The jet lag was brutal. They say a day for every time zone is the time needed to recover. That sounds about right. It was that way when I returned from China back in 2010, then again from Vietnam in 2013, and this time Japan, 2019. It’s always tougher on the return trip home. How can I write about my latest marathon finish when I struggling to sleep at night? Every day has been sluggish, sleepy, and some days on the verge of collapse. Two weeks of this torture, yet make it to the start to celebrate my recent accomplishment at the United Airlines New York City Half.
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| Bib pickup at Tokyo Marathon Expo - March 1, 2019 |
“Congratulations on Tokyo!” “Fanfan, you the man!” “Great job, David.” Friends I have run with through the years, acknowledging me at various points on the course. And here I am thinking, “Well I did it again, another race, two weeks after a marathon. This will surely mess with my recovery.” My coaches, experienced marathoners, faster runner friends, all have pounded into my head that I have to stop signing up for races too soon after a marathon. But how can I resist. This city is vibrant. This city has rejuvenated me. This city continues to pump new life and energy into my existence. And as I continue this running journey I’ve been on since 2008, a journey that led me to the Tokyo Marathon finish line, I see no end in sight. The path forward continues. NO END IN SIGHT.
Mentally prepared: A beautiful struggle
NO END IN SIGHT. I hang on these four words for a minute as I write. The perfect phrase to describe Mile 25: No end in sight. Where was that finish line? I have a lot at stake here. I’ve come so far. My sixth World Major. All I have to do is cross that finish line, and I am among the small percentage of marathoners to have completed all six. The stats are below. Elite company I would join. What’s so special about completing all six? It’s one thing to be the fastest, and compete for personal records. It’s another thing to race and compete against your peers.
But can you ENDURE? Do you have the mental stamina to run your own race, no matter where it is, pushing forward through the unknown? And when you think you are almost there, or when you think you have found your groove, the end is still so far away. It leaves you open and vulnerable for failure. Everything you have, you gave. Now you are forced to dig deep. Find whatever you can scrape up from within, to quickly put together that which will energize your last thrust; even when there is NO END IN SIGHT.
Mile 25 was absolutely brutal. You turn the corner at Hibuya Park, running on Gyoko-dori Avenue headed towards Tokyo Station. Most races would have the finish line banners visibly grand, so that runners can focus on finishing strong, starting their final kick from a distance. But this race had NO END IN SIGHT. A straight away that just kept going. My GPS was inaccurate, and the “Completed Marathon” alert had sounded off. Where in the hell is this finish line?
Mental Stamina and Strategize
My stay in Tokyo was a wet one. Every day after breakfast I would borrow an umbrella from the concierge as I set about the town. My good friend, Norbert, was there to support me. He took this an opportunity to visit Japan. He stood out there in the rain to cheer and snap photos at various points along the course. Our friendship that dates back to Freshman orientation in engineering school. Organically developing to the point where he is considered family. We had respect, understanding, communication, and aware of each other’s differences. Willing to learn from each other and give each other the best advice. Twenty-four years, and he was always there at the right time. Those vulnerable, transitional moments, that would be cause for celebration when completed.
I once advised a former associate that during the marathon training cycle, all the unnecessary junk cleanses away. Not just from the physical, but from the mental. Most marathoners feel that finishing a marathon brings about a new life, like a conversion. The things of old are gone. When you focus on your training for 12-, 16-, or 20 weeks, you learn to set aside the bullshit, to get that workout in. I gain clarity and maintain a clear head, not only for focus on my workouts, mental preparation needed for the next marathon, but also clarity in whatever issues may rise that day. And sometimes, you gain…. Only to lose… to remind you that what you lost… you never needed in the first place, no matter how good you thought you had it when it was there.
Norbert was that old friend that was there to see my beautiful struggle at mile 25. A point in the race where all I could do is scrape together whatever was left from my training. All those strength-training sessions paid off. I stayed firm, and locked into form. I could feel myself digging deep, like I was lifting that last rep on that bench press. I knew he was there and his scream gave me a boost. I wasn’t alone. I was near the finish. I knew it was there, I just couldn’t see it. As long as I kept pushing forward with one foot in front of the other I would get there. And each foot strike was painful.
The New Balance 1500s.
My feet felt light from the start of the race throughout. I stayed warm in my poncho and my throwaway gear joking with my big brother, Ron Romano, as we yelled looking for Carlos to give him his pace band. At the start there was some anxiety about running in the New Balance 1500s. The Asics Kayanos these last 4 years, gave me cushioning with bounce. These 1500s felt almost as if I was barefoot.
I started my run slow to allow myself a good warm up. There wasn’t much space for apre-race warm up in the shivering cold. I can see Ron’s teeth shattering at times in the drizzle. This wasn’t going to be a PR race for me. The cold, wet conditions were a reminder of the 2018 Boston Marathon, but not as severe and minus the wind. Many lessons learned andI was running my sixteenth marathon. I had enough experience to know how the smallest adjustments would help. How these new shoes would feel in this rain was still unknown.
