Ohmachi Alps Marathon Race (The 23rd)

Date: Sunday, October 15, 2006 Weather: Fine

Location: Ohmachi City, Nagano Pref.


Details of RaceRefer to the 18th Ohmachi Alps Marathon Race




IMAGE

 
�@Gift: Bath Towel


Records & Impression

• For me, this is the third participation to the race.
• I took on the limited express "Super Azusa" bound for Hakuba at 10:00 AM from Shinjuku Station with my two running mates. We drank Sake named "Kinkon" brewed in Higashi-murayama City of Tokyo, which I brought in.
• The train reached Matsumoto at 12:30. We had lunch at soba restaurant in Matsumoto City with soba noodle and locally brewed Sake. Then we went to the Matsumoto Castle, where a lot of tourists visited.
• We left for Shinano-ohmachi by local train at 15:00.
• We arrived in the hotel around 17:00. After check-in, we immediately took a bath in the hot springs and relaxed.
• After having dinner with beer, we went to bed around 19:30. It's a very early bedtime!!
• It was fine in the morning on Sunday. It was cold and I could see some red leaves of trees through the window of the hotel.
• After taking breakfast, we headed the marathon site by taxi at 7:40 and reached there by 8:00 AM. The sky was clear and thus I could see the snow-covered mountains of Japan Alps.
• As usual, both full and half marathon races started at 9:20 AM. It was fine and the temperature was rising gradually, but the wind was blowing and I was relived. The first turn of the course was approx. 8 km point.
• Contrary to my expectation, I already felt tired when passing 10 km point.
• Anyway, I tried to continue to keep my running pace to the 20 km point, where the gradual slope continued.
• I passed the middle point after 1 hour and 50 minutes. It was not so bad and I still thought that I might complete the race within 4 hours.
• However, my running pace started to slow down after 25 km point owing to tiredness and hot weather.
• Anyway, I managed to reached the lakeside of the Kizakiko Lake, but it took much time to reached the second turning point. I was almost tired of running.
• I finally passed 30 km point, however, the gradual slope had started again!
• Between 30 km and 35 km, my running pace completely slowed down. The pace was almost the same as that of walking. Some runners started to walk, but I tried to run slowly. I think it took maximum time to run 5 km between 30km and 35 km.
• My running pace slightly recovered since the course became downhill after 35 km. However, it became hotter and I felt very thirsty. Thus I had to drink much water every water supply point.
• At the last water supply point, I drank water and ate apple and headed the goal.
• I passed 40 km point just after 4 hours and realized that I could not finish the race within 4 hours.
• I lost my sprits and ran my own pace during last 2 km. The numbers of runners decreased after 4 hours. I could see a few runners on the course.
• I had to run almost one turn after I entered the truck, which was very hard for me.
• My goal time was 4 hours 14 minutes.
• This year, I tried to run 40 km distance as many as possible so that I could complete the full marathon race with ease. However, to my regret, I could not move into action this time. I did not take hotness and slope into consideration.
• Hot Japanese tea and pickles, which were served after goal, were delicious. Free apples were no longer available.
• Instead, I tried to eat free soba noodle, but the taste was not so good.
• After the race, we went back by taxi to the hotel we lodged last night to take a bath since we had free bath ticket. We soaked in the open-air hot springs under the bright sun. We enjoyed hot springs very much and relaxed.
• We went back to the station. To our regret, the soba restaurant where we had delicious soba last year was changed to Ramen shop. We had no alternative but to go to the rustic buffet on the second floor of the station to drink beer.
• Then I bought apples named "Shinano Sweet" which woman taxi driver recommended at the kiosk. (Four apples: \550)
• We had the second after-the-race party in the train with canned beer and one-cup Sake.
• I reached home at 20:30. I was happy this time since I enjoyed hot springs twice.
• It seems that the participants of full marathon race decreased compared with last year. Especially, the numbers of young ladies drastically decreased to my regret!
  
  Records
  
  

  05 km	26 minutes
  10 km	52 minutes
  15 km	1 hour 18 minutes
  20 km	1 hour 45 minutes
  Middle point	1 hour 50 minutes
  25 km	2 hours 18 minutes
  30 km	2 hours 50 minutes
  35 km	*
  40 km	Just 4 hours!
  Goal	4 hours 14 minutes

  
  
  

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