2010 for 2010

OK, so the plan was to hit 2010 miles to ring in the year 2010. I hit 2001.2 on the 28th, and it was looking good, but it was also the crux of family holiday/travel time.

Long story short, I hit the 31st still needing that last 8.8, but with blisters on my feet from snorkeling (no size 13 flippers in Japan...), and a very narrow window to fit in my run between a flight and an appointment in Tokyo.

When we got in from the flight, I changed to my running gear, completely under dressing (the flight was from a warmer southern part of Japan), and hit the road. My plan -- average sub 8 minute miles to get back in time. Shouldn't be a problem.

I headed to my regular Tokyo spot, Komazawa Park, and joined the many others doing the 1.3 mile loop there. In my second or third loop, I heard footsteps behind me. I almost never see runners at my pace in Komazawa Park, but after a half a loop the footsteps were still there. I checked the Garmin, and my pace was 7:02. I'd never seen anyone in the park running that fast. I could here the runner breathing, and it sounded like they were working pretty hard, so I took comfort in the belief that I would outlast them. I could also tell from the breathing that it was either a young boy, or a woman.

After a while the runner passed me. Her running shirt had a lot of text on it, but only one word in English: "Ultra". So much for my plan to outlast her. As she passed, I casually said "Ohayou" (pronounced like the buckeye state). The hidden message was "sure, you're passing me, but you're working really hard, whereas I'm not out of breath, and I'm cool enough to say 'Good morning' in a foreign tongue". Unfortunately, the message that came out was "I'm so flustered by you breezing past me, that I'm saying 'Good morning' at 4:00 in the afternoon.

I fell in behind her, and was able to keep pace. After another half mile or so, another runner fell in with her. He knew her, and they exchanged a few words before he fell back. I don't speak enough Japanese to catch what was said, but I do speak "runner", so here is my translation:

HIM: Hey! Ready to run?

HER: Great to see you. I'd love to run with you, but I have to kick the ass of that lame ass American who is following me. I'll find you later, after I've crushed what is left of his spirit.

That might not be an exact translation, but I'm sure it captures the essence of what was said. The guy dropped off, and I continued on the heels of the woman. After a while, my watch beeped again -- 6:31 pace. Good lord, what was I doing? Here are two possible answers:

A] Foolishly screwing up a perfectly good plan by running at race pace in a lame attempt to not get shown up by a girl.

B] Having fun being inspired by another runner.

I'm saying answer B. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

After another mile, the friend showed up again, and this time "Ultra" slowed her pace to run with him.

HIM: Um, that guy's still right behind you. Can we run together now?

HER: Oh, all right. Whatever.

I passed them just as my Garmin beeped another 6:30. After their footsteps faded, I let the pace gradually drop to 7:11 and then 7:30. I had to fight the urge to look over my shoulder. How embarrassing would it be to get caught slowing down...

As a result of these shananigans, I got back ahead of schedule, and felt exhilarated by my last run of the year.

Total miles for 2009: 2010.7.

Happy New Year!

Ted Corbitt 15K

The highlight of today's 15K was definitely the appearance of Santa and his Reindeer. Santa (TH), and a herd of Reindeer from the 6AM group put on quite a show. Their race bibs had their names (Donner, Blitzen etc) and the race logo of the New York Rogue Runners. They ran the race in formation -- no small task for a 15K in the park -- and brought much joy. I tried to get some pics, but the iPhone does not do well with moving targets.

Last post, I listed some goals that I set during the year, but two were yet to be met.

Today, I took care of one: a 15K at sub 7 pace. Recent results and a little math made me think it was doable, but thinking and doing are not the same. I started out at 6:43 and 6:47 for the first two miles. The pace wasn't too tough, but 15K is a long way. I had to keep reminding myself not to slack off. I ended up meeting my goal with a PR 1:40:24 (6:55/mile), a satisfying race to close out the year.

Just one goal left -- 2010 miles to ring in the new year. That one is going to go down to the wire....

2009 Goals

About a week ago, it occurred to me that I couldn't remember my goals for 2009. Surely I set some goals back in January....

Sadly, when I checked my December and January posts, I found.... no goals for 2009! I won't be making that mistake again. I'm already drafting my 2010 goals.

Of course, there were short term goals set along the way, and qualifying for Boston was certainly a goal for 2009, even if I didn't write it up.

Here are the goals I found in various posts this year -- looks like I've got a couple left to hit!

Goal: Sub 20 minute 5K -- DID IT (twice)

Goal: improve my times for half and full marathons DID IT (by 4:31 min for the half, and 26 min for the full)

Goal: sub 7 minute/mile 15K GONNA DO IT (this Saturday)

Goal: Qualify for Boston DID IT (NYC Marathon)

Goal: 2010 mile to ring in the year 2010 GONNA DO IT (See Mileage -->)

Setting the Record Straight

In July of 2007, I ran the Naples-New York Park to Park 10K in 45:24 -- a PR for me. The NYRR, however, posted a much faster time for me -- 41:10. As I posted afterwards, it was a time I couldn't possibly run, but I couldn't get the NYRR to correct it. It's one thing to have an inaccurate time listed, but it was weird to have my "PR" be in error. Just the other day, I was looking at this very cool site that lists your races in PR order, and there it was again, my "fastest" 10K, 41:10.

It took two and half years, but I have finally set the record straight. The Joe Kleinerman 10K was this morning and I knew I was ready to beat my previous best of 42:08. But wait, was the false 41:10 in reach? For the first time, I thought it might be. I needed to average a 6:38 pace. Given my 6:26 pace in the 4 miler a couple of weeks ago, that seemed possible, but my previous best 10K was at 6:47.

I wanted it.

Here's how it went.

Mile 1: 6:42 - PR pace, but not SRS (Set the Record Straight)

Mile 2: 6:40 - Getting better...

Mile 3: 6:34 - I'm thinking I can do this.

Mile 4: 6:37 - Good, good... just don't lose it on Cat Hill and it's in the bag.

Mile 5: 6:37 - Hill? What hill?

Mile 6: 6:22 - Like a horse headed for the barn...

Last .2: 1:17 - Pick out some young fit looking guy and challenge him to a finish line race (fun, but not a winning strategy).

Official time: 40:51 -- 6:35/mile

And there you have it. My PR is real, and my honor (for what it's worth) is restored.

Cheers!

