年末合同練習：箱根一区/Year-End Distance Challenge: 1st Leg of Hakone Ekiden Relay Race

 (Note there is an English version available at the end.)

年末恒例のラン友との合同練習を無事終えた。今年の挑戦は箱根駅伝１区。神田ラフィネを9時半に出発したのち、600㍍先にある駅伝のスタート／ゴール地点読売読売本社ビルを表敬訪問。その後日比谷通りを南東へ進み第一京浜へ合流すると、一路鶴見中継所を目指して走り始めた。雲一つない晴天の金曜日。都心を離れるとともに、少しずつ高くなる太陽を遮る建物が減り気温は適度に上昇し始める。信号に停められる頻度が減り走り続ける時間が長くなるにつれて、仲間の何人かはウィンドブレーカーを脱いだり、半袖で走り始めた。

スタートから約18㌔。1区屈指の勝負所「六郷橋」を通過する。多摩川の広大な河原を一望する名所は、年末の陽光に満たされ輝かしく、それまでの疲れを癒やす一服の清涼剤となった。

橋を渡り切ると中継所までは残り3㌔強。六郷橋の下りを利用して加速し、一位でタスキを渡すべく持てる全てを捧げ心肺機能の限界に挑み、乳酸地獄に抗う箱根の勇者の幻を脳裏に思い描きながら、重くなりつつ脚を一歩一歩前へ進めた。

スタートから約3時間半。目標の鶴見中継所に到着。記念碑の前で雄姿を写真に収めた。

練習後は鶴見市場の『パリカール』なるカレーの名店でランチをとった。仲間の幾人かはビールで完遂を祝った。私ともう一人のラン友は追加練習のためにアルコールは控えた。

昼食後３人は神田のランステへ戻り、私ともう一人はJR蒲田駅までの7.1㌔を追加で走り練習を終えた。

気付けば30㌔弱を走破する楽しくも充実のLSDトレーニングとなった。前日のインターバルトレーニングと連動して、とても効果的な練習となったことを嬉しく思う。

今日は心身のコンディショングを目的とする軽いジョギングを深夜に実施する予定。そして明日大晦日は、今年最後の走り納め、『30㌔ペース走』を実施する。1月28日（日）の館山若潮マラソンの調整に最も重要な練習だ。午後10時ごろ家を出て、星空の下で走りながら新年を迎えたい。まる。

I completed my annual year-end joint training with my friends. This year's challenge was running the first leg of the Hakone Ekiden. Departing from Kanda Raffine at 9:30 a.m., we paid a visit to the Yomiuri Shinbun Head Office building, 600 meters away from the running base. After that, we went down Hibiya Dori to join Daiichi Keihin and started running toward the Tsurumi relay station. It was a cloudless Friday. As we left central Tokyo, the temperature began to rise moderately as fewer buildings blocked the gradually rising sun. As we stopped less often by traffic lights, we came to run longer and longer without a break. Some of my fellow runners took off their windbreakers or started running in short sleeves.

About 18 kilometers from the start, we passed the Rokugo Bridge, one of the most critical points in the first leg competition. The famous spot overlooking the vast riverbank of the Tama River was bright with sunlight, and it was a refreshing break from the fatigue that had been building up to that point.

After crossing the bridge, there were only a little more than 3 kilometers to reach the relay station. Taking advantage of the downhill slope of the Rokugo Bridge, Hakone athletes accelerate even though their legs may be getting heavier. I pictured in my mind's eye those brave runners of Hakone fighting against lactic acid build-up, challenging the limits of their cardiovascular capacity with everything they have just to pass their tasuki sash in the first place.

About three and a half hours after the start. We arrived at our goal--the Tsurumi relay station. We got a picture taken at a memorial granite monument.

After the run, we had lunch at a famous curry restaurant called "Parikar" in Tsurumi Ichiba. Some of us celebrated the completion with beer. Me and one other friend of mine friend didn’t drink alcohol because we were planning to run a few extra miles after lunch.

After lunch, the three of us returned to the run-station in Kanda, while the other and I completed an additional 7.1 km run to JR Kamata Station.

We found ourselves running a little less than 30 kilometers, making it a fun and fulfilling LSD training session. I am glad that the training was very effective in conjunction with the interval training on the previous day.

Today, I plan to go for a light jogging session late at night for physical and mental conditioning. Tomorrow, on New Year's Eve, I will finish my last run of the year with a 30km tempo run, the most important training for the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon to be held on January 28 (Sunday). I will leave home around 10 p.m. and run under the stars to welcome the New Year.