Running in Okinawa

I'm finally getting back into running again. . . . Thanks to a group of my students (Daiki, Saneyuki, Kota, and Kota), I've decided to start preparing for the NAHA Marathon. Thanks, guys! I hope we can all finish the race together in December. We will be training together on Sunday evenings at 8 under the lights of Urasoe Undou Koen. Feel free to join us! Hopefully, this will be a turning point for me, and I can get back on track again.

I know! I know! I said the same thing in my last post, and that was half a year ago! Of course, I've got my excuses for why I've done so poorly over the past year: death in the family, divorce, busy with work, just not into it, etc. etc. During this time, I've gained weight, and running load has dropped considerably. (I've been running less than 50K / week -- pathetic, I know!)

I've already signed up for the Shouhashi Half and for the NAHA Marathon, so I think I can start getting back into running this time. Anyway, I'm determined to turn things around this time.

Well, it's been another rather unproductive year in terms of running, but I think I've finally turned a corner. After reaching my peak two years ago, I crashed on my bike. Then, after a slow year of getting back in shape, I developed a stress fracture--no doubt in preparing for the 100K race. After that race, I needed another month off, until the pain disappeared. Now I'm feeling good and slowly increasing my mileage. My hope is to make a serious challenge for a sub-three marathon this year. To do that, I have to do everything right: lose weight, increase my mileage, and improve my speed. Most importantly, however, I now feel confident again.

Well, after having my entire running season messed up by an accident on my bike, I've gradually eased my way back into running. I'm still not back to 100%, but I'm getting pretty close. Yesterday, I ran the Henoki Dam Trim 10K, my first race since my injury, and though I didn't come close to my PR, I felt strong and enjoyed the race. Afterwards, I did some sightseeing, including my first visit to Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of the Okinawan mainland. One of the nicest things about doing all the races in Okinawa is that it gives you incentive to see so much of the prefecture.

Ugh! Not being able to run has made this a frustrating two weeks, but I've managed to pull through--and without losing too much weight or muscle mass. I've been using the time off to focus on my diet and to learn some new recipes. My New Year's resolution to give up all meat (except fish) was fortuitous, and I've made other positive changes as well. My diet has always been pretty good, but I now eat even more vegetables, nuts, and beans. The biggest change is that I now make almost all of my own meals, including lunches at work. Some of my typical meals are lentil soup, black bean soup, hummus with vegetables, all kinds of smoothies, muesli, various types of nuts, and lots of salads (especially spinach). A couple of days ago I started making my own bread, made entirely from whole grains.

For those of you who have never heard of a bread machine, I urge you to check them out. All you have to do is pour in the ingredients, press a button, and then wait a few hours. The machine does the rest. I usually spend fifteen minutes or so pouring in the ingredients before I go to bed, and then I have steaming hot bread waiting for me for breakfast. If you live here in Japan, you can find a good bread machine (they're called "home bakeries" in Japanese) in Best Denki or any other electronic appliance store. I purchased National's 1.5 kin model.

One of my major concerns in making these changes has been efficiency: I hate to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and I especially hate wasting time during the week, when I'm busy with work. I save a lot of time by making a big pot of soup and a huge batch of hummus on Sunday. During the week, I just fill my thermos with soup and a container with hummus and then toss in some sliced up vegetables and nuts. Salads--which I sometimes make at work--are fast and easy, too.

Today, as I was flying along the bypass on my bicycle, a truck darted out in front of me forcing me to slam on the brakes. A light rain was falling and the road was slick. After skidding along for twenty meters or so, I went down hard, my head hitting the asphalt first. Of course, I was wearing my helmet, so apart from destroying yet another helmet, I escaped serious injury. But when I came down on the bike, the upper part of the frame dug into my ribs. Thankfully, the car behind me stopped, thereby stopping traffic and giving me a chance to drag myself to the side off the road. The kind fellow even got out to pick up my glasses and to check that I was okay. In a daze, I somehow managed to get back on the bike and get home.

A couple of hours later I started to feel pain in the right part of my chest, just below the ribs. My wife took me to the hospital, and I had the doctor look me over. We also had a couple of X-rays taken. No broken bones. Just after the check-up, I started to feel dizzy and almost fell unconscious. They hooked me up to a heart monitor, and when they saw how low my heartbeat was, they went into a panic. The head doctor was called in, and they eventually figured out that my low heartbeat was only the result of my being a runner.

