Notes
Well, where to start with this one...? Okay, after being cool, cloudy, misty and rainy all through August, suddenly it heats up last Thursday-Friday. Went out early Friday morning for an EZ5. Did it pretty slow too, didn't want to tire myself out for Sunday. Got home and was just lethargic for the rest of the day. Technically my day off work so no big deal. Just lay on the couch. Didn't get motivated to do much of anything. MHM comes home (by this stage I'm in bed) and tells me I have a fever. In retrospect, my gut had been upset too. Saturday the fever was gone, but my gut was still upset and I was just either too hot or too cold all day long. I was still sure that this would clear up so we drove out to Shinhidaka Saturday night (was this a good idea? No, probably not...)
But seriously, was this just because of the FREAKING weather...?!
No solids for dinner on Saturday (or Sunday morning either), but still feeling LOUSY as we sat in the carpark and debated whether I should get my race number and get ready. In the end, I got my race number (good idea here? Not sure...)
Standing at the start, English-speaking guy accosts me as I am trying to stretch, concentrate on the race and focus on keeping my guts together. Rather than just a friendly "hello, where are you from?" this clown wants a life FREAKING story. I'm friendly at first, but get increasingly distracted. Does he not realise that I am not so interested in him, nor do I want to give him my life FREAKING story at the expense of stretching. He also starts talking to MHM in English as well. Anyway the race starts and I am feeling kinda good (must be the adrenalene or something science-y).
Anyway, this lasted for about... three kilometres. Yes, I hit the wall at 3K. Dehydrated (not surprisingly), overheated and sweating like KK84 after a kimchi nabe session. My pace dropped to a crawl and everyone passed me. At 3-FREAKING-K. So my worst nightmare! By 4K I am walking, so I pounded 300 calories of race gels (AKA all my race gels) and called up MHM telling her I was about to pull out. I figured I would pull out at the first water station...
Got there, some 97 year old man gave me a third of a cup of NOT cold water and I kinda kept going. Just thought I would see what would happen. Figured this was meant to be a training run for Beer River anyway, so even if I was going to walk, EVEN if I got cut (which I was totally expecting to) I would log the Ks anyway.
Basically between 4-9Ks I did a lot of walking.
However at about 9K the race gels (and luke-warm water) must have kicked in and I started running again. It was also (basically) an out and back course so at this point I had to run past the people who were all ahead of me. And I saw the bus creeping along behind me picking up people who had melted down on the course. There was one chick in the bus and I was SO not going to join her. So basically I had to run. But I was feeling better-ish anyway.
So although my time was destroyed, things got better from 9K onwards and I started to run the course. Basically a flat one out in the country with the odd roller and one pseudo-hill. A little buggy, but a nice day for it too. Wish I knew what my splits were here as the second half of the race must have gone quite well! Made it back in 2 hours 15.
Not sure if I should have done the race today, but was pretty proud I finished it with time to spare (and beat 35 other people in the process).
That being said, I think MHM should have final say on whether I actually run a race, or not!
Side note. There was only one other foreigner in the race, who actually lives in Memuro, right beside Obihiro. Never met him, didn't even have a chance to say hello, didn't recognise the name either. Anyway, because it was a small, local event the cheering squads from the rotary club etc would cheer for me by name. Pretty awesome. Naturally I went all Lance Armstrong and just totally lapped it up. Anyway, according to MHM, this other foreign guy comes into the stadium (an outdoor ice rink) to finish the race and lets out a pseudo-blood-curdling series of cries in order to pass the runner in front of him before the tape. MHM couldn't help but laugh as he did it totally seriously. There were also moments in there that were a little too high-pitched to be even remotely cool. Apparently no one in the crowd really took any notice either... Wish I could have seen it though...
Beer River in three. Based on my Nemuro time and the training I'm doing now, I should be good for it, right?
Think I need a little luck though...
Mild write-up on the blog...
http://hokkaidoshred.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/2013-nijuken-douro-half-marathon/