Fuji Mountain Climbing Race

Last Friday I participated in one of the quintessential Japan running experiences - the Fuji Tozan climbing race.  By the time I learned about the registration it was too late to enter the climb to the summit and I settled for the run to the 5th station. The Summit Race is 21 km with an elevation gain of 3,000 meters, and the 5th station race is 15km with an elevation gain of 1,480 meters.  I was pleased to be forced to select the easier event - the 5th station race is more of a running endeavor (as opposed to a climbing/crawling, oxygen deprivation experience), and the summit race requires scrambling back down a long painful trail. 

But when we arrived in the town of Fuji-Yoshida at the base of the mountain and I looked up at the awe-inspiring site of Mount Fuji looming above us - I could not help but feel that strange compulsion to make it to the top.  I felt that even more so at the starting line with the 

The cutoff times for Fuji Tozan are absurdly strict - for the Summit Race you must reach the 8th station within 4 hours.  More than half the entrants are cruelly turned back after climbing for 19km - and runners who make it to the finish are considered conquering heroes. 

I ran reasonably well - finishing the 15k course in 1:40:46 which was good for 21st among the 480 finishers in the 5th station event. 

I went out easy on the course's flat section (all 500 meters of it) from the starting line at Fuji-Yoshida city hall to the first turn.  Then as we begun the relentless climb, I started to steadily pass people.  Fortunately much of the first 11km is on a smooth paved road where we enjoyed shade and splendid scenery.  

I managed to get into a nice running rhythm despite the elevation gain.  I did have to fight back negative, panicky feelings ("if I feel bad, now just wait until we really start to climb later"). Fortunately the Fuji Tozan 5th station race does not  torture us with the ever-increasing  steepness of  Ohyama Tozama -- a race which I have done 3 times and which haunted me throughout.  

The first water stop was 35 minutes into the race at which point dehydration was taking a toll.  The water and cafe latte gel I carried gave me renewed strength and I passed Jin at this point. I thought I might keep only passing runners all the way to the top, but then when we reached Umagaeshi at 11km, the course becomes steeper and the terrain more uneven, and suddenly a series of gaunt, elderly men begun to scamper by me.  It seemed apparent to me that these guys were a different breed of hill climbing runners and that they lived to climb these steep rugged slopes.
  
I reached a 13km marker at 1:15 on my watch and thought I might break 1:30.  I begun to walk on steeper sections where I felt that little extra time could be gained by running.  I was surprised that it took so long to get to the finish but felt pretty strong as we crossed the finish.  

Now I feel I must do the Fuji Summit Race some day. I think I would be relatively less competitive at the summit event, but who cares - the challenge and uniqueness are compelling.

Kamakura 5k Open Water Swim Report

I complete my first open-water swim event on Saturday in Kamakura - swimming 5 kilometers in exactly 90 minutes.

One of my goals for 2008 was to compete in a pure swim event - partly because it would encourage me to improve my swimming for the triathlon, but more importantly because it struck me as an interesting new challenge in itself.

I was mentally prepared to finish dead last among a group of muscular, former lifeguards, water polo players and collegiate swim champions. However upon arriving at the beach I immediately struck up a conversation with a fellow competitor - a slight, older Japanese triathlete who told me he had been running for years and the swim was his weakness. I managed to bite my tongue and avoid saying I was of the same type.

Two-hundred competitors lined up for a beach start - a start that was remarkably relaxed compared to the frenzied thrashing starts at triathlons. Most of the field, including myself, waded out into the ocean at a leisurely pace - seemingly in no hurry to actually start swimming. I found plenty of room on the outside and launched into a smooth pace - trying to avoid the numerous jellyfish blobs. The first half of the first of the three 1600 meter loops seemed to take forever - 18 minutes to 850 meter mark. After that I got progressively faster and passed other swimmers most of the way.

A boat at the turnaround buoy handed us water and some strange food-like substance that tasted very good after all the ocean water. I was a bit dehydrated in my wetsuit on the 28 degree morning, and these water stops saved me. I also ate my Cafe Latte Power Gel at the halfway mark which also seemed to help.

The other swimmers seemed to emerge on the shallow beach at the same leisurely pace we entered the water. However hoping to hit 90 minutes and being more of a land animal, I furiously porpoised through the shallow water and sprinted up the beach to the finish.
My time of 1:30:00 is much faster than my 1:27 for 3.8k at Ironman. I place a respectable 105th out of approximately 200 total participants.

