Inagi Ekiden

I managed to somehow, just barely, outrun a one-legged man at the Inagi Ekiden (running relay race) in western Tokyo today.

I suppose I really should have put in some serious triathlon training with only four weeks until ironman, but after missing so many Namban Rengo events, I felt compelled to join one of the ekiden teams.   The Ingai Ekiden was a splendid, little event with lots of picture taking and joking and cheering one another on.  Inagi Central Park is a pleasant setting, the weather was wonderful -- I just wish I had brought a frisbee or a nerf football. 

As far as the run itself - well, the speed of such a short distance (3-kilometers) was a bit of a shock.  I was the lead-off man for our team, and when the gun went off the other 60 runner burst down the track like they were shot out of a gun.  I struggled just to keep up.  A kilometer into the race I began to overtake some of the other participants, and at the halfway mark I caught up to the individual wearing a prosthetic leg from just above the knee.  It was very impressive and inspiring to see how smooth and fast this guy moved on the prosthetic leg - a flat curved piece of metal with Nike racing flats on the foot.   I would have been content to stay behind him, but teammate Steve Lacey had urged me on before the race by saying - "At least try to beat the guy with one leg," so I managed a burst of speed, and then held on through the hilly final kilometer of the course.   My teammates -- Steve, Fabrizio, Teruyuki -- ran well and I think we finished around 10th out of 60 teams.

After the ekiden, I did manage a few pathetic kilometers along the Tamagawa on my bicycle, but it was a constant struggle to manauver around the numerous individuals sauntering along the path on a lovely Sunday afternoon. 

I may be doomed at Ironman, but the important thing was to help the team out at Inagi.

Edogawa River Route

Finding reasonably convenient and pleasant places to ride in Tokyo continues to be one of the more critical concerns in my life.  Of course I would like to think I am wrestling with large and meaningful issues in my life these days, but the fact is discovering good bicycle routes is pretty high on the list.

So I am pretty darn thrilled to find a secret passage to the East.  The path runs through various historic Tokyo neighborhoods and ultimately leads to the Edogawa bike path.  Well I guess I should acknowledge that most of the route was courtesy of Mike Sims-Williams of the Tokyo freewheel group, so I shouldn't be too quick to rank myself alongside Magellen and Henry Hudson.  While the route has a significant number of stoplights, the roads have much less traffic than the route I had used previously in my journeys from Roppongi to the Arakawa frequently running alongside canals.   Here is a link that shows part of the secret passage:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=129308

What delighted me even more than the secret passage was discovering how surprisingly scenic and barrier free the past is alongside the western banks of the Edogawa River. 

The weather today (Friday) was ideal  which no doubt contributed to my good feeling about the route.  The weather and the fact that I am sick to death of the Arakawa, Oifuto, etc. 

Unfortunately I only managed to ride up to the 37-kilometer mark.  I had hoped to get in some actual ironman-level cycling training for once, but as usual my cycling time was truncated.  Today it was due to my not realizing that the China Consulate would be closed all of next week, so I had to spend the morning getting an expedited visa for my upcoming trip to Beijing and Shanghai.

Indulgence Run

 
According to my triathlon training program, the latest running theory, and Horde Leader, Bob "Less-is-more" Poulson, I am supposed to run only three times per week.  Any additional runs are just pure self-indulgence.  Aging (over 40), enfeebled runners like myself need more recovery, and anything beyond doing a long run, a tempo run, and an interval workout is probably going to do more damage than good.  "Quality over quantity, minimalist training" is what triathlon legend Mike Trees always told me. 

But it is a gorgeous sunset on Friday afternoon, and having just signed up for Ironman Japan I feel a burst of energy and a need to gratify my desire for hedonistic pleasure.  So I run two easy loops around the Palace joining Keren and Satohi for part of their workout. 

Of course afterwards I felt guilty and dirty and ashamed of myself. 
 

Solidarity with Peruvian Brothers Run

Sunday is the day of the Sagamihara Half-Marathon, but the US military base where the event is held will not allow Omar, our teammate from Peru, to participate.  Nambanners decide that if we do not make a stand in support of our Peruvian teammates now, it will just be a matter of time until  they will be coming one-by-one to haul the rest of us off to Guantanamo Bay.  So Steve and Gareth boycott the race, and along with Adam, Colin, Martin, Gary, Mami, Yuka and myself do a long run in support of our Peruvian Brothers.

I find running round and round and round the 2.5k loop at Yoyogi to be a tedious way to get in a long run, but it is a nice chance to spend quality time with the teammates and start planning some future races such as the Angkor Wat Half-Marathon in December.

