Koriyama City Marathon 郡山シティーマラソン大会

Nobody in Koriyama ran any real Marathons today. BUT, thousands from Koriyama, Fukushima, and around Tohoku converged on my otherwise nondescript city for racing. With nearly healed, I felt comfortable running. Clear blue skies ensured nobody had an excuse to slack off. I went down with my neigbhor Paula, who ran in the separate 10K staring shortly after my race.

At 10:20, the gun sounded, and I quickly set off at a very ambitious, but manageable pace. Hoping for the best, I was doing OK at that pace, passing lots of folks. I was slightly concerned because I hadn't trained as much as last year, but still on track for a finish in 60-65 minutes. Then, about 5 kilometers into the race, it hit me. No, not another runner with a bat. No, I didn't trip and fall, snapping some delicate knee tendon that sends one straight to years of physical therapy. I got a bad case of GAS!

My lower intestines exploded with pain for about 20 minutes, and I fell behind. Gas stinks when your`re having a race. Well, I guess it always stinks, but that's not the point! Rounding the halfway marker, the pain went away, and I utilized jet propulsion and chemical warfare against my opponents!

Unfortunately, I still failed to achieve my goal time. I originally wanted to finish the 10 mile in under 60 minutes. But alas, I finished in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 41 seconds, almost exactly the same time I finished last year! Zannen! The following went wrong:

1. I didn't train quite as much as I did last year. I ran more runs for longer distances.
   
2. I trained in Australia during Spring Break last year. I slacked off in the Philippines this year.
   
3. Since getting my license, I drive more and ride my bike less. I'm also required to taxi to work, another major drag on my aerobic condition. Last year I was biked everywhere. My legs had a bit more definition then.
4. 2 words: emissions control!
   

Oh well, I'm doing the Towa Half Marathon in July again and I can improve my time there. I'm also doing the Sakuranbo Half Marathon in Yamagata. It wasn't a total loss. I finished in the same time I did last year, so I haven't gotten worse. I also managed the following:

• Finishing 141 out of 426 racers. This puts me in the top third! (barely).
• 7:22 minutes per mile.
  
• 927 calories burned.
• 4:36 minutes per kilometer.

Oh well, I'm doing the Towa Half Marathon in July again and I can improve there. I'm also doing the Sakuranbo Half Marathon in Yamagata.