Happy Holidays!

Have a wonderful holiday season and all the best for 2014!

with Santa at Christmas market in Osaka, Japan

Christmas market, Grand Front, Osaka, Japan

Christmas, German-style

Feliz Noche Buena!

One final quote to end this year and begin a new.

"A journey of 1,000 miles begins with just one step."

Busy Month

"It's amazing what happens when you just won't give up."

Between wedding plans, applying for new jobs, studying Japanese, work and fitting in gym sessions, it's been super-busy.  Despite getting max 6hrs of sleep each night, I'm not complaining.  I've chosen to fill my plate, it's just a matter of finding motivation.

Recent motivation comes from the quote and video above.  It's hard to believe the things this guy can do.  I imagine they're the kind of things that can be done when we refuse to give in.

Back At It

After a superbly lazy week following the marathon, it was time to get back to it.

I'm doing a very unstructured plan with the aim to put on some muscle and move a bit toward barefoot running.

For packing on weight, I'll lift in the gym twice a week and do plyo and callisthenics at home twice a week.  For barefoot, Alan recently got his license as a vivo barefoot coach, so he's giving me some exercises to do: jumping in place, squats while up on my toes and picking up towels with my toes.

Other than this, I'll be getting out on the bike, swimming and hopefully bouldering once in a while.


On a different note, last weekend was the Ultraman World Championship on the big island of Hawaii.  This is the first year that I really followed the event, and one thing that stands out to me is the age of the competitors.  Most of the male competitors, including the overall winner, are in their high 40's or even 50's.  I guess that gives me plenty of time to prepare!

Read all about it at the links below.

Story behind the race

Athlete bios

(Short) Race report

Full results

2013 Kobe Marathon: Race Report

Have you ever slept better the night before a race than the night after?  Me neither, until now.

Why?  Couldn't tell you.

Maybe it's the fact that my mind kept racing (no pun intended) even after my body had finished.  So close.  So close.

On a positive note, the cloud of disappointment eventually broke up and a cloud of real, physical pain rolled in.  The pain probably relieved the disappointment as it was a sign that I really did push myself.

Anyway, on to the race.  It all started perfectly the evening before.  I laid my head down around 9.30pm, 15min of visualization and almost right to sleep.  

Popped out of bed at 5am, enjoyed a steaming bowl of rice and filet of mackerel before heading back to bed for 40mins.  I even fell asleep again!

Up again at 6.10am, quick coffee, shower, double check race kit and bag and out the door at 7.

Our local train was relatively empty with a few others heading downtown to run.  Then, we switched to the express.  Packed door-to-door with runners.  You could feel the energy.

We got to Sannomiya, Kobe's downtown, and it got crazier.

gorgeous morning

Natsuko and I had to split just after reaching Sannomiya because we were starting from different areas, so we said our good-byes, and began the race experience.  

As most things in Japan, the organization was great.  Plenty of signs to get to your starting area, find where to check your bag and even marked off areas for people to warm up.

bag check

I checked my bag around 8, went for a 10min warm-up jog and then my final bathroom break.  One problem, the lines for the toilets were insane.  

For a moment, I stood in a line of at least 100 people waiting to use one of 3 toilets.  Thankfully, a volunteer came over and told us there were shorter lines a few hundred meters away.  Okay, more warm-up jog.

Promptly at 8.45, I got into my corral and moved as close to the front as I could.  Nibbling on a banana and sipping on sports drink, those last minutes were agonizing.  'Just stay calm, focus on breathing.'

Finally, bang on 9am, we got a move on.  Kind of.

Because of the number of people and the relatively narrow road, the first k was REALLY slow.  Stop, start, stop, start.

My watch beeped, 5.27 first k, seriously!  'Don't panic, you knew this was coming, just ease into it.'

Second k, 4.30.  'This is ridiculous, 2 k in and already 1.20 off the pace!'  I continued to breathe deep and remind myself that a good friend who ran this a couple years ago warned me about this.

Not long after, I saw a friendly face.  A buddy from work, Gary, stood on the the sidelines shouting encouragement with a beaming smile.  Not sure if he knows it, but that was a huge boost.  Thanks!