Later in the afternoon along with teammates, Dave Sims and Oleg from our Tokyo International Waters Swim Club, I participated in a 3x750-meter relay. We finished 10th out of 41 teams. Unlike the 5k I entered the water at a full sprint after taking the wristband from Dave, and I found myself gasping for breath on every stroke for much of my leg. My pace was slower than in the 5k, partly because of the overly fast start and partly perhaps because of fatigue from the 5k.

Remarkably though, two day later I feel very little soreness and fatigue from the longest swim day of my life.

I have no intention to abandon running and cycling and devote my life to open-water swim, but I had a blast on Saturday and look forward to doing another open-water swim event next summer.

Countdown to 5k Open Water Swim

Only 16 hours until my swim marathon.   I feel increasingly anxious - but this anxiety could be caused by other things in my life.  Anyway I need to focus on keeping my stroke smooth and long and consistent tomorrow. 

I anticipate swimming for up to 2 hours - a long time to be working in the open seas.  My rule in running/triathlon events is to eat every 30-minutes on any endurance event over 60-minutes.  So I am thinking to tuck a gel or two inside my wetsuit.  I have not practiced doing this, so I have no idea if eating in the middle of the swim will be do-able. 

As is often before a big event I find myself thinking - "I really should have done one more real long training swim..."

My race goal?  Really just to finish and have fun.  I have been averaging 2:00 on 100 meters in pool for 20 reps, but when I get out in the open water the workouts do not seem as relevant.

My other goal - not to make excuses and tell other participants "I am not really a swimmer".  Tomorrow I am a swimmer.

Takamizu trail run

My teammate Gerard tells me what a fine job I do not over-training.

Ironically he is telling me this as we race up the side of Mount Takamizu - a 30k trail run (about my average weekly mileage) with over a 1,000 meters of elevation gain, on a day when I have had little sleep, the weather is terribly humid and I am carrying no water.

I felt reasonably strong through about 22 kilometers of the run, but at this point we begun to climb the last big uphill and for the next 8 kilometers I staggered along in an exhausted, dehydrated daze.

So much for not over-training.

Shore Run

At the last second I decide to enter the 6.7 mile Shore Run on Sunday in Seattle.  It is a splendid weather, a scenic course, a good cause, and unlike at the Seattle track workout everyone seems friendly.  

I had been feeling strong on my runs in Tokyo and went out ridiculously fast - 5:32 for the first mile.  (Whatever a mile is.  I didn't realize miles were still used to measure running events and miles no longer means anything to me.)  

Anyway this pace is unsustainable - my second mile is 5:40, my third is 6 minutes and then we start climbing some hills, I am feeling terrible in so many ways, and 3 women pass me in succession.    The third lady to pass me is a woman I had chatted with before the race who looks very much like the actress Sarah Jessica Parker and (naturally) I make an effort to keep up with her.

As we approach the finish line I start to feel a bit stronger again.  I briefly consider kicking past "Sarah Jessica" but I think to myself that I already look bad enough and I will really look like a dick if I start sprinting to the finish.  So I cruise across the line in a time of 41:38.

Fortunately I still manage to finish first in my age division and 9th overall out of 540 runners, and win various prizes.  God bless America - the running events are much less competitive. 

All the local Seattle people are carrying on about how incredibly hot they think it is (about 25 degrees), and I feel like saying this weather is nothing compared to China IM or Suzu or Obuse, etc. but I bite my tongue.  Still it is hot enough that I jump in the adjacent Lake Washington after the race.  I seem to be the only runner that feels compelled to enjoy a swim in the lovely lake (I need training for Kamakura Swim) and to take advantage of the lakeside showers for shampooing and bathing.  Running in Japan has conditioned me for public bathing (and this is good practice in case I become a homeless person). 

Track workout in Seattle

I join a group of 50 serious Seattle runners at a track near Green Lake last night.   Having done workouts with groups in the past year in Singapore, NYC, HK, San Francisco, and Tokyo I was interested to see what the group from my hometown would be like.  And I found this club was definitely different - 

1. Faster runners -  We did 6 x1000 and I slotted in with the B group.  The four college aged guys in the A group averaged 3:05 per 1k.  The five guys in my B group averaged 3:14 and I struggled to keep up.  I needed to hit the restroom and missed the 5th interval and I could sense the rest of group B thinking that this guy just doesn't have what it takes.

