It started innocently enough in the heart of New Zealand, Roppongi. Notice how sedate and relaxed the nanbanners are....
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Okinawan Roadkill!
Ishigakijima, the georgeous resort island south of Okinawa's island chains, was the backdrop for an olympic distance triathlon last weekend. This was mainly a tune-up race for the upcoming ironman in June, but I had plenty of concerns going in to the race: a hamstring injury from Tokyo marathon had prevented any serious runs for the past 2 months, complicated by an achy knee on last week's bike ride. My swim was the only area I had confidence I could go 100%.Swim 1.5K: Although a fast start with 2 or 3 porpoise tactics, the first 300 meters were unusually chaotic and clogged, owing to a lack of open water space. I couldn't get a rhythm for the first 5 minutes as I kept bumping into pink, blue, and silver caps. We pink caps were the last wave of swimmers with a 3 minute delay. The course was an interesting design, out and back twice, or 750 meters X 2 with a 30 second jog in between. The course was in a protected harbor, so no waves, but the narrowness made it difficult to get any private space, not dissimilar to commuting to work in Tokyo, less the kicks to the forehead and bodyblows...I made it to the turn in 14 minutes, jogged to the start, and did another lap in about 14 minutes for a 28:11 total swim. This was my PB for a swim, my previous best at about 32 minutes. Although not rocket speed, I was happy to improve my stroke and I credit the pool drills with our sensei Greg.
Bike 40K: This proved to be the most treacherous part of the race. The light drizzle turned into rain as I made the transition on to the bike, an ominous sign. This was my first race with my blue thunder cervelo carbon tri bike aka Hillary Swank. As we headed out of town up the east coast, Hillary and I whizzed by dozens of bikers as if they were standing still. At 5K, a nearly distastrous event...I was behind 2 guys trying to find a space to pass on the narrow 2 lane road. Up ahead, a truck appeared. For some reason that I will never know, the guy on the left decided that he wanted to move to his right and cut off his buddy. The guy on the right had nowhere to go. It was either take a nasty crash into his biker friend, or smash into a truck. He chose the nasty crash into the biker. They both went down instantly. I was about 5 meters behind and had nowhere to go as I was traveling at a 40 KPH clip. The only path was straight thru the wreck....So I proceeded over the roadkill...I ran over a leg, an arm and a bike. Just before I went thru, Hillary's short happy life flashed before me, "I am going to crash", I thought....but by some miracle, I maintained balance over the wreckage....I could not believe it...the roadkill and my own brakes had slowed me down significantly, and now 5 bikers whizzed by me. I accelerated to catch up, thrilled to be still in the race....
Bike 40K: This proved to be the most treacherous part of the race. The light drizzle turned into rain as I made the transition on to the bike, an ominous sign. This was my first race with my blue thunder cervelo carbon tri bike aka Hillary Swank. As we headed out of town up the east coast, Hillary and I whizzed by dozens of bikers as if they were standing still. At 5K, a nearly distastrous event...I was behind 2 guys trying to find a space to pass on the narrow 2 lane road. Up ahead, a truck appeared. For some reason that I will never know, the guy on the left decided that he wanted to move to his right and cut off his buddy. The guy on the right had nowhere to go. It was either take a nasty crash into his biker friend, or smash into a truck. He chose the nasty crash into the biker. They both went down instantly. I was about 5 meters behind and had nowhere to go as I was traveling at a 40 KPH clip. The only path was straight thru the wreck....So I proceeded over the roadkill...I ran over a leg, an arm and a bike. Just before I went thru, Hillary's short happy life flashed before me, "I am going to crash", I thought....but by some miracle, I maintained balance over the wreckage....I could not believe it...the roadkill and my own brakes had slowed me down significantly, and now 5 bikers whizzed by me. I accelerated to catch up, thrilled to be still in the race....
The rest of the bike was tough and wet. My right knee flared up again from 5K-30K, and the hills were challenging. I didn't feel comfortable pedaling hard down the hills due to the wet roads. I did continue to pass bikers throughout the leg and finished in about 1:11:00 (officially 1:13:48 including a 3 minute transition).
Run 10K: I was happy to dismount Hillary, although the sore knee discouraged me at the beginning of the run. I had no stamina as well. Fortunately, the knee held up and I cruised thru the run at a tortoises' pace. My time of 48:56 was my slowest ever for this distance triathlon, well under the low 40's that I usually run in triathlons.
My total time was 2:30:55 (54th place out of 600 men) Swim 28:11 (120) Bike 1:13:48 (50) Run 48:56 (80)...although my bike was most competitive, I was more satisfied with the swim. I never really felt comfortable on Hillary, but I suppose this comfort will come in future races. The bike was actually 1 minute slower than my PB of 1:10:38 in Oshima last year on my old road bike, but we estimated that this course was 5-7 minutes harder than Oshima, espescially in the rain.