From then, I was on pace, even a little below.

K by k, I was pulling back time, but I had to step in, 'you can't make it all up at once.  Stick to your pace, and if you've got it at the end, make it up then.'

And on we went.

Out past Nagata and Tetsujin 28-go, through Suma and out to the Akashi bridge.

Kobe Marathon map, www.kobe-marathon.net

Tetsujin 28-go, pic from madebysix.wordpress.com

The course is pretty flat, a LITTLE rolling from 9 to 26km but nothing that threw me too much off pace.  The flat k's were just under 4.20 while the slightly up k's were just over. 

Kobe Marathon topography, www.kobe-marathon.net

Halfway came at just over 1.32, a little above my target of 1.31.30 meaning I had pulled back nearly a whole minute from my slow start.

As promised, it was time to decide which goal time to go for.  The first half had come and gone so quickly.  I took a quick survey, 'still able to breathe comfortably through my nose, left leg giving a bit but generally feels strong, eating, drinking and salt tabs on course and mentally with it.'

Okay, stretch goal time it is.

Funnily enough, not too long after this decision, the first half started to creep up on me.  I focused on my mantras and breathing, and it went away.  It was off and on, but I was able to keep the negativity at bay more or less.

Then, somewhere around 30k, another friendly face!  My Japanese teacher appeared just where she said she would.  Thanks so much!

Around 32k is where things got interesting.

My pace was 4.24per k, exactly what I needed to go 3.04.59.  With 10k to go and 30 meters of climbing over 2k to top the bridge, I decided to push the gas. 

In races, I often think of my level of effort as driving a car.  Specifically, how hard you push the gas pedal.  The further into the race you go, the harder you have to push the gas to keep the same pace.  Hence, why I decided to push the gas.

Battling more mental ups and downs, and the beginning of a side-stitch, I roughly held the 4.24 per k.

pic from JanneM on www.flickr.com

Just after 35k, came the point I was waiting for.  I had specifically trained for.  I had spent time visualizing.  The bridge climb.

'Short quick turnover, breathe smoothly, don't try to catch anyone, just keep it steady.'

That's what I did, and it worked.  Two folks that I had been running behind for a long time unable to catch, slowly came back to me.  I was feeling physically rough, but mentally good.  I stayed as tight to the wall as possible to avoid the beaming sun.

To my surprise, there were volunteers cheering the whole 3k up and over the bridge.  There was also a parking structure close to the bridge where a group of enthusiasts were making a crazy amount of noise.  I'll get to the experience later, but needless to say, the support was incredible.

I came screaming down the opposite side of the bridge trying to maintain control so as not to push myself too much, but that's exactly what happened.

With the bridge only a few hundred meters behind me, my worst nightmare.  The side-stitch hit hard.  The pain, agonizing.

I managed a few hundred more meters before I relented to a walk.  'Just for a bit.  Deep breaths, hold your side and it'll recede enough to get moving again.'

Jog again and it worsened.  Again and again and again.  As I walked past the screaming supporters, with my goal time slipping right through my fingers, I couldn't believe it.

With 2k to go, 'alright, embrace the suck, you gotta wanna hurt.'  I told myself and started a light jog.

There was a gurgling in my stomach, I thought the Sports Yokan were coming back up and was almost encouraging it think it may help.  

'Jog to the next corner.  Jog to the next light.  Jog to the next cone.'  One landmark at a time before we rounded the corner for home.  Two things hit me, a slight let up in the pain and a light-headed dizziness.

Jogging one street lamp to the next, I finally got there.

pic from thomsontimes.com
okay, the pic is 2011, but the finish was the same

Initial feeling: dizziness

After 20mins: exhaustion

45mins: excitement to watch Natsuko

2hrs: mix, extreme hunger and stomach pain

3hrs: disappointment and hunger for the next one

2013 Kobe Marathon - 3.12.46

Post-marathon stream of consciousness.

finisher medals!

First, a huge congrats to Natsuko on her first marathon!  

I was able to watch her last couple k from the sideline, and she looked great.  

A couple minutes after the finish, she told me to ask her if she'd ever do it again.  So, I asked.  "Never," was her reply.

