My Final Golden Week Mission Accomplished!

The last remaining mission has been successfully accomplished. I test-rode Kawasaki's legendary urban cruiser, the Vulcan S 650. I actually paid to rent the bike from SCS Ueno in Tokyo, but it was worth the money. A young pretty female receptionist from Tohgane, Chiba helped me with all the paper work. Once it was done, a mechanic took over and briefed on the bike. He started the engine, and that familiar engine sound reached my ears that I had heard so many times while watching its reviews on You Tube. Once the briefing was over, the mechanic said, "Have a safe ride," and I was on my own.

In the first couple of minutes I was as nervous as hell. I didn't sign up for optional damage insurance. Should the bike be damaged in any way, no matter how minor it may be, I have to pay everything from my pocket.

But once I passed that initial anxiety phase, I felt as comfortable as if I had owned the bike for years. I sped through the urban roads far less crowded than usual because it was a national holiday, and there were fewer commercial vehicles.

I turned right from Route 4 into a street leading to Kudanshita. The famous torii gate to the Yasukuni Shrine was in sight much sooner than I thought. I took a left as I left behind the gate, the Imperial Palace appeared up ahead. I took a right into the circular road around the Palace and enjoyed cruising around it a couple of times. So many people were jogging around it. There are a bunch of foreign tourists also. And every now and then I saw cyclists passing the runners and tourists. I was overtaken by many other motor cyclists who seemed far more experienced and comfortable with their own vehicles. But I didn't care. I simply respect their experience and skills. I am just a novice.

After going around the Palace a couple of times I got bored, so I took a right at an intersection into a street leading to the area where my office was. It was a familiar area, but going through it on a fast, powerful vehicle was a whole new experience. Originally I was thinking of going across my office area toward Aoyama, but I was too nervous to change the lanes into an over-bridge, so I stayed on the left-most lane and turn left into Akasakamitsuke. I felt relieved as I saw the familiar neighborhood around my office building.

I thought of keeping straight into Uchisaiwaicho and turn left to go back to the Imperial Palace, but at the last minute thought that there was no challenge to it. So I took a right at an intersection in Tameikesanno, and headed toward Roppongi. Seeing holiday goers from a car lane was refreshing. It's like watching a Tokyo version of "Fellini's Rome".

Once I passed Roppongi, I came to another intersection. If you went straight, you'd get to the Tokyo Tower. If you turned left, you'd get back to the Imperial Palace. I didn't want to get too far away, so I decided to turn left.

When I finally got back to the Palace, I was so relieved and filled with a sense of peace. And somehow I felt like I could be a bit more adventurous this time. So this time around I went through that over-bridge I had missed before, and headed toward Shibuya. Once I was on Aoyama Dori Street I found myself surrounded with expensive sports cars and convertibles. I guess the street was popular among those who wanted to show off their gorgeous vehicles.

I almost went as far as Shibuya, but imagined how crowded and messy all the roads might get, and decided to turn left into a road leading to Roppongi again. But this time I decided to reach the Tokyo Tower. And reach the Tokyo Tower I did! There were so many people at the foot of the tower and so many carp banners were hung above them. The area was filled with a holiday atmosphere and people all looked happy.

I headed toward the Imperial Palace, but instead of going around it again, took a right at the Peninsula Hotel toward Ginza. After that I kept straight until I hit Route 4. And once I took a left into it, I just kept straight north-bound to get back to where I started off. I filled it up, of course, before returning the bike. It's part of the deal.

Once I got back, I showed the clerk my gasoline receipt, and returned the registration form for the bike.

I shared my impression while the clerk checked my gasoline bill and and my gas mileage. He said, "You stepped on the gas, didn't you?" I didn't know what he meant by that at first. Did I do something wrong? Or was I not supposed to go fast? I don't remember going too fast though every now and then I turned the throttle to accelerate just to enjoy the power of the vehicle. So I said, "Oh, is there anything wrong? Like the tank was not full, or anything like that? I don't mind going to the service station again to put more if that's necessary. I didn't do the work, you know. I just asked the guy to fill it up and paid, you know." He said, "No, no, no, no. Your gas mileage is quite common. It's not like cruising along the highway for hundreds of miles." I was like, "What do you expect, pal? I rented the bike only for four hours. How far do you think I can get? In Central Tokyo you get stopped at every few hundred meters by traffic lights. Of course, gas mileage won't be that good!" But I didn't mention it, of course.

