TO START

Going to Japan had been a dream of mine since I was a 13-year-old learning Japanese against my guidance counselor’s advice. It was my favorite class and the one in which I did the best. Didn’t know it would take so long for me actually travel to Japan, but the Tokyo Marathon gave a great reason to finally make the trip.

THE EXPO

Like any other large race — Tokyo is one of the five largest in the world — race weekend started at the expo, which was held at a giant, futuristic looking event hall called the Big Sight. Hundreds, if not thousands, of runners were patiently lined up to get checked in and collect race packets. Once inside, the race staff and volunteers worked to get us through quickly, even as we had to go through all of the security checks: providing IDs for verification, having our photos taken, and having our important information associated with our individually coded wristbands.

From here, the next step for runners is the upper level of the expo, itself. The upper floor is the designated space for booths set up by various race sponsors. With a constant barrage of lights, electronic sounds, and booth staffers projecting their voices above one another, this area at times felt like being dropped into a mash-up of Times Square and a chaotic video game . . . or a regular day in Shinjuku. (I later learned that the Tokyo Marathon Expo is the largest trade show in the country.) Since only registered participants are allowed in the bib pick-up area, this is where many people connected with their family members. I hung out on this floor a bit to have my photo taken a few times, buy some official race-branded snacks (yum), and knock back some non-alcoholic Asahi (um, okay), but passed many of the other attractions in favor of heading to the lower level where the vendor booths and much of the race swag could be found.

Parts of the vendor level were impressive. As the official apparel company for the race, Asics had the largest shop on the floor with over FORTY tech shirts on display! I regret not buying an official jacket because they’ve proven nearly impossible to find since the expo. An unexpected bonus of the expo was the Asics-run 2020 Summer Olympics merchandise booth where Kristen and I both found some nice wearables to bring home.

Unexpected bonus number two came outside of the expo hall: the look in Kristen’s eyes when we came across a local band performing a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads” in both English and Japanese.

THE RACE

A simple breakfast and an uneventful train ride to the start village made for a very quiet beginning to what would be a great day. Going into the race, I had a predicted time goal based upon my training plan. If I were to hit this goal, it would represent a major improvement over my existing personal best. The jump was significant enough that, going into the race, I took some comfort in knowing that getting anywhere close to this (arbitrary) goal would represent a great achievement for me.

Navigating through the start village (on the grounds of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) was made easy by the many volunteers from the Tokyo Marathon Foundation Official Volunteer Club. The “Voluntainers” even staffed the port-a-potty lines to make sure the traffic flowed quickly and smoothly. After doing a few warm up drills, I found myself in my corral and with great sense of calm. Small things that I either forgot for race day or moments of doubt felt during training didn’t matter. I was here. I belonged here. I was going to be happy with the day.

A big blast of confetti and we were off! For such a large field of runners, the race as a whole felt very uncongested, even through the first few miles. I was reminded at dinner the night before the race to be aware of the downhill over the first five kilometers of the race. Although I had it in my mind to take it easy at the start of the race, I could feel the pull of gravity driving me toward a more aggressive pace than planned. That said, my effort level felt right and I decided to ride my luck a bit. What’s the worst that could happen?

The ten and fifteen kilometer marks came and went without any issues. There is a lot more new architecture than old to be found in central Tokyo due to most of it being built after World War II, but running into the Asakusa neighborhood gave an opportunity to see some of the oldest buildings in the city. At twenty kilometers, as I was nearing the halfway point, I still felt pretty strong. At the same time, I wondered how long I could hold the pace. Just because I felt good doesn’t mean that I wasn’t still pushing my luck. In the fifteenth mile, I knew I’d have to slow down a bit or else suffer for the remainder of the race. This tactic paid off: after slowing down, I was able to pick up the pace to something more in line with my goal pace for the next five miles. I was cruising and everything was awesome. Awesome until it came time to grind it out for the last ten kilometers.

Going into this last stretch, or true second half of the race, my legs still felt ready to go all day. Opting for a pair of VaporFly 4% racers over some of the more firm shoes I’d worn in prior races turned out to be a good decision. 4% improvement or not, the construction of the shoes did help me to keep pushing forward as my energy level dipped below where I would have liked it to be.

