End of 2014

I haven’t updated this blog for a couple of weeks as my computer was broken. In that time I have ran in two races.

On 23^rd November I did a 10K in Nagai Park, Osaka. It was two and a half laps of a pedestrianized road inside the park. The 10K start line was 400 metres behind the half-marathon field, with both races starting at the same time. So it was bit tricky getting past the half-marathon runners, with a lot of weaving about being necessary. The day was unseasonably warm and there were huge crowds milling about relaxing in the park as well. I ran at the front of the 10K field from the start, though was quickly joined by one other runner. We stayed together throughout the race. I made a bid for glory at the end of the second lap, but the other runner caught me and put in a nice sprint finish to take the race in 35 minutes 6 seconds. I finished second in 35 minutes 19 seconds, which is also the second fastest time I’ve ever ran a 10K, though its well outside my PB.

On 14^th December I ran my last race of 2014, and my first Japan Masters Athletics race. There were two races, a 5K and 10k, with both fields starting together, in Kyoto City along a hard packed sand path beside the Kamogawa River. Soon after the race started there were three runners in the lead pack, including myself, though I didn’t know whether the other two runners were in the 10K or 5K. I tried to hang on to them but after we turned around a cone at 2.5K to head back to the start line, they opened up a gap on me. As I approached the 5K mark and start/finish line, I could see the other two runners cross the line and stop: so they were racing the 5K! I turned around and headed back the way I had just came, knowing now that I had a clear lead in the 10K. It was a narrow path at points and plenty of dog walkers, cyclists and joggers about, and with three turns in the race, it wasn’t a particularly fast race. I crossed the finish line in 36 minutes 5 seconds. A journalist from the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper interviewed me after the race and it was published in the paper the following weekend.

That’s it for 2014. I had hoped that I could make a breakthrough and get a PB this year, but I didn’t. The closest I came was running 16 minutes 40 seconds for 50000M in Osaka in May, which is a joint PB. However, I had three lengthy injury spells this year, each with back pain, that prevented me from getting more than several weeks of consistent training in before having to take a few weeks off.  I’ve thought several times about quitting competitive running as I don’t seem to be able to make any progress from the plateau that I’ve reached, but each time have quickly dismissed the idea. If I can remain injury free for several months and train consistently, then I remain optimistic that in those circumstances I could set new personal best figures. Maybe next year!

Kyoto Tamba 5K Road Race

Having done this race last year, my first in Japan, I had been looking forward to repeating the race. Last year I finished fourth overall and first veteran man aged 30-49 in a time of 17 minutes 22 seconds. For this year’s race I set my eyes on a top three finishing spot and beating last years' time, preferably with a sub-17 minutes run.

This year, the only change from the previous year was that the race was on a Monday and not Sunday, it being a national holiday. My plan was simple. Knowing that once the starting gun was fired, there would be a sprint start from most of the field along the race course, which for the first 200 metres was uphill, before the pace settled, I would wait until the course turned out of the park where the race started and descended into the nearby town – and then work at catching and then hanging on to the lead group. This is what happened last year. This year though I just couldn’t seem to get my legs going. It was half way down the steady descent into the town that I realised that there was no way that I was going to catch the lead group.

I just tried to dig in and graft away and not give up hope that I could at least have a solid run. After 1 mile there was a steep 200 metre climb which didn’t seem too difficult, though a young whippersnapper worked his way past me on the ascent. At the crest of the hill I could see down a long stretch of flattish road which the course was to follow and decided to latch onto the youngster and use him to pace myself down the road. However, after about half a mile his pace began to waiver so I dispensed of his services and slipped past him.

Two runners passed me at 4K. I could hear them working at catching me and had expected to see the youngster once more, but unbeknown to me he had faded well back by that point. The race finished on a track and I tried to at least look strong and determined in front of the assembled crowd. I crossed the line in eighth place overall, and third veteran man aged 30-49, in a time of 17 minutes 18 seconds. So I had achieved one of my goals, though I was disappointed not to have run a better race.

