Osaka Marathon, "Making a rainbow together" 少し物足りない感じ

Osaka marathon is done and disgusted/dusted. I managed to break 3 and 1/2 hours but probably missed a Boston marathon qualifying time. It was awesome to run with Nanbanners and the support from Makiko/Keren was wonderful.

大阪マラソンを無事に完走したけど、少し物足りない感じ。３：２５目標出来なくて、いいわけは寝坊と最後の伸び坂。

Nanban tally:

David Abbott: 2:54
Steve 3:03
Mark 3:10
David Motozo: 3:29
Faith 3:33
Daniele 3:48
Yuko 3:56

The race itself was bittersweet. It never really goes the way you want it to go. I felt I did everything I could to get close to my goal...except for one thing...I slept through my alarm clock and the wake-up call from Meg....oops.

I was supposed to meet my comrades at the baggage area at 7 am. I woke up at 7:10. Hmmm, that's funny, the sun is shining through my window and it is supposed to be 5:30 am. Holy sheet! No time for breakfast, out the door in 7 minutes, a sprint to the train station, wolf down a rice ball on the train, arrived at 8 am on the dot, which was the baggage cut off. Than another frantic jog to find a toilet before the 8:40 am line-up cut-off. Made it with a few minutes to spare. Insert sigh of relief here...

I found Mark in A-block. We shivered for 20 minutes, contrasting the big differences in triathlon versus marathon starts. The weather was actually pretty fine, just a bit cold at the start waiting for the festivities to begin.

The gun shot send us off at 9 am sharp. My strategy was to run 4:50 pace for the first 25k or so, than pick up the pace if I still had the fuel in the tank. I figured this would get me comfortably under 3 hours, 25 minutes, good enough for Boston qualification. The first 10k was easy as it should be. Only 1 problem....

I had to go pee pee after 5k, so was searching for a close toilet from 5-10k. Found it at 10k and lost about 1 minute marking my territory. That put me back to 49:30 after 10k. A lot of work to do to get back on pace. I tried to slowly raise the speed....

The crowd support and Makiko/Keren helped. Big thumbs up.

I was slowly making progress, came in at the halfway point around 1:43. However, the 3:30 pace group caught up to me at around the halfway point. How could this be? I thought I was 2-3 minutes ahead of 3:30 marathon pace. I took my second gel (200 calories) at 21k and grit my teeth. I had some good splits from 21-34k, averaging about 4:47 pace. I took my 3rd and last gel at 30k.

At 34k, I prepared myself mentally for the final 8k, which I knew would be tough. I had done 35k as my longest real training run, excluding the 50k birthday run at a very slow pace. I knew my legs were going to tighten up around 35k. It was just a question of how much...

We hit a big hill at 36k. That did it. I had seen it in the guide book but it looked more daunting with tired legs. My speed slowed to what felt like a crawl. Like walking up stairs when you are winded.

Finally made it to the top, but the damage was done. 5:18 pace on that 37k split. The next downhill I got under 5 minute pace but that proved to be the last fast one. My legs were seizing up. It was a big struggle just to maintain 5:15 pace for the last excruciating 3k. I managed to get under 3:30 by a smidgen, listening to the 3:30 pacer countdown as I ran hard for the line (the pace group must have started before me).

 Big Kudos to Mark, Steve, Yuko, Faith, Danielle, and the star of the day, David Abbott! Man those craft brews tasted fine.

I didn't make up that title about the rainbow, by the way. It's the slogan for the Osaka marathon. Pretty catchy, ey?

50k ultra-birthday run、過去最高距離５０キロ

Oh whadda feeling,Toyota! 南蛮連合人たちのおかげで過去最高距離５０キロを５時間以下で無事に完走しました。

スタンザマンと妻美し恵も全部５０キロを楽にでき、感謝します。I completed 50km in my goal of under 5 hours in my 50th year of existence! Huge shouts to all the runners who dragged me along the journey. 

Stan za man was an amazing tour guide along the Kitazawa streets, tirelessly recollecting the slow ones in the group (me) every few clicks. Genki Megumi and Stan did the entire 50k with me and looked fresh as daisies at the finish line. Your humble narrator was running on fumes. 