Many thanks to Keren Miers, our triathlon spiritual leader, who had a decent race and actually placed 2nd in his age group with a sparkling 2:24 time despite the fact that he did not taper at all! Arigatou Kamu chan for the support and great action shots. 
Monday, February 19, 2007
Tokyo Marathon: It's not about the rain...
This was a battle between man, pain, and rain.
Motozo prevailed with a 1 minute personal best (PB) at the first annual Tokyo marathon.
Preparation was key...lots of pasta meals to the point of overload..nearly every meal was rice or pasta the final week...no alcohol for the last week and no caffeine for the last 4 days. A nice sleep-in on Saturday morning and off to bed again at 9 PM on Saturday before the race. The taper was enjoyable and my legs healed up nicely following months of pavement pounding. After a peak of 108K 3 weeks prior to the race, I reduced drastically to 64K 2 weeks before and 56K the final week with mainly marathon pace 5K and 10K runs to maintain fitness levels.
The race was a less than auspicious start. I groaned when I heard the rain sputtering on my veranda at 6AM. The subway ride on the Oedo line to Shinjuku Tochomae was a flurry of soggy shoes and umbrellas. At Tocho, I bumped into Shiba san, Robin, and a few others but we never made it to the outdoor meeting place due to the chaos and rain. Instead, the hour before the start was another flurry of bathroom line waiting, coffee sipping, power bar scoffing, and corral crawling. I struggled to get in my D corral without getting wet or trampled. At one point I was walking on the 1 meter divider with an umbrella before a volunteer shot me down. With 5 minutes to go to the start, I was in position at the front of corral D with relatively dry shoes.
Start: Mayor Ishihara pulled the trigger, the white flowers sprayed through the air, and we were off...sort of. They told us not to run after the start gun went off! That was a first. So, after a minute and a half of walking, I trunged through the start line into the streets of Shinjuku...After, a toilet break at 2K, I got into a semi-groove going down those hills in Shinjuku. At this point I was still wearing 3 shirts and a poncho, which made me feel heavy and uncomfortable, but I figured I would take off 2 layers later....
5K: The first 5K was 23:53, which was virtually on plan as I had factored in a 2 minute delay at the start (from the start line). I bumped into several nanbanners and we chatted about the weather. Keren, Rie, and Anthony were both cool and collected. Paul Jones, and old friend in from California, was moving at a nice clip, so Anthony and I ran with him at a 4:20 pace for a few K, caught up to Colin, and pondered our race strategies...this was the fastest split of the day at 21:31...
10K: I went through the 10K point next to the palace and looked for Kanako, who I suspected was armed with gels and energy drinks. At the turn at Hibiya, I heard "Debiddo!", and there she stood, to my left, waiting patiently...I immediately stripped off my sopping extra cotton shirt and poncho, got a jel from Kanako, and was off to Shinagawa...
15K: The run down to Shinagawa was quite easy as I was warmed up, jelled up, and a few pounds lighter. I ran with Colin for a about 1K before as we approached the lead group heading back up towards Hibiya. As I approached the turnaround at Shinagawa, I scanned the crowd and spotted Greg and Steve, than Jay and Martin moving all too easily, than Mika and Terry. I heard yells and screams of "Go Motozo", gambare, fighto, which was a nice little pick-me-up.
20K: I caught up to Terry, who slowed to eat a jel, but promised to catch me at the finish. Than I approached Mika and we stayed close together until Hibiya when Kanako again appeared, this time to my right side, bearing more energy gifts. It had started raining hard, so I grabbed the poncho back from Kanako, and refitted it over my head sans soaked shirt this time, which felt actually quite nice. Thank you Kamu! (chu to dakko shite!)
25K: Scoffing on a power gel, I surged forward having lost a valuable 45 seconds on the gel/poncho break and managed a 23:15 split, which was my slowest of the day excluding the slow start. I now felt really good, knowing that half the race was behind me. The bright atmosphere of Ginza (pictured here) also helped. It was like a white tunnel of love. Bands were playing, cheerleaders dancing, obasans and kids yelling the G word. I was fully fuelled and relatively dry, except for my feet.
30K: I kept pushing the pedal to the medal and felt that my goal time was actually realistic. I ran a 22:12 split, which was under my goal pace of 22:20. Running up towards the Asukusa turnaround at 28K, I again spied at the runners heading down on the right. I called out again to Brett, Greg, Adam, Jay and Martin (again running steady), and Steve before hitting the turn.
35K: The 30K point was where I crashed and burned in Ohtawara last November, but I felt better this time and pressed on at a blistering 4:22 pace, my 2nd fastest split of the day. I was now in the Motozo Zone. Noone was going to catch me, and I wasn't going to catch anyone. I thought of Lance Armstrong's book, "It's not about the Bike", and how pain was only temporarily, but the disappointment of quitting lasts forever. I wasn't going to quit unless my body caved in. It was about how much I wanted my PB...