Turns out I have some bruised ribs, which apparently is not so different from having cracked ribs. The treatment is the same (i.e. nothing) as is the time it takes to heal (one to two months) and the pain. Coughing, laughing, and sneezing are extremely painful, so much so that my body won't even let me do these things. Sleeping is awkward, as I can only lie on my back, and getting up from that position is painful, too.

I've read up on this problem, but I can't seem to get a definitive answer on whether exercise is good or bad. Regardless, I plan on splitting the difference: no running, no situps or crunches, lots of cross-training (especially the stair climber and stationary bike), and some weight training (but only on machines, so as to avoid putting pressure on my ribs). Hopefully, I can stay in shape, avoid gaining weight, and not fall too far behind in my training.

Here are my New Year's resolutions for 2007:

1. I will run at least 4,000 kilometers, including two or more marathons, and keep all information up to date on my Running in Okinawa web-pages.

2. I will never eat or drink any of the following: soda; meat (excluding fish); candy; ice cream; and food from McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or any convenience store.

3. I will keep my weight below 60 kilograms for the entire year.

Today, I participated in the Manko Park 6-Hour Run and Walk, which is an informal group-run sponsored by the Manko Running Club, a local running group. The group runs together at Manko Park on Wednesday and Friday nights, and also participates in numerous marathons throughout the prefecture.

Sign-up for the event was scheduled to start from 8 a.m., but no one showed up until much later, and the organizers didn’t appear until closer to 9 a.m. (Living in Okinawa, I should have expected this, but I’ll know better next year!) After paying the ¥1,000 entrance fee and listening to a short explanation emphasizing that this was not a competition, the forty or so runners lined up for a group photo and then headed off for the first 5K lap, which everyone ran together. After that, everyone split up, but I had no trouble finding others that ran at my pace. For much of the run, I enjoyed talking with other runners, some from outside Okinawa—but I also ran a bit on my own. A tent was set up which provided water and various snacks, and also served as a rest area for runners to commiserate and encourage each other. The run lasted from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. without any break for lunch. Afterwards, everyone sat down for beers, lunches, and fun discussion. All the runners stood up to introduce themselves (including me!), and I was impressed with how everyone encouraged one another to achieve their running goals. Overall, I had a great time and learned a lot about running in the process. Thanks to the encouragement of the other runners, I was able to run 50 kilometers for the first time.

I was especially thrilled to find a welcoming running group that I might be able to join. The group seems to have achieved a nice balance between having fun, while still being serious about running. In fact, one of the primary aims of the 6-hour run was to prepare for the Miyako Island 100K Ultra Marathon, which quite a few participants will be running next month. Although the group is laid back and enjoys drinking, most of the members run a great deal and participate in numerous races. I’m looking forward to running with this wonderful group again.

I heard that the event will be held again next year on the last Sunday before the New Year’s holidays. I’m guessing the date will be Sunday, December 23, 2007. So if you’re looking for a fun way to do your last long run of the year, come on out and join us! If you’re interested, come at 8:30 a.m. to the area near the tunnel in the middle of the park.

Kenjiro Haitani, the author of A Rabbit’s Eyes, the book I recently translated, passed away this past Thursday. I’ve learned a great deal from Mr. Haitani, and I'm very sad that he has left us. In addition to being a writer of inspiring young adult fiction, Mr. Haitani was a runner. He didn't start running until he was in his late forties, but he went on to run several marathons, and even wrote a book about running called, “The Late Coming Runner.”

The main thrust of his book is that running should be an enjoyable activity. He emphasizes the importance of running in nature and of literally stopping to smell the flowers along the way. His philosophy of running parallels his philosophy of education: in all his works, he tries to show that human beings should stop competing with one another and should focus their energies on their own growth (primarily by learning from others). For Mr. Haitani, running helps us to be more in touch with our own bodies, to be more aware of the nature that surrounds us, and ultimately leads us to a deep respect for the interconnectedness of all life. As a runner myself, I fully appreciate his point of view. Coincidentally, Mr. Haitani has lived on Tokashiki Island, a small island here in Okinawa, since 1991. I had hoped to meet him when I visited his island to run in the Tokashiki Half Marathon last February. Unfortunately, however, he was already in surgery (esophageal cancer) and wasn't home. Thankfully, the long letter I left in his post box reached him, and I received a short reply. Even so, I regret that I didn’t make more effort to meet him in person--especially since I feel that I know him well. I'll miss him.