Tim, Keren, Makiko, Gareth, Rika E, Rika H, Ben, Meeks, Rieko, Satohi, Terry, Jay, Renaud were all there at various points on the course. We started on the in the western suburbs of the Tamagawa river, ran the river to Futago Tamagawa, hung a left up 246, circled Komazawa Park several times, took the Kitazawa streets to Yoyogi Park, and finished with numerous 1.3k short loops in the park. 

Many thanks to all! It was an extreme pleasure to spend the day with so many close friends, doing what we all love to do. 

This completes the 50th festivities for the time being. Now everyone can rest their legs and livers!誕生日の素晴らし１週間祭りはこれまでとりあえず終了です。 

Murakami triathlon, close but no cigar, plus special birthday thoughts..

Murakami triathlon. Always a great way to culminate the triathlon season with so many big hitters making the journey from Tokyo. And a big birthday on the day as well...I got 4th in my AG, just missing the podium due to a mediocre swim. Would have been nice to nail it on my birthday but that's the way the cookie crumbles..

Total 2:21:41

Swim 28:17 What happened? I must have serpentined too much as I felt pretty strong going into September and believed I would swim 25 to 26 minutes. 

Bike 1:09:49 (includes 2 transitions)
Not too shabby. About 1:04:23, 37.1 kph without transitions.

 Run 43:35
Smoking gun. Felt nice, was able to run hard and pick up pace with 3k to go.

Train ride party, and 50th!

The following Friday, it was my extreme pleasure to celebrate my 50th birthday in Tokyo with 50 of my closest friends. Megumi was a superstar, setting up the whole event. These lifetime friendships are like an extension of my body. I could not function without them.

Special thanks to Keren, Bruno, Tamiko, and Dave Mccombs, who were all at my 40th birthday party, and have survived and thrived with me throughout the past decade.

A big shout to Seanny, my oldest friend in Tokyo, who I've known since my teenage years in college.

I also appreciate all the triathlete and marathon friends who came out to this gathering. You have helped me stay in shape over the years. Kudos!

 Most of all, thanks to my gorgeous wife for tremendous execution of the most special party ever!

Meg, you superstar!

Sado Astroman powers activated, 佐渡国際トライアスロン

There we stood at Sawada Bay overlooking the pristine swim conditions with months of preparation behind us, seconds away from a 7:30 am mass gun start. 2 of our 13 strong Tokyo team were already swimming and in for a long day, the A-type full distance/Ironman variety. 11 of us were poised for the B-type, about half-ironman distance plus alpha. 90 minutes earlier we had watched our A-type heroes Alisa and David B. start the swim on the same beach. Now it was our turn to get wet...

   smooth as a silk Sawada Bay、いよいよスタートだ

  …Flashback to 7 months ago…The journey had actually started when Keren made the trek to Sado back in February, met with the organizers, and asked them to secure slots for the TiT (triathlon-in-tokyo) team. Desperate to put the international back in Sado International Triathlon, they dutifully obliged. Makiko-san was a huge help with the translation and other logistical organization. Pretty soon after that there were 15 TiT triathletes signed up for the A and B races. 

Pre-race:

We all arrived Friday and Saturday before the Sunday race, pampered in the opulent Osado Onsen Hotel in Aikawa, where they once found gold during the Edo period.

                                                     a room with a view　大佐渡景色

It was a fabulous hotel with excellent buffet breakfast, mouth-watering local fish dinners, and friendly service. 

hotel lobby, not much lounging for busy triathletes　ホテル大佐渡だ！

 The Saturday race briefing was comical, featuring long-winded warnings on what to do if a missile strikes Sado. 1. Make sure everyone is safe. 2. Run! I was dying to ask them why they thought that Sado would be bombed…did Charles Jenkins or kidnappings have something to do with the paranoia? 


