Another year has passed, and time has come once again for the annual Okinawa Isshu Shibu Ekiden Taikai. This event is a 295km, 28 leg, 2 day, relay race, and the prefecture’s premier ekiden event.
An ekiden course is broken up into several stations (eki in japanese means “station”, and den means “transfer”). Each team has one member run per station. A sash is used, “tasuki”, similar to how a batan is used in track &. The runner hands the sash to his teammate at the next transfer station. This event combines track & relays and cross country style team play. Each runner in addition to running for their team’s overall time and place is also timed for their individual station, and awarded accordingly. Each station awards the fastest time called “kukansho” or area award.
Tommy says he’ll be at practice wednesday. we’ll see.
I was gearing up to race for a top spot in Naha Marathon last month (I’d placed 8th in this race in 2006), but I was sent away on business for about four weeks just prior to the marathon. During which time I didn’t get any hard workouts in, and was only running every other day or so. But I can’t say all the hard training I did was for nothing. I’ve gained valuable experience in addition to a growing hunger to race again.
My plan was to stay with the leaders for as long as I could. I didn’t think I’d make it past the first mile, but I tried anyway.
It was a surprisingly slow pace. I started out with the leaders, and let them set pace. It felt good. The leaders ran in line side by side. We strolled past the first km in 3:25, and then everyone tucked in behind me, so I held that pace and led. It felt great to be up in front, but it was hard to know what was happening behind me. I looked to the side to use the window reflections to see what was developing behind me, but couldn’t see much. I wouldn’t recommend leading so early in a marathon.
At 5k, Ruji Suimatsu, a long time veteran of this race and last years winner, slowly surged beside me with a pack. He said the pace was slow. We were at about 17:20 at 5k, which is a good pace for a marathon, but Naha Marathon usually paces fast for the first 10k because the next 10k (11k to 21k) is all up hill.
At around 8k, my heart rate elevated sharply, my breathing labored, my chest congested, and my legs became heavy. We turned a sharp corner after crossing a bridge, and I turned wide as the pack, led by Ruji who was all too familiar with the course, hugged the turn tightly, and took the lead. I reconnected with the pack, but was at the rear of it now. I didn’t notice until watching the video footage that at this point the winner of this race made a move. He took the lead, and no one went with him. He ran the rest of the race without threat.
I dropped out at 10k. My wife picked me up there. I should have had her bring my trainers (regular run shoes) so I could jog for a bit more, but for me it ended there. I made it home before the 1st finisher crossed the line, and watched the end of the race develop on t.v., but RBC, the local television station, cut to commercial as the winner entered the track, and they never showed him actually cross the finish line. You’ll have to remember that Naha Marathon is a fun run, a people’s marathon, so there’s no prize purse or chip timing. The found out the next day in the papers that the leader finished in 2:28. An average time for Naha, but it was said that his fastest marathon record was 2:13.
It was fun to be up there with the lead pack. I hope to try again in February at Okinawa Marathon. I have another daughter on the way. Due at the end of February around the same time as the marathon. I may run straight past the finish line to the delivery room. Whatever happens, I won’t miss my daughter’s birth.
My brief experience of lead pack marathon running:
I ran a twenty-miler yesterday. Steve and I were the only ones that made it out for the run. I called everyone else (Seth, Tommy, and Clinte), but wasn’t able to get a hold of anyone, and Dave wasn’t feeling well enough to join us for his 10k portion. Don said he would meet up with us when we ran past his place for 10k, but he canceled at the last minute because he hadn’t gotten any sleep after working the night shift. It’d be best if these Sunday long runs were planned in advance so that everyone had a fair chance at joining, rather than calling everyone the day of or the night before. Of course, if everyone did the same weekly training than it wouldn’t be an issue, and we would all decided on a time and location at Saturday practice the night before, but unfortunately only Steve and I regularly show up to practice, so we end up calling everyone else who are only sometimes willing to jump in on Sunday long runs. It sometimes feels like a long shot that no one will come, but it’s worth it because running with a group is so much better than going it alone.
We had an enjoyable run. We ran from Ginowan Seawall to just beyond the Red Bridge in Yomitan. It got dark just as we hit the river, and there were no lights lighting the path, but we continued on until we hit the 10 mile mark (per our Garmins – Steve has the new 405 and I’m using his old 205 ((my 305 is on the fritz))).
It was at this point on the last twenty-miler I did that I became drained, and needed food. I’ve been reading a lot about endurance lately, and was thinking about one thing in particular about how birds migrate across the globe non-stop. I read that a 130 gram bird prior to migration will double it’s weight (add an extra 130 grams of fat) before it journeys from Canada to South America (it’s next fuel station) on a three days, three nights non-stop flight. In light of this, I decide to try something new during this run. I decide to let my body burn off fat by not eating anything during the run. I have been trying to shave off a few pounds for this upcoming race season, and think this may help. I’m 68 kg’s while my Japanese counterparts are <60kg's. I want to be around 65 for my next marathon. Back to subject, I completed the run without taking any gels or food, just a few sips at the water fountains passed along the way. I did have a gel in hand just in case things got bad, but I didn't need it. I felt great. It was a good run.