I asked for an estimate for the bike. It was surprisingly less expensive than I thought, and fairly affordable even for a man of modest means such as myself. The only downside is the color. Pearl white is not my most favorite color. There are two more bikes of the same kind, but in a different color. One is in Kanagawa. It's more expensive, but comes with more accessories. The other is in Adachi City, Tokyo. It's as inexpensive as the one I rode today. But it doesn't come with any accessories. Both are in my favorite color: metallic black. I will probably go to see both before I make my final decision.

My Holiday Projects: Test Rides & Barefoot LSD

The Golden Week holidays started. I have two projects. One is half-done. The other is just finished. The first project is test-riding a couple of large motor cycles. One is the Honda Rebel 500. I went to the Funabashi location of Honda Dream and test-rode it for about 15 minutes. It was a pleasant ride, and I was strongly convinced that the parallel-twin engine is the one for me, not the V-twin that is typical of Harley Davidson bikes. The sound is light and easy on my ears. However, the 500 cc displacement didn't feel powerful enough for me as I was used to riding a 750 cc bike at driving school.

The other project is barefoot LSD. This training session aims to develop my ability to sustain a low-intensity cardio-vascular activity for a long time. It also aims to toughen my soles. With a race season over, my mind is set for the next season. I am hoping to increase the distance I can over in bare feet. I already ran an entire 10 K race barefooted last year. So I want to at least run one half-marathon with no shoes. But ideally, I want to run all races in bare feet. But some races are scheduled with only a week apart, so if I should get injured in one, I may have to cancel the other. So I am not sure yet. Today I ran 18 K in 1:47.38. I could have run more as far as my cardio went, and I should have done so by wearing shoes now as I look back on it. There would have been greater cardio-vascular benefit. But I didn't just because my soles got sore. Next time, I will continue to run at least until I hit two hours by wearing shoes when the soles get sore.

Now that I have taken a shower and feel like a new man, I will leave home to check out a couple of motor cycle shops to see the other bike I want to test-ride: the Kawasaki Vulcan S 650. I will write my impression when I get home tonight. Till then!

Intervals in MUTEKI: 1K by 6 Sets With 20-Minute Jog Before & After it

Thursday night is an interval night. It has become my weekly routine ever since I read that book by ultra marathon world record holder Takahiro Sunada. I went for a 20-minute jog in my split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI. I set my timer at 10 minutes and went down my favorite shuttle course. When the alarm went off 10 minutes from the start, I took a U-turn and headed back.

Once I got home, I took off my arm warmers as I was feeling warm enough. I walked back to a park near my house to get ready for intervals. My target tonight is 4:30/K.  I pressed my stopwatch and went off. Breathing was easy and I left light. I carefully checked my form as I ran along. It's my priority during non-race season. The time was 4:11.13. Way faster than originally planned. I thought I was going to slow down a little. After jogging back to the start line in a minute, I went off for the second round. This time the time was 4:22.57. A bit slower, but still faster than the original target. After a short interval of one minute, I went off for Round 3. This time was 4:24.08. Just a little bit slower than Round 2, but I felt that the pace was just right, so I decided to stick to that pace. The next lap was 4:24.66. Almost the same as the previous one. The lap for Round 5 was 4:24.09. and the last lap was 4:33.98, and the latest of all.

Target was not too difficult, considering my PB for 10 K, but since the interval was short, it felt fairly challenging.

Once the intervals were done, I walked home, and changed into my aqua shoes as my right MUTEKI felt a bit too tight around the toe. Th aqua shoes felt much more comfortable than MUTEKI, because the material is elastic, and the sole is thinner. It's closer to barefoot running. 

Tomorrow I hope to run barefoot after coming home from work. Nothing feel better than running without shoes. I wore shoes tonight because it was speed training and my form hadn't been perfected yet to run fast with minimum friction between the sole and the road. Somewhere down the road, though, I hope to, and I should be able to, do intervals in bare feet without any problem. 

6 K Barefoot Run Inspired by Barefoot Marathon Japanese Record Holder Mr. Shoji Takaoka

I ran 6 K after coming home from work. Today I ran for a specific purpose: to correct my running form. I felt a need to do so because I had pain in right knee and foot. To understand the cause of the pain, I read a book entitled "Zero-Base Running" written by barefoot marathon Japanese record holder Mr. Shoji Takaoka. 