                                     ready for missiles?
北朝鮮からミサイルが佐渡に飛来する可能性は？


Sado is rather odd-shaped, kinda like an asymmetrical figure-8 or 2 mushrooms attached by the stems. It is a huge island, Japan’s 6th largest with over 200 km of circumference. The A-course goes around both mushrooms, the B-course along the east mushroom only. Like many regions in Japan’s outskirts, its population has been hallowed out as young people move to big cities. The locals are thus extra excited to see visitors from the mainland. At 3:45 am Sunday morning we were up for our breakfast. For me it is pretty simple: rice, eggs, natto, fruits, coffee to get things going…It was 10k from the hotel to the start area, a bit far, and so some of us rode in the cars. Some biked. Everything went rather smoothly except for Alisa, who forgot her bike shoes. Makiko-san again saved the day and brought her shoes to the bike area while Alisa was swimming! We B-type racers had plenty of time between 6-7:30 am to test the water, watch the A-type and pros swim, and relax on the relax on the beach. 

Swim:                                                              

The swim is an enjoyable and attractive 1-loop 2k swim in Sawada Bay leading into the Sea of Japan on Sado’s southern shore. The waves and wind had kicked up the day before, and there were rumors of a swim cancellation. But on race day the water was about as smooth as I have ever seen it, and we were ready to rumble. 6-7 of us were hoping for a fast start to get in front of the mass start and catch a draft from Ryano’s big frame. At least that was my foolish plan. With 739 swimmers starting together, I had grossly underestimated my ability to sight “flyin’ Ryan” or other speedy swimmers Ben, Jean-Marc, Keren, or Scott. I could see nothing but blue caps, black suits, and white water for the first 100 meters. But my strategy of swimming quickly started to pay dividends after 200 meters as I was ahead of the trouble behind, and I settled into a nice rhythm, drafting off 2-3 fellow swimmers. At the 900 meter first turn, my watch said 16 minutes. All systems were a Go. The next 200 meters to the next buoy felt easier, and I made the last turn towards the beach. Still no sign of the TiTs, but we would soon be reunited on the beach no doubt. With 500 meters to go, I started to feel slightly fatigued and lost some focus, but was jolted back to reality when a fellow swimmer headed out to what looked to be North Korea. He was literally swimming perpendicular from my direction. I made sure to sight the buildings on the beach after seeing that guy.  
                           
                        happy to have my feet on the ground

I landed in 37 minutes, fairly happy with that as I had used energy frugally. Still no signs of the team, but there was Makiko-san and Martin’s wife Mani with a big-lensed SLR camera. Yes, money shots! I was very excited to see familiar people and ride Hillary Swank around the island coast. 

Bike: 
T1 was smooth. They give you a nice big crate to dump all your swim stuff. Plenty of space. I mounted Hillary at the line and got into chase mode for the first 20k flat bit across the middle of the island. This was going to be fun. Who would I ride into first? Great to be in a race with so many training buddies. First I passed JM but I had a feeling that that wouldn’t be the last time I saw him. Than Keren, than Ben, who was coasting down a small hill. I rode fairly hard at 37 kph for the first 20k, feeling exhilarated to be out of the water and back to one of my favorite islands. I slowed a bit after the first right turn at the other end of the island as there were some hills and I wanted to reserve some pennies for the 2H of bike and run. I was a bit worried that my legs weren’t fully recovered from the past 2 weeks of racing. The poor bike split in Aizu the week before stuck in my mind. Unsurprisingly, JM reeled me in and passed me at 30k. I increased the pace slightly and returned the favor. But that didn’t last long. He was clearly in strong bike shape. I let him go ahead at around 40k. My 40k split was 1:09, 35 khp. I wasn’t unhappy with that split, but still a long way to go with 2 big climbs. At this 30-60k point fatigue hasn’t set in yet, and you can still in enjoy the gorgeous coastal views. On a clear day you can see the mainland at the 35k point. It was partly cloudy which kept the temperature down to a manageable 24 degrees, but clear enough to admire the view. Aid stations were helpful and frequent, about every 20k. I missed the first one but got fresh water at the next 3 out of 4 aid stations. 