Those of you who listened to the clip that I sent to Phedippidations for the "Shouts of Encouragement" episode (the clip can be found three blog entries below on this page, if you haven't) might enjoy this excerpt from Naoko, a Japanese comic book about running that I've been reading. The excerpt illustrates how the phrase "Ganbare!" or "Ganbatte!" ("Do your best!") is used as a cheer, and also the psychological impact of the phrase. I've labeled the panels, and added a translation below:

1. "Ganbare!" ("Push yourself!" or "Do your best!")
3. "Ganbare! Ganbatte! Ganbare! Ganbare!"
4. (right) "But I AM pushing myself! I AM doing my best!"
(left) "But I can't breathe! ... It's hopeless! How the hell am I supposed to push myself anymore than this?!"
5. "Ganbare! Ganbare!" ("Push yourself!")
6. "Stop it!" (i.e. stop telling me to push myself)
7. "Do you people have any idea how much this hurts?!!"

When I first started running about five years ago, I was pushing eighty kilograms and had a middle-age tire. Dropping ten kilograms was a breeze. I didn't do anything special. I just kept running further each week, and let the weight take care of itself. I didn't make any conscious changes, and the weight just fell off. But I reached a plateau at seventy kilograms, where I remained for about a year. That's when I got serious about my running and started to cut out a lot of the junk in my diet. Admittedly, I cheated with frequent snacks and occasional visits to Starbuck's, but most of the really bad food (i.e. American fast food) was completely eliminated. Those changes, along with my increased amount of running, brought me down to about sixty-five kilograms, a plateau I've been stuck at for the past two years.

Now it's really tough. I haven't had any candy, cake, soda, or pizza for nearly a year. I rarely eat fried foods and often eat vegetables. The only improvement left to make was to eliminate the frequent evening snacks and the occasional afternoon snacks. The snacks were always healthy ones, such as a piece of fruit or bread, so I didn't think they were so bad.

Over the past two months, I've even eliminated all snacks and have been eating as healthily as I can. Although I've managed to lose a couple more kilograms, I've been shocked to discover that some days, I actually gain weight—even though I'm eating so little and running so much. My standard meals for a weekday are as follows:

Breakfast—granola and milk, yogurt, a banana, and vegetable juice
Lunch—a small "obento," usually consisting of rice, vegetables, and meat
Dinner—the same as lunch, but a different assortment

I feel certain that I can—and should—lose a bit more weight, but I'm beginning to think that I've reached my limit.

Yesterday, I ran the Shouhashi Half Marathon in Nanjou (formerly Sashiki, Chinen, Tamagusuku, and Ozato). Compared to other half marathons I have run, this one was quite difficult. Due to the huge crowd, I lost quite a bit of time early in the race, and the huge hill (maybe I should say, "mountain") at the 4K mark destroyed me. I tried to run for a while, but the many walkers seemed to be going just as fast, so I gave up and started walking myself. As a result, my halfway point split time was pathetic, just under one hour. The second half, however, was mostly downhill, which allowed me to make up a lot of time. I was really flying down the hills (probably under a 4:00 / K pace) and passed hundreds of other runners! In retrospect, I think I made a good decision to walk up the hills because that allowed me to be very strong for the second half.

After the Iheya Marathon was cancelled, I frantically rushed to find another race that would be held the same weekend, mainly because I was running the race as part of the Phedippidations Worldwide Half Marathon Challenge, which I would be running with friends and fellow listeners of the Phedippidations Podcast. In the Phedippidations' "Shouts of Encouragement" podcast, I had said that I hate being told, "Good luck!" because I feel that training and hard work--not luck--are what determine how one does in a race. I said that I prefer the Japanese cheer, "Ganbatte," which means, "Push yourself!" After the Kinser Half Marathon, however, I felt kind of stupid about those comments. First, the full marathon I had trained for was cancelled due to a typhoon. (The typhoon actually hit the day BEFORE the race, but the island is only accessible by boat, so no one would have been able to get there. No refund, by the way.) Then, I was able to find a half marathon that was being held the next day, and since it was a small race, they were accepting on-site registrations. (As far as I know, this is the only half marathon in Okinawa that does that.) The weather forcast was predicting a high of 29 degrees Celsius (that's real hot in Fahrenheit), but by another lucky coincidence, the sun was behind the few clouds in the sky for the entire race, and there was a nice breeze. The conditions were ideal, and I broke my previous PR by about 3 minutes Obviously, luck is quite important in long-distance running.

You can listen to the silly clip that I recorded for the "Shouts of Encouragement" episode of Phedippidations here: Phedippidations Clip.

