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.

Naoya Inoue vs Marlon Tapales/井上尚弥 vs マーロン・タパレス

スーパー・バンタム級四団体統一王者決定戦『井上尚弥（WBC/WBO）×マーロン・タパレス（WBA/IBF）戦』を動画で視聴した。試合は、井上尚弥選手が10ラウンドKOで勝利を飾った。井上尚弥選手おめでとう！

さて試合はバンタム級時代の一方的な勝ち方を見慣れたファンには、やや見慣れない息の詰まる内容だったと思う。蓋を開ければ大半の予想通りにモンスターのKO勝利に終わったこの試合は、WBA/IBFの統一王者マーロン・タパレスの技術と精神力によって見ごたえのある試合となった。以下、その見どころについて私のしろうとなりの所感を3点記述する。

＜①タパレス選手のフィジカル＞

試合を面白くした要因の一つはタパレス選手のフィジカルの強さだと思った。具体的に印象に残ったのは以下の３点だった：

（１）上半身の柔らかさ

タパレス選手は上半身が柔らかかった。それを生かしたディフェンスによって井上尚弥選手の武器である右ストレートを寸前でかわす場面が時折見られた。この右ストレートが正面からまとも入って試合開始70秒で決着のついたファン・カルロス・パヤノ（Juan Carlos Payano）戦のように前半で決着がつかなかった一因がここにあると思う。

（２）動体視力の良さ

タパレス選手は、井上尚弥選手のワンツーをバックステップによって前半巧みに回避していた。これはタパレス選手の動体視力の良さの証左の一つと思われた。しかしこの能力は、後半にダメージが蓄積すると共に少しずつ失われたようだ。また後半のラウンドで、自分のパンチを当てるために距離を詰めた際にはその効力は失われ、結果的にモンスターのストレートを数多く被弾することになったように見えた。

（３）ノーモーションのジャブ＆ストレート

タパレス選手のジャブとストレートの中で、ノーモーションで繰り出されたパンチが７ラウンドと８ラウンドに数回、モンスターの顔面をとらえる場面があった。おそらくはタパレス選手の得意パンチなのだろう。しかしこれについては井上選手も同等かそれ以上の能力を持っている。また試合の中では散発的だった。結果として、優位を獲得するほどの武器にはならなかったようだ。試合後の会見では、井上選手の「スピード」が異次元であったことをタパレス選手自身が証言している。

＜②タパレス選手のメンタル＞

タパレス選手はメンタルの強い選手だった。モンスターの強烈はパンチを被弾しても顔の出さず、ボディを貰った時には、自分の腹をグローブで叩く「もっと打ってこい」と言わんばかりのジェスチャーを示した。また、試合を通じて、タパレスが中央に立ってモンスターがロープ沿いを回る構図が多々あった。そして連打の後には、打たれっぱなしで終わらず、連打を返すシーンがも見られた。特に最初のダウンを喫した４ラウンド後の二つのラウンドでは、闘志を前面に出したそうした姿勢が顕著だったと記憶する。とても勇猛なボクサーだった。

＜③井上選手の準備＞

さて、ここまで述べてきたタパレス選手の優れた特長を、モンスターはいかに凌駕し、勝利を手にしたのだろう。Stephen Fulton戦と比較して明らかに進化したと思われる点を２点に集約して述べる。

（Ａ）パワーアップ

井上尚弥選手は、Stephen Fulton戦の時よりも身体がゴツくなって見えた。２戦してスーパーバンタムの身体造りが完成形に近づいた、そんな印象を受けた。私が「おおぅ」と思ったのは「僧帽筋」だ。首の両脇が富士山の裾野のようにもっこり盛り上がっていた。僧帽筋は腕を肩よりも上の方へあげる際に活躍する筋肉だといわれる。モンスターは、この筋肉がしろうとの私が目で見てわかるくらい身体的にハードな訓練をして試合当日を迎えたのだろう。また体幹も明らかに一回り太くなって見えた。その結果か、右ストレート一発とっても「重さ」が明らかに違って見えた。試合後の会見で、「倒れた時は正直驚いた」と本人に言わしめた右ストレートは、半分ガードの上から当たったようだが、それでも決定打となった要因は、それまでガードの上から被弾した多くの右ストレートと同様に、ガードの上からでもダメージを与えらえるほど「破壊力」があった、ということなのだろう。