40K: Well, my legs almost caved in at the 38K point. I felt like I was working 110%, but running 10% slower. My splits from 35K slowing started to deteriorate, from 4:25 to 4:29, than 4:31, 4:35. At 40K, I came in at 22:36, my 2nd slowest split (excluding the start). Those hills in Odaiba hurt me. My right hamstring and calf felt really tight. Several guys had pulled over at the middle of those hills. Still, I tried to push myself. I counted down....5K to go, now 4K, now 3K, just pretend you're in the palace on the 2nd half of a 5K run, coming into the home stretch...
Last 2.2K: At 40K, I was almost sure I would get under 3:09...it became a question of by how much..could I get 3:07 or even 3:06??? I groaned as another big hill came into view. It looked like a war zone ahead. Wounded soldiers pulled over left and right, stetching sore calves and hamstrings, the scanty crowd yelling "Lasto". I tried to sprint, but that only slightly increased my speed. At 1K to go, I had a full 5 minutes to get my goal. Those last steps felt an eternity. I checked my watch at about 500 meters, than again at 300. Where is the damn finish? Still not in my sights....finally, a turn and I can see the finish line, but it's so far! I try to sprint again and this time my legs respond...Welcome to the Big Site! Next stop, Iron Man Japan!!!
Splits:
5K: 23:53
10K: 21:31
15K: 21:45
20K: 21:48
25K: 23:15
30K: 22:12
35K: 21:52
40K: 22:36
2.2K: 9:53
Totals:
First 15K: 1:07:14
20K: 1:29:02
Half: 1:33:55
30K: 2:14:29
40K: 2:58:57
42.2K: 3:08:49 (previous best, 3:09:58, was Ohtawara Marathon, 2002)
Motozo prevailed with a 1 minute personal best (PB) at the first annual Tokyo marathon.
Preparation was key...lots of pasta meals to the point of overload..nearly every meal was rice or pasta the final week...no alcohol for the last week and no caffeine for the last 4 days. A nice sleep-in on Saturday morning and off to bed again at 9 PM on Saturday before the race. The taper was enjoyable and my legs healed up nicely following months of pavement pounding. After a peak of 108K 3 weeks prior to the race, I reduced drastically to 64K 2 weeks before and 56K the final week with mainly marathon pace 5K and 10K runs to maintain fitness levels.
The race was a less than auspicious start. I groaned when I heard the rain sputtering on my veranda at 6AM. The subway ride on the Oedo line to Shinjuku Tochomae was a flurry of soggy shoes and umbrellas. At Tocho, I bumped into Shiba san, Robin, and a few others but we never made it to the outdoor meeting place due to the chaos and rain. Instead, the hour before the start was another flurry of bathroom line waiting, coffee sipping, power bar scoffing, and corral crawling. I struggled to get in my D corral without getting wet or trampled. At one point I was walking on the 1 meter divider with an umbrella before a volunteer shot me down. With 5 minutes to go to the start, I was in position at the front of corral D with relatively dry shoes.
Start: Mayor Ishihara pulled the trigger, the white flowers sprayed through the air, and we were off...sort of. They told us not to run after the start gun went off! That was a first. So, after a minute and a half of walking, I trunged through the start line into the streets of Shinjuku...After, a toilet break at 2K, I got into a semi-groove going down those hills in Shinjuku. At this point I was still wearing 3 shirts and a poncho, which made me feel heavy and uncomfortable, but I figured I would take off 2 layers later....
5K: The first 5K was 23:53, which was virtually on plan as I had factored in a 2 minute delay at the start (from the start line). I bumped into several nanbanners and we chatted about the weather. Keren, Rie, and Anthony were both cool and collected. Paul Jones, and old friend in from California, was moving at a nice clip, so Anthony and I ran with him at a 4:20 pace for a few K, caught up to Colin, and pondered our race strategies...this was the fastest split of the day at 21:31...
10K: I went through the 10K point next to the palace and looked for Kanako, who I suspected was armed with gels and energy drinks. At the turn at Hibiya, I heard "Debiddo!", and there she stood, to my left, waiting patiently...I immediately stripped off my sopping extra cotton shirt and poncho, got a jel from Kanako, and was off to Shinagawa...
15K: The run down to Shinagawa was quite easy as I was warmed up, jelled up, and a few pounds lighter. I ran with Colin for a about 1K before as we approached the lead group heading back up towards Hibiya. As I approached the turnaround at Shinagawa, I scanned the crowd and spotted Greg and Steve, than Jay and Martin moving all too easily, than Mika and Terry. I heard yells and screams of "Go Motozo", gambare, fighto, which was a nice little pick-me-up.
