Komazawa Park - ja, mata ne!

"ja mata ne" in Japanese means, "see you later" and is used when you won't see someone for a little while, but you are pretty certain you will see them again...or you are at least expressing a friendly desire to see them again.

So it was that today was my last run in Komazawa park until after the marathon. So it will be a while before I am in there again I think.

I didn't really get enough sleep and it was a bit tough getting out of bed to run only 10 to 12 km. But then I reminded myself it was the last time I'd have to get up this early for quite a while.

For my taper plan I had written in 13.2 km, four laps of the 3.3-km loop from my place up to the post office and back around past Fudo temple. But I decided that would be too monotonous and the park would be a better place to run to and from at lower aerobic pace, then do a couple of laps at race pace in the park and run home again for just over 12 km.

The overall time, and pace and heart rate is not important other than when not at race pace I was at about 70 to 75% of heart rate max. Nice and steady. As soon as I hit the park I clicked the split and commenced the first 1-km "lap", which is up the gentle hill. Well, my target marathon pace is 4:07. Guess what I ran for that first one? 4:07.4. Then on the next 1-km stretch, the downhill? 4:07.2! And the next uphill? 4:07.3!!!! Effing amazing. Then on the next downhill I lost the plot because I needed a crap badly and there was a toilet at the end of the repeat. That leg was 3:56. Oh well...those first three though were unreal. I am very, very happy to have gone out and nailed the pace like that. I only hope I can do it next Wednesday. I am very, very confident that if I can sit on that pace I can carry it to 30 km. What happens after that is the part where, barring any mishaps, the total time will be decided. Will I make up time? Lose time? or just hold that 4:07 for a final time of a shade under 2:54?

As I was about time to head out of the park and home, my German friend Horst came loping along so I was a bit naughty and ran another nice steady lap with him to give a total distance of 14 km. (I received a blow by blow account of Germany's World cup victory in 2002 into the bargain!)

It is confusing having the race mid week. Being a Friday today it seems like this 14 km is too much to be running. But when you consider that it is the equivalent of the Tuesday before a Sunday marathon, I don't think it is too bad. And my legs are feeling pretty good (apart from some calf cramps in the middle of the night last night!). So with the continuing wind down I'm sure it will be fine. The longest run left that I have planned is 10 km on Sunday. That will be a bit like today. About half easy and half at race pace. Then I'll be about done.