Nankuru Arusa

Okinawa Marathon 2013

This was my first full marathon. I wanted to do my full marathon debut in Tokyo Marathon - 2013 this year. But I was not lucky enough to get selected in the lottery draw. In those days of feeling dejected due to rejection, I started looking for other races as my urge for running 42.195 at age 42 was stronger than feeling dejected by anybody. Logged into runnet.jp and found 2013 Okinawa Marathon on left-top of the page and luckily entries had started an hour ago. I thought this is not mere a coincidence. Next moment I put my entry successfully as there was no lottery system. First come first serve. Fair and straight.

How did I do the training for marathon?

Physical Training

Till this point of time, I had ran 6 half marathons in an year and half. My longest running at training was 21km and I had developed stamina for this distance though my time was still never sub 2 hrs for any of the half marathons I had participated. Under the guidance of internet AND a senior runner Padraig, a fellow Nambanner, I created a training plan. Total 4 long runs were designed to be more than 30km. Padraig's suggested training plan was more aggressive for me (850kms) but from his standpoint it was the minimum. I settled on plan for total running distance 570km in a little over 3 months. As we live virtually on the banks of Arakawa river in Tokyo most of my training was on Arakawa, especially 90% of Saturday long runs. My total running distance during this training period eventually was 475km. But I had done all my 4 long runs of 30km, 32km.

Mental Training

Couple of weeks before the race, I also started mentally getting ready for the various possibilities of my race result. One website I came across was also suggesting to do it. I envisaged three scenarios for myself.
-- Best Case Scenario : Time 04:50 minutes
    break-up
        01km to 10km in 01:05,
        11km to 20km in 02:15,
        21km to 30km in 03:30,
        31km to 42km in 04:50

-- Don't mind Scenario : Time 05:20 minutes
    break-up
       01km to 10km in 01:10,
       11km to 20km in 02:30,
       21km to 30km in 03:50,
       31km to 42km in 05:20

-- Do mind Scenario : Time 05:50 minutes
    break-up
       01km to 10km in 01:15,
       11km to 20km in 02:30,
       21km to 30km in 04:10,
       31km to 42km in 05:50

As I had done Arakawa 30k in 02:57 just three weeks before the marathon, I was hopeful for Best Case Scenario. But as it was advised by experts of the running world, I thought it might be wise to have couple of more scenarios to avoid too much of frustration.

Know as much as possible about the marathon course

I studied the course of the marathon on the website. It was going to be up and down for some distance with maximum 110m elevation. A friend of mine had done Naha marathon in Dec 2012. When he saw the animation movie of course of Okinawa marathon he told me the course is same as Naha marathon and most of it is rather flat. I believed him and was relived to hear it as I am not very good at running lots of ups and downs.

One last minute advise I got from Padraig was to reach for breakfast at least 15 mins early in hotel than its start time. Otherwise, if I am late or even on time, many other runners will already be there lined up and it may take some time to get inside forget about actually having the breakfast. I made a mental note of it.

As it is never too early to start packing, a week still to go, I started packing my stuff that I wanted to take with me. As a result I only missed on buying wet-tissue which I did on the airport. How it went on the race day?


On Race Day

I was part of thousands of other runners waiting for gun shot. An elderly runner (I want to be like him when I am his age) behind me asked how many calories I gain with each gel of sachets I had stuck to my running waist belt? I had no answer. I had never thought about it. I had started using it blindly per advise from my senpai runner Padriag. As I believe in honesty being best policy I told that I do not know. But I offered him other information how I am going to use it. A sachets after every 10km is how I was going to use it and I told him. Then in return be told me he is from Naha and have ran Naha marathon and few more other marathons. Ummm, he too was senpai, no doubt!

As race started it took me to 9 minutes to reach start line. Many runners, as it was apparent from their running and demeanor had joined to be part of the moment, for that one clip on TV, you know!

