Category Archives: Japan

The ‘People’s Champion’ Comes to Boston

Posted on January 15, 2018 by

Many years ago, when I was much younger and sprier, I entered a New Year’s Day 5M road race despite a forecast for high temperatures in the low 20’s. I wasn’t elite, of course, but I went into the race … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Notes of a Shy Traveler

Posted on March 17, 2017 by

“Churches and trains They all look the same to me now They shoot you some place While we ache to come home somehow” – Gregory Alan Isakov, Amsterdam

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Japan Journal: Race Day

Posted on March 15, 2017 by

Ojiyama Stadium, Otsu, Japan — Start of the Biwako Mainichi Marathon — March 5, 2017 In the audio, you can hear me say that 77 seconds (for the first 400) is “2:12:30 pace…” It is actually about 2:14:30 pace. This miscalculation had … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Final Preparations

Posted on March 13, 2017 by

Elite athlete interviews prior to Saturday’s technical meeting for foreign athletes I suspect that some of my readers — those who have patiently endured my travelogue so far — have not been distracted, nor have they forgotten that the reason I … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Tōkyō

Posted on March 10, 2017 by

Panoramic view of Tokyo from Tokyo Skytree (Wikipedia) In retrospect, I’m really glad I decided to purchase a Japan rail pass. That document, which is sold only to foreign tourists on temporary visits to the country, offers nearly unlimited travel on … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Kyōtō

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

Gate at Nishi Hongan-ji temple, central Kyoto Ah, Kyoto, city of temples and trains, ancient capital city and elegant modern metropolis, surrounded on three sides by mountains and monks; home to three million strangers and Samaritan to one stressed-out American … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Runs and Workouts

Posted on March 3, 2017 by

The morning sun shines in Otsu. (The sign says: “In case of emergency, break through here and you can evacuate next door.”) Friday, February 24 – finally, the sun came up bright and much more cheerful in Otsu. From the … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Arriving in Otsu

Posted on March 1, 2017 by

Finding my way through the narrow streets of Otsu. In Japanese, there is a word — “semai” (狭い) – that means narrow, small, or confined, as in “a confined space,” “a narrow road,” etc. When I studied Japanese, I remember … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Up so long it looks like down to me

Posted on February 27, 2017 by

    I don’t need the white weather report to tell me that it is gray and rainy in Osaka. The first time I ran the Boston Marathon, I made many mistakes. Some of my mistakes were the kind of … Continue reading →

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Japan Journal: Prologue

Posted on February 24, 2017 by

  Water spouts at the harbor welcome me to Otsu, on the shore of Lake Biwa. Tyler tells me that we first started talking about Japan back in June 2016. The original idea was for him to enter the Tokyo Marathon … Continue reading →

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