3rd man 30-39 prize: locally produced Tamba wine,
 a bag of rice and certificate

The second placed overall finisher was a fellow British runner, also called Mike, formerly of Darlington Harriers. He recognised the Morpeth Harriers club vest that I had worn during the race and we chatted whilst waiting for the prize giving ceremony. It seems that he’d previously lived in Japan many years ago, had married a Japanese woman, was a veteran 50 years plus runner and returned to Kyoto annually at this time of year on a business trip from his current base in Reading in the UK and made it a tradition to run the Kyoto Tamba Road Race. Small world.

Awaji Island 5KM Road Race

I first read about Awaji Island, the birthplace of Japan, several years ago and so was open to an opportunity to visit. When I saw that there was a road race on the island I booked a place. Training has been going terribly over the last few months, beset with chronic back pain and other distractions. So I saw this race as a nice day out and a bit of fun rather than aiming for a good finishing time.

The course was mostly flat and I felt good throughout. It was a bit of a surprise to run a decent race, finishing 4^th man overall and 3^rd senior man in a time of 16 minutes 49 seconds and securing a place on the Winners Podium. I have finished in the top three of several races but always missed the prize giving ceremony due to not understanding how these events work and the language barrier. I was determined not to miss it this time around. I received a magnificent trophy, three types of Awaji Island produced salad dressing, a certificate and a bag of onions – the agricultural product that the island is best known for!

Other highlights of the day include driving across Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and seeing Izangi Jingu Shrine. Awaji Island is connected to the main island of Japan, Honshu, by Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which at 2 miles in length is the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was a bit of a thrill to drive across it to and from the race venue, which was next to Izanagi Jingu Shrine - the oldest shrine in Japan.

Legend has it that Awaji was the first island of Japan, created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami. They stirred the sea with a heavenly spear, and when they lifted it, a droplet of salt water fell from the spear into the sea which created Awaji Island. The gods then descended to live on the island, going on to create the other islands of Japan before taking human form and living out their days at the site of the shrine that is now dedicated to them. Many runners took the chance to visit it after the race, making a relaxing end to a nice day out on the island.

Fuji-san

Fuji-san is one of the most iconic images of Japan. Naturally, I've long wanted to climb it, and the official climbing season is July and August of each year. On Thursday last week I decided to make a solo attempt on it and so booked two days off work.

Waking up at 5AM, I really wasn't sure if I'd even be able to succeed in getting to Fuji-san, never mind making it to the summit. However, I managed to get to Kyoto Station and book myself onto a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo without incident. Speeding along to Tokyo and admiring the views out of the window, a sense of excitement began to build inside me. Yet I was pressed for time as I had to get to Shinjuku Bus Station in Tokyo to catch a bus to Mt. Fuji 5th Station, the starting point for 90% of people who climb the dormant volcano. You can't just rock up and jump on the bus; you have to pre-book a seat. As it turned out, I managed to just about make the 10:40AM departure I'd booked onto with only a couple of minutes to spare.

I arrived at Kawaguchiko-guchi go-gome 5th Station just after 1PM, and spent some time admiring the view of the towering mountain, eating some lunch, buying drinks to take with me and pottering around the shops. At 3PM, I set off on the long walk up the Yoshida track.

It usually takes 6 hours from the 5th station to the summit. I did it in 3 hours. It certainly wasn't my plan to beast it. There are a number of mountain huts along the track, that you have to pre-book into, to spent the night on the mountain. The tradition in Japan is to time your ascent so that you reach the summit in order to greet and see the dawn of the new day. As I fancied trying it the traditional way, I'd booked into Fuji Hotel, a mountain hut at Station 8, 1.3 KM from the summit. My initial plan was to just reach the hut and spend the night there before heading to the summit in the dark to see the dawn of a new day. I surprised myself on the quick pace that I made up the mountain, and reached Station 8 by 5:30PM. Carried along by the excitement of having got to this point, and knowing that the top of the mountain was so close with a few hours of daylight left, I just thought, I'm going to go all the way to the summit now!

