5k at Okayama Marathon 2019. Took me quite some time, this is more like a Race Homework than a Report :)

Race information

• What? Okayama Marathon 2019
• When? November 10, 2019
• Where? Okayama, Japan
• How far? 5 km (Divisions available: Full / 5K), certified 5.6 km, actual 6.0 km (damn long corrals)
• Website? https://www.okayamamarathon.jp/en/entry/

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Finish (Cutoff: 60:00 after gun)	Yes
B	Finish together	Yes
C	Performance Target: Finish in 40:00 net	No

Splits

Kilometer	Time
1	8:53
2	8:37
3	8:45
4	8:03
5	7:36
6	7:03

Abstract

We ran the 5k at Okayama Marathon without proper training, attire (obtained two weeks before race), or fitness (I'm a fat dude who just managed to fail his waist exam at work!). However, good pacing, mentality, and attitude actually work. I got PR over my old run.

Keywords: 5k, beginner, couple, Japan

Background

Okayama e Yokoso! Okayama is Japan's Sunshine State. It is known for the story of folktale hero Momotaro and his companion of animal friends. That aside, they have been doing this Marathon (and 5k) thing for 5 years.

Since my girlfriend (who I will use capitalized "She" to refer to Her throughout the rest of this thread) is a resident outside Okayama City (but still in the prefecture), we've decided to run this one.

Since I've run at the ThaiPBS Mini Marathon (5k in Bangkok) and clocked in at a (WHOPPING) 54:56, I've decided this time I'll do better. As a completely new runner, She however was extremely worried we wouldn't make the cutoff time of 60:00. She was clearly worried about Her performance and especially given our little sidewalk run a few weeks before the race (something I'll elaborate), She has lost all confidence about this race.

So I told Her: She will be paced and we'll reach the finish line (Goal A) together (Goal B) within 40:00 (Goal C).

Cue: THE FUCK UPS!

Training

LACK of training was what made this into a huge clusterfuck of failures after failures.

We did some YouTube video workouts on some days we like it. Most of the time we didn't. Note that we live separately, four hours apart by train, so training together was not a real option. On the days we meet, it's usually just a quick run around the block until one of us got tired.

A month or two before the race however, I picked up a Garmin ForeAthlete (i.e. Fake-ForeRunner) 945 "J" model. The one without Pulse Ox thanks to Japan's Ministry of Health being pricks. The point is, I also picked up on that Galloway "Run Walk Run" Method, especially the "high cadence" part of it because it drastically changed my running posture. It also made me understand why Special Week (the anime horse girl) in Uma Musume (anime) took up high-cadence runs. It's convenient for people new to the sport. Thanks, Cygames.

About the watch: I'm stupid but I'm not an idiot. I'm still figuring out how to hack the firmware so the watch thinks it's a full-featured ForeRunner. I know how hard it is to hack a goddamn Garmin piece, but I'll see what can be done.

I raced once, She never did. She did not know anything about pacers, getting water, and so on. We spent time going through those, but at the end, I just said "follow me." We didn't.

Race strategy

• Have Fun
• Don't Die
• Start Slow
• Finish Strong (this bit me in the ass near the end)
• Established a clear pacing strategy: "I will pace you at 8:00/km. If you're going to just run at-pace, follow me. Speed up if we need to break from the crowd, or slow down if you're tired. I'll follow you in that case. By the way, Pace 8 means it takes 8 minutes to finish a kilo, okay?"
• "If you're not okay, I'll retire with you. I can run a hundred other races later, but I want to run THIS race with YOU." (Cue anime drama, but now Goals A and B are linked.)

Bib Pick-up

The bib pick-up was a fiasco by itself. The city treated 5K runners as a really, really small division as the Japanese running culture is MUCH more focused on Full running. There were many booths with numbers: 10000-19999, 20000-29999, and so on, but we could not find out number.

Turns out there was a REALLY small "FUN RUN" sign at one of the booths, so we went in and presented our race vouchers. The lady wanted us to give emergency contact. Pulling it out of my ass, I decided to write down my boss' name and phone number for both of us, as Her boss was in Okinawa or something and wouldn't be reachable if one of us died anyway.

Race Day

The race started 08:45, but we arrived a bit early because frankly we were nervous. Would we make it in time? Would it be too cold or hot? We arrived at Okayama City by train and walked a bit to the Arena, following thousands of other people.

We joked a bit about "eating at that Big Boy or Royal Host after finishing the race." We did not follow through with this.