Understandable.

But, a few hours later, she mentioned wanting to improve her time and take a few years break before the next one.  At this rate, I figure we'll be signing up for another marathon by spring next year :)

I've failed over and over and over again in my life,

and that's why I succeed.

For me, a lot of good things came from today:

- lowered my PB by about 7min to 3.12.46

- no bathroom stops reinforcing my relatively new approach to nutrition

- pushed several k with a side stitch and then jogged the final k's despite it getting really bad

Despite all this, I feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment.  I didn't reach my goal time and when things got tough, I didn't commit and stick to my mantras and mental strategies.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not down in the dumps hanging my head and kicking dirt, just hungry for the next one.  Full race report to come, but I ran well through 38km and then blew up.  So close.  One day, I will succeed.

Weeks 19 & 20: Kobe Marathon

at the expo with the Kobe Marathon mascot 

You're body can do anything, 

it's just your brain that you have to convince.

Taper time and all is going great!  All of the niggles have melted away, I'm sleeping at least 7 and a half hours a night and regularly doing visualization.

The last couple of pace runs were excellent.  My legs felt really powerful.  Surprisingly powerful.

All signs looking good :)

goodie bag!

Goal Time - 3.08.59
If I hit this goal time, it'll be a personal best (PB) by about 10 minutes.  That may seem like a lot, but my last pure road marathon was New York City in 2009 before venturing into Ironman, ultra-marathons and adventure racing.

To be honest, 3.08.59 feels like a modest goal.  It won't be easy, but I feel I can run faster.  So, I'm going with a stretch goal time of 3.04.59.

Where do I come up with these times, you ask?  Well, 3.08.59 is the main goal as it's just under a Boston Marathon qualifying time.  Not that I'm planning to run Boston anytime soon, but I'd like to run the time.  The stretch goal is more competition.  My old training buddy, Alan, has a 3.05 PB, so I'd REALLY like to run under that.

As for strategy, I'm planning to go through half-way in 1.31.30 (4.20min km/ 7min miles).  At that point, I'll assess how I'm feeling and decide which time to go after.

map of the course

Mental Strategies
Following on from this post's quote and all the training, I know that I'm physically capable of running the stretch goal time.  But, it doesn't matter how much I believe this while sitting on my couch typing this post.  The only time it matters is from tomorrow's gun to the time I cross that finish line.  So, here are a few things I've done to prep.

> Running the course - I was lucky enough to get into a race in my home city.  So, I've run on the course 4 times feeling every last twist, turn and bump with my feet.  The first time didn't feel so great, but I have to say the next few times felt like the k's just flew by.  Hope that's a sign of things to come :)

> Mantras - "Embrace the suck." is a perfect quote from Chris McCormack about how to cope with those tough times in an endurance race.  Read more about McCormack's thoughts HERE.  For me, this is all about finding the mental strength to continue when your body and much of your brain wants to quit.

"You got to want to suffer." advice given to Luke McKenzie by Craig Alexander during last month's Ironman World Championship.  McKenzie was leading the race but in a low spot when he passed Alexander going the other way.  See McKenzie's post race interview HERE.

Sports Yokan, my race nutrition

Nutrition
I'll stick with what's worked in the past.  The week before the race, I limit my fiber intake, especially from two days before.  Also, I'll gradually start adding more carbs by switching my salad snack for fruit and increasing my carbs at meals for extra calories from the missing veg.

The night before is always pasta and tuna.  The sauce is usually just extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

The race starts at 9am, so I'll be up at 5am for my rice and fish breakfast, lay down for a bit longer before getting up for a quick shower.  Then, it's a weak cup of coffee to get my brain and stomach going and out the door.

30mins prior to the race, I'll have a banana if I'm hungry and sip on a sports drink every 5-10mins.  For this race, Sports Yokan is my food nutrition of choice.  Yokan is a popular sweet in Japan, and this product has been adapted for racing.  I used it in the Sahara and it was perfect: not much flavor, easy to eat on the run, settles well and has more calories than standard gels so I don't have to eat as often .


Thanks for listening everyone.