Counting Miles

I recently read a post by RJR in which he mentioned his goal for yearly milage. I'd always been into tracking my weekly mileage, but RJR's post made me wonder where I stood for the year.

A quick check on my trusty log at RunningAhead.com today showed me at 1851 miles. This puts the 2000 mark well within reach. I wouldn't have to run any more than I have been lately. All I would have to do is not slack off (at all) for the holidays. That will be a bit of a logistical challenge. I hate to get crazy about chasing a milage number, but 2000 is such a nice round number -- I've got to at least try. Right?

Uh oh... I just though of something.... what about.... 2009 miles for year 2009? Or, 2010 miles to ring in the new year? Each year I'd have to run one more mile....

Do You Deliver?

Today was the Race to Deliver, a 4 miler in Central Park. I have been looking forward to this one, as a change of pace (literally) from marathon training. As I ramped up the milage for the NYC marathon, I cut back (cut out) speed work and short races almost entirely. Since the marathon, I've gotten in 2 speed sessions with the morning group, but today was the first short race.

On Thursday, I had an experience that had me worried that my speed may have slipped last few months. A new tradition has started in the morning group that each runner is expected to "run their age" on their birthday. That is, when I turn 49 in January, I will be sent out to run the six mile loop in 49 minutes. Other runners in the group often go along with the birthday boy/girl to keep them company. Well, 49 minutes I can do, but this week SJ was turning 39. That's a 6:30 pace. Ouch.

Using my usual questionable judgement, I volunteered to keep him company for the first mile or so. I kept up with him from 72nd street to 100th, but then, exhausted, I sent him on his way with my best wishes. I stopped to catch my breath and wait for the next runners to come, and before long AW and JN came along. I tried, but I was too wasted to keep up with them, so I stopped again and waited for the next folks. I finally fell into a group that I could keep up with, but it was hard. All ambition had been sucked out of me. In the end, I cut the loop short, using the excuse that I wanted to see SJ at the finish. He made it, of course, no problem.

I was wiped out for the rest of the day. Work was hard. Staying awake after dinner was hard. I gave up and turned in early. I was shocked that I couldn't recover more quickly from just a little over a mile of hard running. It did not bode well for this weekend's race.

I figured that the race would would be a good test of where my speed is now, so that I could set my goals going forward. As it turned out, the news was good. I ran a brisk, but not crazy first mile, and was very happy to see that it was under PR pace. As it turned out, it was my slowest mile. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 6:33

Mile 2: 6:25

Mile 3: 6:32

Mile 4: 6:13

Official time: 25:45 (0:31 PR) 6:26/mile

130th overall, out of 4757 finishers, 9th place age group finish.

Better yet, because I wasn't committed to going for a PR, I wasn't pushing like a maniac. I enjoyed some fun banter with other runners and spectators, and generally had a great time. Here's to many more races like this one!

Shortcuts

Early in Sunday's Chilli Half Marathon, I noticed the pack of runners in front of us moving from the right to the left side of the street. I wondered aloud about it to my sister, who was running beside me. Another runner commented that we should follow -- "it must be the way to the shortcut!". He was, of course, joking. Why would anyone, especially anyone from the mid pack, cheat in a distance race? It would be ludicrous. We actually WANT to run the whole thing.

News broke today that middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal for doping. It is sad, but not too surprising that this happens at the highest levels of many sports. But when I hear reports of cheating amongst recreational runners, I just don't get it.

And yet it happens. There has been talk of several questionable results in the NYC Marathon. Not elites doping, but average runners taking shortcuts. The NYRR put out timing mats every 5K, and starting from mile 15, every MILE. If don't hit 5 of them in a row, it's kind of obvious what happened. Why would you do it? Sure there's plenty of temptation to give up in a race that long, but let me be clear: I ever leave the course before the race is over it will be to take the shortest route HOME.

OK, here's a thought. Imagine you get injured at mile 16 of the NYC Marathon. Say you twist your ankle, or pull a hamstring. BUT... your bag is trapped behind the finish line. You really need it. It has your ID and hotel room key. How do you get it? The finish area is completely inaccessible. The only way in is on the course as a runner. So, you grab a cab to Columbus Circle, duck back on to the course and cross the finish line, not thinking to take your D-Tag off. Your time is recorded with a fabulous negative split, and you have become an inadvertent cheater. It could happen to anyone! Mystery solved....

Toward the end of the race, we saw the same "shortcut" runner, and he greeted us by calling out "we must have taken the same shortcut!" I just laughed, but I was thinking "that was one crappy shortcut..."

Bean Town

I was at a family gathering in Cambridge Mass this weekend when I got an email from AH. I'm afraid I confused my family a good bit when I blurted out the subject of the email -- "Boston is closed". They must have thought it was a terrorist attack.

Fortunately they didn't berate me too much when I explained that I just meant that the Boston Marathon was no longer taking applications for 2010.

I put my application in right after the NYC Marathon, but I hadn't heard back, and it sounded like they might be full. They had said that they wouldn't confirm until my qualifying results were made official, so I knew it might be a while.

Well, NYC Marathon results went official today, and I got the email from Boston immediately. Nice.

Dear John Whitfield,

This is to notify you that your entry into the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010 has been accepted

Chilli Half

I traveled to Boston this weekend to run the inaugural Chilli Half Marathon with my sister. We ran side by side for the whole thing and had a blast. We were met at the end by family, including our parents, and went out for brunch. Yum. Here we are outside the Cambridge brunch spot - me, my sister, and the head cheerleader.

Post Marathon Bits and Pieces

- Photo: DW and his cousin representing the Giants at the NYC Marathon start. They finished together, and DW got about a zillion photos along the way.

- Rumors were flying that Boston was filling up, so I put my application in on Sunday night. I'm already signed up to run with friends in the National Marathon (D.C) on March 20th, which is 4 weeks before Boston... hmm.

- When I read RJR's comment on an earlier post that he had done a full 26.2 training run, I got the urge to do the same. Maybe I'll treat the National Marathon as a supported 26.2 training run, and shoot for a fast time in Boston. Somehow it seems wrong to show up at a marathon and not go all out...

- I'm running a 1/2 Marathon in Boston next weekend with my sister. I'm pretty much recovered from the marathon, so I should be OK, but my my race mojo has definitely not come back. Hopefully, little sister will go easy on me....

- Oh, and the NYC Marathon site has already put up the "countdown" clock for 2010. Time to start training!

