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.