I guess all that's left to do is enjoy 42.2!

Triathlon Championships

It's been several weeks, but I wanted to write something about the Ironman and Xterra world championships that took place last month.

IRONMAN

pic by John David Becker on Triathlete.com

In Kona, the men's race was taken by Frederick Van Lierde of Belgium.  Second went to a super-lean Luke Mckenzie from Australia, and rounding off the podium was my favorite for the win, Sebastian Kienle of Germany.

It was an interesting race, different from other years, because the three podium finishers came off the bike ahead of the strongest runners and were never challenged from behind.  But, the action was great!  Into T2, in order, Andy Starykowicz (USA), McKenzie, Kienle and Van Lierde.  The American  quickly fell away and McKenzie ran with the lead for about 17 miles before Van Lierde took over.  Kienle was having a hard time in third, but he gutted it out.

Positive news on the American front, Tim O'Donnell took fifth place.  One step at a time.

Another guy I like for the future in Kona is another Belgian, Bart Aernouts.  The guy is running all over the pro field.  In Kona, he ran a 2:44 marathon which was 3mins faster than the next person.  His swim is his achilles heel, but if he can straighten that out.

Multi-champion Dave Scott has been vocal about the fact that the men's field should be running faster, maybe sub 2:40's, and I think Aernouts is the guy to do it.

With a bit more excitement, the women also had an interesting one.   The swim was pretty much as expected, but on the bike, a huge group formed.  This is common for the men, but not so for the women.  In what a lot of pros said was a calm weather day, there were a few women doing the work on the bike, and they finally broke free toward the end of the 180km bike.

The hardworking Rachel Joyce (GBR), was first into T2 with American, Meredith Kessler right behind her.  The most notable point was the speed demon, Mirinda Carfrae, who got off the bike 8mins down on Joyce.  With her amazing speed, Carfrae ran over 30secs a mile into Joyce to take the lead at mile 15.  Amazing stuff!

But, Carfrae didn't stop there.  She went on to post a 2:50 marathon split (third fastest on the day, both men and women!) and break the women's Kona record by 2mins, finishing in 8:52.  Incredible!

The women's podium finished with Joyce in second and Liz Blatchford (GBR) in third.

But, don't just take my word for it.  You can watch the full 8-9hrs HERE.


XTERRA

photo by Nils Nilsen/ Xterra on Triathlete.com

With a growing interest in Xterra, I was hoping to see Javier Gomez (ESP) and Lesley Patterson defend their titles, but neither did.  Gomez passed on the race after a long season and Patterson had a tough day but still finished 2nd.

I'm much less familiar with Xterra and the racers, so not much to comment, but below are some links for videos and pics.

Post race interviews with MEN'S and WOMEN'S champs and PATTERSON.

ULTRAMAN
Last but not least, the most insane, and my ultimate dream, the Ultraman World Champs is coming up at the end of November.

Not familiar with Ultraman?  It's a 320m/ 515k triathlon over 3 days.  Check out the homepage, HERE.

Weeks 13-18: Kobe Marathon 2013

The night is darkest before the dawn.

October was a roller coaster but it's ended on an up-swing!

Weeks 13-16
It's hard to even type this, but I got sick.  Again!  To top it off, once that was gone, some niggles became more than just niggles.

This was my third illness this year, which is hard to stomach given I haven't been sick for over 10 years!  It's cliche, but maybe turning 30 really does change things!

I'm taking this as a clear sign that I'm not 'invincible'.  It's time to start paying closer attention to my body and taking days off when needed.  Harder said than done, but in weeks 13 and 15, I followed through and felt great for it after.  Very positive reinforcement!

Weeks 17-18
Feeling stronger and stronger.  Week 17 was my peak training and it went off without a hitch.

On the Tue long I managed to cover about 34km of the Kobe Marathon course which was excellent.  It was the second time I ran on the course and all went smoothly.  More opinion on the course to come in another post.

Week 18 began tapering, and I could feel the extra rest in my legs.  The sprints felt really strong which was a huge boost.

I've also been adding visualization, so focus is growing.  Getting excited!