It's been a long time since my last blog entry and a lot has happened with my running since then. Let's start with the bad news: I failed abysmally at trying to reach the 160K / week mark. I did a good job of increasing my distance through June, and did reach the 120K / week mark for a couple of weeks, but once the intense Okinawa heat struck, I was finished. I had neither the strength nor the desire to continue that kind of training. After a steady decline over the next month, I was forced to redo my training schedule in late August to get back on track. For the next couple of months, I did manage to maintain a 100K / week base or so, but in late September, I started slacking off again, even though I was in the key weeks of preparation for my October marathon. On the positive side, I have increased my base considerably, have gotten used to running in lighter shoes, and have improved my stretching routine. Now it's just a matter of building on that base. I haven't abandoned my 160K / week goal, but I have learned that I need to work up towards that goal over a couple of years or so.

Over the past month, I have been reading a lot of books on running, which has led me to reassess my training methods. I have mostly been reading about the training techniques of Arthur Lydiard, the famous coach from New Zealand, but I have also been influenced by the book Run Strong, a collection of essays by some of the top coaches in the world on various topics, including improving leg turnover, extending one's range of motion, gaining ground through upper-body and lower-body training, and peaking for a key race. As for Lydiard, the meat and potatoes of his system is the conditioning phase, during which one attempts to run as much as possible at one's "steady state," or maximum aerobic capacity. Although Lydiard is a bit vague about the ideal amount to run each week, he suggests that 160 kilometers per week is an appropriate goal for most runners. Another interesting part of Lydiard's system is his emphasis on hill resistance training, which involves springing up hills in order to stretch the muscles and tendons, and also to develop leg strength. After running the Iejima Half Marathon next week and completing a two-week recovery program, I intend to follow Lydiard's system as closely as possible. To read more about Lydiard's training methods, check out the following link: Arthur Lydiard's Athletic Training. Next month, I will create a Lydiard style training menu and add it to my Training Menus page, so if you want to follow a similar program, check out that menu. For now, though, I am focusing on the following three concerns:

Training Volume -- My primary goal will be to gradually increase my weekly distance to about 160 kilometers per week and to maintain that volume for several months. This will almost certainly require me to run "doubles" (two runs in one day), but since I often run to work anyway, this may actually save me some time. I may also need to start running on Mondays, which has always been my day off. If I do end up running on Mondays, I will be sure to keep the runs short and slow. My major concern when increasing volume will be to avoid injury.

Stretching -- I have already implemented a new stretching routine, which is described in Run Strong. In the chapter entitled "Stretching Your Range of Motion," Mark Elliot points out that "the latest research indicates advantages to using one specific set of flexibility techniques for pretraining. . . and another for posttraining." He argues that it is best to do dynamic stretching after a short warm-up at the beginning of training and static stretching at the end of training. I used to just do my stretching cold, without any warmup whatsoever, but it seems obvious that this was a mistake, as stretching cold muscles causes more damage than good. About two weeks ago, I implemented the dynamic stretching routine described in this book, preceded by a short warm-up run. The routine includes leg swings, lunges, ankle stretches, and several other stretches. After running, I do the same static stretches that I have always done. This new routine already seems to be bearing fruit, as I feel much more relaxed during my runs, and have been running faster, too. Even so, it's probably too early to know for sure.

Running Shoes -- I recently decided to try running more in flats, instead of my heavily cushioned training shoes. I don't intend to switch over completely all of a sudden. For now, I'm just going to try them for one short run a week and then go from there. Lydiard argues strongly against all the fancy and heavily cushioned running shoes that are so popular nowadays. He believes that these shoes are often the cause of running injuries. The biggest difference between trainers and flats seems to be that the midsoles of most trainers are extremely rigid, while the midsoles of flats are flexible. Lydiard argues that one should choose shoes that have as little as possible up top and a simple rubber sole on the bottom. I'm not sure that I buy his argument completely but I have wanted to try some lighter shoes, and I recently picked up a pair of Asics Sortie Magic, which are extremely light racing flats. When I tried them out two days ago, I was impressed with not only how much faster I felt but also how my feet seemed to grip the road. Unfortunately, however, I developed a bad blister on the back of my heel, a problem that I also had with my light trainers. This is terribly annoying as I have otherwise felt quite pleased with my performance in these lighter shoes.

I am happy to report that I finished the Okinawa Marathon in 3:12:57, a Boston Marathon qualifying time (BQ) and an improvement of over 15 minutes on my personal record. To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I would be able to break 3:20 because this was a much more difficult course than the NAHA Marathon course, which I ran in 3:28. Upon crossing the finish line, I felt overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude--to fellow runners, who urged me to push on as I was struggling on the second half of the course; to the numerous supporters along the route, several of whom handed me full gel packs; and to Steve Walker, for his words of encouragement on his Podcast, Phedippidations.