                                                 　山登り

They were giving out water and coke, which was a bit confusing. I mistakenly took coke instead of water at 53k, so had to discard it without any water. I was eating 1 gel per hour plus some bananas and other fruits. I guess I took in 800 calories during the bike. From 30k to 80k there is very little elevation change along the coast. But how do you get from the coast through that mountain pass, back to the middle of the island? Tunnels and a big climb! At 80k we hit the hardest climb of the day, approximately 120 meter climb over 2k. It felt like we were standing still. I tried to stand up and pedal, but got cramps in my quads. I chatted with a few other riders, asking where the next hill was. It had been 11 years since I did this race, and I hadn’t memorized the exact mileage of the hill climbs down. After that big climb there is a quick downhill, than another 30 meter climb, than a long 5k downhill, than one last 3k climb. After that last climb you are at 94k and with the beach in clear view, you can start to ignore those aches and pains in your back and legs. The bike leg was 105k 11 years ago, which was etched in my mind. So when we passed 105k, than 106k, I was like, “WTF, when is this going to end?” After my little duel with JM on the bike, I didn’t see any TiTs for the rest of the bike. Where was the Ryano? Surely he couldn’t have smoked the bike with very little training. I finish the bike in 3:10, 3:18 with 2 transitions, about 34 kph. 


Run:I arrived into T2 and boy was I glad to get off Hillary’s saddle and jog into the transition. There were very few bikes (30) on the racks, a good sign. But would I have the legs for 21k after last week’s disappointing finish? There was JM in the transition yelling something at me. Great, we can run together for a while, I thought. I took the extra 30 seconds to put on socks, worth it for the extra foot comfort. I headed for the start line but JM did an about-face and went back to his bike. WTF?  I started running but he was nowhere in sight. It felt OK, not easy, not hard. But impossible to tell how I was going to run that early. 5:07 first 1k split. At about 1k Keren passed on his bike and yelled. That got me going. Next split 5:00. I took 20 seconds at the next aid station for water and cooling spray for my cramping hamstring. It worked! No pain in the hamstring. All numb. Next split 4:55. Now I was feeling somewhat normal at the 5k point. I treated the half marathon like 4 x 5k plus alpha. Just have to get through three more 5ks now….At 5.7k, I hit the first turn-around and saw JM running about 1 minute behind. We encouraged each other. I looked forward to seeing the others at the next turn-around point. Most of the run after you leave town is very flat rice fields, but you do have one incline at the 8k point.  I noticed some decorations on the side of the road. They looked like they were made by children and had electrical wires running from them. Ah, that must have been arranged by the local elementary school for the A-type runners for extra light at night time. What a nice gesture. 

                somebody get me a shot。。いててって感じ

At 9-11k I was losing steam. I tried to run with anyone that passed me. As I neared the 11k turnaround, I counted how many age groupers were in front. About 40 but no Ryano. He clearly had had a puncture or disappeared in T1/T2. The leading woman passed me at about 4:30 pace. No way I was going to pace off of her. A couple of guys passed me at 5 minute pace. I stayed with them for a few k. Finally, I got to the turnaround and took in everything I could get my hands on. Fruits, water, sports drink, sponges, and some more leg cramp spray. JM came in 2 minutes behind now. Keren came barreling up the hill next asking for the distance. Than the rookies, Tim first, he was having a Barnstormer of a day, than Ben, way under his target also. Than big Gareth, Scott, and Martin. It was great to see them and the high 5’s kept my mind off the pain in my legs and gut. 

                                           so close I can smell it!

Everything hurt but I only had 7k to go. Finally the Ryano appears after 5 hours of hibernation! And last but not least, my distant cousin Glenn Rubin from NY! I am relieved that my cousin did not drown.

But I am fading fast. The leg cramp spray isn’t working anymore. My splits are heading south, 5:20, than 5:30. At 18k I hit bottom at 5:55. I will not go over 6 minute pace. Only 2k to go to the little shopping area where there will be supporters. If only I can will myself another 3k. Somehow I do and my pace improves slightly. 2k to go and I can now smell the finish line. The shopping street is in sight as I am out of the hot rice field area now. I am running with a young guy, using him as a wind shield and pain distraction. 

ラストスパート

                                                  

We run through the downtown together. There are bikers pulling in to T2 and some officials yell at us to get out of their way. How can that be? Or are they the A-type? 

Now the end is in clear sight, and I revel thoughts of rest and beer. I pick up the pace the last 500 meters and drop the young guy. I don’t have anything left in the legs for the Glico jump through the finish line, and barely get 2 inches off the ground. But this course is done and dusted, I am an ASTROMAN again and it is a beautiful day! I did a 1:51 run, about 5:19 average pace.