Ironman World Championships 2013

Kobe marathon updates to come, but for now, it's full lockdown with Kona this weekend.  The race starts this Sat, Oct 12 at 6.30am Hawaii Standard Time.  You can watch the race live on Ironman.com

Unfortunately, I don't think any Americans will be winning, but they're moving up the ranks.  If you're looking for inspiration, click HERE to read about Mary Beth Ellis, one of the US's top iron-distance athletes.  She broke her collarbone a month ago but is rehabing and staying positive to make the start line on Sat.  Amazing what a lot of hard work and positive energy can do.

If you want to keep up with the media, check out Triathlete.com.  Also, below are a few clips I recommend.

Breakfast with Bob & Paul (interviews with the pros): Day 1 / Day 2

Hines Ward becoming an Ironman.  A pretty cool multi-episode series on YouTube.

Norseman Xtreme Triathlon

Several weeks back was one of the baddest iron-distance races around, the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.  Maybe I've posted about it before, but it's an iron-distance triathlon with a special twist.  Definitely on my bucket list, here's a sneak peak.

The race takes place in Southwest Norway every August.  It begins with a swim in Hardangerfjord (water 13-15C), then a "hilly" bike which climbs from sea level to 1250m within 40k before rolling and coming back down only to run the marathon leg up Gaustatoppen, 1850m above sea level.  Total climbing, 5000m :)

For safety reasons, the race is limited to 250 people and only 160 of those are allowed to pursue the top of the mountain finish, while the rest finish at the lower plateau.  Summiting the mountain gets you a black t-shirt while the plateau finishers receive a white one.

No idea when I'll go for this one, but hopefully sooner rather than later.  Needless to say, I look better in black :)

Week 12: Kobe Marathon 2013

pic from sportsillustrated.cnn.com

There will be obstacles.

There will be doubters.

There will be mistakes.

But with hard work... THERE ARE NO LIMITS.

- Michael Phelps -

First, a round of applause for my beautiful fiancee who ran over a half marathon for the first time!  YAY!  She covered 24.5k and had enough energy to go out afterward.  Superb!

For me, training was surprisingly good this week.  The surprising part came from one of my best pace runs ever which followed a mere 5hrs of sleep.

Thursday morning started with some resistance, much like most of my sprint or pace sessions.  I can't explain why, I'm always a nervous about the discomfort/ pain that comes with these sessions I guess.

Anyway, I strapped on my 3-4kg bag and headed out.  For this session, I run from home to work and on the way take a 30min detour along one of the rivers where I can push the pace without worrying about traffic.  The river paths typically have a 1% gradient, I try to keep it even but if I have to, I try for more up than down.

I eventually got going and decided not to push as usual but rather focus on posture and breathing.  The first k was 4.35 above my 4.20 target pace.  A bit disappointed, but I stuck to the strategy.  From there, everything just rolled.  The second k was 3.53!  In the end, I covered about 7.5k in 30min at a pace of 4.07.  The best part, it felt really smooth (not easy, but smooth).

Man was I stoked for the rest of the day!

Other than that, I haven't been getting enough sleep this week, so we'll see if that impacts Mon and Tue long runs.

8 weeks to go and feeling good!

Triathlon Championships

Lots of news around the tri world.

First, was the 70.3 Worlds in Henderson, Nevada, where Sebastian Kienle defended his title.  He's had a tough season with a number of injuries but put it all together when it counted.

A lot of commentators were saying he couldn't ride away from the group again this year.  They said the other guys wouldn't let it happen.  Well, I don't think they had a choice.

In the women's race, Melissa Hauschlidt, who won in 2011 and had a tough 2012 due to injury, came storming back to take another title.

Enjoy the clip.

In olympic distance news, the grand final of the ITU season and overall points were taken by Javier Gomez for the men and Non Stanford for the women.

Jonathon Brownlee finished 2nd on the day and the season and brother Alistair Brownlee finished way down on the day due to injury and 4th for the season.  A bit of a bummer having lived in London for so long and followed the Brownlees for a while, but it was an excellent race.

Week 11: Kobe Marathon 2013

In general, running was good this week, if a bit adventurous.