According to him, the pain is caused because of inefficient coordination of your body. To give you one example, when you land on the ground on your foot, the landing position should come just a little bit behind the point that is right under your body's central gravity. You can naturally create a movement forward. 

On the other hand if the landing position is ahead of that point, your foot is serving as a brake, killing the momentum. This way, you need to waste extra energy to create a movement forward. 

My pain is a sign that I was doing the latter without realizing it. 

So tonight I applied some of the advice given in the book to make sure my feet landed where they should. 

I immediately noticed a big difference, and finished the run with a time that's slightly faster, and feeling less exhausted. 

I will continue to focus on my running form for a while, and would like to share with my readers things that worked for me. 

Intervals: 1 K by 6 Sets @ 4:30/K Pace with 20-Minute Jog Before & After it.

I did intervals tonight. I did it the way it was recommended in a book written by ultra marathon world record holder Mr. Takahiro Sunada. According to him, it is important to keep the interval short. Many runners tend to run at a pace significantly faster than the target race pace, but rest too long, like two minutes. He says that's not good. A better approach is to run at a pace slightly faster than your target race pace, but to keep the interval short, like one minute. I would normally run at a far faster pace than my race pace, but rest for two minutes between reps, which is exactly the way he says I should not do. So I decided to try what he preaches. 

Also, a 20-minute jog was recommended before and after the intervals. In the past, this was an element completely absent in my training. So I decided to do this as well.

I jogged in my new pair of aqua shoes. (See below.)

I changed into my split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI (see below) for the intervals.

For the time of each rep, see below:
1st rep: 4:45.28
Rest: 1:00.42
2nd rep: 4:26.52
Rest: 1:00.28
3rd rep: 4:15.37
Rest: 1.00.48
4th rep: 4:24.58
Rest: 1:00.51
5th rep: 4:22.54
Rest: 1.00.28
6th rep: 4:20.56

Although the target pace is far slower than usual, it was fairly challenging because of the shorter interval.

Also, thanks to a short jog before the intervals, my coordination seemed better right from the start. I felt a benefit of jogging for another twenty minutes after the intervals when I finally reached home. I was drenched and felt a far greater feeling of achievement. I really liked Mr. Sunada's approach. I will stick to it for a while. There are many more specific activities recommended in the book that I have never tried. I would like to put them into practice one by one.

6 K Barefoot Run to Check Running Form

On Wednesday night I ran 6 K after coming home from work. The main purpose was to check my running form. A couple of days before I read a book written by ultra marathon world record holder Takahiro Sunada. He stressed in the book the importance of shifting the center of your body forward in order to create forward movement. The legs will follow it accordingly. When I ran with that in mind, I realized that I had been trying to move legs first and the body followed them. This was a big surprise for me, because when I started running barefoot, that was exactly what I tried to do most. But over the course of time my running form had slowly drifted away from the ideal. The book taught me many other valuable lessons. I realized that LSD, or long slow distance, was significantly lacking in my training. I will try to run a very long distance without worrying about speed, using my time on weekends. I also run that the speed in interval training is less important than the interval between reps. The rest should be short, but the speed doesn't have to be so high. My approach was the other way around.

The book has inspired me to run a ultra marathon someday. I don't know when yet. But the desire is in me. Also, it has inspired me take full marathon more seriously. Running a sub 3.5 marathon has always been a far dream. But now I truly want to give it a shot.

Running Training in MUTEKI: 350 M Intervals Followed by 6 K Run

I did short and fast intervals tonight after coming home from work. There is a 350 M stretch near my house. I did five reps aiming to come under 1:20. I achieved the goal in the first two out of five. I ran in my split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI. I didn't run barefoot because my soles cannot withstand the friction at the moment of landing if I do. After the intervals I went on to jog 6 K. It seemed much harder to run the distance that I'm so used to running, because of the fatigue resulting from the intervals. But when I finally came home, I felt so fulfilled. 

My chest still aches from intensive morning swing push-ups that I did yesterday. I can also expect some soreness in my forearms because I hit them earlier this morning in arm hang workout. But that doesn't mean there is nothing I can do. I'll find part of my body that remains intact, and train it tomorrow morning. 