（Ｂ）カスタマイズされた戦略

今回のモンスターの戦い方は、タパレスという選手の特徴に合わせてカスタマイズされて見えた。ビジネスでは顧客分析が重要な役目を果たす。ボクシングの対戦相手をビジネスのカスタマーと呼ぶのは変かもしれないが、「制することで収益を得る」という点では、タパレスをカスタマーと捉えてもよかろう。例えば、今回のお客様のタパレスはサウスポーだ。サウスポーのカスタマーには、右のパンチが入りやすい。今回の試合では、得意の右ストレートは、前回のStephen Fulton戦と同様に、今回の試合でもカギを握った。しかし、前回あまり見られなかったが、今回は印象に残ったショットがあった。右のアッパーだ。決定打にはならなかった。しかし、モンスターはサウスポーのタパレスに合わせて、このショットをカスタマイズしていることがわかる。前回のStephen Fulton戦では、左のボディジャブがStephen Fulton用にカスタマイズされた戦略の一つだった。今回は右のアッパーがそれだったと思う。

さてこうして書いていると、ボクシングの試合は、裁判の前に弁護士が行う準備に匹敵する知的作業を伴うことが良くわかる。だからといって頭で分かったことをフィジカルに体現できるかはまた別の話だ。そこには不断のトレーニングがあったに違いない。

会見の中でモンスターは「やって来たことが間違っていなかったことが証明されて嬉しい」という趣旨のコメントを述べていた。まるで科学者が仮説を検証する実験に成功したような口ぶりだ。まさにボクシングというスポーツが、ある次元では仮説を試合で検証する科学の側面を持つことの証左だと思う。またそうとらえることで、個人的にはボクシングというスポーツを、これからもいろんな角度から楽しく視聴できるように思う。

以上、スーパー・バンタム級四団体統一王者決定戦『井上尚弥（WBC/WBO）×マーロン・タパレス（WBA/IBF）戦』の所感でした。まる。

Year-End Interval Training

Dec.28,2023

Today is the first day of winter vacation. I am looking forward to starting the new year with a clear mind and in perfect physical condition by balancing both what I want to do and what I should do. What I wanted to do on the first day was this interval training. This is "what I want to do. But it is also one of the "things I should do" considering that physical condition is essential to my job as an English teacher. Super important as such.

In fact, I had planned to conduct it last night. But I was so sleepy that I could not get out of the futon where I was taking a nap before the training. And the morning came. As it turned out, it was a good thing. Sleepiness is the heavenly voice that says, "Go to sleep. You must listen.

When I woke up after 10 hours of sleep. It was already "noon," not morning. I changed into my running gear and started running. The town was serene, and I felt that it was a suitable environment for hard training, where you had to talk to yourself a lot in your mind.

I ran 3 kilometers with the goal of running at the pace of 4:55 to 4:30 per kilometer. If I could not maintain this pace, I would have to face my "weal self," which would hurt my self-esteem. On the other hand, if I exceed the target pace, I can feel the benefits of my training and motivation goes up. So, when I look at the time of the first kilometer, I am very nervous. But, to my surprise, the clock read 4:07. I thought I was running 4:30 or thereabout, so I felt confident that this was definitely the result of last weekend's 25km hill tempo run. However, it was a little too fast. I had to control my pace a little because I would burn out before completing the 6km. After that, I continued to train steadily until the last kilometer. The high pace of the first 1km was tooking its toll on me and I started to suffer a lot. However, it was important to "push hard" in the last kilometer. I spurted the last 100 meters, tears welling up in my eyes due to lack of oxygen. It was my third best lap of the day.

Cool Down at the end of the day, as they say, is important. The effect of interval training depends on the run after the training. I heard that LSD after interval training is especially effective, so I finished the practice with a solid 4-km jog.

After practice, I cooled myself my favorite pasta. I fueled my body with protein, minerals, and other essential nutrients.

Tomorrow I have the annual joint practice with my runner friends. We will leave Raffine in Kanda at 9:30. We run the first section of the Hakone Ekiden. It's gonna be fun.

Race Report: The 19th Hadano Tanzawa Minase-Gawa Half Marathon/レースレポート：第19回はだの丹沢水無川マラソン

The 19th Hadano Tanzawa Minase-Gawa Half Marathon took place on Sunday, December 3 in the picturesque quiet town of Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture. I ran it in bare feet and crossed the finish line an hour 41 minutes and 4 seconds after the gun went off with a net time of 1:40:23. I'm happy with the result as it far exceeds my original expectations. Below is a brief report of how I ran the race.

The race was scheduled to be officially underway at 8:45 a.m. I stayed at a hotel in the nearby city of Honatsugi on the previous night and gave myself a good night's sleep. 

On the race day, I woke up at 6:00 a.m., did my usual stretching, and had breakfast offered at the hotel. 

I took a 7:25 train. A 17-minute ride took me to Hadano where the race took place. There was a free shuttle bus available from the station to the race venue. I got there 30 minutes before the race.  I joined my runner friend and quickly got changed. I heard an announcement telling runners to stand by at their corral. Mine was Corral D. 

About 5 minutes after I stood by, the gun went off, and the race was officially underway. There was brief congestion initially but in less than a minute I settled into my pace. 