My gels weren’t quite up to the task, but I squeezed every last calorie out of the next to last one I consumed. I say next to last because I dropped my last one on the course and would have to rely on the aid station offerings to hopefully give me a boost. I didn’t try the majority of what was available — bread, oranges, salted plum, adzuki bean paste, salty candy, and chocolate(!) — but did get my hands on what would feel like my saving grace: cherry tomatoes! I was only able to get a couple of handfuls as I ran through the latter refreshment stations, but enjoyed popping each sweet burst of goodness into my mouth. Well, as much as I could when I really wanted to be on the other side of the finish line.

Much of the race’s final ten kilometers takes place on one of three out and back sections of the course. On an early one, I was able to see the elite competitors heading the other direction. Going into the final one, I felt like the turnaround was always another kilometer ahead; so close, yet just out of reach. Eventually, I made it to the last turnaround and even though you’re never done until you cross the finish, I knew that I’d happily be across the finish line shortly. Despite looking rough (as witnessed by a friend who spotted me on the course), I was going to make it through on cherry tomatoes and will power.

About 800 meters from the finish, I saw another runner speed past me. Although there was no way that I’d be able to latch onto him to carry me through, I knew that it was time to pick things up and make a strong push toward the finish line. One last turn and the finish line was in sight! Above the cheering spectators, I could hear the PA announcer acknowledging different runners as they closed in on the finish line. Knowing that an international runner yelling in Japanese would get some attention, I screamed out something about the power of nature (credit: DJ Towa Tein and the Jungle Brothers). The reciprocal shout-out from the PA and love from the crowd was a great boost to have over the final 100 meters. And done.

POST RACE

It wasn’t too long before the joy of finishing a marathon was joined by the physical discomfort of having run a marathon. Although a few other runners and numerous volunteers noticed how labored my walking was, the soreness in my hips and legs was secondary to the effect the weather was having on me. 40° F is an excellent temperature while running, but walking nearly a mile to bag check in the same conditions while wearing a singlet and shorts isn’t as much fun. In the moment, my heat sheet became almost as important as my medal. Eventually I made it around the Imperial Palace grounds to Hibiya Park, where my checked bag was located. Soon enough, I was reunited with my wife and a crew of great friends from Chicago and Osaka who waited out in the cold to see me finish and to make sure that I made it out of the post-race area under my own power.

A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS…

• The high level of organization and local cooperation helped support an amazing experience for me. Being one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors doesn’t just mean that the Tokyo Marathon is a large race in a big city that people run in order to complete the series of six races for a special medal. It means that organizationally, there is an expectation that the needs of the runners, from refreshments to security, will be fulfilled in a massive way. On this, Tokyo did not disappoint. As someone who has run the NYC Marathon a number of times, I also appreciated running in a city where the public transportation system worked with the race organization in a major way to ensure that runners made it to and from the race as efficiently as possible. Trains running on time and not on a weekend schedule before an event where you have to move thousands of people? Free one-day metrocards for all runners? Is this runner heaven? No, this is Tokyo.
• Running internationally helps illustrate how much of a unique position we’re in as runners in the US in regards to gender equity. While many marathons in the States have participant fields that are around half female, with even greater numbers in half marathons, the same cannot be said around the globe. Of nearly 35,000 total finishers at the 2018 Tokyo Marathon, less than 8,000 were female. Shows that the great work of women like Kathrine Switzer and Joan Benoit is far from done. I didn’t sense any animosity toward female runners at the Tokyo Marathon, but would love to see more women participate worldwide and feel that American women can offer a lot by just showing up. (Charity spots for 2019 are scheduled to open this July with the lottery coming in August.)

It was a great day for CHRC! Congrats to all of our 23 finishers!! Andrew, Guillermo, Michael, Walt, Leslie, Gideon, Nicole, Sonya, Amanda, Kay, Aliza, Sebastian, John, Ethan, Emily, Sophie, Rachael, Elizabeth, Shelley, Madeline, Erin, Priti, AND Zoe!

What was your race experience like?

The 2018 NYC Half was an awesome experience! I was really excited about the new course. The fact that it started right in our neighborhood added to the excitement. There is a proverb in Spanish that says,  “El hombre propone, pero dios dispone”. It roughly translates to “A man can plan and prepare all he likes, but God has his destiny preordained.  I had done lots of meticulous planning and everything seemed to be aligning, but you can’t control two things: getting sick and the weather.