Well, I did all that training...

So with 170 minutes left before the deadline I sign up for Ironman Japan.  Ultimately I need to justify all the cycling and swimming over the past 4 months. 

The training forces me to enter the event rather than the event forces me to train.  The tail seems to be wagging the dog. 

I know lots of marathon runners who randomly pick a marathon to provide purpose to their training, when the overarching purpose is to either  lose weight or improve their cardiovascular health -- neither of which particular concern me. 

In my case I cannot remember anymore what the overarching purpose of doing an ironman was...

That said I am really looking forward to travelling down to Nagasaki and Goto Island with Keren and Stu.  And I am terribly curious how I will hold up for the ironman distance, especially on the bike.

Cycling Speed

The memory of all those guys simply exploding past me on the bicycle at the New Zealand Ironman continues to haunt me.  I once considered myself to be reasonably strong on the bicycle.  That illusion continued through my first few triathlon efforts when I staggered out of the water in last place and invariably overtook at least a few overweight, enfeebled fellow participants.   

Over the past four months I ride hundreds and hundreds of kilometers but I am not convinced this will do anything to improve my speed in a triathlon competition.  According to my old teammate and cycling champ, Jim Weissman, one needs to do lots of intense speed drills to improve.  So today I chase after Keren along the Arakawa.  It is a good training session.  And yet... I am not going to turn into Lance anytime soon.

So I tell myself the real value of the cycling training is that at least I am in better condition upon completing my ride and starting the run.  When I rode 100-kilometers last December I could hardly walk afterwards.   Today after a hard 900-kilometers I felt relatively OK. 

Time utilization

I have a book -- the Triathlon Training Bible -- which goes on for pages and pages and pages about the importance of "periodization" -- carefully planning one's training schedule over the course of the entire year so that you will peak for a few select events.  Also to realize recovery-driven improvement I am supposed to adhere to a very precise schedule.

Yeah, right.  What actually happens is that if I happen to find myself with time on my hands I go for long bicycle rides.  Or a teammate suggests a bike ride, road run, or swim workout on some random day I try to join if I can make the time.  And of course if the weather is nice I go farther.  I am surrounded by rather driven, determined people, but I am pretty happy-go-lucky about training.   Or maybe just lazy.

Throughout the 1990s my life was all about work.  I managed to jog a few nights per week because it was pleasant and relaxing.  When I found myself with more time a few years ago I started trying to do triathlons, and oddly this accelerated upon moving to Tokyo.

Anyway I was busy in last month and early this month and didn't train.   Now over the past 10 days I found myself with some spare time, so I have started training a bit again:

Sunday April 9 - 15k run
Monday - 3k swim
Tuesday - 35k spin
Wednesday - 3.5k swimming and 20k run
Thursday - 9k run
Friday - Recovery
Saturday - 140k cycling
Sunday - 22k run
Monday - 2.5k swim
Tuesday - 30k spin
Wednesday - 17k run
Thursday (Today) - 4k swim

Swim Squad - Oxygen Deprivation

Last night, Greg, our Swim Squad Coach, added another element for me to focus on -- keeping my arm stroke more parallel and in line with my body.  Long ago I had been told to create an S-pattern which is correct, but I have been exaggerating this motion.  Greg thinks this is causing my shoulder to hurt.  In any case I will generate greater power and efficiency by using my lat muscles rather than my arm muscles.  Just by thinking about using my lat muscles my stroke felt stronger. 

I continue to concentrate on improving my kick by using very tight rapid strokes.

Problem is that the drills we did last night almost killed me.  One drill entailed breathing only after every 7th stroke.  Before I was one-third of the way across the 50-meter pool I was gasping for breath.  I have a hard time breathing every third breath, let alone every 5th breath or every 7th breath  Somehow I need to improve my lung capacity or the efficiency of my stroke.

Beyond the Bike Cafe

Like so many Tokyo area cyclists I have long wondered what lies beyond the Bike Cafe. On Saturday, Stu, Mika, Keren, and I journeyed north along the Arakawa in a quest for discovery and adventure. After 40k, Stu and Mika stopped at the bike cafe and decided to enjoy the sumptuous weekend brunch, while Keren and I continued on our perilous mission.