20K: I caught up to Terry, who slowed to eat a jel, but promised to catch me at the finish. Than I approached Mika and we stayed close together until Hibiya when Kanako again appeared, this time to my right side, bearing more energy gifts. It had started raining hard, so I grabbed the poncho back from Kanako, and refitted it over my head sans soaked shirt this time, which felt actually quite nice. Thank you Kamu! (chu to dakko shite!)
25K: Scoffing on a power gel, I surged forward having lost a valuable 45 seconds on the gel/poncho break and managed a 23:15 split, which was my slowest of the day excluding the slow start. I now felt really good, knowing that half the race was behind me. The bright atmosphere of Ginza (pictured here) also helped. It was like a white tunnel of love. Bands were playing, cheerleaders dancing, obasans and kids yelling the G word. I was fully fuelled and relatively dry, except for my feet.
30K: I kept pushing the pedal to the medal and felt that my goal time was actually realistic. I ran a 22:12 split, which was under my goal pace of 22:20. Running up towards the Asukusa turnaround at 28K, I again spied at the runners heading down on the right. I called out again to Brett, Greg, Adam, Jay and Martin (again running steady), and Steve before hitting the turn.
35K: The 30K point was where I crashed and burned in Ohtawara last November, but I felt better this time and pressed on at a blistering 4:22 pace, my 2nd fastest split of the day. I was now in the Motozo Zone. Noone was going to catch me, and I wasn't going to catch anyone. I thought of Lance Armstrong's book, "It's not about the Bike", and how pain was only temporarily, but the disappointment of quitting lasts forever. I wasn't going to quit unless my body caved in. It was about how much I wanted my PB...
40K: Well, my legs almost caved in at the 38K point. I felt like I was working 110%, but running 10% slower. My splits from 35K slowing started to deteriorate, from 4:25 to 4:29, than 4:31, 4:35. At 40K, I came in at 22:36, my 2nd slowest split (excluding the start). Those hills in Odaiba hurt me. My right hamstring and calf felt really tight. Several guys had pulled over at the middle of those hills. Still, I tried to push myself. I counted down....5K to go, now 4K, now 3K, just pretend you're in the palace on the 2nd half of a 5K run, coming into the home stretch...
Last 2.2K: At 40K, I was almost sure I would get under 3:09...it became a question of by how much..could I get 3:07 or even 3:06??? I groaned as another big hill came into view. It looked like a war zone ahead. Wounded soldiers pulled over left and right, stetching sore calves and hamstrings, the scanty crowd yelling "Lasto". I tried to sprint, but that only slightly increased my speed. At 1K to go, I had a full 5 minutes to get my goal. Those last steps felt an eternity. I checked my watch at about 500 meters, than again at 300. Where is the damn finish? Still not in my sights....finally, a turn and I can see the finish line, but it's so far! I try to sprint again and this time my legs respond...Welcome to the Big Site! Next stop, Iron Man Japan!!!
Splits:
5K: 23:53
10K: 21:31
15K: 21:45
20K: 21:48
25K: 23:15
30K: 22:12
35K: 21:52
40K: 22:36
2.2K: 9:53
Totals:
First 15K: 1:07:14
20K: 1:29:02
Half: 1:33:55
30K: 2:14:29
40K: 2:58:57
42.2K: 3:08:49 (previous best, 3:09:58, was Ohtawara Marathon, 2002)
Place:
802 place out of 25,000 runners, approx. top 3%
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Pre-marathon running days
Having reached the peak of training 3 weeks before the big Tokyo Marathon race, a mileage report...
The peak week: January 23-28, total=108K
Monday: off
Tuesday: 15K easy pace in palace
5K: 23:49
5K: 23:44
5K: 23:56
Wednesday: 18K hard workout at track thanks to Jay...
1.6K: 6:48
1.6K: 6:41
1.6K: 6:45
1.6K: 6:43
1.6K: 6:38
1.6K: 6:31
1.6K: 6:23
1.6K: 6:20
1.6K: 6:14
+3.6K jog
Thursday: 8K easy run palace
5K: 24:14
3K: 17:07
Friday: 17K Hard palace run with Steve, Mika
5K: 21:32
5K: 22:36
5K: 23:02
2K: 8:20
Saturday: 10K easy run at gym
4K: 23:30
5K: 27:13
2K: 13:31
Sunday: 38K long hard run in yoyogi park and palace with Juergen and Mika
2.5K: 13:16 Yoyogi park 8 laps
2.5K: 12:27
2.5K: 12:23
2.5K: 12:33
2.5K: 12:34
2.5K: 12:33
2.5K: 12:18
2.5K: 12:10
6K: 33:57 streets to palace
2.2K: 10:56
5K: 22:28 Palace
5K: 22:55
On to the taper!
64K for January 29 to February 4
15K: 1:09:04
15K: 1:04:25
8K: 47:13
26K: 2:20:37
Picture: Mt. Takao in December with lots of marathon nanbanners!