The summit itself is a huge crater with a 1.6 KM circuit around it's rim. There were very few people on the summit that evening when I got there, which was suprising given the thousands of people I'd seen on the way up. The peak itself was on the far side of the crater to where the Yoshida track arrives onto the crater, so I made my way around to that whilst admiring the stunning landscape and views. It was thrilling to reach the peak, and as I made my way back around to the Yoshida track, I got to see the sun set.

Making my way down to the mountain hut, which was little more than a large wooden shed, I hungrily devoured the curry rice meal they gave me before attempting to get a few hours sleep. I didn't succeed in getting much sleep as you're forced to sleep virtually on top of other climbers crammed onto long wooden racks, and I had the misfortune to be next to the only person who seemed to be snoring very loudly. I felt on such a high at this point that I didn't care much, though I did feel a slight sensation in my head which I knew were the symptoms related to the altitude that I was at.

At 2AM, many of the climbers in the hut started to wake up and get ready to make their way in the dark to the summit in time to see the rising sun. Despite the chronic lack of sleep I virtually leapt out of my sleeping bag and headed outside to join the huge thronging crowds snaking their way up the trail. At some points on the track the crowds were so dense that they ground to a halt and people just stood in long lines in the dark waiting to move forward slowly. I didn't want to miss out on getting to the summit to see the sun rise so I ducked and dived and weaved my way through the crowds using the skills I've learnt on countless cross country races in the UK and got to the peak on the summit by 4AM, where there was a small group of people with cameras at the ready.

First, the glow of the sun began to appear on the horizon on the opposite side of the crater, and at around 4:30AM the sun appeared in the sky. There was a real sense of excitement in the air and one of the guys on the summit shouted out loudly, "Ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) as the sun appeared, followed by a chorus of dozens of people replying "Ohayo gozaimasu!". By 5AM the sun was rising rapidly and I decided to make my way off the summit as I was getting really cold by this point. I took the Gotemba track off the summit, which had few people on it compared to the busy Yoshida track. On the way down there was an option to take a 20-minute side trip to the summit of Hoei-zan, a peak formed by a secondary side vent of Fuji-san. I took the side trip as I was enjoying myself so much, but there were very strong winds on the summit and ridge of Hoei-zan. There was a great view of Fuji-san from the summit.

I was amazingly lucky with the weather as it was perfect conditions during both off my visits to the summit of Fuji-San with clear views, no rain and not windy at all apart from when I was on the summit of Hoei-zan. It really was a fantastic experience and a true highlight of my time in Japan.

OTTY National Convention 10K

I ran this 10K race yesterday morning, set in the leafy and attractive grounds around Harima Park, Hyogo. I’ve got a warm up routine that I like to go through before each race. About 40 minutes before the gun is fired, I do a run of about 2 miles, starting very slowly and building up the pace. Then I do about 5 minutes of stretching, followed by five or six 80-100 metre striders at goal race pace, before joining the start line.

Getting my excuses in: as I did the first mile of my warm up yesterday, I realised that this was not going to be a day for fast times, with the first mile of the course being almost entirely uphill. The weather was muggy and overcast. Sweat dripped from my arms onto the ground as I leant against a wall during one of my stretches. So, it’s going to be a warm race, I thought to myself.

The race course consisted of two 5K undulating loops on tarmacked paths. The race field was fairly large and I remained near the front throughout. However, there can be no mistaking the fact that I had a bad run! Sometimes when you race, though you’re suffering, you feel strong and can churn out the miles. Not yesterday. I had thought that having had a solid run at the Osaka 5000M track race four weeks ago, equalling my PB, I’d have a chance of running well in this race.