Total time was 5:47:13 for 40th place overall and 7th in my AG. 


Fun with numbers: 57% of my race was on the bike 32% run 11% swim 5:47 in half-ironman 70.3 terms, about an extra 35 minutes for the bike, 2 minutes for the bike, 2 minutes for swim. 
5:10 half ironman on a hilly course? 

In summary, everyone enjoyed the course and soon after finishing many were already talking about next year. Maybe that was the post-race beers talking. 

............................................................................................................................................　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　やった！

                 いつもお世話になっております

There were some major breakthroughs from the rookies. Tim shattered his expectations with a 6 hour debut middle distance race. King of the rookies: Ben continues to be a rookie on a rampage with a tremendous 34 minute swim and 1:48 run Big Gareth brought home the bacon with limited training, smiling and chatting the whole way. Scott scored his first middle distance race with a nice swim, overcoming a mechanical issue on bike. Glenn accomplished his 2 goals: He did not drown, and he finished. 

                                rookies on a rampage、新入社員はすごい！

As for the old hands, in went down something like this…JM had a superb swim and bike. He actually was able to enjoy the view on the bike. Keren nearly nailed his AG podium, taking 4th after leading for more than half the race. The Ryano finished with almost no bike or run training. Martin did his thing in the water and also had a great swim split. Geraldine finished well before the sun came down, showing off her speed-walking skills. 

　　　　　　　　　　　　comfortably numb

And kudos to the two A-type finishers, who went twice the B distance! Alisa grabbed 2nd in her age group and 6th overall out of 96 ladies with a sterling 12:28 time. It is very impressive considering the amount of training she does in strange hotel gyms around the world. Dave B. had a badly sprained ankle, but managed to finish the A race and make it back to the hotel with 20 kg of gear in hand. 

                                the host and hostess with the mostess

Huge thanks to Makiko-san and Keren for setting up the entire weekend, for tireless planning over 6 months................

　　　　　　　　　　　he had a tough day...どうするか？

Aizu triathlon: a humble sandwich, 会津トライアスロン。。景色がもちろん美しいけど...

Aizu was utsukushii as usual...my performance was not so utsukushii though...

However, I live vicariously through the exploits of friends. Mika Tokairin won her age group and really crushed the bike downhill course. Meeks and Steve K had strong races. I was still in recovery mode with little power on the bike...I did 2:28, 1 minute slower than last year. It was a humbling race, but with 2 mid/long distance races sandwiching Aizu in between, I cannot complain.

会津トライアスロン。。景色がもちろん美しいけど、北海道回復はまだまだで、自分の調子が美しくなかった。。

Swim: My swim turned out to be my best leg at 28 minutes, but this course is much slower than most courses in Japan with the exception of Oshima. The single buoy line with 3 tight 440 meter loops just doesn't cut it. Lots of anti-draft from swimmers coming from the opposite direction. Congestion most of the swim with the slow 1st wave swimmers jamming up most of the course. Got a bit of daylight after the 2nd lap.

                        with the 2 winners, Mika T. (AG #1) and overall #1

                                  エイジ優勝


Bike: I did a 1:03 bike, 37 kph average speed. This sounds rather fast, but actually kinda slow given the favorable conditions (no wind). I have done 58 minutes on this course. I tried to stay with Misu-sensei on the bike,  but just didn't have the legs. He dropped me like a bad disease, and finished 3rd in his AG. My bike total was 1:08 including 2 transitions.

Run: Painful. 51 minutes of pain. 5:15 pace. 3 minutes slower than last year. I was cramping as I tried to run at 5 minute pace, and it was getting hot. Stomach cramps. I guess I shouldn't have experimented with the local fish cuisine. I just didn't have anything in the tank either. Quite a contrast to the half marathon in Hokkaido 7 days earlier where I ran 5:05 pace! I managed to pick up the pace around 7k and ran the last at 4:30 pace. Much too little, too late...ah well, humble experiences make you stronger, they say..

Totals: 2:28:18, 130th place, 22nd in AG.