2009 NYC Marathon Race Report - the long version

Marathon day started and ended well. There were a few sketchy moments in between, but overall, it was a great day.

I met up with friends at 6AM for the trip to the start. Taking the ferry, as opposed to the bus as I have in the past, made this much later start possible. Combined with the extra hour from the time change, I was feeling well rested and ready to go.

The trip (subway, ferry, shuttle bus) went amazingly smoothly, but when the bus let us off outside of Fort Wadsworth, we found ourselves on foot, stuck in a huge, slow moving line. Still we got into the staging area at what seemed like an appropriate time, and we found a place to sit down and get organized.

Soon after, however, PL informed us that he had just heard over the PA that the corrals for the first wave were closed. We hadn't even checked our bags.

When I got to my corral, the entry was cordoned off, but a worker was checking bibs and letting folks duck under the cord to go in. Just as I stepped up she was saying that the she wasn't going to let anyone else in. I ducked under before she could finish her sentence. A lot of folks were behind me, and there was a lot of arguing, and folks were jumping the (8 foot) fence.

All was well, however, for those of us that were already in, so I just focused on relaxing and trying to put that moment of anxiety behind me.

Just then, DW tapped me on the shoulder, he and his cousin were right behind me in the corral. He was dressed as a cheerleader, and she as a football player. If you want to relax and get into the spirit of the event, these two are the folks you want to be with. By the time we were on the bridge and and ready to start, I was really enjoying the whole scene.

When the gun went off I stuck with my plan to run a slow first mile. It's the biggest hill in the course by far, but it's really hard to resist taking off. I was really happy when I saw that my 1 mile split was 8:25, and I told myself that there were plenty of miles in which to make up the time to get to my goal pace of 8:00.

And make up the time I did. In mile 2 (7:30). OK, that wasn't exactly the plan. But, I was on pace, and I had run the first mile slow. I decided to pat myself on the back and move on. I put on the brakes for the next miles, but try as I might, I still kept coming in at under 8:00. I was averaging around 7:55 though, so I decided to accept it. It gave me a little buffer for later.

I felt like I had the brakes on for the first 10 miles or so before the pace felt comfortable. I felt like I could run so much faster, but I knew how upset I would be if I went out fast and hit the wall again.

Near the 59th street bridge, I spotted DW2 (yes, this story has two DWs). We had run a 22 miler together in training, and it was great to see her looking really strong in her first marathon. Just after that, I saw AH on the bridge. It amazes me that in a race of 40,000, you can just bump into folks you know.

Coming off the 59th street bridge, I remember the other promise that I made to myself -- to take the steep downhill off the bridge at a slow pace and try not to abuse the quads. This is a famous place to take off, as the silence of the bridge gives way to the loudest crowds on the course.

Once again, however, my discipline was limited. As soon as I got off the hill and in front of the 1rst Avenue crowds, a began to speed up. Part of the reason for this burst of energy was the gradual realization that I wasn't going to hit the wall. Mile 18 was my fastest of the race at 7:25.

Passing the Gel station manned by Flyers, I got another boost. Big cheers from JN (Mr. Boot Camp), and RJ, in from Seattle to support the gang. I also saw JJ, who had to drop out due to a sprained ankle. Instead of staying home and sulking, he was out handing out gels.

As I navigated the rough roads and turns of the Bronx, I was starting to feel the miles in my legs, but psychologically, I was over the hump. I could tell that it was my day.

I had often wondered what the 5th avenue hill would feel like if I was really trying to keep pace, as opposed to just keep going, and I was happy to find that it was not much of a problem at all. With each passing mile, my confidence grew, and my sore muscles mattered less.

On Central Park South, I was running strong and scanning the crowd for my family. I never saw them, although they saw me, I found out later.

As I approached the finish line, I had no interest in kicking. I was safely under my goal time, and sprinting up the hill just seemed silly. I crossed the line in 3:28:51, a huge PR, and for my age group, a BQ.

Steps from the finish, DW2 found me (she had finished 20 or 30 yards ahead). It was great to share the celebration with her, as she was as happy (at least) as I was.

We walked out together, performing the two phase NYC Marathon ritual of first cursing the race organizers for making us walk so far, and then realizing that it was a really good idea as our legs began to recover.

When I got out of the park, my wife and son were waiting for me :-)

NYC Marathon Race Report - the short story

I'm way too tired to recount the whole story, but here are the key details.

- Finishing time: 3:28:51

- 27 minute PR

- BQ!

- 4,860th place, out of an expected 40,000

More later. For now, I'll just say that I am very happy, and very tired.

Cheers!

0% Chance?

About 8 days before the NYC Marathon, I checked the long range weather report. Pure folly, I know, but what it said caught my attention.

It said that there was a 0% chance of precipitation. Zero percent? Really. Do they know what that means? Is this like Wallace Shawn's "inconceivable!" in The Princess Bride? I'm with Inigo Montoya -- "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

In my book, saying that there is a 0% percent chance means that it's just not going to happen. Yet three days later, there was a 40% chance of precipitation on marathon day. Huh.

To be fair, we all know that today's meteorologists would never claim that they could predict such a thing with certainty from 8 days out. So what DO they mean?

Here's my theory. Let's say you look out the window today, and it's cloudy. Is it going to rain? Maybe. Let's say there's a 40% chance, judging from the darkness of the clouds. Or, let's say the sky is blue -- no clouds in sight. Is going to rain? No way. Meteorologists have more to go on than what they see out the window, but they do the same thing. So, when they say 0% in 8 days, they mean they think it's going to be a clear day. 0% is not the chance that they are wrong. That, they do not publicize. 0% is just the chance that it will rain if they are right.

At any rate, the good news is that after a few days predicting rain, the forecast has returned to perfect. With the start 24 hours away, I'm feeling a little better about this claim of 0%.

Sun
Nov 1

Partly Cloudy

56°
45°

0%

Taper Madness

With the NYC Marathon 2 days away, I seem to be losing my mind.

Signs that I am suffering from "taper madness":

1. I can't walk down the street without feeling that I am going to step off a curb and sprain an ankle at any moment.
2. I worry about both not getting enough rest and getting out of shape. Yes, I can do both at once.
3. When a friend asked about going for a short run tomorrow, I responded that if I ran at all, it would just be to the Marathon starting line and back. She responded that she hoped I meant to the finish line and back (3 miles), not to the start and back (~40 miles).
4. I found this video of Anthony Edwards about running the marathon to be very funny. (FYI, Edward is actually planning to run).