Though it was a struggle throughout, I was still surprised to see a time of 37 minutes 8 seconds on my watch when I crossed the finish line in about 10^th place. Rather disappointing given the amount of time and effort that I expend in training and seems to cast serious doubt over my sub-34 minute ambitions. Was it the heat? Was it the undulating course? Got the training wrong? Whatever the answer, I was the 2^nd male finisher aged 30-39 years of age, and as a result won a huge bag of Hyogo produced rice. This has to be the most unexpected prize I’ve ever won in a race, but certainly very welcome!

5000M Track Race, Osaka

It’s been six weeks since my last race and I was pleased to end this racing drought yesterday with my first track race in Japan. The 5000M race was scheduled to start at 13:05h at the athletics stadium in Hattori Ryokuchi Park, Osaka City. It was hot by the time I arrived so I sat in the shade and drank plenty of liquid whilst watching the 10000M senior men’s race. I went through my usual pre-race warm-up routine and reported to the start point at 13:05h raring to go. After some confusion, I was told that my race was ‘next’, so I waited for 20 minutes whilst the first 5000M got under way. The same thing happened at the start of the next race! Such is the difficulties of the language barrier because I couldn’t read the race schedule I’d been handed when I picked up my race number.

The lead group of the senior men's 10000M race

At 2pm I was called over to run in the third 5000M race, by which time temperatures had reached 28 C. I’m not used to running in such heat. This time I hadn’t got warmed up properly as I expected the race to start 10 minutes later than it did. There were 9 men in this race. As I hadn’t done a proper warm up, I set off steadily when the starting pistol was fired. I went through the first 200M in 7^th place in 39 seconds. The pace at the front of the field was very fast, so I was content to let them go.

At 600M I started trying to move up through the field. I quickly got past the 6^th and 5^th runners, but it took me until lap 5 to catch the 4^th placed runner. There was a table with cups of water placed half way down the home straight. The 4^th placed runner slowed to get a drink which meant I closed the gap much more rapidly than expected and got in front of him on the next bend. My mouth was bone dry by this point as it was baking hot, but I just thought to myself, I’m not going to get a drink; it’s only 5000M and I don’t want to lose any time.

The runner in 1^st place at the beginning of the race had set off at a blistering pace such that he had a huge lead after the first 400M. However, his deterioration was dramatic. He’d slowed to 3^rd place by lap 6 so I set my sights on closing the gap and caught him by the end of lap 8 and I then stayed in 3^rd place until the end of the race. He finished 19 seconds behind me and 53 seconds behind the winning time of 16:06. Getting in front of him gave me great pleasure, as he had clearly badly judged the pace of his race. Running at an even pace really is the key to good performances, though by no means easy to do.

Under 40 years of age men's 5000M race results

I finished in a time of 16 minutes 40 seconds. This is exactly the same time as my previous personal best for this distance, set 3 years ago in Jarrow in May 2011. So it was a solid run, though disappointing to get so close to a personal best and not make it! It’s the best indication yet that I’ve turned the corner with my running after two terrible years of decline and certainly whetted the appetite for more track racing in Japan, if I can find races to enter.

Oide Yasu Kyoto Kamogawa River 5K Race

Heavy rain poured throughout the three races, a 10K, 5K and 3K, along the Kamogawa River in Kyoto City this morning. I arrived soon after the start of the 10K and tried vainly to seek shelter in order to keep warm and dry. The race route was ran along a predominately hard packed sand path, with a few sections of slippery paving stones thrown into the mix.

The 10K race under way along the Kamogawa River

After taking the first few initial strides after the starting gun was fired, I found myself in the lead. Some of the other runners around me seemed reluctant to take the race on, and as I was determined to at least have a hard training run, I just ran it at a pace that felt comfortable. The path was dominated by huge puddles. I could hear two runners not far behind me, the splashing sound that they made as the ploughed through puddles a constant reminder that I could not switch off too much.

After 1 mile, there was a turnaround point marked by a cone and a race marshal. I could see that I had a lead of about 40 metres, with the 2nd and 3rd men running side by side. A comfortable lead, but one that I knew was not insurmountable.