The peak week: January 23-28, total=108K
Monday: off
Tuesday: 15K easy pace in palace
5K: 23:49
5K: 23:44
5K: 23:56
Wednesday: 18K hard workout at track thanks to Jay...
1.6K: 6:48
1.6K: 6:41
1.6K: 6:45
1.6K: 6:43
1.6K: 6:38
1.6K: 6:31
1.6K: 6:23
1.6K: 6:20
1.6K: 6:14
+3.6K jog
Thursday: 8K easy run palace
5K: 24:14
3K: 17:07
Friday: 17K Hard palace run with Steve, Mika
5K: 21:32
5K: 22:36
5K: 23:02
2K: 8:20
Saturday: 10K easy run at gym
4K: 23:30
5K: 27:13
2K: 13:31
Sunday: 38K long hard run in yoyogi park and palace with Juergen and Mika
2.5K: 13:16 Yoyogi park 8 laps
2.5K: 12:27
2.5K: 12:23
2.5K: 12:33
2.5K: 12:34
2.5K: 12:33
2.5K: 12:18
2.5K: 12:10
6K: 33:57 streets to palace
2.2K: 10:56
5K: 22:28 Palace
5K: 22:55
On to the taper!
64K for January 29 to February 4
15K: 1:09:04
15K: 1:04:25
8K: 47:13
26K: 2:20:37
Picture: Mt. Takao in December with lots of marathon nanbanners!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
A rare mid-winter update
I usually only update this blog after a race, but 2 events have prompted me to post my thoughts and pictures.1. A brand new toy (triathlon bike).
2. An excellent week of marathon training, as the peak of February Tokyo marathon training cycle approaches.
By popular request (well, my brother, Mary, and a colleague at work), I've took some quick snappies from my living room of the new addition, where she sits still in pristine splendor. I should give her a name such as "Blue Thunder", "Blue Highway", "Fast Mother Fo", "Blew By You", "Carbon Homicide", Jane Seymour, Koyuki, Q-chan, Franka Potente, Hilary Swank, etc. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let motozo@yahoo.com know!
The Tokyo marathon is quickly approaching. Showtime is February 18, which gives your humble narrator exactly 5 weeks left to train. Given the 10 day taper, there are only realistically 3 more weeks of hard training ahead. The past 2 weeks were good, fuelled by a long new year holiday and trip to Singapore to pick-up Hilary Swank. During my 1 week stay in Singapore, I got in no less than 4 runs in +30 C heat, plus a 70K bike ride on Blue Thunder. I think the hot runs and time off helped, because I upped my weekly mileage from 76K in late December to 81K last week and 93K this week without much problem. This past week was particularly satisfying. I don't usually post my workouts, but here goes:
January 8-14
Monday: off
Tuesday: 15K easy run in Palace at about 4:40/K pace.
Wednesday: Hard track workout at Oda field. First, a "warmup" with Carol and Jay of 4 X 1600: Splits were 6:35, 6:32, 6:33, 6:50. Than, Mika persuaded me to do a hard 10K pace run at 4:15/K pace. We were able to hold that pace, although it was tough. Akira and Masako stayed with me the whole way. Total of 18K of high quality running.
Thursday: off
Friday: Hard 15K pace run. 5K splits were 21:57, 21:52, 21:38 for an average of 4:21/K pace. Probably my best 15K training run in many, many moons...
Saturday: Easy 13K recovery run in Akasaka Gosho. 3.3K splits were 17:24, 17:28, 17:07, 17:27, for an average pace of 5:16 K/pace.
Sunday: Hard long run of 32K. Total time was 2:27:00 for a brisk 4:35/K pace (7:22/mile pace). The last 7K were particularly fast with Steve, as we cruised along at 4:20 pace for several K.
Total: 93K for the week (58 miles), with 3 relatively hard runs and 2 easy runs. I hope to log in over 100K at some point in the next few weeks, with at least 1 run of 35K. This should prepare my legs and mind somewhat for the "wall" at 30-42K. Today's long run felt good. I was tired after 32K, but felt I could hold the pace for another 5K or so.
Some other pics of interest over the past month:
Nanbanners countdown the new year at Motozo's, Dec 31, 2006: Nanban jin include Juergen, Keren, and Robin, all in the funny pointy hats.
Editor's note: Motozo ran 25K virtually alone the next day on a vicious hangover (Stuart joined for the final 7K).
At the countdown, HG was in the haus! Yahooooo! MC commentary.
Gemba kara nama housou suru 現場から生放送する......3... 2... 1...pop goes the weasel! Happy new year...akebono omedeto gozaimasu, kotonishiki yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
New year's resolutions are to successfully drive Franka Potente thru to the finish of Japan Iron Man in June, 2007, run a PB in the Tokyo marathon, become the top-rated stock analyst in Japan, and last and least, to compose less samui oyaji gyagu.
