Running in Okinawa

As you know, I have been training for the Okinawa Marathon, which I will be running this coming Sunday, February 26.  I have been training especially hard for this one, with over 100K / week at the peak.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which requires a time of 3:20 for men in my age group.  Living in Japan, I probably will never have the opportunity to actually run in Boston: I would need a full week to make the trip, and given that the race is held in April when classes begin here, I would never be able to get off from work. Even so, a BQ (Boston qualification) is an accomplishment that all runners can understand, and the goal helps to motivate and inspire me. Perhaps more importantly, by aiming for a BQ, I now feel connected in spirit to the many runners in the world that will be there in Boston. I hope to one day be there with them.