A large group of spectators huddled for shelter under a road bridge at the 2 mile point, which was next to the start and finish area. I couldn’t stop myself from cracking open a beaming smile as I received a loud round of applause and cheer as I ran down the dip under the bridge.

At the second and final turnaround point at about 2.5 miles, I saw that despite my best efforts number 2 and 3 runners were still almost exactly the same distance behind me and that I hadn’t shaken them off. When I clocked sight of the finish line with 300M to go, I took a quick look behind me. I could see that a tall chap in an orange t-shirt had dropped his companion and was closing down on me fast. This gave me the impetus to put in a sprint to the line for glory.

I finished 1^st in the modest time of 17 minutes 22 seconds. A little slower than the 5K that I did 2 weeks ago, but given the conditions, this is not a concern. I got a medal, giant winner’s certificate and two different types of chocolate. I was covered in mud and sand and it took an age to get changed and dried off. I waited around to watch the start of the 3K race which was mostly made up of young children who, admirably, seemed incredibly eager to race despite the downpour.

Track and Field school

Starting on Friday, all the best Senior High School track and field athletes in Kyoto Prefecture have been attending a special four day training camp in Kyotamba. I got invited to join in one of the sessions yesterday. The middle distance runners were divided into three groups. The session set was six 1000M repetitions with a 400M jog recovery. The pace was 3 minutes 10 secs per rep for group A, 3:20 for group B and 3:30 for group C. Ambitiously, I opted to run with group A, consisting of eight 16-17 year old students.

The group ran the whole session in single file, with students taking turns at the front to lead and set the pace. I decided to run at the back of the group, not wanting to get in the way or disrupt the session. The group stayed in close contact for the first three reps. During the fourth and fifth rep, I and two other runners drifted a little off the back of the pack. 300M into the last rep I realised that these two other runners had dropped out of the session, so I had to run it by myself. It was a good session, though the pace was just slightly beyond the upper edge of what I am capable of at the moment. About one hundred young athletes attended the training camp. It was incredibly well organised and impressive to see.

Kyotamba Track and Field school

On a different note, I received a welcome surprise in the post this week. I was the third fastest over-30 year old male finisher in the Uji River 10K race that I ran four weeks ago. Not realising this at the time, I didn’t stay around at the end of the race to claim my prize. Having tracked me down, the race organisers kindly posted out an impressive trophy, bronze medal and certificate.

The 35th Kyoto City 5K Road Race

There is a saying in Japan: ‘Three days cold, four days warm, spring arrives’. We have certainly had our three cold days this week. Snow was falling when I left the track in Kyoto City after finishing my session on Monday evening. This weekend, things have been very different. Today, race day, was the warmest day of year so far, with temperatures pushing close to 20 degrees. Great conditions for the many spectators that lined the south bank of the Hozu River in western Kyoto City to watch the 3K, 5K and half-marathon races.

A small crowd of about 200 men assembled on the start line of the segregated 5K race. The first few hundred metres of the race were ran over a badly worn patch of grass, with fairly dense crowds of spectators cheering us on. As is usual, the starting pace was brisk, but when we joined a narrow cycle path along the river bank after 200M, it quickly settled down to a more manageable pace. I was in about 12^th place by this point, and as we approached the first short climb, I got knocked aside by a runner who wanted to get in front of me and clearly felt that I was running too slowly for him!

After cresting the rise, the path remained flat all the way to the first turnaround point. I managed to work my way smoothly through the field to 4^th place, and was sat just a few metres behind the leading pack of three by the time we reach the turnaround, 1 mile into the race. I was pleased to pass the lad who had knocked me out of the way earlier and even more pleased to see that he had dropped a good distance behind me when I went around the first turnaround cone.

