Tokyo Marathon 2008

I had a blast today running an "unofficial half" at the 2nd Tokyo Marathon.  For me it was a big "moving party" on a sun-splashed morning running sequentially with Stu, Rie, Yuka, Paddy, Gerard, Joachim, Martin, Bob, Steve, Brett, Omar, Yoshida-san,  Christian roughly in that order.

I am delighted with my times given my erratic pace and the dodging and weaving past the "A" group throughout all of the first 4 kilometer.  Here are my rough 5k splits:
 5k -  21:10
10k - 18:45
15k - 18:16
20k - 18:41
Half - 1:20:35

I felt rather sheepish about only doing half of the real event.   I kept wanting to apologize to the other runners and the spectators cheering so emphatically for the gaijin.  "Sumimasen - I am really not running 2:41 marathon pace - don't be impressed."  One of the biggest challenges was dropping out at the halfway area in Ginza where some of the largest crowds gather and the spectators seemed so enthusiastic in their "Gambatter Namban" cheers.  I was relieved to spot Mutsumi and suddenly have an excuse to stop.  Naturally a part of me wanted to keep going, but I didn't have the endurance in me today to go much farther today.  

Why did I give up at the halfway mark?  I have so many excuses, I don't know where to begin.  My soft, suburban US upbringing?  My 38k average per week training?  The inconvenience of the Odaiba finish? The lack of scenery from the 30k mark out through the Tokyo Bay industrial wasteland?  Fear of being beaten by Rie?   My general anti-marathon running philosophy?   The fact I needed to catch a 1:30PM bus to Narita Airport from central Tokyo?