Race Report: Yotsukaido Gas Light 10 K Road Race

Nov. 18, 2018

Sunny, 18.5℃, 41.0%

10 K: 41:02 (Personal Record for 10 K!!)

                   

On Nov. 18, 2018 Yotsukaido Gas Light 10 K Road Race 2018 took place in Yotsukaido City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. I ran it in bare feet and finished 42nd, renewing my former personal record for the distance of 42:34 from Sanspo Chiba Marine 10 K Road Race 2011 by a minute and 32 seconds to hammer out a new personal record of 41.02. I'm happy with the achievement. Below is a report of how I prepared for the race as well as how I ran the race. 

I will leave out the details of my training leading to the race because I've been posting it here on my blog, but I would like to mention one thing that I did on the previous night of the race. I went to the venue on my scooter, and checked the road condition of the course. It was the same as the previous year, with there being some rough areas near the start and halfway. Otherwise the road condition was fairly good for a barefoot challenge. I carefully checked the undulation throughout the course as well. There are steep hills in the first K. It means they are repeated in the final K. There is a long upward incline before and after the 3 K mark. Any bullish effort there may take a toll on my legs and cardio, making it difficult for me to sustain a continued aggressive run. 

After coming home from a pre-race road condition check, I fueled myself with oyster ramen. Noodles provided me with carbohydrates, and oysters protein, vitamins, and minerals. No extra fat intake is necessary, because I have enough body fat!

On the morning of the race day I arrived at the venue two hours before start. I waited for my runners friends to arrive as I did stretching. About an hour before the race me and my friends started warm up, running around the track of an elementary school near the start location. About half an hour before start, runners started moving to their corals. I would usually wait in the coral for those whose times are between 40:00 and 45:00. This year I waited in the 35:00-40:00 coral. 

Ten minutes before start, runners were guided to the start area. I was only a few meters behind the start line, because there was only one more coral before mine, the 30:00-35:00 coral, and there were only fewer than ten runners there who were all elites. 

At 10:45 the gun went off. The race was officially under way. Runners started flowing into the street. I carefully ran on the yellow center line because the surface is smooth there. I was prepared to run @ under 4:00/K pace for the first 2 K, after which a slight upward incline was expected. When I reached the 3 K mark, I changed the gear, taking shorter strides. It was my strategy to save energy. But I increased cadence so as not to compromise on speed. 

Once past the 4 K mark the course got flat again. I carefully monitored my heart rate. Any sudden increase could take a toll in the second half. I knew that between 6 K and 7 K there will be the longest downhill, and that it was there that I should achieve the biggest gain. 

When I was running between 5 K and 6 K, I past my friends still heading to the turning point. I thought our gap was larger than the previous year. If my friend was going at the same pace as last year, I was running at a faster pace this year. But I wasn't sure because I didn't have my watch on.

Shortly before the 6 K mark, a downward incline began. I changed the gear and increased the pace. It would last until the 8 K mark. If I couldn't increase the pace there, renewing my PR would be next to impossible, because once past the 8 K mark, three uphills awaited, and two of them were long and steep. I would have to inevitably slow down there. 

Never had I run so frantically this particular part of the race. I ran like a mad dog. I heard many cheerers saying, "Go, caveman!" and "Goodness, that guy's barefooted." But I wasn't able to do anything but nod to acknowledge their encouragement. 

Near the 8 K mark, there was a brief downhill, and then came the first of the three uphills. I changed the gear to keep the heart rate steady. Some runners came from behind and overtook me. I didn't care. I wasn't competing with them. I was competing with my past self. I knew the consequence of going too fast on an uphill. I took shorter strides to minimize energy loss, and once I reached the top, changed the gear again and took wider strides to go down the following downhill. 

But when I finally crossed the 9 K mark and reached the bottom of the last uphill, I mustered up all the energy left in me, and for the first time in the race took long and strong strides up that hill. When I reached the top of the hill, I was already at the entrance into the final stretch leading to the finish. As I ran through the wall of cheerers on both side, I heard the event's MC saying, "Look, there comes a runner we have never seen before! He's a caveman! And look! He's barefooted!" A thunderous roar followed his announcement and I was surrounded by countless words of encouragement from both sides. But my breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, and my legs were getting heavier and heavier with each step. The finish arch was in sight. But it never seemed to come closer. I closed my eyes and ran, hoping that the next time I opened my eyes, the arch would look closer. But when I actually opened them, it still looked so far away. My effort seemed fruitless. I wanted to give up. My motivation was on the verge of falling apart. But then I remembered many intervals I had done, and countless hills that I had run up in preparation for the race. I closed my eyes again and ran, ran, and ran. Next time I opened my eyes, I was on the other side of the finish line. I bent over forward and closed my eyes, hearing my heart beat as if it was about to explode. I was motionless for almost half a minute. Then I slowly started to walk to the area where finisher's certificate was issued. I received mine. I nervously looked at my time. It said 41:02. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was my new PR! Ever since I ran a 42:34 race, no matter how hard I tried, I was never able to break the 42 minute barrier. Not only did I break it, but I was only two seconds away from breaking the 41 minute barrier! I was ecstatic with joy that my effort paid off. Also, I was proud that I proved to myself that even at the age of 52 you could still improve your time if you tried. 

My next race is a half marathon on Dec. 3. It takes place in Hadano City, Kanagawa Pref. My goal is to complete it in bare feet.