2. Worst facilities - Considering Seattle is one of the wealthiest cities on the planet, it is shocking to experience the Green Lake track - more like one would expect in the developing world - a rutty, four-lane dirt track with dust blowing in from the interior soccer field.

3. Less friendly to newcomers - This group has to rank among the most unwelcoming, cliquish collection of people I have ever encountered.   Not only did no one make any effort to say hello, my efforts at conversation were met with cursory monosyllable replies.  There was no introduction of new people and rather than a post-workout group dinner  people went off together in small clusters.  I had observed how clannish and aloof Seattle people can be during numerous visits to my hometown since leaving for college two decades ago.   I guess like the city of Seattle itself, the Green Lake track is perceived as already full, and newcomers are simply not welcome.  I was just another outsider fresh off the boat further clogging up their city.  I thought about calling attention to my deep roots in Seattle but it didn't seem worth the effort.   

Laser focus on swimming - 2

My swimming mileage is at all time high - not that I have ever really tracked it before but I am sure the last month is an all time high.  Until early March I had been doing 1-2 short, easy workouts on my own each week - so a weekly average of about 75 minutes and 3 kilometers.  Since then I have been doing drills with swim squad and doing more mileage on my own:

Week/#swims/duration/distance 

Mar  9 -  3x, 1:30, 3.7k
Mar  16- 4x, 2:30, 6.0k
Mar 23 - 2x, 1:45, 4.5k

Mar 30 - 3x, 2:45, 6.5k
April 6  - 2x, 1:30, 4.0k
April 13 - 1x, 0:45, 2.0k
April 20 - 3x, 1:45, 5.0k
April 27 - 3x, 2:15, 6.0k
May  4 -  4x,  2:45, 7.0k
May 11 - 2x, 1:45, 5.0k
May 18 - 2x, 1:30, 5.5k
May 25 - 4x, 3:15, 8.0k
June 1 -  3x, 2:50, 7.5k
June 8 -  3x, 3:25, 8.5k
June 15- 3x, 3:00, 8.0k

More on Nutrition/Caffeine

This morning Anthony sends me this article on nutrition to maximize performance and recovery.

So the jury is still out on carbohydrate and protein intake immediately after workouts (though I will still eat my Cliff Bar - I mean why not?)

So WHAT does the latest research recommend we consume after workouts? Yes, you guessed it, our favorite substance - caffeine. Once again the lab rats and test subjects have outperformed and more quickly recovered when loaded up on coffee. So before, during, and AFTER the race and hard workouts we should be hitting Tullys.

They say that people will seek out information that is consistent with what they want to believe. So readers of this blog might assume I am just desperately trying to justify all the coffee swilling and caffeine addiction whatever way I can. But I swear I keep stumbling on these positive remarks about caffeine (and nothing that says it is slowing me down).

Here is mileage to date for 2008.
I can't figure out why I am running faster than last year given my lower mileage. Maybe less cycling? more swimming? better nutrition? more caffeine?


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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

30-45 minute window

Our teammate Motozo left the pool last Thursday with ankle soreness and Keren and Mary and I shouted advice: "R.I.C.E., - rest, ice, compression, elevation. Take some ibuprofen, get a massage..".

But according to the recent research we should have been shouting at Motozo to quickly grab a yogurt smoothie.

Ingesting protein and carbohydrate within 30-45 minutes of exercise-induced muscle damage is apparently critical to taking advantage of the higher insulin level in the blood caused by the exercise. This "insulin response" causes your muscles to absorb more fuel (glucose) and rebuild - which is the whole point of training. Once the 30-45 minute window passes your body's ability to replenish fuel drops dramatically.

This is consistent with what I have been reading for several years, but the "energy drinks" that are available and we consume after workouts seem to be watery, sugary concoctions that taste good and quench our thirst but are grossly inadequate for providing the protein requirements for recovery? I am curious if there is anything I can buy out of a vending machine in Tokyo to adequately replenish carbohydrates and protein?

5k Time Trial - 17:14

My teammate Yoshida-san announces that he hopes to break 17 minutes at last night's monthly running time trial, and I reluctantly stick with him despite this overly ambitious pace (for me).  I need someone to establish a pace or else I will indulge in an easy jog, and I seek to stay ahead of the rapidly improving Paddy, the Irish Wonder. 