On race day, I was recovering from a bad cold that earlier in the week made me contemplate not racing. The temperature was 28 degrees and windy. Needless to say, it was cold! Luckily, I drew from Gideon’s wisdom and prepared by bringing a hat, an old jacket, old jeans, and a heat sheet to keep warm and toss at the beginning of the race. That plus two sets of hand-warmers and the thousands of people around made the weather more manageable.

Last year, I had the pleasure to chase after our very own Kay and start at the corrals with Jimmy and Akil. This year Kay was injured and taking it easy. Gideon was running this year, but not racing either. He had a 20 miler scheduled as part of his NJ Marathon training. As I was waiting in the corral, I met someone from the Queens Distance Runners Club. After awhile, you start seeing the same people in your corrals. Though we’d seen each other, we’d never had a conversation. He was unprepared for the cold, and since I wasn’t using the heat sheet, I offered it to him. He gladly took it. We shared our goals and before we knew it, it was game time!

As people began to move to the starting line, I noticed that my right shoe lace was loose! I almost panicked! I had flashbacks from last year’s Staten Island Half Marathon, where my shoelace came untied three times. I got a hold of myself, moved to the right side, and made sure both laces were secured! I was planning on running according to effort and not looking at my watch. Last year, I kept looking at my watch and in Times Square someone yelled, “Hey banana, just run! Stop looking at your watch!” Ever since then, I don’t look at my watch until the end of the race.

The excitement made me forget about my sore throat. I usually keep to the left during races because it tends to be less congested, but I knew that the cheer squad would be on the right. I thought that being on the right side would help with pacing since it would be congested. I was wrong! It was as if someone was playing a joke on me. The path was clear and then before mile 2, I passed the 1:25 pace group! I felt good. My breathing was constant and I felt I could keep up that pace for 11 more miles, so I figured maybe I could do something close to that time. Shortly after that, I passed the royal banana CHRC Cheer Squad. It is always nice to see your fellow teammates braving the temperatures to cheer you on. That was adrenaline boosting!

Climbing up the Manhattan Bridge was tough, not physically but mentally. It was there that the 1:25 group passed me and the 1:30 caught up and I knew I had overreached. From there, the headwinds picked up and at times I felt like a kite! By mile 6, my legs felt extremely heavy. I felt that familiar and unwelcome burning sensation of lactic acid building up. On the other hand, my breathing was fine! It was as if I didn’t even have a cold!

Times Square gave me a boost. The crowds were very supportive. It was there that I met up with our former teammate Nigel McGregor. We had planned to start and run together but we missed each other at the start. He told me, “Wait ’til the park and we’ll let it rip!” I smiled, but I was struggling. Somehow, when we entered Central Park, I saw Michael Oria and Andrew Karp! They helped me pull through and my pace picked up.

By mile 10 or so, I saw Dan cheering. He called my name but I couldn’t shout back because I literally had no voice! In those last two miles, I kept my eyes on Michael and at the last mile I made my move. My competitive nature took over and we battled in the last 800 meters. I don’t remember who crossed the finish line first, but it was fun and before I knew it, it was over!

I saw Nigel and Andrew at the finish line, but it became really crowded and when I looked around, I couldn’t find Michael, Nigel, or Andrew. It was at this time that my body reminded me that I was recuperating from a cold. I began to cough uncontrollably. The usual “Good job, man! I was chasing the banana the whole time!” and high fives from strangers were abundant. The coughing became a bit more manageable. I took a heat blanket from a Volunteer and thanked her. I noticed she was trying to warm up her hands and since I had two sets of hand warmers, I offered her one set. She gladly took them. I was glad to have packed a bag with warm clothes. The temperatures were still below freezing. Overwhelmed with that classic runners’ high, I went to the Running Center to warm up and had my medal engraved.

Did you train for this race ?  If so, how?

Yes! This race was my main motivator for the winter and I put lots of work into it. When I started running in 2015, I came across a training app from the shoe company Asics. It is called RUN My Asics and I have been using it ever since.  Before I joined CHRC, I used to follow the plan the app provided almost religiously. But I love to run with the CHRC crew, so I transitioned and began to use the app’s training plan as a guideline and sort of come up with my own training plans. The cool and bad thing about the app, depending on how you see it, is that it remembers whether you’ve achieved your previous goals. This meant that aside from the usual runs with CHRC, I had to incorporate more workouts. It was during one of those grueling workouts that I met my friend Gabriel. We had been “friends” in Strava for awhile, but had never met in person. Then one day I heard some stranger call my name. Shocked, I picked up the pace but he was able to keep up! He introduced himself and that’s how I met my Tempo Thursdays partner.