The leading group managed to pull away from me a little at this point, but I worked hard to try and hold my pace. Half way back along the path to the start area, I was passed by a lad in a black t-shirt who went on to finish third. After passing the start/finish area, the race route continued along a more quiet section of path. There was a second and final turnaround point. As I rounded this, I could see that the 4th placed runner was coming back towards me and I sensed a good opportunity to use him to try and keep up my own momentum, as I felt like I was wilting in the heat. I caught and passed him soon afterwards, but lacked the kick to open up a big enough gap to destroy his morale.

Predictably, with 400M remaining, the youngster on my shoulder kicked and passed me, finishing just 2-3 seconds ahead of me. At least doing battle with him kept me focussed in the final stages. I crossed the line in 16 minutes 46 seconds. This is the second fastest time that I have ever finished a 5K race. My 5K PB is 16 minutes 40 seconds, which I ran on a track in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May 2011. A good result then, boding well for the future.

Kyoto City Track

Spring is struggling to break through, though there is no sign yet of the much vaunted cherry blossom. Most days there is still a chill in the air and an occasional snow flurry. I am feeling really great about running and training again. I had been worried that I would never get this feeling back, but it has crept up on me suddenly when I wasn’t expecting it.

In January, I figured out how to get access to an all-weather running track in Kyoto Tamba and did the necessary paper work. Then I discovered a problem. The track is only open for use between 9am -12noon and 1pm-5pm, Monday to Sunday. Groups wanting to book the track get given priority and exclusive use for either the whole morning or afternoon session – even if they have finished using the track and gone home, nobody else can use it for the remainder of their booking period! Invariably, it is booked all weekend. I have to go to the track to see if I can use it, but have been turned away several times due to a group making a late booking. I could not plan my training with such unreliable access.

Although it turns out this style of booking system and track opening hours is the norm across Japan, there is thankfully one exception to this in Kyoto Prefecture. In the heart of Kyoto City is a magnificent international running track and stadium called Nishikyogoku Sougou Undou Kouen. This is not available to the likes of me for training purposes. However, there is an all-weather ‘sub-track’ just outside the stadium which is available for use, by anybody, for 10 days every month, between the hours of 8am-9pm, for a mere 200 Yen. The days vary each month, but are spread throughout every month and are always on a weekday.

I went to the track a couple of weeks ago for my first tentative session after work. A group of wheelchair athletes were training, taking up lanes 2 and 3. There were also some groups of school athletics clubs finishing up their own sessions, and me. I’ve been back a couple of times since. In fact, the last 4 weeks has been the best and most consistent period of training that I’ve had for a very long time indeed. At last, I am getting in two quality track sessions a week, occasionally doing a road session on a Saturday and also a long-run on a Sunday. I am enjoying my running again, even if is lonely having to run by myself all of the time. I have also finally figured out how to enter races myself, without having to get other people to do it for me. Next week, I will be running in a 5K road race in Kyoto City.

Uji River 10K Road Race

The 30^th Uji River 10K Road Race, which I ran yesterday morning, was most definitely not a flat or fast course. It was the first 10K that I’ve raced in for over 2 years. I took my place on the start line in Uji Sports Park, alongside 1000 other runners in the 10K event, and also at least another thousand runners who’d entered the Uji River half-marathon race, for a combined start. This was the biggest field that I’ve raced in so far in Japan.

As I was warming up, I saw a small team of Japanese Self Defence Force soldiers doing their own warm up preparations, with Taiko drums. Once the starting pistol was fired, they started an impressive performance of traditional Japanese drumming as the field passed by.

I’ve learnt that front runners of Japanese road races tend to start at a sprint, and as the race was downhill for the first 2 miles, I was prepared for a fast start. I was surprised, given the crowded start line, to get clear and to be able to run freely with plenty of space around me after only a few metres.

After about 800m, the road turned sharply left as we exited the sports park and continued our descent towards Uji River. I lent forward slightly to increase my pace and to take advantage of the lay of the land, but tried to run relaxed. I could see a couple of runners a few metres ahead of me and I worked towards catching them so that I could run in their slip stream and use them to shield me from the wind.