14 days

The NYC Marathon is 14 days out. Time to look back at my training and see were I stand in comparison to previous years.

Mileage

Of the last 10 weeks, 8 have been over 50 miles. There were two down weeks, when I was nursing an irritated calf, but other than that, the milage was consistent.

During the comparable weeks in 2007 and 2008, I broke 40 miles only 4 times.

Long Runs

This year: 10 runs of 16 miles or more, maxing at 22.

In 2007, I had only 6, maxing at 20.

In 2008, only 3 runs of 16 miles or more.

Speed Work

This year, I cut back on speed work as the marathon date approached. I have kept up the tempo runs though, and they are faster and longer than in previous years.

No question, I'm in better shape for this marathon that I have ever been. All I have to do is get through the next two weeks without messing up, and it should be a fun race.

I can't wait.

How long is long?

The first time I trained for a marathon, it seemed that every training program I saw peaked at 20 miles. And those miles were meant to be run much slower than target marathon pace. It seemed odd.

What other race to you prep for without ever going the distance? This approach seems to be counting a LOT on race day magic. I mean, I'm going to run 20 miles much faster than I ever have, pop a GU and whip off an extra 6.2 for kicks?

This year, it seems like a lot more folks are peaking with 22 mile training runs. Today, I tried it for the first time. I have to say, it felt great. I ran with DW, who kept the pace moving, and we picked it up for the last mile.

As DW pointed out, there is a big psychological advantage to running 22 miles rather than 20, in that 4 miles feels like a lot less to "tack on" than 6.

After the run, I asked myself whether I could have gone another 4.2. The answer: "hells yeah".

August Miles

In preparation for the NYC Marathon, I'm trying to get my weekly mileage up to a level higher than in previous years.

I've run well over 50 miles for the past three weeks (a first), and my monthly total for August was 238, an all time high.

It's hard to tell how much this will pay off in the marathon, but it feels good regardless. The long runs are less traumatic, and the build-up feels healthy, rather than forced.

Knock on wood...

There will be no correct clothes....

The milage ramp up continues.

I ran 19 today in the park, and suffered no ill effects.

That run made this week my second 58 mile week in a row.

Still, 26.2 seems like a really, really long way.

19 is a lot, but I would need another hour to finish a marathon. I was not up for another hour of running today, that's for sure.

The NYC marathon is still 2 months out though, so no worries, right?

I did a great yoga session with TH at Yoga To The People tonight -- power Vinyasa -- a great way to wrap up long run day.

NYC Half

Yesterday was the NYC Half Marathon. In order to do my best, I felt that I would have to interrupt my marathon training -- taking off the day before, and probably the day after, as well as generally not pushing to hard last week.

I decided instead to "train through" and run the half at a moderate pace. I have been on a roll ramping up the mileage, and it just didn't seem like a good time for an interruption.

That plan lined up very well with the brutal heat and humidity on race day. I was very happy that I was not pushing for a PR in that weather.

The down side was that my casual attitude about the race caused me to make a couple of stupid mistakes. First, I didn't put on any Body Glide. When it is hot or raining, and the race is longer than 10K, I always put some on. Next, I didn't bring a bag with a change of clothes for after the race. Hey, I'm local right? Finally, I wore the brand new Flyers singlet that I had picked up the day before. The perfect storm.

Well, at about mile 3 I was completely soaked through with sweat, and new shirt was seriously irritating my right nipple. I could just picture myself sitting on the subway with a gorgeous blood stain (or two) running down the full length of my singlet. I started thinking about where to exit the course. I wanted out.

Then a strange thing happened. Having given myself permission to quit, I relaxed and got into a comfortable groove. I saw lots of friends, some running, some spectating. DW flew by looking very happy. GW was there, looking smart in his TFK Coach singlet. Someone called my name, and I saw LH standing with CC (did I hallucinate that?). I was really having fun.

I thought I would bug out after one loop, but at the end of the loop I was having a good time, and I knew from the park to Times Square was the most fun part of the course. So... I kept going. The entertainment did not disappoint, and I ran my fastest mile just cause I was having so much fun.

At about mile 10 or 11, I ran into a First Aid tent and asked for a band aid. They gave me one, and I took off, trying to put the thing on my wound as I ran. Of course, it was completely hopeless because I was soaked. Somehow, though, I was still not bleeding.

At that point, I figured I may as well go ahead and finish. The last couple of miles were hard, but the Flyers were manning the water stop at mile 12 -- not to be missed. It was like a party there.

The race brought my mileage for the week to 58 -- a record for me. My time was 1:39:12, four minutes slower than my PR, but good enough to keep me happy. Aside from the skin irritation, my body felt great. And by some miracle, I wasn't bleeding. My new shirt was unstained.

My fears of embarrassment on the trip home assuaged, I called it a grand success and headed for home. There I had a shower (painful), and a nap (completely painless).

Once a Runner

While in Maine, I visited the Maine Running Company, and saw that they were selling Once a Runner, by John L. Parker.

I had heard that this novel was very popular amongst runners, so I grabbed a copy. I was not disappointed. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks of themselves as a competitive runner. (By "competitive", I don't mean "fast". I mean anyone who trains aggressively to improve their race times.)

Parker apparently self published the book in the 1970s, and sold it out of his car at running events. It eventually became a cult favorite of runners.

Here's something funny -- someone liked this book enough, that they actually produced a fake movie trailer. Check it out.

Last year, Parker published a sequel called Again to Carthage. I'm sure I'll be picking that up soon.

Summer Streets 2009

(The gang at one of the quirky water stops along the way)

It's time for Summer Streets, when NYC closes Park Avenue to traffic from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I met up with TH, JF and JS to run the route. We took a comfortable pace, and chatted as we enjoyed the scene. It was really a pleasure, and the time flew by. By the time I got home, I had done 15 miles.

There's one more day of Summer Streets -- next Saturday (the 22nd) from 7 am to 1 pm. Get there early to beat the crowds!

Fresh Pond

After getting back to NYC this week, I had to turn around and make a quick trip back to New England for a meeting. I took the opportunity to visit my sister in Cambridge, and we enjoyed a morning run together.

She took me on one of her favorite routes: around Fresh Pond. It's a really nice 2.5 mile loop -- a scenic path that's not at all crowded. We ran to the pond from her place and did 2 loops -- a little over 8 miles in the end.