Soon the bike trail took us through an amazing canopy of sakura blossoms, then past a huge bento lunchbox factory, and beside an epic aqueduct bridge that can be seen for miles and miles. Finally we left the path and crossed a vast northern wasteland, zig-zagged through a rural village clinging to the edge of civilization and ultimately arrived at the destination that I heard rumors about, but never imagined until I saw it with my own eyes -- the Musashi Kyuryo Shinrin National Park

Since the theme of today's ride was "No McDonalds" (in other words only very infrequent and very brief stops), Keren and I hurriedly began our long return trip back to the civilized world. We returned to Oji after covering 140-kilometers in about 6 hours. I was not totally exhausted, though I was bonking a bit despite consuming 2 gels, a powerbar and candy bar.

Yagawa 10k Run

For my Sunday long run yesterday I decided to wake up early and join Juergen, Stephan, Yuka and Takako for a casual 10k race along the Tamagawa River.

I ran the first kilometer with Juergen in approximately 3:50.  A pack of four of us cruised through the first 5k of the out-and-back course in a comfortable 18:50.  I had planned to run the whole race with Juergen, but then at the halfway mark one of the younger guys in the group broke away, and being the lousy team player that I am,  I abandoned Juergen to chase after this guy.   I figured I would just stay with the kid for a few kilometers, but we ended up running side-by-side until 9k when my competitive instincts kicked in and I made a feeble attempt to pick up the pace and shake him.  This effort failed miserably as I soon begun to struggle, and the kid moved by me with 800-meters to go and  ended up finishing light years ahead.  I completed the run in a respectable 36:49.

I wondered if the 14-hours of training over the previous week would have any impact on my 10k time, but apparently for a real triathlete the training I did was pretty wimpy stuff (see previous posting). 
 
The Tamagawa River is a bit different than the river where I usually train in Tokyo - the Arakawa.  The Tamagawa runs through Tokyo's fashionable, leafy, western suburbs.  The upscale professionals of west Tokyo are far more likely to cycle, and the trail is packed on this sunny morning with cyclists in flashy outfits on 500,000-yen bikes.   My Arakawa side of Tokyo, the older, traditional "shitamachi" is inhabited by us more blue-collar, bohemian people and the parks and trail along the Arakawa river are filled with drunken homeless men, young freeters, and naked unkempt small children, people fishing and playing baseball, rusted car parts and derelict factories. 

Wada Toge Ride

After a 5-week hibernation from long rides I join Phil, Keren, Nick, Dennis, and Mika for a 140-kilometer assault on the mountains west of Tokyo. The day turned out a bit longer than I anticipated, but the scenery was gorgeous and it is cathartic to escape the routine of Tokyo and be deep in the mountains. Phil and Dennis lead us on a course starting in Noborito up the Tamagawa through Hachioji to the Jimba Kaido and then back through Itsukaichi to the Tamagawa.

I felt so uncompetitive on the bike at New Zealand Ironman, but on a long ride in the hills I am relatively strong. I vow to make the effort to do some interesting new route once per month no matter the initial, little extra hassle and preparation involved. Not that I do any preparation --I have become accustomed to training rides, not all-day treks, and I don't even bother to bring extra clothes.

After the ride, as we relaxed in a restaurant (whose name I am too embarrassed to disclose), I asked ironman veteran, Keren Miers, if he was at all tired. "Why of course not", he exclaimed with a mixture of shock and disdain, "We didn't even average 20k per hour, we constantly stopped to rest, and we enjoyed a stiff tailwand the last 30k". Oh. OK. Well I guess I am not feeling tired either then. When I return from the ride I put on my running shoes and sprinted to the grocery store to buy dinner. A normal person upon finishing a 140-kilometer, 9-hour, mountain ride might return home, soak in the bath, phone and order a pizza, go to sleep early... But not an ironman. And, just like last week, after the Ome Trail Run I have no choice anyway - I have friends in town to entertain, and various errands and obligations to deal with.

And of course the next morning I will arise early to do a hard run. And am I tired?

Ironman 17-hour cut off time

With the Ome Trail Run behind me, again my life is devoid of meaning and purpose.  So today I glanced at the Japan Ironman website.

I am shocked and dismayed to see that the cutoff time for the Japan Ironman is only 15 hours.  What is up with this?   Ironman events uniformly start at 7am and end at midnight  - providing the participants with 17 hours to finish.  This is the definition of ironman.  There is a simple, elegant logic to finishing at midnight. 

Why does the Japan Ironman cruelly cut people off at 10pm?   I was told that they might need to reopen the streets to vehicular traffic.  Traffic?  At 10pm on a Sunday night on an isolated island with a population of 47,000 people?