First for the adventure.  I've made a change from all road to two trail runs and two road runs a week.  I'm loving the trails on Mount Rokko and below are a few reasons why.

But the trails come with some new friends.  Among the snakes and spiders, wild boar are also common.  Now, boar are totally new to me, and I've been inching closer to them with each encounter.  Well, there's no getting any closer after my latest encounter.

pic from www.itsnature.org

Coming down a hill, I spotted a boar.  All I hear are crazy stories of bitten hands and lost fingers, so naturally, I stopped.  Coming down the hill behind me was a couple who also stopped.  The man decided there was no threat and kept walking.  So, soon his wife/ girlfriend and I followed.

Only two steps in, the boar spots the lady and I, and starts heading closer.  I froze and the lady freaked out.  By the time she was done flailing, the boar had touched us both with his snout and (I'm assuming) figuring out we had no food, continued on his way.

I can't say I wasn't scared, but this was definitely a lesson that not all wild boars are out for fingers.  Doesn't mean I won't run the opposite way next time!

Other than this, a fairly standard week.

In health news, two things.  One, week 11 will be my last week of open diet.  From now, I'll be cutting sweets and alcohol in order to lean out for eight weeks time.

Second is my calf.  I've been pounding my calves a lot with hills in the mountain and calf jumps in strength sessions.  It seems to be catching up.  My right calf has a slight pain at the top on the outside which tends to go when I'm running and come after I've stretched and rested.

No diagnosis, but I'm planning to ice and do extra stretching/ self-massage everyday for a week and see how it goes.  If it's not getting better by next week, I may take some time from my running shoes to recover.

Finally, I haven't been posting my training program because I'm trying to take this a little easier than previous races.   But, to give everyone an idea of what I've been doing and what's to come, here's a peak.

Ironman Kona: Dirk Bockel

Here's a cool video about Dirk Bockel's season in 2012.  As background, Dirk is a German born pro-triathlete turned Luxembourgian.

He didn't finish where he wanted in Kona, but the video is a nice behind the scenes look at the dedication, pressure and pain these guys go through.

Click HERE to watch.

Catching Up

Apologies for the extreme absence.  Here's a brief run-down of the last two months.

Week 2 - Jul 8th
Building into training, decided to eat more to maintain or even put on some weight before trying to lose it later.  This only gave me stomach problems, so gave up.

Week 3 - Jul 15th
Started doing sprints, 6 by about 350m.  Realization, I can't sprint.  I've known this for a long time, but it's different when it becomes a reality.  More to come.

Week 4 - Jul 22nd
An international business group here in Kobe asked me to give a motivational/ informational speech about endurance racing and particularly MDS.  Excellent!  Speech to be Sep 7th.

Week 5 & 6 - Jul 29th
Caught a summer cold.  Three runs in 2 weeks.  I don't want to put it down to age, but I used to be able to keep training, add a few hours of sleep and recover.  Not this time.  For whatever reason, I felt and feel that I have to listen to my body more.

Week 7 & 8 - Aug 12th
Back into training plus Summer holiday!  We went to Summer Sonic in Osaka and Shikoku Island for rafting!

John Legend rocking Summer Sonic

enjoying the show

Shimanto River, Shikoku

Happy Raft was our guide, highly recommend
they speak Japanese and English

Week 9 - Aug 26
Nailed a sprint session!  10x about 350m and felt on top of the world!  Not able to maintain great form but pushed hard throughout.  Core lacking strength.  Something to work on.

Week 10 - Sep 2nd
Absorb week plus the speech.  Running was fine and speech was excellent!  It didn't go perfectly, but I was comfortable and got a great reception.  A group of folks even invited me out for tea after!  It was a great day.

Hello?!?

Earth to Carlos... Earth to Carlos...

Uh, yeah, sorry for the extreme delay.  It's been a hectic couple of months.  I'll get to that more in a future post, but here's some recent stuff.

Diana Nyad actually did it!  She swam 100+ miles from Cuba to the USA without a shark cage.  Insanely awesome!

Also, this Sunday, Sep 8th is the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in Henderson, Nevada.  Check Ironman.com if you want to watch or follow live.

