1 year ago, I completed my first trail running race
It was the First Annual Okumusashi 35km/22mi Trail Running Race. Two days ago, I ran the same event and boy did it go differently.
Last year’s event was tough. It was one of the hardest physical challenges I’ve endured. When I struggled across the finish line in 7 hours and 15 minutes, I felt physically broken. Further, being new to Japan and its running scene meant I didn’t have community at the finish either. I was lonely.
This year was very different for a few major reasons
First, the weather.
There was solid cloud cover all day and it never got above 26C/79F. Last year, we runners were given a sunny day with temperatures up to 30C/86F and significant humidity – far from ideal.
Pulling the start earlier at 8am instead of 9am was also a good call.
Second, I’m more of a runner.
I run more. So far in 2024 (through early June), I’ve run 494 miles and done 83k feet of elevation gain. For all of 2023, my distance was 602 miles and elevation was 103k feet.
I also have my badass trail running mentor and friend who has been teaching me the way. Thank you Olivier!
Third, I’m part of a runner community.
I’ve met a handful of local trail runners through Tokyo Trail Running (TTR). On a run a couple months ago, I met the TTR founder and head organizer for this event, Robert, and decided to sign up for my rematch. Last year, I knew Chadwick. While we ran together for the first half and were able to meet up an hour after my finish, socially it was a night and day experience.
How did the day go?
These differences meant overall my day was far less epic than last time. I happily cruised through the day. Don’t misunderstand, I pushed myself physically for nearly 6 hours. My heart rate was pretty similar (149 vs 146 last time) but everything felt easier. When I arrived at the rest areas, I made sure to refill water and eat but didn’t really need to rest rest. The hoses felt nice but weren’t necessary… getting hosed down last year was easily a top 10 moment of 2023.
The day started as expected, wake up way earlier than normal – 4:45am alarm and out the door at 5:15am. Instead of my standard oatmeal with fruit, yogurt and peanut butter, I opted for 2 bananas and peanut butter (shoutout to Josh) + carby convenience store food while transferring trains at Ikebukuro. I knew it would be a good day when I ran into my friend Maze and a bunch of his friends at Ikebukuro at 5:50am. Sharing a train with fellow excited runners put me at ease and in a fun mood rather than focusing on a lack of sleep or potential concerns with the day ahead. They even shared some extra caramel salt candies which ended up coming in clutch for me. Halfway to our destination, Chadwick joined the party!
I was placed in the first wave of runners rather than the second wave like last year and now I’m sold on wave 1. Maze and I started together toward the front. We cruised. It’s 9 miles to Agano, the first rest stop, we went at a faster pace than last year and I was able to keep a similar yet lower heart rate than last year. Starting further forward meant no standing in amusement park style lines on steep uphill single track sections. Maze decided to take it a little easier after 10km and I pushed on. I made it to the first rest stop in just over 2:30, about 20 minutes faster than last year. It was a super quick stop, no bathroom, no sitting or rest, just a delightful hose down and refueling break (onigiri and pickles).
The next section is the most biggest consistent uphill of the course. It’s about 1000 feet with no flats or downhills and I spent about 30 minutes. Trail running in Japan seems to be much more undulating up and down, noticeably different from what I’ve experienced running in the Colorado mountains. I tend to prefer more obvious “okay, you’re going up for a while” or “time to enjoy this cruisey downhill for the next 30 min” type sections so I like this part. The only downside was a guy at a similar pace who made a lot of loud odd noises seemingly unnecessarily.
The next part was a 90 minute blur in the best way possible. Lots of elevation loss with many smallish steep climbs sprinkled in. I remember last year feeling frustrated at not being able to truly run this trail since I was too exhausted. This time I felt solid and went at a comfortable running pace – heart rate generally in the high 140s.
When I arrived at the second rest stop, I spent more time making sure my final food was readily accessible, getting my heart rate down and mentally preparing myself for the last stretch – about 5 miles. Until this point, I was mostly using my watch to monitor my heart rate as the main way to determine if I should push more or less. I hadn’t been keeping an eye on the time at all really. I was shocked when it hit me, I was leaving this point with only 4:45 on the clock. My stretch goal was 6:30… and apparently under 6 hours was possible!
The most memorable moment during the race last year had been right at the top of a 500 foot hill. I laid down on the side of the trail, needing some horizontal time to recover before continuing. I even snapped a selfie to remember the struggle. I got another selfie at the same spot this year, and as they say, new year new me!
The final couple miles standout being a flat paved road in civilization; a stark contrast to the rest of the course. Last time, my mind was focused on surviving. This time, I felt stoked knowing I would break 6 hours and I intentionally decided to run at whatever speed would keep my heart rate at 160. Right at the end, there’s a crosswalk where I caught up to a guy I had never seen before. We ran the last few hundred feet and crossed the line together and I’ll probably never see him again and that’s okay.
Last year, upon finishing, I felt physically broken and alone. This year, I was excited to pee, change into sandals and had confidence friends would show up soon. After taking care of the first two orders of business, I relaxed for a bit and then Olivier, my trail running mentor/friend surprisingly showed up just to celebrate with us! Shortly afterwards, our TTR friends arrived and we bathed in the euphoria of relaxation and friends after a successful struggle.
Reflections
My blog post from last year had some takeaways and notes to self… let’s look through them!
“Running is hard. It is a rewarding struggle” -> I still firmly believe this. While running was not as hard this year, it was still extremely rewarding, just in a different way.
“Do more training” -> I did! And it paid off.
“Implement a more foolproof way to bring everything” -> Unlike last year, I managed to bring everything I intended to on race day!
“Get better sleep before the race” -> Two nights before the race, I got poor sleep which seemed to help me sleep well the night before.
“I’ll enjoy the race more if I have a stronger community” -> I put in effort here and can confirm this to be true.
“It’s the journey, not the destination” -> Yup. This was a great day and because of this day, I had many great days in preparation.
“I want to keep trail running. I want to do more trail running races” -> Definitely.
The race reminded me that wherever I am, there are always people both ahead of me and behind me. If I push really hard, this will continue to be true. If I rest longer, this will also be true. This is true on the trail as well as in all facets of life.
I feel fortunate to be where I am in life now. I feel fortunate to have my healthy body. I will continue to push myself in running and elsewhere.
Thank you Chadwick, Maze, Olivier, Marek, Sony, Karthik, Robert, Alain, everyone who contributed to this event and everyone who has supported me in running!
Strava (check out all the numbers): 2024, 2023
Race Results: 53/664
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