Swing Push-Ups and 6 K Barefoot Run

I did some park workout followed by a 6 K barefoot run. It's a recent favorite combo of mine. Today I did swing push-ups. （To see what a swing push-up is click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmAgFUi_PHY）You put one hand on the seat of one swing and the other hand on the seat of another right next to it. As you push up, you bring the two seats inward until they touch each other. You can create peak contraction of your chest muscle this way. I tried an approach called "21" favored by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this approach you start from the bottom position, push up halfway, instead of pushing all the way up. As you do this, of course, you bring the swing seats together inward. You creep down as you let the seats go apart from each other, and repeat. You do it seven reps. The next seven reps begin from the halfway position and end with the top position. Again the movement of bringing the seats inward is involved as you do it. The last seven reps involve full range motion. You begin from the bottom and push all the way up to the top as you squeeze the seats inward. I did this two sets before a 6 K run, and did another after it.

The 6 K that followed the park workout was refreshing. I love running in the morning. My body's will power batteries are fully charged. The air is fresh. And I'm full of legs. I am trying different running forms as I go along. It was shocking that I had a cramp in my thighs when I ran the Sakura Marathon this past March. I hadn't had any muscle problem whatsoever in major running races over the last couple of years. I was confident that I was strong enough to avoid problems of that sort. But the reality is that I was miserably brought to a halt because of a cramp in such a crucial muscle as the front thigh. The problem can be attributed to a number of reasons. It could be heat. It could be dehydration. It could be inefficiency in running form. It could be a combination of all or many of these. Anyhow, I want to fix something I can immediately get my hands on, that is, my running form. I can improve it when I run without shoes. This is because barefoot run is far more uncomfortable than shoe-clad run, and therefore you inevitably choose a running form that is least painful. And that is the form I want. Only that allows me to run a full marathon distance with least pain. I will continue this short test run. And when I feel comfortable enough with my running form, I want to increase mileage.

High Intensity Cardio Followed by a 6 K Barefoot Run

I did 7 sets of one-minute high intensity cardio using an old tire. The purpose of this training is to strength my cardio-vascular capacity. 
https://youtu.be/-j3kiSr_Ggg

After that I ran 6 K in bare feet. It was the third barefoot run after the Sakura Marathon. The time was the best out of three tonight: 31:07.65.

Experts say that it's a good idea to do long slow cardio such as running after using up much of the glycogen in your muscles, because your body has no choice but tap into your fat reserve for energy source to sustain the slow cardio activity. I'm not sure if it was the case tonight, but one thing I noticed was that as soon as I started running I was already sufficiently warmed up, so it was easy for me to pick up the pace. I may want to stick to this combination for a while: high intensity cardio first, and long slow cardio after that.

6 K Barefoot Run

I ran 6 K this morning in bare feet. The pace was a little faster than two days ago. I didn't mean to run faster. But when I got home and saw my watch, I was almost three minutes faster. I guest my will power tank was full after a good night's sleep, and I was physically fully recharged as well. I enjoyed overtaking cars caught in a traffic jam. It's a laughable irony that runners can be faster than cars during rush hours. There is some soreness left in my right foot from the Sakura Marathon, so I won't go for a longer and faster run any time soon. I will continue to run a short distance like this, but will do so frequently to stay in shape. I'm invited to a relay race held in the US Air Base in Yokota in May. So I will do some speed-focused training a few weeks prior to it. My mind is already set to run the race without shoes. I will continue to improve the durability of my sole until then.

First Run After the Sakura Marathon: 6 K in Bare Feet

I ran a 6 K shuttle course in my neighborhood after coming home from work. It was the first running training after the Sakura Marathon. I was a bit sore from high intensity cardio that I did on Sunday, and I wanted to loosen up my body with some slow cardio. And that's where a comfortable jog comes it. I ran barefoot as my sole had gotten quite tough after completing a full marathon in minimalist aqua shoes. It was largely painless throughout the entire 6 K except for a very few cases where I accidentally stepped on a tiny, edgy pebble. It was tremendously refreshing to run without shoes. I like feeling the cold of the road surface on my sole. I also like feeling the air directly on my feet. To me shoes are extra weights no matter how light they may be. Also, shoes get worn out as you wear them for long. But your sole, which is made of a genuinely organic material, maintains itself automatically after each use. You don't need to fix the heel with Shoe Goo, or anything like that. No shoe lace is needed either.  

