yesterday rie and i ran the chitose JAL international marathon in hokkaido. it was raining quite heavily when we started and cool (or even cold), but by the time we finished the rain had turned to clouds. the race takes place through a forest and on tracks for the first 34km and then the final 8-9km are run on roads. as it was raining (and rained the day before) the tracks were pretty muddy. in fact it seemed to resemble cross-country more than a road race! as such i would say this was a really tough marathon! on top of the rain and the mud, it was also very hilly. from the start to about 22km included an overall increase of almost 200m vertically. the 'actual' increase was probably more like 500m with all the hills that we encountered. the second half was mostly down although there were still a couple of killer inclines there too.
so the results. well we both did amazingly! i finished (covered in mud) in a time of 2hours 46mins 55seconds. while this was about 6 minutes slower than my debut in nagoya, i think it would probably equate to about 2hours 37mins on a flat course like that. i finished in 17th place overall (out of about 3000 runners), and 7th in my age group (up to 35 years old). i was very pleased, especially as the last 10km were so tough. i ended up with three really nasty blisters, holes in my socks and legs that felt like lead... i guess par for the course when running a marathon! i actually ran the first half really well (in just under 1hour 20mins) and felt good, but all those hills and all the mud took their toll in the end. overall i was really pleased.
rie came home in 4hours 21mins 55seconds. actually, that was the gross time and when the official chip times come out it will probably be just under 4hours 20mins, as it took that long to cross the start line. an amazing effort i think, especially given that it was such a tough course and such draining conditions. she said she ran about 60mins/10km pace until 30km and then had a tough final 10-12km, but she was really pleased and i was so proud! she finished 25th in her age group for women and about 120th overall in the women's race out of about 500 runners. amazing, especially for her debut run!
so, both very satisfied and incredibly sore today! immediately after the race rie swore she'd never do it again, but today is talking about trying to do another one! it is really difficult to describe that feeling of total satisfaction and pride coupled with the pain that makes you walk like a robot!
on a side note, the whole race was brilliant. the eight drink stations were really well stocked with energy drinks, water, lemons, bananas, bread and sponges. the volunteers were cheering and helping (remember that they are standing in the middle of a forest in the rain) and the crowds at the start and finish was as awesome as ever in japan. this truly is the best country to run marathons! on top of that we had rie's mum and grandmother cheering us at the end. we both got our free towel and finisher's t-shirts and hot buttered potatoes. also, my runner's number was called out for a prize. i was too stiff to move so rie's mum ran off to see what it was and came back with a brand new pair of 90-pound mizuno shoes! we exchanged them for rie's size and that was her prize for completing her first marathon.
an EXCELLENT day!
so the results. well we both did amazingly! i finished (covered in mud) in a time of 2hours 46mins 55seconds. while this was about 6 minutes slower than my debut in nagoya, i think it would probably equate to about 2hours 37mins on a flat course like that. i finished in 17th place overall (out of about 3000 runners), and 7th in my age group (up to 35 years old). i was very pleased, especially as the last 10km were so tough. i ended up with three really nasty blisters, holes in my socks and legs that felt like lead... i guess par for the course when running a marathon! i actually ran the first half really well (in just under 1hour 20mins) and felt good, but all those hills and all the mud took their toll in the end. overall i was really pleased.
rie came home in 4hours 21mins 55seconds. actually, that was the gross time and when the official chip times come out it will probably be just under 4hours 20mins, as it took that long to cross the start line. an amazing effort i think, especially given that it was such a tough course and such draining conditions. she said she ran about 60mins/10km pace until 30km and then had a tough final 10-12km, but she was really pleased and i was so proud! she finished 25th in her age group for women and about 120th overall in the women's race out of about 500 runners. amazing, especially for her debut run!
so, both very satisfied and incredibly sore today! immediately after the race rie swore she'd never do it again, but today is talking about trying to do another one! it is really difficult to describe that feeling of total satisfaction and pride coupled with the pain that makes you walk like a robot!
on a side note, the whole race was brilliant. the eight drink stations were really well stocked with energy drinks, water, lemons, bananas, bread and sponges. the volunteers were cheering and helping (remember that they are standing in the middle of a forest in the rain) and the crowds at the start and finish was as awesome as ever in japan. this truly is the best country to run marathons! on top of that we had rie's mum and grandmother cheering us at the end. we both got our free towel and finisher's t-shirts and hot buttered potatoes. also, my runner's number was called out for a prize. i was too stiff to move so rie's mum ran off to see what it was and came back with a brand new pair of 90-pound mizuno shoes! we exchanged them for rie's size and that was her prize for completing her first marathon.
an EXCELLENT day!
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