Running Log: Week 18

Week of Nov. 29 - Dec. 5
11/30: 5k, 24:03
12/01: 6k, 34:54
12/02: 3k, 14:58
12/05: 42.195k (Naha Marathon), 5:23:04

Total: 56.195k, 6:36:59
Average Pace: 07:03

The Naha Marathon is advertised as Japan's largest open marathon. 23,402 people ran on Sunday. 16,845 people finished. I came in 9,311-th place.

(Okinawa Times)

It took me a little over 13 minutes to cross the start line, but once I got through that and the mini-traffic jam of people taking pictures of some famous person, I was on my way.

Well, I was on my way for about 18km, anyway. The race went exactly like my training: I cramped around 18km and then walked for about 10km. By then, the cramp had faded away to where I could actually run, and that lasted until about the 32 or 34km mark. By that point, it was a 'run half a km'-'walk half a km' mixture until the finish line.

But I accomplished my goal: run a full marathon and not injure myself. The next day I was at work with only a little soreness on the soles of my feet. Today, almost nothing. All the training I did got my into the shape I needed to be in, so thanks Hal!

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed, though. Even though this was my first marathon, I did want to finish under 5 hours. However, I did something even Pheidippides himself couldn't do:

I didn't die!

(My chip time is in the bottom right corner)