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.