Crazy super happy fun time
Image: Me congregating with some locals at a Japanese electronics store
So... it's been a few epochs since I've had a meaningful update to my blog. Now, I shall wrap up a most excellent fall in a few installments, beginning with October.
First of all, let me offer a few videos to you from earlier in the trip (beware if you have a slow Internet connection):
Opening Ceremony Video 1 shows a drum exhibition at the Izumo ekiden opening ceremonies.
Opening Ceremony Video 2 displays the orchestra and team representatives; go Josh!
Samaurai archery Video 1 exhibits a craaazy samaurai horsemen drive-by at the Izumo shrine. Pimps of the nation.
Samaurai archery Video 2 shows an arrow whalloping an unfortunate target of the horseman archer's fury. Ka-zaam!
Samaurai archery 3 exhibits a woman archer, who would later be bucked off the beastly brute.
Tea Time shows a quick scene from a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Drink just so or enrage the spirits!
Please note that I link 2 more videos in the heart of my posts below.
10-Oct
20 min warmup, 15:30 5k, 15 min cool down near Izumo track stadium. Personally, I ran sub-par, as I was feeling the effects of travel. I didn't lose any places, however, beginning and ending my leg in 13th. Ultimately, we missed our top-10 finish, but did have a respectable showing at this competitive event. Paul was hero of the day, winning the opening leg, and Alasdair also got major television footage.
Image: Ivy Ekiden Team Team 'Shot'
At night, we headed to a "sayonara" party at a local winery with all the other teams. This event is quite fun, and provided opportunities for interaction with the locals. I remember posing for many pictures with the paryting, photo-happy Japanese. Paul was like a rockstar, as the Japanese chanted his name during our team karaoke. I was able to trade a number of Princeton and Ivy paraphernalia for Japanese sportswear (a main goal is to get clothes with "kanji" or Japanese script on them). Later that night, we ventured out into sleepy Izumo, but decided to call it a relatively early night and closed out the evening to karaoke in Ed's room (Note--I've never heard such creatively sick lyrics as those that (Coach) Dave substituted in for "Paradise City." The man is insane in the membrane.)
Image: Consuming and imbibing at the sayonara party. Oishi des!
11-Oct
66min, 10 miles. Many of the team inexplicably rose very early today, so we were able to get in our run before embarking for Tokyo. We ran towards the mountains (earlier in the week we made it to the Sea). I had to stop due to some GI issues over an Eastern style toilet (hole in the ground) and ran back/added on a little on my own.
In Tokyo, we took a bus tour that was led by the most boring, though friendly man on the face of the Earth. Really, he made me wish I was deaf. Later that evening, we burned through an interminable, pleasing, and ludicrous 11-course dinner before heading out to Roppongi Hills for a long night.
Image: A view of Tokyo from my swank hotel room.
12-Oct
55.5min, perhaps 8 miles? Today half of our party went back to the States, while Ed, Pat, Alasdair and I took a train to Yamanashi Gakuin University near Mt. Fuji. Although we weren't feeling tip-top after a late night, we enjoyed touring some local waterfalls, passing through a ridiculous museum, and later working out with a premier athletics team (Note--the translations at the museum were particularly funny, with references to "magical midgets").
Image: Nature hike near Fuji
In the weight-room prior to the run, I did medicine ball sit-ups, an old favorite of mine. Unfortunately, my abs aren't what they used to be, and I destroyed my stomach today. I could barely roll out of bed the rest of the trip. We split off in pairs to run with small groups of Japanese runners. The run went very slow, but gradually sped up towards the conclusion. We were very out of place, but it was a fun experience. Again, the runners wanted to take photos of me, because I no doubt seemed a positively Godzilla-like albino. Later that day, we went to a nice hot spring bath, and went out to dinner, where we were forced to consume and imbibe again with some local professors and coaches.
13-Oct
No run today. We were supposed to get up at 6am to run with the team, but the coach took pity on the lazy Americans. The night before, they checked our body fat, and we were off the charts (like 15+%, but we're rather sure the tool was inaccurate). Today, Ueda-san and his wife and daughter took us around the lake by Mt. Fuji, and we went to another natural, beautiful hot spring, followed by a nice meal.
Image: The breathtaking and majestic Mt. Fuji. Luckily, it didn't erupt while we were there, but it probably will eventually.
Later, we travelled back to Tokyo, and searched for accomadations. We actually tried to go to a capsule hotel, but would not fit with our bags (capsule hotels are very small 'pods' that cater to drunken Japanese businessmen who miss the last train out of town. They are cheap, but don't like foreigners with big bags.) Luckily our hotel took pity on us and cut us a deal with a gargantuan 4-man room down the hall from a Norweigian rock band. That night we went out with a few of Ed's friends until quite late. Randomly, I saw one of my friends from Princeton who was in Tokyo on business. Pat ate some sushi that was still fighting for its life. At least it was fresh.