There is a cut-off time of 30 minutes at 5K in the race. If you run 1K in slower than 6 minutes, you are out. It's an easy pace for experienced runners but not too easy for beginners. Everyone tries hard so as not to be cut off at this early stage of the race. 

There is a slight undulation in the first 5K, but compared to the rest of the course it is fairly flat. But then comes the beginning of a real test of endurance once you are past the 5K mark. 

Once you go past the water station at 5K, you take a right turn and go north toward the mountain range. It slowly starts climbing, initially through a commercially lively area. But once you are past that commercial area, a wide view opens up in front of you, and the landscape changes almost instantly. Now you are surrounded by empty rice paddies and modern two-storied houses that were typically seen in the commercial area are mostly replaced with old houses with large yards. You are in the hilly section of the course.

The hilly section lasts between 8K and 15.5K. There is a long downhill around 13K and a brief downward incline at 15K but other than that, it basically continues to go up. It's a long and hard journey. 

It is in this most challenging section, though, that if you are a well-trained citizen runner, you can reel in those who went too fast too early. Since I mostly trained on hilly courses, I enjoyed the benefit of all the effort I put into the prep for this race. The only thing that I wasn't prepared enough for was the unexpectedly ill-maintained surface of many parts of the road in this section. They were insanely rough and often edgy and the damage on my soles sapped the energy out of me. 

But when the iconic landmark of The Suspension Bridge of Wind came into view, the excruciating pain from withstanding the edgy road surface and the lactic acids building in the leg muscles for a moment seemed to be forgotten. 

As I ran across the bridge, I looked across the vast mountain range on the west and then down at the city below. Now the real game begins! 

The suspension bridge is at the 15.5K mark. From this point on, it's all downhill. This is the most enjoyable section of the race if you are well-trained and appropriately paced up to this point.  I was ready to hammer down the hill!

But then I faced something totally unexpected. Though I knew that the race had been re-routed some years ago, and the course briefly went through a park instead of going on a public road, I was not prepared for the surprisingly edgy surface of the walking path through the park. It was ridiculously spiky and I just couldn't inject the pace where I most wanted to run fast! At times I had to step off the walking path onto the grass right next to it. When the park section finally ended and I found myself back on the public road, I was so relieved that I almost cried with joy. 

Once on the public road, my surge was on another level. The road was well-paved. It's downhill. I rolled on like a thunderball. There was a brief side-tracking off the public road into a narrow trail along the river that was designed to avoid blocking the city traffic, but the surface wasn't as bad as that of the walking path in the park. And in less than a few hundred meters I was back on the public road again. 

The last few kilometers are all a mental game. I visualized my regular training course in my mind and imagined I was running it. I said to myself, "You don't know how many times you've run this course before. It will go just like it did so many times before." 

Finally, the long downhill ended, and I took two right turns into a straight road leading to the finish area. A yellow arch is in sight. But there is one lap of the track before going under that arch.  When I got my bare feet on that track, I grimaced in pain. The surface of the track was as edgy as that of the walking path in the park after the 15.5K mark! I was like, "Not now! Now this particular time and place of the race! Please!" But there was no choice. There was no escape. I kept on running. Now I am on the opposite side across the track from the finish arch. Two hundred fifty meters more to go. The pain became almost unbearable. There was a grassy area next to the track. I ran on it. But It ended when I turned around the last corner. The arch is in sight. Two hundred meters more to go. I heard footsteps from behind. Someone is trying to overtake me. I don't want to let it happen. I want to surge. But it's so painful. The footsteps sound nearer. Am I slowing down? Or is the running behind me picking up the pace. Will I be overtaken? No, I won't let it happen! Oh, suddenly the surface became only slightly less spiky! Oh, the pain is now manageable. I can surge. I can inject pace. I am running faster. Faster! And faster into the arch! Across the finish line! The race is over. The mission is accomplished. My soles hurt. But I can forget about it now. The joy far exceeds the pain. Allow me to soak myself fully in the positive feeling. Oh, God. I did it. Shiiiiit, it hurts!  But thank God, I didn't give it up. And I'm so glad I didn't. 

Sometime after I crossed the finish line, my runner friend also successfully completed the challenging race, and together we enjoyed having a bowl of pork soup that was offered to all finishers. 

After the race, I found some blood blisters on both of my soles. They were painful at first. But after squeezing the blood out of them, they became less painful. 

About 40 hours have passed since the race was over. The blisters are no longer so painful. I believe I can go to work with no problem tomorrow morning. I will probably give myself a good rest on Tuesday. I may go for a recovery walk at night. But I won't restart my serious running training until next week. I am afraid I am slightly depleted. I want to build strength. I will probably increase the volume of leg muscle training to maintain the strength that I need to carry on the fairly challenging training regimen that I want to execute in December and January.