Meanwhile, a defrost trip to SE Asia beckoned....
A Victorian-looking Singapore street in the old China Town, toured by fellow Binghamton Devil Lord
Chris Fix.
The beach at Salang on Tioman Isle, s
ame as it ever was, serene and deep blue. The beach was a ghost town due to Monsoon season. We could not find a drop of sake in the entire town.
Our plane back to civilization... Plane capacity: 44, Crew: 3, Tota
l passengers: 2 !!! I said TWO!Motozo is dead serious. More next month after the big Tokyo Marathon....sayonara
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Ohtawara Marathon Memories...bittersweet
Motozo's goal (and folly) was to run a solid yet easy 3:20ish tuneup marathon for the Tokyo International Marathon in February, but the race turned out to be a big and hairy challenge to break 3 and 1/2 hours. 
In retrospect the goal was unrealistic but a decent learning experience and a fantastic festival afterwards in the georgeous Tochigi automn setting.
It started innocently enough, but Motozo faded badly in the 2H of the marathon.
In retrospect the goal was unrealistic but a decent learning experience and a fantastic festival afterwards in the georgeous Tochigi automn setting.It started innocently enough, but Motozo faded badly in the 2H of the marathon.
5K splits were:
22:43, 23:00, 23:48, 24:54, 24:11, 25:10, 26:09, 27:28, 11:31 (2.2K)
for a 3:28:58 race, about 20 minutes slower than my marathon PB! The first 20K went well at 1:34:26, which put me well under my goal of low 3:20s. At this point I felt semi-decent with little knee pain, but at about 30K I hit "the wall" while running with Paddy. We both slowed to a tortoise pace 26:09 5K at 30-35K, and tried to pump each other up with "Fighto" or "Last one across the finish is a rotten egg" or Keren's favorite, "you're a very attractive man, and don't think I haven't noticed". 
The last 7K was excrutiating, and I nearly threw in the towel (if it weren't for Paddy and 
Leng Leng (caught embarrasingly in this photo) from Singapore Singapore I would have walked those last few K). I saw my low 3:20s goal erased before my eyes but my stiff legs could not toil any faster than a pitiful jogger's pace. I knew I was in trouble when the 3:30 pacers passed me at 40K, but at 41K somehow I managed to pick up the pace and crossed the finish with over a minute to spare under 3:30.
The 2H clearly showed my lack of long run training.
Below is a handy list of excuses for my poor performance (feel free to incorporate them for any of your underperformances):
1. Lack of long runs: only 2 "long" runs of 25K in past 2 months (not including the 40K Yamanote run, which took over 4 hours). Note to myself; run more high quality runs...Mika, let's challenge in December/January!
2. Jet lag: returned from Hawaii less than 3 days before the race (5 hour time difference). Note to myself; don't go on an international trip before a big race!
3. Wind was a much heralded negative factor: several nanbanners ran slower than expected due to the "headwind". How this slowed people down, I am not exactly sure, since rationally, a headwind should become a tailwind on a circular course like Ohtawara.
4. Lack of overall mileage: only maxed out at 70K per week in September and October. Average was about 55-60K per week. Note to myself; run more!
5. Heavier training shoes: I wore my Kayanos to protect my sore runner's knee. Note to myself; use the light trainers for Tokyo, Motozo!
6. A gash on my left toe (surfing accident in Hawaii). This turned out to be a non-factor virtually, thanks to Mami's wrapping supplies and free advice from several nanbanners. Note to Motozo; don't go surfing, skiing, play rugby, party like a rock star, or engage in any other horseplay before the Tokyo marathon or Japan Ironman next year!
Congrats to those that ran PBs!! Chika, Rie, Mika (last week),
Stuart, Paddy, and Majime Mike...did I leave anyone out? Both Rie and Chika passed me early in the 1H (quite damaging to my male ego, but the beer and onsen soothed my wounds), and they both slowed considerably in the 2H not dissimilar to my own splits. So perhaps the wind did play a role in their performances as well.
Some of the festivities and debauchery are depicted in the photos below. Notice Chika giving Stuart, Rie, and herself a warm round of applause (atatatatatakai hakushu) for their marathon PBs. Thanks to Gareth for organizing and skillful MC tasks. Respect!
Motozo
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Edogawa 10K
25 Nambanners participated in Sunday's Edogawa 10k, carrying home eight awards including Brett's second consecutive overall first place trophy. Moreover a remarkable seven Nambanners achieved a Personal Best time despite warm temperatures and a course that while fast, is not necessarily the optimal PB course. Thanks to Shiba-san for organizing this wonderful event, and thanks for support of Taeko and Paul's wife Junko.Motozo's time was a PB 39:41 !