Just before we’d ran 2 miles, the road levelled out and the course took us through a narrow stretch of shops lined with many spectators that shouted encouragement, with some waving placards. There then followed a long steady climb along a road that ran parallel to the river, to the turnaround point, this being an out and back race. Just before the 5K marker, the half-marathon runners were diverted away towards a path along the bank of the river. Seeing the front runners of the 10K whizz past on the other side of the road just before I went around the turnout point, I realised that I was in 27^th place. I was overtaken by three runners on what was to be the last downhill stretch back along the road overlooking the river.

Then the climbing started. It was tough; 2 miles of uphill running with no let up. I expected to lose several places as my pace inevitably slowed, but pleasingly, this didn’t happen. After a long drag, we finally turned back into the sports park, for what I thought would be a gentle climb back along the same road that we’d started the race down. However, a race marshal directed us off to a branch road. As I turned onto it, I saw another steep uphill section ahead.

The runner immediately in front of me was obviously disappointed to see another, unexpected ascent, as he seemed to literally wobble at the sight and ground to a virtual halt. Passing him as I slogged up that last hill, I entered a running track stadium and stretched out for the finish line, expecting the youngster I’d passed on the final hill section to out sprint me at any moment, but he never came back.

I finished 29^th in 36 minutes 41 seconds. Not a great 10K time, but considering the hilly nature of the course, I’m pleased with it. After the race, I went to a tea room overlooking a Japanese garden, which was behind Byodoin Temple, for a refreshing drink of Uji’s famous green tea.

Tunnel Vision

The last week has been a bit of a car crash, as far as running and training is concerned. Gaining entry to the track in Kyoto Tamba on Monday after work, I did a 400M repetition session. It was a struggle as I had a bit of a cough. By the following day, it had developed into a full blown chest infection. As a result, I didn’t get many runs in this week.

I read about the ‘neck rule’. If you have a virus or infection centred above the neck, then you can still train. If, however, the problem is below the neck, then you should lay off running until you’re on the mend. I took two days off. By Thursday, I was bored, so popped out for an easy couple of miles. After 3 miles, I had real trouble with my breathing, so stopped. I started to retch, and then vomited onto the trail that I was stood on. Nice.

I have been sick only once before whilst out running. I went out for a run with a former member of the Swedish Winter Olympic team in the summer of 2000 whilst working in Maryland, USA. I knew little about running at the time, only doing a couple of jogs a week. Bjorn suggested that we did a hill session, and chose a monster of a hill to do it on. We ran hard from the bottom to the top of the hill, and then jogged slowly down, before repeating numerous times. Anyway, I vomited sometime near the end of the session. It’s so rare an event, it’s memorable. 

A few days of enforced rest were in order. Yesterday, much of Japan was covered by a heavy blanket of snow. It is difficult getting out for runs in these conditions. You have to balance the desire to train consistently with the risk of falling over and picking up a serious injury. Helpfully, the infrastructure of modern living provides a solution. I have read about runners who train in multi-storey car parks when there is heavy snow and ice. There are no such buildings in Sonobe - the rural town where I live. Road or pedestrian tunnels offer another alternative.

When I lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, I used to train in the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel. It took about 60 seconds, running hard, to cross from one side of the River Tyne to the other.  Charlie Spedding, who won a Bronze medal in the men’s Marathon in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, is said to have likewise trained under the Tyne. I believe that it is currently closed for repairs; it did look like it needed a face lift.

Luckily for me there is 598 Metre long tunnel through a mountain, about half a mile from my apartment in Sonobe. I struggled up to it through several inches of snow earlier this evening and did a few easy laps. At least the snowy vista from the tunnel entrance looked nice.

The chest infection is not completely gone, but I am on the mend. A few more days of easy running are needed before I can start training again. 