The “Keep Up with Ron” Plan
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| CPTC-NB at the Tokyo Start |
Next I knew I had to keep pace with Ron. He has been running great in the last year. I’ve been following and studying his Strava stats. I knew he had a knack for keeping things steady and finishing strong. But by mile 4 he was signaling me to go, take off and leave him behind. I wasn’t going to let myself go out too fast so I stopped to use the bathroom, and he continued along.
The bathroom stations were incredible. Signs were posted indicating how far they were from the course. Some were 100 meters, and others were 1100 meters. I was lucky to get in a stall with a flush about 100 meters off course. A runway entrance and runway exit back onto the course, while Ron to gained about a minute on me during the race. By the time I emptied out for what turned out to be my only bathroom stop, I figured I would probably see Ron at the finish.
As I ran 7 and 7:10 pace, and finally ditching the poncho, mile 7 soon came and I could see Ron’s back from a distance. TI decided to let me stay behind him, and keep him in sight. Never mind my watch, I knew he would have an energy boost at some point and I intend on staying with him.
“Go Dave! You can do it man.” I can hear Norbert yelling in the crowd among the Japanese noise. At the 20 km, I turned to point at Norbert who was holding two cameras, catching me on video and snapping shots with his other hand. I ran closer to Ron and told him he was in the picture.
“How am I supposed to know who your friend is?” I guess now Ron realized I was right on his tail. “ Run your race man, go for it!” He was waiving me off again, pushing me to go ahead. By then I didn’t realize he had a little bit of a struggle going. I wasn’t sure about how he was feeling. I was still trying to time my take off with his, feeding off of him during the race. One hour and 35 minute split at the half…. Ok we were running slower than I thought. Then at the mile 15-water stop someone took a nosedive forcing us to adjust. I realized Ron’s adjustment wasn’t as quick and knew he wasn’t running the race he wanted. So at mile 16, I decided to pick up the pace.
A Flat Fast Course not without it’s obstacles.
It was a fast course indeed. Had it been better weather, and if I had trained less on the treadmill, I would have had a shot at the sub three. However, I have to make due with what I have. Last minute travel adjustments, cleansing away the bullshit that would hold me back. After 16 marathons, there was never any doubt that I would finish. I was confident. I was strong but I knew to keep it smart. As I ran my own race, it was all about rhythm from mile 16 and onward. But whatever rhythm I had started to fade at mile 23. Then it became about effort. As I watched another runner take a nosedive, I was happy on how well my 1500s maintained traction on the wet roads. My feet were light with each foot strike until the dreadful mile 25. The each strike sent shock waves throughout my body. With NO END IN SIGHT, a sudden mental rush of negativity overcame me. They were feelings from all of the trauma and disappointments in the final weeks during taper. The thoughts of ot being able to see the finish in the last mile, led to thoughts of regret on my how I trained in the last cycle. Maybe I should have followed Coach Henwood’s plan to an exact T. Maybe I should have accepted more of his long run invitations. Maybe I should have capitulated for the sake of not adding more stress in my life, and give in to outside demands of my professional and personal life. The negative thoughts were hard hitting and if I were to quit the race, then that would have been the time to do so.
But then I look to my right. My sore neck turning to hear the only English speaking, voice I can make out, with two cameras, yelling at me to push forward. I once yelled at a former acquaintance, to focus on their finish, and quell the negative thoughts in their head, when they were running their marathon. Karma returned the favor, I was fortunate to have that in Norbert, just before I turned the corner after mile 26 had passed. With his scream of encouragement, all the negativity in my head just disappeared. And while I was running on fumes, I regained focus to push forward and finish. It was a reflection of my training cycle indeed. All the negativity, the bullshit, and the crazy would just abruptly disappear at the last minute as I continue forward.
Moral of the Story
That negativity I experienced during my training and during my race was never meant for me. It was a trial that I thought I should embrace. I thought it was a new way that would benefit in the long run. It wasn’t. I found myself relying on what was familiar, running smart and having a long time friend give me just the energy boost I needed to refocus when I needed it most.
The Tokyo Marathon course deserved better than the training I went through this last cycle. Am I disappointed in my performance? No no no! To the contrary, I may have struggled and doubted my approach and changed my preparation, but I adjusted and endured confident I would eventually finish. Feeding off of Ron, and salvaging whatever fitness I gained during my training cycle, the pains and disappointments still reared their ugly heads. The will to quit had passed while I still couldn’t see the finish that was just around the corner in front of the Imperial Palace.
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| Receive my Six Star Finisher Medal for Abbott's World Marathon Majors |
All I needed to ENDURE, with NO END IN SIGHT was already there even before this last training cycle. One cheer, one sound of encouragement from a familiar voice, can make a world of difference. With my latest trip around the sun just around the corner, I let the joy and sense of this accomplishment sink in. Why wouldn’t I recharge, and enjoy a run in my hometown two weeks after Tokyo? New York City: where I hear those encouraging voices all over the course, recharging my soul from Prospect Park to the Central Park.
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| Another great vacation with @global_trekker, 10 years after our first vacation in Europe. |
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| At the Sensoji Temple - Tokyo definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite cities. |
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| Celebrating Six Star Finish with CPTC-NB teammate, Ron Romano |