After arriving at the Arena, we spent a few minutes familiarizing ourselves with the place. The luggage management was AMAZING. The folks were extremely ready to help, although the guy handling my bag fouled up a little by almost letting me inside the baggage tent, which shouldn't be allowed, based on his boss' reaction.

We proceeded to the pen corral a bit before 08:00. Corrals closed 08:29.

Course Information

Right behind Full runners, the 5k started at Block F (MEGA), behind Blocks S, A, B, C, D, and E. That implies we're among the shittiest of the runners, and I don't argue.

The course starts at Zip Arena Okayama (the prefectural sports complex) and running a bit straight heading south, turning left up a big bridge to cross the train tracks. The bridge is the most prominent elevation feature in this race. Then, head east along Hara-o-shima Avenue until we're almost at the big river, then south along Shiroshita Avenue towards the Symphony Hall intersection (near Okayama Castle), turn left and run west along Momotaro Avenue.

This is where we are split up. The Full runners are supposed to continue towards Okayama Station, but we 5K runners go into the park lane around 2/3 way of Momotaro Ave. We'll be back on the foot of the bridge, so we cross it, turn right, and run back to Zip Arena.

EASY? Sounds like, but nope. Not for us.

Race Playlist

Playlist available! For full immersion, please play this Orchestral version of Senbonzakura as you read the first few paragraphs, as was is the "gun start" song of the race. Followed by Detective Conan (Case Closed) theme, also in orchestra.

Kilometer 1: Start to Bridge

We felt really confused. While I had raced once, that race was nowhere near the level of this. This run had 16,000 runners, with about 1,500 in 5k division. Japan, according to a local runner I know, seems to consider 5k as a waystage run for someone new to the running world or would like to run exclusively recreationally. Most Japanese runners aim for Full, and aim for time. Some even race semi-professionally in their companies.

She saw may new things in her life, like Doctor Runners (certified MDs also racing, who can supplement dedicated EMS on the sides) and Pace Runners. I told Her, there are two kinds of Pace Runners: 完走 literally means "run finish" which basically means "sweeper" which in Human means "don't finish behind these guys if you'running Full marathon." Then there is the other kind, the numbered pace runners. She asked me what does a "6 pace runner" do, so I told Her "these guys will run at exactly pace 6, taking exactly six minutes to run one kilo. They are dedicated to helping us finish. Don't worry about those people. We just try not to finish behind anyone with a 5k完走 or a 12 behind his back, if they exist."

Which doesn't exist, anyway. While cutoff for 5k is of course 12, most Japanese runners are faster than that.

I didn't even hear the gun. As the clock approached 08:45, eventually the people in front of us started walking, so we just followed along. We had to start slow as people really bunched up and the majority of this part was more like an opening ceremony march anyway. The jumble of people was horrible as some runners decided to cut us off and get as far to the forefront as possible. The spacing became bigger and gave us more breathing room.

Plan: Just keep our own pace, ignore people trying to cut us off (as there was no safe lane for slow runners), and don't do anything unpredictable. Did it work? Probably, but some people are just unpredictable. Talk about unpredictable, some chick decided to STOP to tie her shoes just a bit into the run. Luckily it wasn't in our lane, so we weren't affected. Manners!

Kilometer 1~2.2: Bridge to River

Oh shit, what a beautiful sight! We saw TONS of runners heading up the bridge, and we were so excited. We paced ourselves up the bridge with no hopes of getting faster or slower again as we were jumbled up into a huge mass.

We saw a group of three runners, "1975 Runners", at the front. They seemed relaxed and ran together in their 50s. "See those 1975 people? We can keep their paces and finish with them and still be in for the cutoff. There's nothing to worry." (I understand that some people take offense at being taken for pace, but since the bunch was big and this team was the most visible, I chose them as the ideal pace gauge.)

I looked at Garmin and reported to Her, that we were doing fine. We were 8:3x in pace, but there was nothing we could do to make it faster. We're below pace, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. The bunch is still tight, so follow safely.

Suddenly, another old man in gray shirt cut us off. We were 95% to the right of the 3-lane road. The old ass sprinted diagonally from right to left, cutting off about 10 runners at the same time. MANNERS!

Kilometer 2.3~2.8: Along the River towards Okayama Castle

Nothing much happened here except that the road kept widening and narrowing. It was an annoying experience, but there was nothing much we could do. The pace was dropping a bit here, but nothing to worry.

The local school kids were there to cheer us on. Forced or voluntary, and even if you guys weren't there for us, thank you very much for your support.