Hokkaido Triathlon, the inaugural race ユニックな北海道トライアスロン、満足って感じ

I have to say that Hokkaido is one of my favorite places on earth, winter or summer. World famous powder in Niseko in winter combined with cool, crisp, gorgeous greenness in summer. It also bears a touch of ancient Ainu heritage, although this has been reduced to place names and other superficial mementos. 

When my friend Jeff, a long-time Hokkaido resident, mentioned the 1st inaugural race at Toyako, I jumped all over it. And than threw the finish line...

美しくて、ユニックな北海道トライアスロン。総合の１４位、満足って感じです。
綺麗な洞爺湖水泳とっても長い山登りバイクと森のランでいいレース。おすすめです。
本当に楽しくラストスパート！

I got 14th overall, which is very pleasing, as this was my longest distance in 3 years. Gory details below. 

Swim

The mass start was interesting. I swam hard to get away from masses, which paid dividends as there was no congestion after 200 meter first turn. The fresh water and lake are delicious to swim in. There's a steep cliff-like drop in water depth, scary and beautiful at the same time. A rather nice course design, after the first lap circa 700 meters, we landed amidst the roar of the crowd, waved to the admirers, dived in again, swam another 700 meter lap, landed again, got more glory, re-dived, than swam straight the final 600 meters to the adjacent beach/bike area. I did 38 minutes, so-so, but was saving lots of fuel for the bike....

  

Bike

It is a unique 138k bike course, which I originally thought was going to be a 4 hour plus affair, so kinda like a bike race with a little swim before and modest run after. 65% of race in the bike!

There were a few things that made this race unique. 

Long hilly bike. 
Little traffic control. 
Cool conditions in August. 

A large Hokkaido contingent. 

If your bike is your best discipline, particularly bike climbing, than this is the race for u. 

For your humble narrator, the first 50k felt fine. I was glad that most of the climbs were in the first half. 1280 meters of climbing with about 700 in first 60k. There was a major climb at the 100k point but it was fairly flat after that. 

At around 80k, a race official called out, "the leader is only 27 minutes ahead of you, gambatte kudasai!".

The 5 riders around me groaned. Needless information!

This was the first race I have done with open roads. They decided not to close the roads to cars and I now understand why. Most of the area is barren, and on a Sunday morning there is very little traffic. However, we were forced to slow down or stop over 10 times. A few times I had to wait for cars to pass but it wasn't too bad. The real challenge was getting over those hills with little fuel or aid along the way. My 4 hour target turned out to be too ambitious, I barely averaged 30 kph. I had little power for those last 40k.

4:42 bike, 138k, 22nd rank

Run

I was really worried that my legs would be dog-meat by the run, but amazingly I was able to run at 5 minute pace straight off the bike. Admittedly I was super glad to be off Hillary's saddle. You can see my wide smile on the run.

I wondered where anyone was as I had not seen anyone I know since the swim finish. Than they all appeared out of the woodwork, literally. The run takes you on a beautiful journey along lake Toyako.

                                   Thanks to Paul's wife for the run shots!

 I passed Jess as he was finishing, than Ernesto came up from the rear and we ran together with his son in tow for 1k or so, which was nice and helped me keep a fast pace. Ernesto is a true hombre on the run and really pushed me. I tried to pull away, but he kept on reeling me in. Than we saw Paul at the turnaround coming strong. It was all happening on the run.

The first 10k was surprisingly smooth. Than I hit a dark period from 10-15k where I had to dig deeper to maintain that 5-minute pace. Once I hit the final turnaround at 16k I felt rejuvenated, and gathered my last reserves for the final 6k.

👣

I came in at just over 5 minute pace which I was happy with, and did my now patented leap through the finish line. 

Check out the expressions on the finish girl's faces. Epic!

   

finish line euphoria with Ernesto and Paul

Totals:

7:09, 14th place overall, 7th in AG (would have been 3rd in 50's age group, but to them I am still a young 40's whippersnapper...)

                                    Big thanks to Meg for the superb action shots!

                             
                                    pure fun at Niseko Hilton

                                   
                          happy relaxing down-time after the race

Kudos to Paul, Ernesto, Jeff, Lesa, Jess!