As I had a very comfortable, and almost pain-free run for 6 K tonight, I became more and more interested in running more races entirely barefooted.  My next big race is almost 5 months away, and I have plenty of time to think about what kind of goal I want to set for the next race season. I can go for better times. I can go for a longer distance. But I can also run for a new kind of athletic challenge. Running without relying on modern athletic technology seems to me a good enough challenge. Because there are so many runners faster than me, but I don't see many who run without shoes. 

Race Report: Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2018

On March 25, Sunday Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2018 took place in Sakura City, Chiba. I ran the race and finished in 4:03:21 gross (4:02:22 net). The time is the worst of the four races run in the last two years, and the race was by far the most painful one. But nonetheless it is one of the most memorable days for me, thanks to companionship of my runner friend, Hashimoto-san, as well as friendship of many who came over to cheer me: Ui-san, Yukie-chan, Kiuchi, Nemo-cchan, and the Nakajima Sisters. Although the time is far from what I wanted, I feel proud that I ran the race in aqua shoes with no cushioning, and that I took them off with 1.5 K remaining, and that I crossed the finish line in bare feet as a tribute to my all time fitness hero late Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia who won the gold medal in men's marathon in the 1960 Olympics in Rome without wearing shoes. Running with less reliance on modern athletic technology than the previous season was a big goal for me and I achieved that goal.

Below is how I ran the race. I hope those who consider joining the race next year can benefit by reading it as it describes some characteristics of the course and how I approached it to run it well.

(Two hours before the race)

The race was officially under way at 9:30 a.m. It doesn't take much time to reach the official start line from your corral as there aren't as many participants as major races such as the Tokyo Marathon or the Ohme 30 K Road Race. I always start my watch at the official start time, but it was only a minute or so after it when I crossed the start line. 

Once out of the stadium, the course begins a long steep descent into a road that eventually leads to Keisei Sakura Station. You go over a hill that stretches over almost two kilometers. My strategy here was to use it for warming up myself. It's a long, long race. You don't want to hammer it up and waste energy here. I enjoyed a comfortable climb at an easy pace. An episode to illustrate how relaxed I was is that I saw a guy running in a pair of "warachi" flip-flops and had a friendly chit-chat with him. 

(Shortly after the gun went off)

Soon I crossed the 10 K mark, and took a quick look at my watch, which said 57:00. I thought not bad. I wanted to run the fastest in the last 7 K, so I decided to keep the same pace until I reached the 30 K mark. I had water at almost every water station. It was important, because it was hot. Daytime highs were expected to reach 20 degrees Celsius. Also, I hadn't had much water before the race to control my urge to pee during the race. In the previous full marathon in January in Tateyama I took total 3 pee breaks during the race, and I had so much trouble catching up to the 3:45 pacers after taking the third one. I didn't want to make the same mistake. 

(Near the 14 K mark)

Near the 14 K mark I saw my bilingual companion. I asked her to prepare half a piece of sweet sponge cake when I pass the 18 K mark which was not so far from where she was. Soon after I left her behind came one of the biggest challenges the course had to offer--a long steep hill leading to the Kusabueno Oka Hill. I took shorter strides and slowed down so as not to increase my heart rates. A number of runners overtook me, but I didn't care. They are inexperienced runners who knew nothing about its consequence. At the top of the hill many were gasping for air. I ran past some of them like I picked apples from the tree. 

Near the 18 K mark I received the sponge cake from my bilingual companion and also had some water from her water bottle. Up to that point I had water as well as sports drink at every water station, but I found myself slightly dehydrated. At the halfway point my watch said 1:50:00. I was running faster than I had originally planned to. But I didn't feel like I was pushing, so I went with the flow. At the 26 K mark the course turned into the cycling road. I was feeling hotter and hotter with each step. I felt my heart beat harder though I was running any faster. I felt the need to slow down to save energy for the final phase of the race. No sooner had I slowed down a bit than I heard approaching foot steps from behind, and in less than a minute I found myself being overtaken by a large group of runners led by 3:45 pacers. Though I wasn't aware I was running in front of the pacers, I clearly realized at that moment that my pace was getting slower than theirs, and if I wanted to finish under 3:39:59, I had no choice but stick to them. So although it was getting tougher and tougher for me to keep the same pace as in the first half of the race, I decided to hang on to them. Soon I came to the largest cheering spot at the 28.5 K mark near the windmill, where I was cheered by local friends mine from my junior high school days. I looked hard for them and found them at last, but I made a fatal mistake at the same time. I missed the water station that was on the opposite side from the one my friends were on. The next station was between the 33 and 34 K mark. I prayed for god that I would last till there. 

