I just got back from Japan. The trip there was a long one. From the time I left my apartment in Columbus to the time I arrived at my hotel in Tokyo, it took about twenty-four hours. In addition to that, I was coming down with a cold, so the day before the race, I was worried about becoming dehydrated. However, I drank plenty of fluids (including a big bottle of Pocari Sweat), and I seemed to fight off the cold. (I think I drank more fluids the day before the Tokyo Marathon than on any other single day of my life.)

As for the race itself, it was extremely windy, and it started to rain during the last few kilometers, but it was a great race. There were people lined up cheering for almost the entire 42.2 kilometers. (By the way, I think I like kilometer markers better than mile markers. They come more frequently. It's easier to stay motivated to get to the next kilometer marker.) It was also incredibly well-organized. Within ten minutes of finishing the race, I had my chip taken, my medal given to me, my food given to me, and I retrieved my drop-off bag. This was with thirty-thousand runners. I was amazed.

I had a great time in Japan. In addition to running the Tokyo Marathon, I also did some sightseeing. I visited Kamakura, Nikko, Yokohama, and just hung out in Tokyo. The trip back home was also a long one, but I passed the time by reading the novel Out by Natsuo Kirino. I would thoroughly recommend the Tokyo Marathon, but unless you've been to Japan before or know at least some rudimentary Japanese, I would probably recommend it as part of a tour. I don't know if I could have handled it by myself if it had been my first time to Japan.

Tags: marathon, marathons, Tokyo Marathon, running, book, books, Out, Natsuo Kirino