Minimalism - Online Income - ESL - Japan
I live in Kakamigahara so this was my local race. The first race I ever did was the Kakamigahara 10K, back in 2011. This year they added a half-marathon to the already popular 10K and 3K. One month earlier I set a 1:30:07 PB on a freezing, snowy day in Inuyama. To beat that, and go sub-30, I prepared an ambitious plan of progressively faster intervals starting at 4:25/km pace […]
Lots to talk about this week, so let’s jump in with the big stuff first. JTU Membership and Imizu Triathlon Last year I did the Ebie Triathlon in Toyama prefecture and had such a great time that I wanted to do it again. This time around, I wanted to step up from the beginner’s “Challenge” race to the Olympic-distance “Standard”, but that required registering with the JTU (Japan Triathlon Union). […]
On Sunday, I ran my second 10K race of the year, one month after setting a surprising 40:40 PB in Kani. I originally hoped to challenge that PB because the course wasn’t nearly as hilly, and I was coming off the back of a strong half-marathon three weeks earlier. My expectations fell somewhat when I got bad hay fever and the forecast predicted a warm day, over 10 degrees higher […]
Saturday was the day I got my first ever road bike, a Giant Defy 1, and she’s a beauty. I’ve taken her out for a couple of rides when the weather has been good and I look forward to some long journeys later in the year. On Sunday, I got myself a headlamp and took to the mountains for my first ever nighttime trail run. Despite the darkness, it took […]
An old school friend of mine has decided to undertake a triathlon, and she’s just been given a rather grueling training schedule. I feel exhausted just looking at it. I think I need a lie down to recover! I’m not one for training programs. Without a doubt, they push you to work out and be ready for whatever competition you’re entering, and I’ve followed programs in the past with good […]
You often don’t realize how far you’ve come until you pause for a moment and look back over your journey. Today I led three other members of my Facebook “Gifu Runners” group on a 19km run which included almost 10K of trail running on some very rugged terrain. Over three and half hours, we clambered over five mountains, ascending almost 800m and descending just as far. I can’t feel my […]
I’ve seen articles recently attempting to explain why people run, because to non-runners, running looks like hard-work and couldn’t possibly be enjoyable. What about swimming, though? Does swimming look like a fun activity? Is it something that non-swimmers would like to do? I know a lot of people who have no interest at all. Some of them can’t swim and therefore won’t attempt to. Other people are too embarrassed by […]