I vowed not to do any training until timmy gets a job so it was with a little trepidation that I lined up for the early start of the 89th Imperial Palace Marathon yesterday, . . . I mean today, . . .　knowing that, with having done the 87th edition two weeks ago, I`d be running three marathons in a row since dizzy daze marathon on 3/28 with no other running inbetween.  It was already 71 degrees at 6am but I kept up for the first couple of the 8-plus laps with my 72yo nemesis Nakamura (642 marathons) who`d beaten me by more than an hour on 5/9. 

 

He`s the chairman of the Takebashi Marathon Club that sponsors biweekly (and sometimes weekly) marathons around the 5K perimeter of the Imperial Palace in downtown Tokyo.  Back in the eighties when I lived here, we`d both run in some of the monthly 5/10K events and an annual marathon the Global Marathon Association used to do around the Palace  Upon their demise in 2007, he reincarnated Global as a pure marathon club.  Their motto is "it`s not a race for time but for a good time` is after my fitness runner`s heart.

 

I inadvertently slipped ahead of him when, as chairman, he had to stop running and register　runners for the regular 8am start but he caught up again near the end of my (and his) seventh lap which I was walking with Horie already on his last lap for what-he-knew-by-then would be his first 5-plus marathon since he started the 42.195k`ers in 1974. I remember mine so well too that it was an honor to help cheer him up a little and teach him a little about PR`s at the other end of the scale.

 

Fortunately, the walk got me refreshed enough that my eighth lap was faster than the first and ended me up with a 6:57:35 to Nakamura`s 7:10:12, itself just enough to allow 1,248-marathoner Kojima to "goal-in" 27 seconds ahead too at 7:09:45.  It had just reached 84 degrees and I was glad they knew a public bath house with a cold water tub too (to say nothing of the jacuzzi-like water-jet nozzles pool)..

 

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erika　- the little foot-arch gremlin from last year that somehow moved to my right knee in March still scares me and feels like it`s going but pop Mr. Knee-cap out of place any time, especially when walking up stairs.  However, somehow, he behaves during running and is just the perfect excuse I`m needing for suddenly seeming to slow down so much from the low 5hr`s of even last year to the upper 6`s this year. 

 

ps - though I never imagined that a seven hour marathon could have anything to do with running, I found out in a hampered hamstring marathon that I ran all the way in 2006 (for my current PR of 7:12:54), that shortened strides in deference to hamstring, knee, or whatever, still allow it to be running the same mid/forefoot form as for longer striding. , , , , and it feels just like running too.. 

Way to go on another joyful marathon, tet.  Congratulations.

TomS

Tet,

Sounds like a load of fun!!!  Thanks for the race report!

I think Fortunate One meant to say "Mister Roboto"

You just have fun whereever you go dontcha Tet?!!  Congratulations on your "I haven't been training but will run a marathon anyways" adventure!

don:t touch my mustache (dou itashimashite) everyone

Mike-san　- plans have been changing but I should be back by this weekend.

However, you could get on the train in the am, do a morning work out around the palace, and be back in Yokosuka for lunch in case it would work out.  Heck, I:ve ridden my bike down there.  You:ll have a great trip right on the verge of the start of the June rainy season for running in an almost-constant cool mist.

And now, let us take care of that knee since we want you at Seattle Rock and Roll.

UltraPosie,

President

US chapter of the tet knee