I should point out that this was her regular route and pace, and that the blood soaked socks were just a fluke. It had nothing at all to do with keeping up with her super-fast big brother.

Wrap up

(Maquoit Bay -- taken during last weekend's 17 miler)

I have been neglecting the blog while on my "Running Retreat" for the past few weeks, so here a quick wrap up. (I returned to NYC on Sunday).

I raced a 5K in Portsmouth, N.H. with a few work mates. (Company HQ is in Portsmouth). My predicted time was "just under 20", and I came in at 19:59. No joke.

I knew three other people in the race. We each placed 6th in our respective age/gender groups. Now that's just weird.

I took advantage of the cool Maine mornings to ramp up my weekly mileage. I'm running 50 mile weeks now, which is more than in previous years .

Each Saturday, I ran long: 15, 13 and 17 miles. The long runs felt good -- much less painful then in previous years. Part of this (I think) is because the long runs are a smaller percentage of my weekly miles. I may be getting the hang of this....

Running into culture

Symphony Hall, as seen on this morning's 13 miler.

Summer Training Retreat

I'm in Maine for three weeks, and although it's not really for a running retreat, I'm pretending it is. I run in the morning before work (like usual), but the routes are very different from my New York habits (Central Park, Central Park or Central Park).

I'm trying to take advantage of the cooler temps and beautiful country roads to kick the fall marathon training into full gear.

So far, it's going well. I've had some really nice 7 and 8 mile runs, and yesterday I did my first real long run in preparation for the marathon. I went 15.21 miles (thank you, Mr. Garmin), on a gorgeous route winding through farm land and along the coast.

The only time in even momentarily stopped was to attempt to photograph the three wild turkeys that I came across. OK, it's not much of a photo, but you get the idea.

Actually, one of the more telling aspects of the photo is that you can tell that I'm standing in the middle of the road. I spent a lot of the run cruising right down the center, as there were almost no cars to be found on an early Saturday in the country.

The non-stop approach is a key to this year's training plan: Get used to running for long stretches without stops. We'll see how it pans out...

As for this run, it didn't do much damage. I'm not at all sore, and I look forward to gradually increasing the long runs as I go. Hopefully building up more than tearing down.

Ah, a new rule to live by: Build up more than you tear down.

An Awesome Win

For the 4th of July, we were visiting my folks in Pennsylvania, and I entered the local Firecracker 4K race. So did my mother.

Here she is, on her way to winning the 60 and over age group -- all the more impressive given that she is 75.

Results

Female 60 and over

 Place    Name                    City             Bib No  Age   all      Time

  

    1    Grace (MOM!)           State College  PA    606    75   770    32:42.85

    2    Carol ------           Bellefonte  PA        60    61   776    33:06.00

    3    Bonnie -----------     State College  PA    630    68   836    38:24.55

    4    Ruth ------            State College  PA    773    60   852    40:26.90

    5    Ania ---------         Spring  TX           188    63   853    40:29.95

    6    Sue -------            State College  PA    570    61   855    40:33.10

    7    Linda --------         Port Matilda  PA     240    62   859    41:52.30

    8    Judy --------          Westerville  OH      872    64   860    41:52.60

Go Mom!!!!

How many shopping days is that?

I got my first "countdown" email from the NYRR today. Seems a tad early to start counting, but hey, why not?

June 5, 2009
	Countdown to the start November 1, 2009: 148 Days

15 Minutes of Fame

This just in...

One of my training buddies told me this morning that my ugly mug is included amongst the handful of pictures the NY Road Runners posted after the Brooklyn Half. See it to believe it.

Apparently, the photographer thought I was giving him a "thumbs up", when actually I was just trying to flag a cab.

Got Away With It

The plan was to ramp up my training and peak for a series of three races over four weeks , ending with yesterday's Brooklyn Half Marathon. 

Three races in four weeks is a lot, but the distances were gradually increasing, as was my interest in doing well. There was the Mother's Day 4 miler, which hoped to do well in, but it was more of a warm up to the Healthy Kidney 10K, which I was targeting more. Then a week off before going for it in the Half.

Things started out according to plan, but we went to visit my folks for Memorial Day weekend,  and it turned out that there was a race in my home town while we were there. I had never run in my home town before, and there was simply no way to resist. 

It turned out to be great fun. The race had a wonderful local feel to it. It was 500 people instead of 5000, and the vibe was 

very positive. I had a great time running the course, which was 3.8 miles, with a long tough hill in the middle. When I rounded the corner before the finish, the family was there cheering -- three generations worth. Can't beat that. My pace was a little slower than I hoped (6:44), but I was happy with my 33rd place finish.

Racing on Monday was definitely not in the original plan, so I tried to make up for it by taking Thursday and Friday off before Saturday's Brooklyn Half. That worked pretty well, and I felt fresh at the start. Too fresh in fact, as my first mile was a good bit faster than I intended. I really pulled back on mile 2 to make up for it, and then settled in to a good pace. 

The first half of the race was in hilly Prospect Park, and my splits reflected the changes in elevation. The second half of the race was totally flat, and my pace was incredibly even -- no more than 1 second of variation from mile 8 to the end. 

I ended up with a 34 second PR. Not much for a 13.1 mile race, but once again, a PR is a PR. The splits are at the end of this post.

The race ended at the Coney Island boardwalk, and PL and I jumped into the ocean to cool off. It was a spectacular feeling. The water was ice cold, but that's just what we needed. The Brooklyn Half is a race not to miss.

The next day, PL talked me into coming out for the Japan Day 4 miler, as a "recovery race". We took it easy, and it felt good to stretch the legs out. I can't help but notice though, that technically, I ran three races this week... Not usually recommended.

Anyway, I'm now headed for some down time. I'll cut back on milage, skip speed work, and generally give my old body a chance to regenerate. I consider myself lucky to have survived this push, which was a bit over the top. Next time, I'll try to control myself a bit better (ha!). 

Looking back though, it does seem that I got away with it. I PRed in all three target races (I could even claim the home town race as a PR, since I've never run a 3.8 miler before), and I seem to have escaped injury. I can't wait for the next big push!

Brooklyn Half Marathon Splits:

6:56

7:26

7:15

7:09

7:34

7:31

7:08

7:10

7:18

7:17

7:19

7:17

7:19

0:41 (last 0.1 miles)

What a Difference a Day Makes

Today was the Healthy Kidney 10k, a race I have been targeting. In fact last week I made wild predictions of a PR.

