- Tsukuba Marathon November 30, 2003 -
marathon

I always wanted to do the Honolulu marathon.

New Years 2003 I decided to set my resolution to run the Honolulu marathon.
(If I'm gonna suffer, it better be at a really nice place. )

So Honolulu it was!

I recruited some friends and colleagues.
Needless to say, one by one, they bailed and the only one left was me!
So I opted to go local with my triathalon team instead.


Tsukuba Marathon was the next race.
I didn't really train-I ran 10-15K every morning for about a month.
But I figured with 80% chance of rain, it was gonna be cancelled anyway...
Nope. It stopped raining at 10am THAT morning..

My triathalon coach is stunned. He had/has absolutely no faith in me.
But then again I'm stunned too. I didn't think I could actually finish it..
I'm glad I did it, and maybe would do it again-but not anytime soon.


run1

run2

marathon


That's me in the black on the right!

Total Time suffered: 5 long hours



Here are the things I learned from this race:

  • Never recruit your training partner at a bar during happy hours.
  • Runners magazine is right. Do your Long runs during the weekend...religiously.

  • Trust me, people militantly run/march, not chat during a marathon. BRING YOUR MUSIC.
  • Listen to the same music when you train as the race day. It keeps your pace steady.

  • Carb-up before you hit the wall at the 25km mark.
    Candy is a good choice-you get a slow steady stream of energy till the next aid station.

  • Chose your gear wisely. NIKE CLIMA-fit, good pro-active thinking but totally not practical. Way too hot for a marathon.

  • Massage, hot baths, and massage some more right after the run. You will ache. A LOT.






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