So I weasled out of the race at the last minute. I do think it was the right decision, even though I was still able to run a slowish 20 km in the park and probably could have run harder in a half marathon situation. But it would have been a bit risky in so far as how my body would react, so I have no regrets on that count.
But there is another larger issue to think about too. This race is one several held on a US air force depot in Kanagawa. It has to be said that it is not the most attractive of venues. Bleak is a word that comes to mind. The races are organised by a local running club, and the base allows them to do it under sufference it would seem. There is a heavy security requirement. Every runner has to be issued with a pass in advance and must also order them for any accompanying friends or family. Then the queues to get in, with identity and bag checks at the base of the gate, can be horrendous. In short, it is really not a very pleasant place to go for a race. Then an email came through on our mailing list yesterday that one of our new members, a Peruvian, was not going to be allowed on the base because of his nationality. What!! Since when were the Peruvians threatening American interests around the world?
I don't know, with all the races in Japan, I think we have to have a careful think about whether we continue to collectively support the ones at Sagamihara. Maybe that's not a popular point of view, since there appears to have been a long history of association between members of our club and the organisers. They have even offered free entry to our foreign members in the past (though not this year it would seem).
So, to any of you who ran the race today, how was the overall experience? Do you have a strong sense of wanting to go back again? Should we be looking harder for another race for a Namban outing around this time of year?
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6 comments:
Maybe they were worried the Peruvian had done some altitude training and had an unfair advantage :-)
Sounds like a good decision Steve.
I was wondering - have you noticed if the HR gives you any advance warning that you may be coming down with something?
You are a wuss! The conditions yeaterday were perfect. Was cool and the rain held off.
But that being said, I think that I for one, will pass on this race next year, as it is not really worth the hassle. The long train trip with 3 changes, the que to get in, and the bleakness of the base make it not worth the bother.
This goes for the ekiden as well.
"I was wondering - have you noticed if the HR gives you any advance warning that you may be coming down with something?"
No, I can't say I have. To be honest, I was also trying to see if it were higher than normal during the last two runs (well beyond the advance warning stage), and I can't really say that it was. Part of the problem is that there is so much variation through a run that it would need to be a fairly dramatic effect to notice it. And on these two runs I was taking it easy anyway. The only reliable HR method on this score would be resting HR first thing in the morning, and I confess I don't measure that, even though I know I should.
Good choice Steve! That is ridiculous to not alow that peruvian runner to race! I would not have run either.
I think I'll give that one a miss. I look too much like OBL.
Hope you're feeling better!
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