Did you have any goals for this race? If so what were they?

Yes! One of the books I enjoyed in the winter was Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think and Eat like a Champion Marathoner. In one of the chapters, he talks about goal setting and how to achieve your goals. My take on his philosophy is to just let the timing be right. Don’t rush your development and if the time seems right, go for it. He advises runners not to be too ambitious. For example, if your PR is 2 hrs on the half marathon, it wouldn’t be realistic to set your next goal to beat 1 hour and 30 minutes. On the other hand, he warns about setting goals that are too loose and don’t  challenge your abilities. So I was inspired and decided that trying to break 1 hour and 30 minutes for the half marathon would be a realistic yet challenging enough goal.

Meb also advises the reader to have a backup plan just in case things don’t go according to plan. A week before the race, it seemed like things would be perfect. I had completed all of my challenging workouts at the planned pace. The weather was predicted at 45 degrees and the plantar fasciitis I had been dealing with was almost gone. Then on Sunday night I began to develop that familiar and unwelcomed throat soreness accompanied by an intense burning sensation in the nose that signals the beginning of a cold! As the days went by, I felt worse and worse. Then the forecast changed from a balmy 45 degrees to 27 degrees at the start!

When I try to beat a PR, I don’t wear the banana, because it makes it extra challenging. Worst case scenario plan went into effect. I would wear the banana and try to beat last year’s time while in banana regalia, but if things were really bad, I would just have fun!

Did CHRC help you train for/run/celebrate this race? If so, how?

Yes!  I did about 75% of my total  training with the Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday crews. Ever since joining CHRC, I try to make it out to those days. Tuesdays have really helped me develop my stamina and speed. The Friday crew makes sure to have a chill pace perfect for recovery after my Tempo Thursdays and the Saturday crew makes the long miles fly! During the race, the CHRC crew braved the low temperatures and came out to cheer. They are my heroes, but after all, bananas come in bunches. After the race, some of the crew came together at the Dekalb Food Hall, where we shared our war stories (mostly about the cold, wind, and hills), and then headed home to warm up.

What was your favorite thing about the race?

My favorite part about the race was that the start was literally a block away from my apartment.

What was the biggest challenge about the race?

Holding back and not going out too fast and the low temperatures at the start. And the headwind that turned me into a banana kite!

Would you run it again?

You bet I would!

What advice/tips would you give to Royals wanting to run this race?

It’s easier said than done, but don’t start too fast. The downhill on Flatbush towards the Manhattan Bridge will batter your legs. Do your tempo runs by starting downhill at Battle Hill and finish them by going uphill. That way you mimic the start and the end. Most of us got too psyched by the uphill finish to mimic the start during training, and we paid for it.

Dave Gibbons reports back from the NYRR Team Champs, August 5th 2017.

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In early August, 11 CHRC men and 14 CHRC women set out for the Team Championships 5 mile race. Team champs isn’t like most NYRR races; the men and women run at separate times which gives the team the opportunity to cheer for the other group before or after their race. This year, the men’s race was scheduled for 7:30am. However, the weather threw a wrench in NYRR’s exceptionally meticulous plans as rain and lighting delayed the start to 8:30 am. Despite the heat, humidity, and early rain, both the men and women’s teams came out strong to cheer and run hard.

Starting at the 102nd street traverse, the men’s team gathered in the corrals and the women’s team was just ahead to cheer on the start. James B, Spencer, and Guillermo led the men’s team with sub-34 finishes. The course was well supported with cheering stations set up by all of the local clubs. Although the heat and humidity got to some of the runners, our men’s team ran tough and all 11 finished.

After the men’s race, the men gathered at the start to cheer on the CHRC women. All 14 CHRC women finished the race. Shivani, Jess, and Carol led the women with sub-40 minute finishes.

We had three bananas race this year, celebrating our one-year anniversary of debuting the CHRC banana suits in a NYRR race. Spencer, Guillermo, and Gideon toughed it out in the heat to represent our club in full banana flair.

Given the heat and humidity, this race wasn’t ideal for a lot of PRs, but some runners were able to set a new personal best for the 5 mile distance. Other runners, who were in the middle of marathon training and taking it easy or battling injuries, still put their best foot forward to represent CHRC.

It’s exciting to see our club getting bigger and more people training hard for the upcoming fall marathon season. We’re looking forward to seeing the results.