My brilliant plan was to take the day before the race off, therefore starting the race "fresh", as opposed to last weekend, when I did a long run the day before the race.

So how did it work? Actually, pretty well. I was ahead of PR pace from the get go, and felt strong throughout the race. There was a sudden but brief rain storm during mile 2-3, and I was pretty thoroughly drenched, but the temperature was perfect, so the rain didn't slow me down at all.

OK, I have to admit that the photo on the left is not from this morning. It's actually from last weekend (photo by Flyer Photographer Bob Cowin) . But the look of confidence in the photo matches this week's race better than the day it was taken. 

In fact, the truth is that I spotted Bob (the photographer) that day, and mustered up the best pose I could. I regretted it immediately though, when I felt like I had pulled something in my back. For a  moment I thought my race was over, since it hurt to breathe, and I needed all the air I could get. Fortunately, the pain passed pretty quickly and I was able to go on. Next time I see Bob with his camera, I'll just smile, or maybe wink. I'll save the arm pumps for after the race.

Getting back to today's race, I finished with a satisfying 23 second PR. Afterwards, I saw a bunch of Flyers many of whom had PRs. In particular, the bloggers seemed to be on a roll, as The Laminator, jb24 and (reportedly) Trakmaniac all PRed. I just goes to show you -- want to run faster? Start a blog. 

The morning Flyers also made a great showing. There were too many successes to mention them all, but I have to single out CB, who finished fourth in her age group, and led the Flyers women to a first place age group finish. 

Trakmaniac and GW, who organize the Flyer Marathon Training Program, gave me a copy of their brilliant booklet with this year's schedule, including tons of organized long runs. They have really done an amazing job.  

Splits from today:

6:39

6:42

6:49

7:01 (all uphill)

6:44

6:47

1:21 (last 0.2)

42:10 official time (42:06 according to my watch....)

Three Seconds

Today was the first of three races that I'm sort of treating as a series. Four miles today, 10K next weekend, and two weeks after that, the Brooklyn Half. I've increased my weekly milage lately, and speed work and tempo runs have been going well, so it's time to see how well it will pay off.

With the longer races coming up, my plan was to not let today's race interrupt my training schedule, so instead of taking the day off yesterday, I did my scheduled long run. 

I've been feeling in such good shape, that I thought I could challenge my PR today. It's only four miles, after all -- who needs a day off for that, right?

In the first mile I felt reasonably fast, but not.... fresh. I had the feeling that that my legs might start to fade. Just the same, I kept charging, running 6:37 and 6:26 for my first two miles. That put me slightly ahead of PR pace, with the toughest mile coming up. I toughed out the third mile in 6:42, leaving me a couple of seconds behind. 

With just a few seconds to make up, and a downhill last mile to go, things looked good. The only problem was that I had worked really hard to get there, and did not have much left in the tank. I kept pushing though, and ran the last mile in 6:29, beating my PR by.... 3 seconds.

I checked my last 4 mile PR race report, and can you believe it, that was a 3 second PR as well.

That's just weird. 

My time of 26:16 was good enough for a tenth place finish in my age group, but I think that a lot of the faster guys had other things to attend to on Mother's Day. 

Next up: the Healthy Kidney 10K. It's a club points race, so I won't be in the top ten of my age group, but here is my pledge:  To PR by at least 4 SECONDS!

A Weekend to Run

I celebrated the great weather this weekend by doing a 10 mile run, a 4 mile "Fun Run" and a 4 mile race. Good times.

On Saturday, I met up with some of the AM Flyers who were planning various long runs, with differing paces and distances. I ended falling into pace with KD, who was out for a 12-14 mile run. The conversation was entertaining and the miles went by quickly. I cut off after 10 miles to head to the start of the Concern For Hunger charity Fun Run. 

There was a strong Flyer turnout for the charity run, and it was fun to catch 

up with some folks that I hadn't seen for a while.  

Not surprisingly, the run itself had a very different feeling than an NYRR race. The number of runners was smaller, of course, and there didn't appear to be any tracking of results. It was fun to run in a less crowded, and less competitive field, but it was sparse enough that there were a lot of non racers in the same lane as us. Probably, some of the folks out for a run didn't know that there was a race going on. 

I ran semi-aggressively, and was happy that after my 10 mile "warm-up" I was able to keep a sub 7 minute pace.

My favorite part of the run was the finish. The Concern for Hunger volunteers were out in force cheering for the runners. I took the opportunity to cheer back, and collected tons of high-fives while kicking to the finish.  

This morning was the Run As One 4 miler. I wasn't  sure how I was going to feel after putting in 14 miles yesterday. I had also suffered a weird stomach thing the night before. Once I  got going though, I felt strong, so I gave it the full press.

My splits reflected the hills - 1 mile up - 6:44, 1 down - 6:33, 1 up - 6:44, 1 down - 6:22. In the finish line chute, Flyer AW introduced herself. We had been swapping places toward the end, but because she wasn't wearing any Flyer gear, I hadn't realized that she was a teammate. She ended with the faster time (next time, AW!), and an age group award to go with it. 

I also ran into jb24, who finished with a huge PR. He has been on fire lately.

My official time was 26:24 (6:36 pace) - just 5 seconds behind my 4 mile PR (26:19). I'm quite happy with that. My plan is to do a couple of weeks of good training, and then get a little rest to shoot for a PR with fresh legs.

Solid

Today was the Scotland Run 10K -- always a highlight of the season. The Scots give out flags, and other items showing the flag such as rain ponchos and the usual t-shirts. Runners show up in plaid and kilts, and spirits are high. This year, it was a club points race, which added a whole other element of excitement. 

The weather was miserably cold and rainy, but the NYC runners still turned out in full force. There were 7600 finishers -- something of a mystery since the race was supposed to be capped at 5000... 

The weather was fine for running, but rough for standing around. When the race was over, I was freezing. I saw Trakmaniak wearing his kilt -- I can't imagine how much water weight that wool took on in the pouring rain. PD left his kilt at home, but has to be forgiven due to his speedy run, which was the fastest in the club. Lammy was there, enjoying his Boston taper by taking photos instead of running. 

Since the 15K three weeks ago, I've been taking it easy. I had been training and racing aggressively for a while, and it seemed like a good idea to let my body recover for a while. 

I cut back on miles and replaced speed work and tempo runs with easy paced runs. I ran a short race,  but started in one of the back corrals and ran at a comfortable pace.