Kilometer 2.8~3.5: MAIN STREET!!!

We turned right into Momotaro Avenue, the main street of the city. The crowd on our right was much bigger here compared to other places, due to a larger space. I tried touching hands with the crowd, only for her to ask "what were you thinking doing that anyway?" I said, "Well, I wanted to feel like Toon Bodyslam (Thai rock star and charity runner) for fifty meters."

How was that experience? I was really afraid touching a girl's hand. Given the scary looks of many Japanese fathers of young girls, I mostly interacted only with adults who voluntarily reached out their hands asking to touch anyone and literally anyone.

It was a humbling experience. I didn't do anything to save the world but felt like a goddamn hero. They probably didn't want my filthy 5k-er hand touching theirs, but welcomed my presence anyway. This might be one of the reasons why people love running these days.

I noticed that She was running a bit faster and stronger, overtaking people and even leading me to do so. Eventually, we turned right to return to Zip Arena, leaving the Full runners to their dooms races.

I gave respects to a man holding a USMC flag. There must have been a Marine in the race. Not American myself, but American presence shaped Asia during trying times, and I thank America for not letting us become Commies (or at least trying, in case of Vietnam).

Kilometer 3.6~3.8: Mid-way Cut-Off

We ran along the park street of the city, passing more local bands and dancers. We saw those "1975" team again. This time they were a bit further in front, but if we could still see them, we probably didn't lose much pace in the racing field.

"Water service, both sides!" ... We slowed down for a water station, and I told Her where to throw out the cups: inside the bin, not on the streets like some assholes did. We weren't pros that could jog while drinking, so we walked.

I started feeling pain in the side here, so I started to be more careful of overpacing. I knew we have been doing negative splits, but I can't risk myself here.

Then we found a clock and a sign: CHECKPOINT FOR 5K, and a clock. That means we're past the first checkpoint. I gave a mental pat on my back, and continued running.

Kilometer 3.9~5.6: Final Cut-Off

We turned left and headed back up the bridge. I further refined the Run part of the Run Walk Run Special Week Strategy by increasing my step rate here to further mitigate injuries and per-step effort. She did notice what I do, but could not break her usual habits. We got up the bridge no problem, and turned right towards the Zip Arena.

By this point, the crowd thinned out. We had a lot more space to run.

Faster and faster, She kept speeding up a bit and a bit more, having us pass many runners. It was usually Her who started speeding up, but not that I'd complain.

At this moment, I 200% knew: She's much, much more capable as a runner than She thought. She might not know much about Her running strategy and style, but She is intuitively good. She only knew the basics of running (more fitness than strategy) but could adapt and finish strong.

We passed the final cut-off clock with ample time to spare. I knew we were beating the clock, but still, there was a moment of relief in my heart.

Kilometer 5.7~6.0: GOAL!

Back into the sports complex, the course led into Citylight Stadium, the track arena. We spent a 300-m length in the ring, cheered on by Momotaro and his entourage of animals.

We finished together, down to the same second, as I promised we finish together or retire. We grabbed a finisher's towel, an unmarked certificate (which is practically a decorative paper), a bottle of Amino whatever, and a local Busse (Good stuff. If you're at Okayama Station, go downstairs to B1 and get it from HAKUJUJI. That shit is great!).

Post-race

p While certainly not reaching our performance goal, I did clock in at a respectable time for myself, setting up a new PR, and met all our important promises. I understand that this race did not have any meaning in the runner's world (and the time was beyond poor), but ... well, I have nothing to say. I thought I should feel bad, I tried to feel bad for the piss-poor performance (who the hell goes to a mass start event at 8:00/km and call it a race?), but I couldn't. I was and still am so happy.

We were tired as hell, but could not sit down (lest we won't be able to get back up). I got our stuff back, and we took pictures together, rested under a tree in the sports complex, and boarded the next shuttle bus back to the station. We were in quite a hurry for other things, so we did not consider waiting around for the awards ceremony.

We crashed the whole day and were unable to work. Until I ordered a PIZZA. OH YEAH. WE'RE ALIVE. I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT CARBS! Then I left Okayama, and back to reality.

What's next?

She was less than interested to race again, but I asked Her to support me in future races, if I will join them. I'm not satisfied with a towel and a meaningless "certificate", and will absolutely complete a Full at least once, and get that medal along with a signed and timed certificate for real.

But for now ... the finisher's towel feels nice to the touch.

After a few days, in the morning, I went to my mailbox at work and pulled the drawer. There was a flyer for another race.

Cut to black. Credits.

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