Back on track

With no races planned after the 1st, January was never going to be an eventful month, and so it proved to be. For the first two and a half weeks of the month, I stuck rigidly to the training schedule that my coach has drawn up. Then I was struck down by a virus. I did a track session on the morning of Saturday 18^th January. Six 400 Metre reps, with a three minute jog interval. I should have felt fresh and have been flying; I wasn’t. I felt excessively tired. I woke up the next day with a pounding headache. A week of enforced rest followed, giving me time to think about my training.

Over the last few months, I’ve increased the workload that I can handle, getting used to training six days/running up to 50 miles a week again. So a reasonable level of base fitness has been built up. However, I have felt stuck in a rut with my training for a while. I’m just not making progress. My times are not coming down. I woke up one morning with the realisation that I’ve not ran well since late 2011. Something has got to change.

The first priority is to get back to training on a tartan track. Training once or twice a week on a tartan track has proven itself as transformational to my running in the past. The cinder track that I’ve been using for the last 5 months is just not cutting the mustard. Figuring out how to get regular, reliable access to a decent track has been a challenge. I sought and begged for help. Basically, with a lot of paper work and a small fee, I’ve found a way to train on a tartan track on a Friday and Sunday afternoon, each week. Not ideal days, but with some jigging around of my training schedule, it can work.

I was thrilled to get the chance to do two track sessions this week, having bounced back from the virus. It was hard. I am even more unfit than I thought I was. Yet, I know this is the solution. Training on a tartan track means I can make a comeback, albeit slowly. The second step is to re-introduce training twice a day. I’ve never been keen on this. Getting out of bed at the crack of dawn to put in a few miles before going to work is brutal. I did train twice a day, five days a week, in the build up to my first marathon in 2010. I ran several personal bests on the back of that training. Therefore, I’ve started running twice a day. Just two miles in the morning a couple of times a week to begin with, before I try and increase this to running twice a day, five times a week. 

That’s the plan anyway. It does feel good to be back on (tartan) track.

Kameoka New Year’s Day Road Race

Many Japanese people like to welcome in the New Year by viewing the New Year’s first sunrise. January 1st is seen as an auspicious day, believed to be representative of the whole year that has just commenced. Therefore, the day is supposed to be full of joy and free of stress and anger, whilst everything should be clean and no work should be done.

For my part, I took in the New Year’s sunrise as I walked to the train station, in a bid to join nearly a thousand other hardy souls who were beginning the New Year as runners hope to carry on; with fresh air, the open road, adrenalin, joy, pain, and the optimistic pursuit of achieving new goals and personal bests. The highlight of the race schedule was a 10K race. I chose the 5K event, partly because I have a preference for this distance.

The 5K began at 10:05am, 5 minutes after the mass start of the 10K, with 300M of a running track, before hitting the main road outside the sports stadium that was hosting the event. Turning onto the road we were faced with a bracing, icy, head wind. The 5K and 10K races were both out and back affairs along the same straight stretch of road, so to pass the back runners in the 10K race, the fast 5K lads and lasses had to run the majority of the first half of the race in the middle of the road.

The turnaround point was a giant 6 feet tall red traffic cone with ‘5KM’ emblazoned across it. I’d passed a junior runner just a few metres before the cone, so tried to put in a burst as I turned away from the head wind. The nearest runner ahead of me was about 20 metres in front of me at this point. I decided to aim to at least keep that gap at the same distance, or close it if possible. It was wishful thinking. The gap gradually increased as we travelled along the gently undulating road back to the track, passing a convenience store, an American style diner and rice paddies along the route.

Entering the track stadium with 400M remaining, I looked at my watch for the first time in the race. It showed that I’d been running for 16 minutes 08 seconds, which meant that I was well off my target time. Wanting to start the year as I meant to go on, I stole myself to finish as strong as possible and crossed the line in 17 minutes 24 seconds.

After a week of living it up during the festive period, it was not a surprise that I was so far away from my race target. Still, running a race on January 1^st sets the tone for the year ahead. It’s a fresh year, and I came away from the race with a renewed sense of determination to make progress towards beating my 5K and 10K personal bests in 2014.