anyway, I took a photo of the Valentine that my little Valentine, Sachi, gave me this morning. I also got chocolates from my other Valentine, Minako, and from a neighbor lady.

A neighbor lady! Am I having an affair? No. The lady hung the Valentine chocolates on our front door as a kind of apology for asking to give my daughter a ride without having a child seat in her car. This happened the other day. It was a spur of the moment thing, when we were all heading out at the same time in the morning. We politely declined while casually mentioning the lack of a car seat. To me it was an minor inconsequential event. I wouldn't have remembered it if not for the chocolates. This is the kind of hyper-polite response that only happens in Japan. Yet another St. Valentine's story.

Spring Sign Posts

Well, here's proof that spring has definitely sprung in Tokyo. My daffodils are in full bloom and so are my crocuses. Every sunny day it feels a lot closer to spring than winter. I'm just hoping that we have a beautiful day like to day for the Tokyo Marathon this coming Sunday.

Spring is In The Air

Perhaps I'm jumping the gun (I usually do), but I could definitely smell spring in the air in Tokyo yesterday. Under clear blue, sunny skies I ran in short-sleeves and sweated plenty. The early-bird plumb blossoms where bursting out all over. Can cherry blossoms be far behind? It seemed like only yesterday we were enjoying our annual Ohanami or cherry blossom viewing bacchanal of 2006. To be honest, though, old man winter barely showed his face this year. A little white stuff would be nice, but, yes, I'm ready for spring.

Ome Marathon Report

I ran the Ome Marathon yesterday (Feb. 4). For me, it was to be a tune-up for the Tokyo Marathon on February 18 and a means of boosting my confidence. I had a great time and my confidence has been properly inflated. I recommend this "classic" Japan race to everyone. Honestly, it was one of the best race experiences I have ever had.

People who've run the Okutama ekiden will know the course well. Just combine most of the ekiden legs together, omit the sash passing, and you’ve got the Ome Marathon. So if the weather is nice (and yesterday it was phenomenal), the scenery is beautiful.

Best of all was the support of crowds and volunteers along the race course. Every time I looked up there was a water stop or some one passing out sweets, banana slices or lemon wedges. Young and old heartily cheered on the runners and made the thought stopping or even slowing down impossible. Once, while passing a group of taiko drummers, I was able to "high-five" about ten percussionists of all shapes sizes and ages as I ran past their line.

At about 24K, when my spirits were sagging a little, a rumbling beckoned me. It started in low and began to grow. By the time I reached the thundering taiko rhythm, I was enveloped and buoyed by the electric energy of the drummers. For about 50 meters or so, I felt like I was running springs. What a mood lifter.

My time: 2:22:24

My 5K Splits

5K 22:56
10K 22:20
15K 23:24
20K 23:33
25K 25:22
30K 24:56

I will run the race again, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Breathing In

I just got sucked in to the blog bog. Trying to find my way around right now.