I thought I was in big trouble right before the race -- the Tullys near my house was not open on Sunday morning at 7:30am. Thankfully I managed to find a combini less than 30-minutes before the gun went off and was able to consume a caffeinated beverage. It seemed like we had been talking about this race for months, and it was my first big 10k race in a long time, maybe over a year. There were no less than 6 of us who were going to shoot for a sub-40 race (Keren, Simon, Paddy, Adam, Anthony, Motozo), so I expected it to be fun and competitive...
When the gun went off most of my teammates around me (Keren, Adam, Stu, Paddy, Jun, Simon, Anthony) went out fast. All the excitement of the Edogawa start on the track with the band playing and the crowd cheering
causes people to run the first 500-meters way too fast. I knew I should stay behind Bob, the savvy veteran of innumerable Edogawa campaigns, but soon lost him in the crowd. Instead, I ran with Keren and Simon from the get go at a blistering 3:48 first 1k, and just under 4 minute/K pace for the next 4k, which felt quite fine. The back half was tough as the heat began to take its toll, and we all slowed to 4:02 pace for 6-8k. At 9k, I felt more confident that I could get under 40 with still a 5 second cushion, and shifted gears once more. The last K was about 3:40 which gave me almost identical 5k splits of 19:50 or so. 
Monday, September 04, 2006
Sado Island Astroman power activate!
The "longest day of our lives" started with a quick dip in the Sea of Japan at 7AM. We were fresh, albeit sleepy, feeling the full benefits of 2 days of carbo and protein loading at the ryokan Yuukei Sado, which served up no less than 8 types of fish the previous 3 meals.Here we are at the start. From left, Keren, who unfortunately, was unable to retain most of the delicious fish dishes. (But doesn't he look marvelous in the photo?)
Motozo, your humble narrator.
Adam York, who loves New York.
Jay, a serious runner who enjoys porpoising in his spare time.
After a few "tattemae" speeches from the locals, the gun sounded and we were off into the Sea of Japan (actual a warm 25 degree harbor in Sawada beach) at 7 AM sharp.
Swim: The swim began with the usual chaotic kicks, splashes, and other chicanery. We managed to get in at the near beach point, which was slightly closer to the 1st buoy. This allowed us to run and porpoise for the first 100 meters and get away from the pack. This worked well for Keren and Adam, but unfortunately for Jay and myself, the fast swimmers soon converged on us, which only delayed the inevitable kicking, sideswipping, biting, and other horseplay so typical of a triathlon start. At about 200 meters some 50 or so swimmers swamped us from left, right, and center. I got my goggles knocked off by inadvertant kick and feared a lost contact lens. (No photos available due to lack of underwater camers.) But alas, I could see that my 700 meter time was 14 minutes, so right on time and full vision intact......I settled down after that and got into my groove, which is mostly breaststroke with an occasional flurry of free style strokes. I have to admit that although my swim was slightly faster than previous races, I felt uncomfortable in the wetsuit and couldn't wait to get back to the beach. At the 1200 meter point, we turned for a last time and headed back to shore. At about 26 minutes I had slowed down a bit, but was still under my goal of 45 minute pace. The last 800 meters was tough. The view of the shore was deceptively clear, and I kept thinking that I was closer than I actually was. The water was also pristine. At
about 200 meters out, I could see the bottom and tried to touch, but the depth was actually well above my head, and I sank awkwardly below the surface. I tried again at about 100 meters and finally was able to porpoise and stagger on to the beach in 42 minutes. A quick peek around but no sign of the others......Bike: The transition (depicted in this photo) went fine and I was soon cranking away on my bike, loaded with rocket fuel (gels mixed with sports drink), power bars, advil, etc. I did see Jay right at the start, but was eager to accelerate, so I didn't stop to chat. I figured I would see Jay later during the run.....It felt great to get on the bike saddle again. The weather was getting hotter, but I cruised at about 35-39 KPH for the first 20K over relatively flat terrain. I passed dozens of bikers before catching up to a faster pack on the other side of the island. As I attempted to gain o
n the pack, I heard a soft voice calling "David, David" from behind. What? nan desu ka? It can't be Keran or Adam, and I didn't think Jay was that close. But it was Murray, a friend from Westy Bike Club, on his brand new $7,000 bike, with a head of steam. I took some rocket fuel and tried stay with Murray. In this bike photo, we are climbing one of several hills at around 30-50K on other side of Sado, having gained and past some of the riders in the big pack. At this point, I made one of the few regrettable moves of the day by attemping to eat a power bar while riding. How not to eat a power bar during a race! I could write a book...In my bento box sat 2 power bars poised for consumption, which I had cleverly chopped up the night before (or so I thought). The dilemma was there was no way to get the bars out of the ziploc bag without crashing. I couldn't get out the bars from the bag with one hand, and my humble Giant bike was too unstable to risk riding no hands. So finally I tried to bite thru the plastic bag to no avail. Not only did I fail to get any nourishment, but I lost Murray and most of the riders around. I put the bars back in the bento box, and settled for some rocket fuel again. The rest of the ride was fun and exciting. After the power bar comedy of errors, I settled down and increased my speed. I was on a good pace, well under my 3 1/2 hour goal for 105K, which was about 32-34KPH. It was heating up to over 30 degrees C, but the wind and tunnels cooled us down somewhat. At about 50K, I bumped into Keren. He was having a bad hair day and normally would have been further ahead. We road together for a few minutes. Then I hit "Heartbreak Hill" at 80K. Most had billed it as a nasty climb, while Keren had toned it down to a small anthill. It turned out to be relatively tough. The actual slope wasn't too bad, but the distance was. About 3-4K of solid climbing, than a short downhill, than a few more Ks of uphill. It didn't help that this was the hottest part of the day. I was in the lowest gear under 10KPH for a good 2K at one point....Back on the Sawada side of the island we climbed up a large cliff, anc coasted down into a gorgeous coastline view of Sawada and adjoining areas for the final 15K. At 1 point my bike was approaching 60KPH and I felt euphoria and terror equally as I leaned into the turns like a motorcycle racer would. Similar to the end of the swim, I was happy to get off the bike. Although it had been a joyful ride, my ass was killing me!
