I've been accepted!

So over lunch today I checked my e-mail and to my surprise, thinking that I'd missed out on the Tokyo Marathon for 2011 I received the below e-mail:


"Dear Mr. James Hardcastle
ID No : 00976-000

We would like to announce that an additional selection has been done in mid-November to choose extra qualifiers for Tokyo Marathon 2011.

Congratulations! You have been selected as a runner for Tokyo Marathon 2011."

So that is it. It's all back on! After having slacked off on the training thinking I wasn't going to get a place I'm now going to have to turn up the intensity to full volume. With only 95 days left to go it doesn't leave a lot of time to prepare. With that in mind I headed out for a quick run this evening. I wheezed, puffed and hauled myself around a new 8k course. It was my first run in 10 days, my first run from my new house and my first run with a winter jacket on.  A lot of firsts but I better get used to it.

Now, where was I with the kilometers run to beers done ratio.......

Still nothing heard

So 105 days to go to the Tokyo Marathon and still nothing heard from the organisers on these mysterious extra 1,000 places they are supposedly making available and also on the 2nd lottery draw for those places that weren't confirmed in time from the 1st lottery draw.


I have still been getting some training runs in but perhaps not quite enough for a full marathon. Last week I competed in the FIT For Charity 10k with a run time of 1hr 4 mins. Slightly disappointed as I thought I would have been quicker than 1hr, however the 1st 2k's were very slow at almost walking pace due to the number of people. The run itself was a great day out, starting in the National Stadium in Tokyo and looping out of the stadium and around 4 times for a total of 10k. Over 6,500 people turned up for the day and I think somewhere around ¥67 million was raised for various local charities.


I'm thinking of entering the Zushi half marathon which is 1 week after the Tokyo Marathon and on the coast. It might be a nice run to participate in and it won't need the full commitment to run as it's only a half marathon. I'll wait to the end of the month to hear from the Tokyo Marathon organisers and if nothing heard will see if I can enter the Zushi half marathon.


On a side note using Nike+ Sportband I've completed over 500km's and I got a nice congrats from Paula Radcliffe:


Paula Radcliffe Congrats



Somehow I don't think that was a personal message to me! I've also created a new challenge on the Nike+ website to run 501 kilometers in 2011.


501 in 2011



This supersedes my Run 365 in 2010 which I completed last month. Upping the level a bit for 2011 and we'll see if I can complete this challenge. If you're a runner on the Nike+ website click the link above and join my challenge to see how you do against me. Starts 1st Jan, see you there.

There's still hope

that I can get a place in the Tokyo Marathon 2011. According to the Daily Yomiuri, due to the number of applications for entry, the organisers are making a further 1,000 places available. There is a slim chance I could get one of these places. I've e-mailed the organisers asking what I need to do and I'm still waiting to hear further instruction. There are some rumours that this may be an auction. I.e. the highest 1,000 bidders make the cut. In which case I'm stuffed as I'm not paying over the odds to put myself through all that pain!


I'm also led to believe that there will be a 2nd lottery in November to fill the space of those applicants that made the cut in the 1st lottery but haven't finalised payment or completed subscription to the marathon. So hopefully, if a lot of people who have won a place don't follow through on it, then I might just have a chance of picking one of these spaces up.


Of course there is nothing official on the Tokyo Marathon web site but fingers crossed in the hope I can still land a place in this Marathon.


So with the hope of gaining a place in the Tokyo Marathon the training must still continue. Last week was a better week with 4 runs completed for a total of about 30K. This evening I've also just got back from my longest run in a while. 11K achieved in 1 hour, 6 minutes and 46 seconds. Not bad and that's the sort of pace I would like to maintain for a full Marathon. A lot more work to do to be able to manage that though. With that in mind I've signed myself up for the annual FIT (Financial Industry in Tokyo) Charity 10K run on November 7th.


http://fitforcharity.org/



This will be a fun day out and an easy 10k run whilst giving me something to focus for in the short term.

Application REJECTED

"Tokyo Marathon 2011 - Notification of selection

Thank you very much for your entry.
We regret to advise you that you have not been selected to run this year. 
We look forward for your application to Tokyo Marathon again in the future.

Kind regards,

Tokyo Marathon 2011 Registration Desk"

The above was the e-mail I got back from the Tokyo Marathon Registration Desk. Not much more I can do I guess. So I won't be running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon and I imagine there will also be a lot more like me. Perhaps those that didn't get selected could form an alternate marathon? There would certainly be a lot more of us. Or perhaps we could all go find a pub somewhere and watch it on the TV instead.

Anyway re-think is now on. Do I wait to apply for the 2012 Tokyo Marathon and consider myself lucky I'm not running in 2011, or do I find another marathon somewhere to run next year? There are a number of marathons in Japan I could enter. Any suggestions welcome.

I now also need to work out what to do with my blog. Do I continue it or since I'm no longer running, end it? 

Here endeth thy blog...

Just not enough hours in the day...

... or days in the week, or weeks in the month. So tonight was the first time for me to get out for a run in 14 days. Just not enough training getting in. Excuses are: traveling and drinking. Last week I was out most nights with clients and those nights I wasn't out I was too hung over and tired to go running after a full days work. The week before was a short work week for me, 2 days to be precise and the rest of it was spent traveling in the northern parts of Japan sans running gear.


So I've got 145 days to go until the marathon. There is still time to get the training in but I have to start in earnest soon. Tonight was a good start and a little over 8k's done in 50 minutes. The weather is much more pleasant now than it was in August and September. Humidity and temperatures are both down with this evening being a very balmy 22c. So you think this week would be ideal to get some solid kilometers under my belt. Well unfortunately not. Tomorrow I have a major trade show to attend which includes, wait for it, a cocktail party on conclusion. So yet more beers. Well what about Thursday night I hear you cry. Don't go crazy Wednesday and get some good sleep so you can get out for a run Wednesday. Well I'm afraid that doesn't work either you see as I have a client in town from Singapore and have arranged a few sly beers with him after work Thursday evening. Harumph! Saturday I'm out traveling once again with a flight to Kumamoto to meet with some soon to be relatives, returning Tuesday afternoon. So next week I'm really hoping to start my training regime in all honesty.


Did I mention somewhere that there just wasn't enough time to fit everything in including the training...

Yes, back under 6 minutes per kilometer

Just a quick update. Went for my usual 6.5k run last night and managed a time of 40 minutes 3 seconds. Just over 6 minutes per kilometer. However, tonight the weather was a little cooler and managed the same run in a time of 38 minutes 11 seconds. So finally for the first time since signing up for the marathon I've managed a running time of under 6 minutes per kilometer. It's now time to start stretching out the distance and trying to keep the pace the same. May try for an 8k run tomorrow night.

September and still too hot for running

So September has finally rolled around and I've just got back from another 6.5k training run. Not nice and not easy in this heat at 30+ celcius and 80% humidity . In fact I just heard on NHK news as I'm typing that 4 times as many people have died from heat exhaustion in Japan this year over last year. This heat can't go on forever though and cooler climes must surely be around the corner now.


As for last week, well not much running done I'm afraid whilst in HK. However you will be glad to hear that plenty of beers done to help increase the ratio yet further in favour of beers. It also seems that I'm out for the rest of this week as well; so not much chance for any more training until the weekend.


After just updating my run to the Nike website I noticed Nike has now updated the Nike+ app for iPhone to include a GPS tracker. Seems like a great idea but since I usually run from my front door and back again I don't fancy leading all and sundry on the web to my front door. For anyone who is interested in updating to the latest app the link is below:


New Nike+ iPhone App Link


Right I'm off to go rehydrate myself with... WATER!