Thanks to Yoshida-san I run 3:22, 3:25, 3:29, 3:32, 3:26 (kicking past Yoshida-san with 700 meters to go) for a 17:14, my fastest 5k in about 5 years.  

Laser focused on open water swim race

Only 7 weeks until I compete in the 5,000 meter open swim race in the tumultuous seas off Kamakura.  So I am focusing my energy on preparing for this epic event. 

This past weekend I joined Anthony, Keren, Mary and David at Hakkejima and swam some 3 kilometers, my longest swim since ironman two years ago.  I swallowed a lot of saltwater, my goggles leaked irritating my left eye, and my wetsuit scratched up my neck.  But covering 3k made me feel better about my chances of surviving the 5k swim in July.  

Sagamiko to Yamanakako

I have long heard glowing accounts of the cycling route from Lake Sagami to Lake Yamanaka through the mountains west of Tokyo.  Last Saturday I finally did the 115 kilometer up-and-back ride along with Chris, Fabien, Adam, Mika and Keren.

The route was even more scenic than I expected, with lush green hillsides soaring around us.  Even on a day when Mount Fuji was largely shrouded in clouds the course was stunning.  From Sagamiko the course climbs gradually for about 45k then rises sharply for about 5k before dropping down to Yamanakako.   We did one loop around the lake before returning.  The ride took about 6 hours including several long stops.   

I highly recommend the route.  By catching the Chuo special express, Chris and I made it from Roppongi to Sagamiko in less than 90 minutes.  According to Chris there is significantly less traffic on Sunday and weekday mornings.

Fuji Susono Half-Marathon

On Sunday I ran a 1:20:18 half-marathon near Mount Fuji. It was wonderfully cool weather (11 degrees) after the wretched death slog in the 35 degree heat at China Ironman.

I stayed behind my ultra-marathon teammate Yoshida-san for the first 5k and when I heard our split of 21:45 I was not optimistic about my ultimate finishing time. Thanks to Yoshida-san's comfortable pace, the long uphill climb on the first 5k did not actually seem so difficult to me. So when we got to top of the hill I accelerated, running 18:54 for my second 5k. I pulled within about 20 seconds of younger, faster teammate Gerard and was pulled along by my effort to keep him in sight.
At 14k I started to weaken a bit. This is usually when a half-marathon starts to get painful for me. But here is the wonderful thing about the Fuji-Susono course: since the last 4.5k is downhill, I merely needed to survive until about 16.5k and then I could cruise. And cruise I did -covering the last 5k in approximately 16:30. I have always assumed that you cannot make up time on the downhill that you had lost because of running slower on the uphill, but somehow at Fuji-Susono I did make up lost time (even though I do not consider myself a strong runner on downhills). I finished 4th in 40-49 division.

Needless to say, I would have liked to break 1:20, but given training and conditions I was delighted with my race. My time was very similar to my Tokyo (half) Marathon time in February - in both cases I started out at a slow pace and enjoyed a relatively comfortable run. The shift to more bicycle and swim training over the past few months did not seem to slow me down.

Ironman China 2

Still admiring the coconut prize a week after IM China. It is more impressive than my times. Given the variables in a triathlon it is more difficult to compare performances than in say a 5k track run. I am convinced IM China was my best triathlon to date.

Questions:
1. Was is it the heat or the bike ride that killed me on the run?
2. Was the swim really 1.8k as other swimmers claim?
3. Would my friend from SVTC have lasted 100 meters if he wore his "Free Tibet" shirt?
4. Where on earth can I find a half-ironman that is not so absurdly hot on the run?

Half-Ironman seem inherently hot because the run starts at mid-day in places warm enough to attract people to an open water swim. I would gladly trade off a few minutes of shivering during body marking on a cold morning in exchange for hours of cooler weather all afternoon (but I seem to the exception in this respect). I also kept suggesting to everyone I saw at Ironman China that they start the half-ironman at 2pm and finish under the lights rather than start us at 9am. But I only get blank stares in reply. Teammates Keren, Mika, and Michael are all planning to Singapore 70.3 in September, but I would rather do almost any other event - even Escape from Alcatraz where I could count on the cold summer weather in San Francisco.