Other factors that helped me to improve my time include the following: 1. increased training (I peaked at about 103 kilometers/week), 2. weight loss (I lost about five kilograms in the months before the race), and 3. cool weather conditions (a light rain for most of the race). Obviously, the first of these is the most important, and I have come to see increasing the amount of running as being the key to breaking the three hour barrier. I have been reading up on the training methods recommended by Arthur Lydiard, who recommends running about 160 kilometers/week, and although I might not be able to run quite that much, I do hope to significantly increase my training volume.

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.

Here are my running goals for 2006:

1.) Run 3000 K for the year
2.) Never have a week in which I have run fewer than four days
3.) Run at least two marathons and three other races
4.) Begin an ultramarathon training program (for the Jan 2007 Miyakojima 100K race)

“Hey, Mr. Sminkey!” yelled one of my former students, as he came running up to the water table that my wife and I had set up at the 36 kilometer point. “I thought you were gonna do the NAHA marathon this year!”

“No,” I explained, as I handed him a paper cup full of water. “I’m training for the Okinawa Marathon this coming February.”

“Well, then, I’ll cheer for you then,” he said, as he ran off with a smile.

I had also prepared signs for two of my other students and for Lenny--a friendly guy that I had met through e-mail and who had come down from the Japanese mainland to run this race. Although I missed my students (due to the crowd), I did meet Lenny for a couple of few seconds to hand him a drink and exchange a frew words about how he was doing in the race. The next day at school, I showed my students the signs that I had prepared, and they seemed happy and asked if they could keep the signs. A few days later, I received a very nice e-mail from Lenny thanking me for the sports drink.

Positive and friendly reactions like these make the effort that goes into cheering for runners seem worthwhile. As a runner, it's easy to take the efforts of supporters for granted, but as a supporter, you want just one thing from runners: an expression--no matter how small--of thanks.

As one who enjoys running in races, I have been the frequent recipient of various items handed out by supporters. I was especially overwhelmed by the kindness of supporters at last year’s NAHA Marathon, the first marathon I have ever run. Not only was the entire 42.195 kilometers lined with supporters, but dozens of groups had set up small tables for distributing water, sports drinks, and various food items. Not official water stations paid for with participation fees, but tables that individuals or groups had set up and paid for out of their own pockets. As a Naha resident who had benefited from such kindness last year, I was determined to return the favor this year by distributing water myself. I picked the 36K mark because as every marathon runner knows, many people hit the dreaded “wall” at approximately that point.

Runners, who are usually keenly focused on their own struggle of completing such a long race, are often blithely unaware of the sacrifice that goes into distributing water or cheering. To begin with, volunteers are not paid, so they are working for free. People that set up their own tables are actually paying for the paper cups and drinks. Then they have to run around picking up trash, and put up with the occasional rude comment. It's very easy to think that it's not worth it.

Every runner should have the experience of cheering and supporting runners. Then they would know that a casual "thank you" goes a long way.

Takahashi Naoko (aka "Q-chan") just won the Tokyo International Marathon with a time of 2:24:39. What an incredibly moving race! She pulled away from Alemu and Balciunaite just before the 36K mark and ran strong to the finish. It's hard for people outside of Japan to understand, but Takahashi is one of the most loved athletes in the country. The race was broadcast live on a Sunday afternoon and will certainly have extremely high ratings. Hard to imagine in the States, isn't it? What's more, you can GUARANTEE that this will be the front page news in every newspaper in the country tomorrow. The post-race interview was also quite moving with Q-chan thanking the millions of supporters throughout the country, her teamates, and her former coach Koide. Of course, Koide was there in the crowd, too--all smiles and pumping his fist in victory. Q-chan, as is the case win or lose, had a big smile and was completely humble about her performance. As you know, it's been a long and difficult comeback for Q-chan, and nobody was expecting her to pull it off. This was the same race that had eliminated her from the Japanese Olympic team two years ago, and her spurt came shortly before the hill that had destroyed her in that previous race. On top of that, she was nursing three injuries, and her doctor had urged her to drop out of the race. In the post-race interview, Q-chan also had words of encouragement for us lesser runners: "Whether it's for a day, a week, or years, the important thing is to have a goal and dream that you are striving for." I've been a Q-chan fan for years, but she won my heart today. The coverage brought tears to my eyes and made me proud to be a runner here in Japan. Don't count her out for a Beijing gold in 2008!