I balanced out this change (somewhat) by doing a bit more swimming and core work.  It seemed to be working, so today I let myself go a bit in the Scotland Run 10K. 

I showed up so late that race officials had already removed the barriers between the first two corrals and everyone had moved up. I was able to squeeze into my corral, but effectively I was a corral back. As a result, the first mile was slow, but it didn't bother me. Because I had been so late, I was not able to warm up properly, and starting out conservatively seemed like a good idea. 

I hit my stride in the second mile and felt good. From there I continued to gain speed, and more importantly, felt strong.  The end result was 43:03 (6:56/mile). Five seconds per mile slower than PR pace, but I found it very encouraging. 

If I continue to feel strong, I'll ratchet the training back up and shoot for a 10K PR soon. The Healthy Kidney 10K is coming up in a month.... seems just about right.

Here are the splits from today.

Mile 1]        7:19

Mile 2]       6:58

Mile 3]       6:49

Mile 4]       7:02 (Great Hill - East Side)

Mile 5]       6:45 *

Mile 6]       6:45 *(Missed my split at mile 5. Based on 13:30 for miles 5 and 6)

Last 0.2]    1:24 

Well, I've been a little out of touch (insert excuses here), so in addition to reporting on today's 15K, I've got some old business to catch up on. Here's the agenda.

Old Business:

• NYRR 8000
  
• Dual Birthday Party

New Business:

• Colon Cancer 15K

Old Business

Last Saturday, March 14 was a big day. In the morning, I ran the NYRR 8000, and that night my wife and I attended a birthday party that was thrown for two of my favorite runners, CB and VB, who turned 50 and 70 respectively. 

The race was fine. I had never run an 8000 meter race before, so there was no PR to beat, but 8000 meters is very close to 5 miles, so I had some idea of what my pace should be. I felt pretty good, except for the moment when I had to stop to tie my shoe at mile 3. This was the first time I've ever had a shoe come untied during a race, and it was quite shocking, given my recent claims of shoe tying mastery. I'm sure I just slipped back to my old habits and tied a granny knot that morning. The perfect knot could not possibly have come untied!!! 

I ended up with a 33:25 (6:43 pace). I'm good with it -- that will be the time to beat at my next 8000.

The birthday party was spectacular. A video was played, made up of birthday wishes from a gaggle of runners, all praising CB and VB. The praises were well earned. The two of them have inspired many, including myself. 

When I first started running with my 6AM group, I tried to stay with VB as I struggled to make it around the loop. It was tough to keep up, but it was worth it for the excellent company.

CB has also been an inspiration. She is a triathlon monster, despite a demanding (and interesting) job and a family. She is forever making me push harder in speed work. 

The party was packed with runners who share my admiration for these two. I knew that they were universally admired, but to see so many folks in one place -- it was very cool.

New Business

It wasn't the best week for training -- in fact I've slacked off significantly since Coogan's. This was partly by design (I pushed pretty hard leading up to Coogan's), but it was also due to being busy with work, having jury duty, etc. 

Once again, I tried to convince myself that the training slow down was, in affect, tapering for the race. The mind trick worked pretty well, and I was able to run hard. My pie in the sky goal was to go under 7 min/mile, but I couldn't quite do it. I held a sub 7 pace for most of the race, but starting slipping at mile 5. I ended up with a 1:05:40 (7:03 pace). I have to be happy with that, given my 10K PR at 6:51 pace, and Half Marathon PR at 7:19 pace. 

There were some excellent Flyer sightings at the race, such as the Laminator, who passed me early on. I yelled out to him, and he made a valiant effort to turn around enough to see who was calling out, but wisely redirected his eyes forward, continuing on to a very fast finish. I also saw EF, another Flyer who finished way ahead of me as usual (3rd in our age group). Crazy Bandana was there snapping photos -- I watched the finish of the 4 mile race with him. He and several other Flyers I saw (CM) are training for Boston in four weeks. Gotta get there someday.

Scoring at Coogan's

My first goal for this year was to run a sub 20 minute 5k.  I planned my first attempt at this goal for lasts week's Al Gordon 5k, but I couldn't make the race because of a family trip. 

Today's  Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks Run was the next 5k on my list, and I felt ready to give it a go. I lined up aggressively in the corral, and found myself standing next to some of my faster teammates. This year, Coogan's is a club points race, so a lot more of the fast folks showed up.  It wasn't really appropriate to be starting with these guys, so when the crowd moved forward, I hung back a bit. 

Off the starting line, I was passing a good number of runners, but not so many that it was really holding me up. I hit mile one at 6:21, better than the 6:26 pace I needed to hit my goal. 

In the next mile, I surprised myself by passing a couple of runners that usually finish way ahead of me. Sure, they might have been going easy today, but I still took it as inspiration to keep pushing. Mile 2 had the big hill, and despite pushing hard, my pace slipped to 6:38. That put me behind, but the last mile was mostly downhill,  so I knew I could at least come close. 

For the last 1.1 miles, I dug deeper than I ever have. It looked like I was going to miss my goal by just a few seconds, and I wasn't going to let that happen without a fight. For almost all of the last mile, I was running at finish line kick effort.

When I saw the finish line clock I had a glimmer of hope, but it was clear that it was going to by down to the wire. I pushed to line, and when I looked at my watch it read 19:57. Unbelievable. 

My lungs were burning, but I was elated. There's nothing like running really really hard and hitting your goal. 

After the race, PL and I skipped the free beer at Coogan's Pub, and instead grabbed some eggs and plantains with onions (and hot sauce) -- quickly becoming our Washington Heights tradition. Good eatin'.

When I got home and checked the official results, there was more good news. Amongst my teammates, I finished 4th, and 2nd amongst the masters runners in the club. That means I "double scored" (scored in the open and masters divisions) for the team. It's the first time I've scored for the team in any club points race.

The only bad news is that now I need a new goal (yes, I must always have a goal). I think it can wait until tomorrow though...

Fit to be Tied

Once again, my running life has caused me to question one of the fundamental building blocks of my personal foundation.

After reading an article in Runners World, I realized that I didn't know how to tie my shoes. Ouch.

For my entire life, I have been tying "Granny Knots". I don't mean that I occasionally  mess up. I tie my shoes the same way every time.  The wrong way. Oh, the shame...