Run: The run was by far the most exciting and emotional part of the race, as we all converged on that 20K course thru the rice fields of Sawada. I caught a glimpse of Adam on the run as I was pulling into the bike area, than saw Keren on his bike as I got into the first 2K of the run. My legs felt stiff, particularly the inner thighs, but I was more concerned about my knee. Thankfully, there was no usual twinge of discomfort on my left knee, so I continued to rumble on at a 5 minute pace. The day had turned out to be a scorcher and we were heading into the unshaded rice fields, but I kept telling myself to simply get thru the first 5K, than to the turnaround at 10K, than another 5K, than the home stretch. It worked rather well. At 3-4K, after a toilet and stretch break, I got into a groove and the cramps went away from inner thighs. I was extremely overheated, but I guess those hot runs in the palace twice a week this summer accustomed my body to the heat (thank you Jayne!). I was also very keen to see where Adam and Jay were, and I got a shock at the 10K turnaround. First shock: Adam, who I figured was 2K ahead of me, was only 200 meters in front of me! Second shock: Jay, the running demigod, was a mere 300 meters behind me. At 11K I caught up to Adam, who appeared to be cramping up in the heat. We chatted about, you guessed it, the freaking hot weather. Adam said, “you get going” (to maintain my lead on Jay). I predicted Jay would pass me in 2-3K, although I kept a glimmer of hope that I could outlast him. At 15K, I was still in the lead and couldn’t believe that Jay was still behind me. My 10-15K split was about 24 minutes, so a little faster than the 51 minute first 10K. Still, I didn’t think it was fast enough to hold him off….
At 17K, I heard those familiar steps. Deju vu all over again (at Saipan 1 year ago, Jay had run me down during the 15K run of the Tagaman Triathalon in blistering heat as well. I groaned but had to pat him on the back, “What took you so long?” I asked sarcastically. Jay grunted and we exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. Than he was a few meters ahead, than 10, 20, 30….
At about 18K, Jay was 100 meters ahead, but didn’t appear to be gaining any more ground. It occurred to me that I should try to gather up my Astroman powers and try to chase him down, but I didn’t have even gas left in the tank. I pondered….
Had I been able to get open the bag of powerbars?
Had I not braked so hard on those last bike hills?
Had I not run the 20K at Fuji Yoshida?
Had I only practiced my porpoising technique more??!!
So it goes. The finish was bittersweet. I completely shattered my goal time of 6 hours, which I had deemed as an aggressive goal, so I was extremely satisfied with that result. Getting passed by Jay was not fun, but I’ll take as a blessing and use it as motivation to train harder next time!
My stats were:
Swim 2K: 42:15 (216th place out of 628 triathletes)
Bike 105K: 3:21:23 (75th)
Run 20K: 1:37:07 (71st)
Total 5:40:45 (70th overall out of 628 triathletes)
64th out of 522 men14th out of 83 in my age group
Many thanks to Keren for setting up the whole joy ride, and Jay, Adam, Yoshida san for just being there! I’d also like to thank the nanbanners who have encouraged me to run, bike, and swim hard over the past months. This race was a truly gratifying experience and the course was simply breathtaking. I recommend it to any triathletes out there. Now a few days later as the stiffness in my legs resides, I feel a rekindled desire to run faster than ever before this fall and swim, bike, and run to new goals next year. For now, I’ll fold up the bike and gear up for the fall run season…. One last thingie….those who had put up with my moaning and groaning over runner’s knee and general pre-race stress, I salute you. Respect!
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