The 2013 Tokyo Marathon
Running a marathon is like childbirth. One has to commit to the event, undergo months of preparation, have a little apprehension prior to the event; lots of huffing and puffing in the midst and swearing that you'll never do it again, and then deciding after its all over that it wasn't so bad. So let's try it again?
Tokyo was my 13th childbirth. Those responsible were Erik who ran a PB (qualified for Boston!) with me, Karl for telling me how great the event was last year even though it rained, and Donna who registered me. [Clarification: None of the above impregnated me.]
The Tokyo Marathon is now one of the world's six major marathons. The event attracts an incredible number of people - both runners and volunteers - in this once a year extravaganza. When registrations closed for the 2013 Tokyo marathon 303,450 people had applied for the full marathon. Eventually, only 35,000 were permitted to run. 10000 volunteers were recruited for the event. The theme was "the day we unite" and Tokyoites of all ages descended on Shinjuku to pound the streets of Tokyo.
For me, there were several firsts. First, the flag off time was 0910. Usually, one can end the run before lunch. Here, you run through lunch. Second, it was run in the midst of winter. The day started at -2 deg at dawn, was 4 deg at the start time and never rose above 7 deg all day, under windy conditions. But at least this year, the marathon was run in complete sunshine. The 2011 marathon was the only other Tokyo Marathon which wasn't rainy. I dressed in a sweater and gloves and when the wind blew, I was glad that I kept them on. [Note: Dress warm.] Thirdly, this was a crowded run. In most marathons, runners thin out after 5km. In Tokyo, it never did, so trying to overtake can be strenuous. [Note: If you want to clock a PB, declare a time that is half an hour faster than your actual time. You'll get to a block in front with less runners.]
With the cold temperature, I made a mistake on fluids. For the first time in 13 marathons, I felt the need to go to the toilet! On the course, there were many toilets, but the queues were long. So I kept postponing the visit until I reached the 16km when the effort to contain was at least equal if not greater to the effort to run. So I queued. And the queues were still looooooonnng. [Note: there is no need to hydrate in Tokyo before the race. There is so much water on the course that you can hydrate almost anytime. Moreover, the winter cold means water loss is small. Ultimate aim: avoid the toilet queues disrupting the run.]
But otherwise, it was a most pleasant run through the streets of Tokyo with total road closures in midday. Runners were bathed in bright sunshine. Stunning crowds, band performances and cheerleaders lined the street literally from start to finish. They made the kms fly by. The fancy dress were both ways - runners and spectators. Erik was disappointed that we needed to loop the same road twice - to Shinagawa and to Asakusa. I was sad we didn't get to run through pretty areas like Omotesando and Roppongi. But the cries of "Ganbatte", "Haito" (It took me a while to figure out what "Haito" was. Then I realised that its the Japanese version of the English word "Fight" - "Fighto"), the unbelievable enthusiasm of the volunteers (you can high five all of them at the water stations), the offer of free snacks by the public (ranging from sweets to, yes miso soup ) and the warm Japanese smiles motivated runners all the way through.
Training paid off. I usually enforce a walk every 10km, and then every 5km after 20km. This time, I ran the first half so slow - too crowded to overtake, admiring the sights, deciding to lose jacket or not, photos, toilet break, eating - my slowest 21km ever, that I did not walk until 26km - at Asakusa. And then I only enforced another walk at 35km, after which I ran all the way home. I recorded my fastest back 21km, not quite a negative split but close. No cramp, and at the finish, I could have continued. Gun time of 4:57. Personal time of 4:41.
A last note - Tokyo was amazingly well organised and deserves to be considered for the 2020 Olympics. But that is for another blog.
Tokyo was my 13th childbirth. Those responsible were Erik who ran a PB (qualified for Boston!) with me, Karl for telling me how great the event was last year even though it rained, and Donna who registered me. [Clarification: None of the above impregnated me.]
The Tokyo Marathon is now one of the world's six major marathons. The event attracts an incredible number of people - both runners and volunteers - in this once a year extravaganza. When registrations closed for the 2013 Tokyo marathon 303,450 people had applied for the full marathon. Eventually, only 35,000 were permitted to run. 10000 volunteers were recruited for the event. The theme was "the day we unite" and Tokyoites of all ages descended on Shinjuku to pound the streets of Tokyo.
For me, there were several firsts. First, the flag off time was 0910. Usually, one can end the run before lunch. Here, you run through lunch. Second, it was run in the midst of winter. The day started at -2 deg at dawn, was 4 deg at the start time and never rose above 7 deg all day, under windy conditions. But at least this year, the marathon was run in complete sunshine. The 2011 marathon was the only other Tokyo Marathon which wasn't rainy. I dressed in a sweater and gloves and when the wind blew, I was glad that I kept them on. [Note: Dress warm.] Thirdly, this was a crowded run. In most marathons, runners thin out after 5km. In Tokyo, it never did, so trying to overtake can be strenuous. [Note: If you want to clock a PB, declare a time that is half an hour faster than your actual time. You'll get to a block in front with less runners.]
With the cold temperature, I made a mistake on fluids. For the first time in 13 marathons, I felt the need to go to the toilet! On the course, there were many toilets, but the queues were long. So I kept postponing the visit until I reached the 16km when the effort to contain was at least equal if not greater to the effort to run. So I queued. And the queues were still looooooonnng. [Note: there is no need to hydrate in Tokyo before the race. There is so much water on the course that you can hydrate almost anytime. Moreover, the winter cold means water loss is small. Ultimate aim: avoid the toilet queues disrupting the run.]
But otherwise, it was a most pleasant run through the streets of Tokyo with total road closures in midday. Runners were bathed in bright sunshine. Stunning crowds, band performances and cheerleaders lined the street literally from start to finish. They made the kms fly by. The fancy dress were both ways - runners and spectators. Erik was disappointed that we needed to loop the same road twice - to Shinagawa and to Asakusa. I was sad we didn't get to run through pretty areas like Omotesando and Roppongi. But the cries of "Ganbatte", "Haito" (It took me a while to figure out what "Haito" was. Then I realised that its the Japanese version of the English word "Fight" - "Fighto"), the unbelievable enthusiasm of the volunteers (you can high five all of them at the water stations), the offer of free snacks by the public (ranging from sweets to, yes miso soup ) and the warm Japanese smiles motivated runners all the way through.
Training paid off. I usually enforce a walk every 10km, and then every 5km after 20km. This time, I ran the first half so slow - too crowded to overtake, admiring the sights, deciding to lose jacket or not, photos, toilet break, eating - my slowest 21km ever, that I did not walk until 26km - at Asakusa. And then I only enforced another walk at 35km, after which I ran all the way home. I recorded my fastest back 21km, not quite a negative split but close. No cramp, and at the finish, I could have continued. Gun time of 4:57. Personal time of 4:41.
A last note - Tokyo was amazingly well organised and deserves to be considered for the 2020 Olympics. But that is for another blog.
posted by BT at 7:08 AM
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