14-Oct
90min. This was a decent long run. Ed started the run at a sprint, but luckily the pace cooled down. It was very hazardous, dodging very densely packed sidewalks and streets. We found a park that had about a 2k recreational loop, and repeated this a number of times. There was a Japanese runner working out, who we began to key off of. We dropped a 4:50 mile with him, which was ostensibly annoying him. Eventually, the enormous Americans won, because the little guy gave up and peeled off to the side. That night we went out really late with another one of Ed's friends. See a pattern to our nightly activities? I believe tonight we eventually ended up at a club that was all (non-Asian) models. This striking change from the other Tokyo nightlife, was quite novel, but also quite expensive. Some of our party practiced our model poses, while one of us took a nap on the street by a vending machine.
15-Oct
60min, 9 miles? Ed and I did this run in the rain and dark, while Pat and Alasdair slept in the hotel. We looped a local park, which made a decent run. Earlier in the day, we walked around some of Tokyo's neighborhoods, and visited a tranquil shrine. I craved some American food, and hit up McDonald's. Unfortunatly, I tried the Teriyaki burger, and left unimpressed. That night, we went to a local rave club, where most of the people were Japanese. We went around giving high-fives to everyone in the club, as though that is what is done in America. Sometimes it's hilarious to be bigger than everyone.
16-Oct
0 miles. No time to run today after a very long day of travel. I was ever so tired after getting home.
17-Oct
0 miles. Another day of rest, quite tired and behind in work.
18-Oct
0 miles. Catching up with school work, just couldn't get out the door today. A little rest might do me good.
19-Oct
7.5miles I believe? These days kind of blended together. All rainy and raw, I did some work and rested. Stacy was in the Caribbean living it up.
20-Oct
1 hr? Fast.
21-Oct
64min I believe I was hammering this week of runs.
22-Oct
59.5
23-Oct
68 min. Completed an interesting study on the Kyoto Treaty and carbon emissions trading. I don't think it'll last past 2012, but the U.S. will eventually be on board with a system of regional emissions trading. Sorry, did that put you to sleep?
24-Oct
13, 21:23, 12.5. I hopped on the track and did a 4 mile light tempo in my normal trainers. I put this run off till the afternoon, and finished up while Haverford was gathering for practice.
25-Oct
63 min.
26-Oct
44:44:00 Not sure what this means. I think I rolled this run faster than normal. (2 loops Haverford via Haverford Rd?)
27-Oct
56 min.
28-Oct
0 miles, by the time Bruce got back from work it was late and I was hungry. This was a lengthy day. Stacy and I woke up bright and early and travelled to NYC. First stop was Van Cortlandt Park where I watched Frankenstern and the Tigers battle at Heps. The team raced valiantly, but fell to the homos in Green. (Former Coach) Brady was present and the same as always.
HERE IS A VIDEO of the finish, where Frankenstein closed for 3rd. (I have more photos and videos if anyone is interested).
Image: Heps
Later that night, Stacy, Ed, Bruce and I went out to a sweet tapas restaurant in their neighborhood, and met Pete to go to a few local watering holes. Radical night in the Phat Apple.
29-Oct
59 min. A relaxed run with Juicebox around Manhattan, through a few parks, around Columbia, etc. Stacy and I rushed off to the opera at the Met: Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", which roughly translates to "women are like that". Surprisingly, I made it through 3.5 hours of Italian opera without much trouble. I did keep looking for the fat lady, however.
Stacy and I made it, though late, for our dinner with family in Brooklyn.
30-Oct
59 min. I completed this run from Brooklyn, over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan, along the East River Park, and back. The early morning view from the Bridge is glorious, and I enjoyed running in the park that I used to frequent back in the summer of '03 when Stacy lived at NYU.
My cousin's wedding in the Botanical Gardens was quite a nice affair, with a live band, and perfect weather. Plus, I learned some cool bar tricks from my cousins. Here is a photo with me, Stacy, my sister and brother-in-law in the Shakespeare Garden. Unfortunately, I didn't get to dress up because it was not a Halloween-themed wedding.
31-Oct
59min approximately. Happy Halloween. First time in years I didn't dress up. I had much school work, and had to do a conference call late into the evening with my marketing group (we essentially run a business where our decisions each week represent every year in a computer simulation).
As Porky the Pig would say, Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks.
posted by MDB at 3:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home