Lastly, I just gave my first motivational/ informational presentation on MdS to a group of 50 people.  I think it went okay, and I had an awesome time!  I'd love to do more of this in the future.  I'll have to find some tougher stuff to keep the material coming :)

Week 1: Kobe Marathon 2013

Here we are again, finally set on another race!

The Kobe Marathon is Sunday, Nov 11, giving me 20 weeks.  This is a good amount of time and with a flat course, my goal is sub 3:10.

But, one big difference this time, I won't let this consume me.  The MDS took over my life (our lives, actually), I wasn't able to study Japanese, and I lost most of what I had learned.  Also, I want to spend more time off-road in the mountains to prep for the Rokko-Juso run the week after Kobe.  This means letting go of specific time/ distance goals for every session.  As such, I won't be posting a training plan every week,  and may not get too training specific.  Let's see how it goes.

Besides, who wouldn't want to spend more time in a place like this :)

Nunobiki Falls, Mt. Rokko

Racing, Racing!

Hey all, finally back in business!

I just found out that I got a place in the 2013 Kobe marathon!  The best part, Natsuko is running as well!  Her first marathon, very exciting.

Also, I've started running with a friend who's preparing for a 100k in Hong Kong.  He has a strong marathon background but hasn't run for years.  So, we're working together to bring back his running fitness.  A very nice project :)

In preparation for his 100k, we'll be running/ jogging/ walking the Rokko-Juso Trail Race, also in Kobe.  This is a 50k trail run through Mt. Rokko which sits just north of Kobe city (check the mountain in the picture above and trail below).

Funnily enough, Rokko-Juso is 6 days after the Kobe marathon, so needless to say, I don't have any dreams of pushing it hard, just take it as it comes.

Anyway, time to scheme up some training plans.  Be back soon with ideas.

Motivation

Here's something I watch for a morning pick-me up.  Enjoy :)

Badwater Ultramarathon

Coming up in July is the ultimate of the ultimate, 135m through Death Valley in the Western USA.

Here's a great video to get you hooked.

Coffee and Racing

After kicking my coffee habit for the desert, I'm slowly being loured back in.  So, this ARTICLE from Triathlete Europe highlighting that coffee isn't such a bad thing for racing set me at ease.

Mt. Rokko

After a long post-MdS layoff, I'm slowly starting to move again.  Today, I headed for the hills.  Literally.

Mt. Rokko, one of many trails

Kobe in the forefront, Osaka in the distance
from Mt. Rokko

My first trip on the trails of Kobe's friendly northern neighbor.  I loved every second and plan to spend more time there.

UNICEF, Charity Stage: Marathon des Sables

Related Posts

From the dessert:  Check-in, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5

Post-race report:  Pre-race, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4 (1), Stage 4 (2), Stage 4 (3), Stage 5


UNICEF, Charity Stage: 7.7k, I'm walking this one!

tent 58, prepped for the UNICEF Stage
somehow, Meghan, tent mate and top woman!, got cut from the right

Disclaimer: 99% of the time I take a positive outlook, and generally, I don't want this blog to be 'political' but I feel strongly about this, so here we go.


New to this year's race is the UNICEF charity stage, a non-competitive 7.7k stage that doesn't count towards standings or time.  In the 27 previous years of the MdS, this day would have been competitive stage 6 and would cover a half marathon making the full race about 250km.

While I'm sure every competitor supports raising awareness for good causes (most people were probably raising money for some charity), I don't think the organization of this charity stage was the best approach.

Here are my thoughts on how it was handled/ could be handled better:

1 ) Poor Communication - Explain this when racers sign up and give them a chance to raise money/ awareness in advance.  The fact that there would be a non-competitive stage was not made clear when we signed up (click HERE for my initial thoughts when I first found out in March).  We were not made aware that the race format was changing nor were we given a chance to raise money/ awareness.

2) Why Non-Competitive? - Make this a competitive, charity stage.  At the end of stage 5, we cross the 'finish' line, are given medals and told 'congrats, you finished!'  This race is more mind than body, and once these things occur, your spirit all but shuts down.  All the little things that were suppressed, now become magnified.  This makes getting up and preparing the next day all the more difficult.