(At the 28.5 mark by the windmill)

Unfortunately, I didn't last till there. With each step my dehydration became more and more apparent. And finally near the 30 K mark I got a first spasm in my left hamstring. I had to stop. My heart sank. I stopped there for about twenty seconds and did some stretching. I knew then that I would never renew my PR today. But I never wanted to quit just for that reason. I never want to be a quitter. I slowly started to run again, but was stopped from time to time by a series of painful cramps. I wanted to cry from misery. When I finally saw the next water station near the 34 K mark, although it was visible, it seemed like an unreachable paradise across the ocean. It seemed like a phantom that I could never touch. It looked so far far away... When I finally reached there, I came to a complete halt and gulped two cups in a row. I grabbed a cup of sports drink too and had it in one gulp. Soon my stomach felt like a balloon full of water inside. I started running again, but I felt heavy. I no longer felt like a runner. I felt like a patient. But I kept on dragging my legs forward. 

 (At the 35 K mark)

At the 35 K mark the bilingual companion was waiting. She knew something was wrong. I saw her face. She looked sad. I felt so bad that my running wasn't impressive. I put so much effort into it, and she believed that I'd run a good race, and now this. I briefly told her what happened, but that I would never quit. I left her behind and moved on. 7 K is a breeze when you are full of legs. But once they start malfunctioning, it feels like forever. When you are running well, cheerers encouraging comments bring out the best from you. But when you are not, they don't necessarily. In fact, there is nothing you can do to live up to their expectations, that you feel so miserable that you almost want to kill those well-intended people for a moment. You can be that desperate. 

Shortly past the 39 K mark I was finally overtaken by the 4:00 pacers. I made my utmost effort to stick with them, but I could only do so for a little less than one kilometers. And when I finally crossed the 40 K mark, my legs were so sore that I almost considered dropping that idea all together of taking off my shoes for that glorious barefoot finish as a tribute to my all time athletic hero, late Abebe Bikila. But the main street was in sight, where the road condition improved and there were more cheerers, I made up my mind to stick with my original plan. I stopped and took off my aqua shoes, and rolled them up and grabbed them in my hands. It was at that moment a switch was turned on and I felt like a reserve tank was untapped. I forced down the road like a new man. Taking a right turn into the street leading to the stadium, the sound of cheering drums became louder with each step. Suddenly I heard a female voice saying, "Gakuji senpai!" Not many people call me that. I turned to the right. And there was my team mate from my high school tennis team together with her older sister who is a hard-core sub-3 marathoner. I thanked them for their cheering, and headed for the final hill-climb which is the highlight of this course.   

(800 meters to the finish line)

With 500 meters remaining the road splits into two, one going right and down and the other going left and up. The course, of course, goes left and up. Some cheerers noticed I was going barefoot, and threw some words of admiration at me. They gave me some extra power to forcefully ascend the heart-break hill. The bilingual companion was halfway up the hill on the right side of the road, ready for memorial photo-shooting. The moment I saw her eye-catching green down vest, I threw my right arm up in the air with a clenched fist. I took steady quick steps up the hill with my back upright. I wanted to finish strongly. 

(400 meters to the finish line)

When I finally reached the top of the hill and the course became flat again, the large yellow arch above the finish line was in sight 300 meters ahead of me. I surged for the last time, swinging my arms like a track athlete. The track of the stadium was comfortable on my soles. All the effort was finally being rewarded. The time was far from what I wanted. But I was about to cross the line in bare feet. I couldn't run as fast as so many runners who had already finished the race before me, like Abebe Bikila beat all the shoe-clad rivals in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, but I beat the demon of the sport who whispered into my ear countless times that I could quit and that I should keep shoes on. Half a minute later I became an official finisher of Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2018 with the gross time of 4:03:21.

As soon as I finished the race, I gave my runner chip to one of the volunteer people, and grabbed a few cups of water offered by another young volunteer worker.  I lay down on the grass inside the track after the drinks, and a moment later fell asleep. It was almost half an hour later that I was waken up by an aid worker who worried that I might be dead and asked, "Are you OK?" I said, "Yeah, I'm OK. I was just sleeping." I was that exhausted.