Now I am retraining, and the results are well.... satisfying. I will definitely try some training runs without double knotting, and if that works, I'll try racing that way. That's right, you heard me. I'm going to race single knotted. I expect at least a 5 second per mile improvement. After all, a double knot must be heavier, right?

The article claimed that about 50% of folks had the same problem. Are you wondering if you do it right? 

If you are more the "intuitive type", I suggest this video:

If you are more the "analytical type", take a look at this:

Be prepared, though. If you find out that you've been doing it wrong, it may be a bitter pill to swallow. All I can say is, tomorrow is a new day.

Better Half

Race Report: The Manhattan Half Marathon

I showed up at the Manhattan Half with TH and PL (as usual), and I was pretty fired up to run. One of my goals for 2009 is to improve my times for half and full marathons, which don't compare well to the times I run in shorter races. 

This is a long term goal, and I hope that my half marathon times will improve throughout the year. That said, my PR for the half marathon distance was old (Queens, 2007) and needed to be broken. Today certainly felt like the day.

The first mile went quickly, at 7:18 -- well ahead of PR pace. Either I was going out too fast, or I was headed for a solid PR. As it turned out, I was able to hold pace pretty well. I was even able to run really strong in the last mile. It was the first time I've had anything left at the end of a half marathon. I ended up with a 1:36:01 (7:19/mile), a PR by almost 4 minutes.

After the race, PL, TH and I stumbled upon a very quirky place called Patisserie Saint Honore at 189 Columbus (68th Street).  It's a tiny hole in the wall with just a couple of chairs along the wall, but if you happen to look up, you'll see a very cool, out of the way upper level with a couple of tables made cozy with some benches and cushions. We had "Morrocan Eggs", which were a delicious semi spicy tomato-y creation, and coffee. We took our treats to the upstairs area, which we had to ourselves, and told our races stories. Good times.

Resurgence of the 5K in NY?

The NYRR just announced that this year's Al Gordon Snowflake race will be a 5K in Prospect Park (Brooklyn). This is good news, from where I stand. 

I like the 5K distance, but I have only run it twice (Coogan's 2007 and Coogan's 2008). The only time I've run Prospect Park was at the end of the Brooklyn Half Marathon (ouch!). A 5K would be a chance to give Prospect Park a try on um... fresher legs. 

From what I've heard, the NYRR used to run 5K races in Central Park. The routes were "out and back" however, which meant using twice as much road space as a loop race. When the races got too crowded, they stopped running 5Ks in favor of 4 mile races, which can be done in one "inside" loop of the park. 

Hopefully, the Al Gordon change is a sign that the NYRR wants to run 5Ks again, even if they need to explore new locations.

This year we have at least two 5Ks in town: the Al Gordon 5K on Feb 21, and the Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks Run in Washington Heights just a week later. This gives me two shots at my first official goal for 2009 --- (drum roll please)

Run a sub 20 minute 5K.

If I can't hit my goal in one of these two races, well there are 5Ks outside of the city, and plenty of training time left. But hey, why put it off?

Good Start

Yesterday was my first race of 2009 -- the Fred Lebow Classic, a 5 miler in Central Park. It wasn't really a target race, but I've been feeling good, so I figured I'd see if I could push my PR of 33.52 (6:46/mile). 

I jogged over to the start with TH and PL (it really is nice to have so many races just a jog away!). It was cold, but not too bad, and the roads were clear. I saw cap'n GW near the corrals. He wasn't racing -- just saying "hi". 

I ran mile one in 6:41. I didn't feel like I had gone out crazy fast, so the PR attempt was on. Mile two (mostly downhill) was faster at 6:36. Mile 3 held steady at 6:38, and I was starting to believe. 

I had worked up a pretty good buffer for the expected slow down in mile 4 (Cat Hill).  This point in a 5 miler, with 2 miles to go, and a big hill coming up, is usually when the going gets tough for me. I have to really dig deep for the next mile before the home stretch burst of energy comes. This time, however, I wasn't feeling the usual struggle. I actually felt pretty strong. 

When I topped the hill and saw that mile 4 had gone by in 6:41 -- below PR pace -- I realized that it was in the bag. For the cherry on top of the sunday, I looked up and saw several of my fellow morning runners, including FA, CB and I think VB, jogging the other way. I waved to them and they gave me a huge cheer. 

I really felt like a million bucks. The other racers around me were giving me looks varying from laughing to envy to "is that fair?". I felt bad for them. Not only did I have the unfair advantage of a cheering section, but those same folks cheering had also made me train with hundreds of repeats on the very hill we had just raced up. 

The last mile flew by, ending on a fast downhill. With a 6:30 mile 5, my time was 33:06 (6:37/mile), a 46 second PR. 

Afterward, I saw a bunch of folks including a lot of the morning crew. There were plenty of PRs, and a whole lot of smiles. The speed work must be paying off.

Running to the Edge of the World

On my first morning in Japan, I took advantage of the jet lag and went out for an early run. I was in Tsudanama for one night, in the Chiba prefecture just outside of Tokyo.  This area is a combination of urban sprawl, suburban and rural cultures that you don't find in the US.

I headed out from the house in a residential area near the Kesei (Train) Station, and headed North. After taking a long pedestrian bridge over the JR tracks, I found myself on a paved path running through farm fields. The sun was just coming up, and roosters were crowing. 

After about a mile, I came out of the farm area, to a good sized road that had a nice looking bike path along it. There was a line of trees between the road and the path, and occasion park benches. I followed the bike path for a long time, and it changed in character as it passed through commercial, residential and more remote areas. I kept expecting the path to come to an end, but it just kept coming.

It was a Saturday morning, so most of the office workers were still in bed. For company, I had the elderly folks, out for their morning constitutionals. The older folks in Japan never cease to amaze me.  They seem to stay healthy and active to impossibly advanced ages. At times like this, when they own the street, the country takes on a wholesome feeling that

 contrasts strikingly with the cell phone hustle of the younger generations.

As the path stretched on, I started to imagine what its end would look like. At first, I pictured a nice park,

with a map of the path on a sign. Later, my imagination became more dramatic. Surely I would arrive at cliff overlooking the ocean. Japan, after all, is an island. How much longer could I run in a straight line? When I started to imagine I would find the edge of the world, a la "The God's Must Be Crazy", I thought I better turn around. 

Running back through the farm fields in full daylight, I had a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. I had forgotten that on a clear day Fuji-san was visible from so far away. And this was shaping up to be a clear day if there ever was one.