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.