First 10kms went as per script. I finished it in 01:02. In fact three minutes better than my best case scenario time. This 10km part was total flat. Same as Arakawa course. I was drinking more water than what I would have done on Arakawa, due to fear of getting dehydrated because of 23 degree temperature.

Out of remaining 32kms, 25 kilometer course was up and down. Running on this type of course was not part of my training as I mentioned at the beginning, still I reached 20km mark three minutes more than my best case scenario that is in 02:18. No problem. I was happy with the progress so far. Had consumed two energy gels I was carrying in my waist belt. So far I had not touched the goodies being given by local supporters along the course who had turned out in large number to cheer the runners. Cut lemons, Oranges, Banana, Okinawa speciality sweets were being offered.

Up-down was still going on and I started sensing problem at 29km. We were about enter Kadena base of US navy. This stretch was of base was 3km with gentle slope. Soldiers and their families living on base had come out to cheer the runners. Their style of cheering was distinctly different. A woman was cheering us loud with a board with large letters "You look crap! But it feels good to see you!" :-)

Something was not right. It had become difficult for me to even run on this gentle slope. Both of my thighs started hurting. With every step I felt I may have to give up! I was still running with the support of cheering plain clothed American soldiers and their families but I had slowed down badly. Had this stretch of course been at the beginning of the race, I would have ran less than 6 minute a km but now it was 8 minute a km :-( I saw few runners stepping out of course on the lawn and doing stretching. I thought of doing it myself. As I side stepped and started to sit down, sudden pain surged straight into my thighs and I froze right there. So stretching was not an option left for me to be of any sort of remedy. I had no other option left for me but to continue running.

We left Kadena base and entered more familiar world of Yamato the Japan. Luckily I found toilet right after the gate. Anyway making it to finish line per my best case scenario was out of question. So what difference does it make if I spend few minutes for toilet! These were my thoughts at that moment. Another luck. There were only couple of other runners waiting for toilet before me, making me spend less time in the queue. But making it to finish line at least as per my "Don't mind" scenario was still weighing on my mind. I saw one toilet door was showing available for use. I asked runner waiting in the front why don't he use it! He listened to me and went ahead and tried pulling door and there came a scream of a woman/girl from inside! Oops!! I had no place to hide (luckily other two toilets doors opened one after another and that guy and me slipped in to get relief from ??? Do I have to say anything else? Toilet break made it ample clear to me that my thighs have given up on me (or other way round) and are hurting badly enough for me to think of running my usual run.

Gentle or stiff, uphill or downhill, 34km onwards my sole aim was to reach finish line in one piece, injury free. So slow but steady I kept going with an average 8.5minutes a km. Exception was only last couple of kilometers where we had again reached plane course. These 2kms saw me recharged a bit where I could cut down 1 minute to make it 7 and half minute a kilometer. Touch wood, but so far in all the running event I took part, I have always reached finish line in a style with a dash passing at least a dozen runners. Okinawa marathon wasn't an exception.

Epilogue
Post marathon, my recovery was like this. Marathon night - Could'nt sleep well as any tiny movement was causing pain.
Post M day 1 - climbing down stairs was just impossible.
Post M day 2 - climbing down stairs is still difficult n painful
Post M day 3 - climbing down stairs is now doable with bearable pain
Post M day 4 - started thinking how many kilometers I should run on this Saturday :-)

In Okinawa dialect I think "Nankuru Naisa" means "No worries" and reflects the easy going culture of Okinawans. Going by tough time I had on up down course of Okinawa marathon, I thought using this title in opposite way, "Do worry!" that is "Nankuru Arusa!".

In general, running events in Okinawa are infamous for poor completion rate. 2013 Okinawa marathon saw 76% runners completing the race in stipulated time of 6:15 hours. Compare this with Tokyo Marathon where 96% runners completed it in given time. One can argue Tokyo Marathon completion time is 7 hours, course is mostly flat etc, etc. But stats are stats and numbers do not lie.