My goal is to finish an ironman within 17-hours, but Japan Ironman won't give me this opportunity so I didn't sign up. 

Ome Takamizu 30k Trail Run

On Sunday I ran the 30-kilometer Montrail Ome Takamizu Trail Run with a group of over a dozen Namban Rengo teammates.

I had a good run, improving significantly from my time of 2:37:04 last year. Throughout the race I told myself to "stay in the present" and focus my attention on my form, and the effects of running (in other words pain) on my body. The upside of a "roller-coaster" course like Ome is that I can isolate each section - in essence focusing on just getting up (or down) the one hill I can see in front of me, and trying not to let myself even contemplate anything beyond that. During races (for that matter on my day-to-day life in general) my mind tends to wander and I fail to stay in the moment. Yoga has been useful for working on concentration.

With all the pre-race hype and trash-talking over the epic duel with Mike, I knew I needed to run a strong, tactical race. Like last year, I started at a smooth pace and passed other runners throughout the event. For the early part of the run I hung off the shoulder of Mike, waiting for my chance to make a move. About 5k into the run I surged on a steep hill and never looked back.

By the halfway mark I was told I was in 23rd place. I passed another dozen or so runners during the last half of the run, usually on uphills. (I like to think I am strong on trail runs, but it seems that the hardcore trail runners continue to pass me on the downhills).

Among the dozens of races I have done in Japan over the past several years, the Ome Trail Run is among my favorites - it is convenient, well-organized and the course is an interesting challenge (as well as being scenic).

I felt reasonably strong throughout the race, especially given my limited training during the month of March. However two days later my thighs are quite sore. My relative strength on the trail has got me contemplating attempting the 70-kilometer Hasegawa Cup trail run in October.



"Check into the heart and source of the feelings of discomfort, and then turn it up a gear. Promise yourself to stay with it for a limited period, for example say to yourself, "Just to the next street light." Then when you get there, renegotiate your willingness to turn it up a notch again and so on—this is the very core of what it takes to transcend your perceived limits and perform at the very highest level of your ability" Bobby Mcgee - Olympic Endurance Coach

Feb 2007 Tokyo Marathon

This morning's Japanese Yomuiri Shimbun newspaper reported more detailed plans for the inaugaral Tokyo Marathon to be held next February 2007.  This is the so-called "People's Marathon" created through the effort of people like Namban"s Keren Miers.

Today's article included a map of the course which will start in Shinjuku, run to Yotsuya, then downhill to Iidabashi, on to Shimagawa, back up to Asakusa, and then through Ginza and Toyosu to finish at the Big Sight Arena in the Odaiba area.  It appears to be a relatively flat course and presumably net downhill.   (The article was in Japanese so my understanding is extremely limited).

After decades of procrastinating about running a marathon myself, I am considering signing up for the event (or at least doing the accompanying 10k which also starts in Shinjuku but finishes in Hibiya).   I am also hoping to convince several former Nambanners and several running friends from outside Tokyo to use this big event as an excuse to visit Tokyo.
 
Marathon race officials anticipate 40,000 runners will participate.  After my experience being seeded at the absolute back of 30,000 runners at February's Ome 30k, I am concerned about not even being given the chance to line up early and attempt to get a reasonable starting position.   But with resourceful and well-connected friends in Namban Rengo like Chiba-san and Mika-san and Bob, I am confident our team will be provided favorable positions on the starting line.

But the most interesting note in the story was the announcement of the cutoff time - a generous (by Japan standards) 7 hours to finish.  One of my little soapbox issues here in Japan is what I perceive as the elitist attitude among race officials.  I was stunned to see hundreds of runners at the Kyoto Half-Marathon being cutoff a third of the way through the event because they were not running a 2-hour pace.   In the US, not even half the field in a big event could run a 2-hour pace.  These harsh cutoff times seem widespread and I am convinced that they serve to discourage beginners from bothering to attempt a run event and have a goal to inspire them to take up the sport.  Japan has the potential to be a huge marathon country given the popularity of WATCHING marathons.  It is a sad statement that the marathon with the most Japanese participants is 3,000 miles outside the country in Honolulu. 

Even a seven hour cutoff is harsh by American standards where many, if not most, finishers walk some or all of the marathon.  Several of my elite running friends back in the United States have complained that the tens of thousands of Americans who are completing a marathon every year by walking the entire 42 kilometers is cheapening the marathon achievement for "real" marathoners.  I argue that more people enjoying and benefiting from the sports is better, and more participants serve to amplify the accomplishment and recognition for the more elite runners.

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