3) Give the Injured a Break - Offer transport to those in serious need.  Many people push themselves to the brink to finish this race.  Over the week, I saw feet, injuries and exhaustion the likes of which I never knew.  But, in the same breath that these people are told to kick back and relax because 'you did it!', they're reminded that they have to do it again tomorrow.

Please don't think I'm angry about this stage.  It was actually quite nice.  I spent the time walking and chatting with my tent mates.  I just think it should be handled differently.

Anyway, the 8k took us about 2hrs, and we were on buses back to a shower and a bed.

Stage 5: Marathon des Sables

Related Posts

From the dessert:  Check-in, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5

Post-race report:  Pre-race, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4 (1), Stage 4 (2), Stage 4 (3)

Stage 5 (marathon stage): 42.2k, more dunes!

Waking up on the last competitive day, I felt free.  Not sure if it was the completed long stage, the day of rest, the already covered 180k, the finisher's medal waiting at the end or the hot meal to come shortly after, but whatever it was, I was loose.

Morning, like clockwork.  Ready to go.

pic by Mark Gillett

 After the long-stage success, stuck to the run/ walk strategy with no anxiety this time.

To be honest, from start through CP2 is all a blur.  Not because I was running that fast, only because I was able to shut my brain off and just go.

Coming out of CP2 and looking at 4k of dunes, brain kicked in again.  Then, on a flat rocky patch, anxiety began to build, 'last day, don't leave anything out here.  Too early to let loose now?  Yeah, wait for CP3.'  Luckily, I did hold off a bit and would need that energy for another 3k of dunes ahead.

Around 31k, we exited the dunes to flat, and with CP3 not so far, it was time to get going.

Out of CP3, I was off to the races and heating up quickly.  I didn't care.  'Last 10k.  Keep it rolling.'

Passing through a cool (looking, not temp :) section of deep red ground, I lamented not being able to stop for pics, but there was business to take care of.

Finally, through a village that seemed all but abandoned, out the other end and flat, rocky trail to the finish.  'That's it, there it is!  Can't overheat now.  Keep pushing!'

6 days, 222k and an unmeasurable experience.

pic by Mark Gillett

I'm in the video at 17secs!

indescribable
pic by Mark Gillett

enjoying some time on our behinds!
Glenn (center) - good friend, saved me more than once
Steve (left) - tent mate, inspiration, finished 20th overall!
pic by Mark Gillett

In the spirit of the race, our shade time was short-lived.  We headed back into the sun to welcome home friends, tent mates, countrymen and total strangers.

Stage time:  5.19.31

Stage place:  147

Overall time:  32.48.33

Overall place:  167  (out of 970 finishers)

Stage 4 (Day 2): Marathon des Sables

Related Posts

From the dessert:  Check-in, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5

Post-race report:  Pre-race, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4 (1), Stage 4 (2), Stage 5

This video and the music sums up day 2 of the long stage.  It begins with triumph as racers victoriously emerge one by one.  Around 45secs into the video, the feeling and images pan to those of runners who finished on day 1: wander, rest, eat and sleep.

Tent 58 started our day welcoming home our last member.  It was a cool when we went together to greet him at the finish.  It's amazing that such bond can be formed in only a few days.  It reminds me of an excellent quote from Ken Chlouber, miner and creator of the Leadville 100:

"Make friends with pain, and you'll never be alone."

After we were all safe and sound, I spent the day stretching, lounging and eating.  Unfortunately, it wasn't an all-you-can-eat.  Far from it.  I took the idea from a tent mate and spread my food over the day, about 100cal per hour.  This way, I was never to far from a meal :)  Between "meals", I thought to myself, 'how amusing.  We all just ran 76k, 105k over three days before that, have a desert marathon tomorrow and we're scrounging for calories.'

what's with the massively long line?

Oh, and how could I forget, the can of Coke that the organization so gracioulsy bestowed on each runner at 4pm.  It was the talk of the day.  Simple pleasures.

Ahh, now I get it!

best Coke on the planet is in the Sahara,
just have to run 180k in 4 days to get it!!