FUKUOKA

Going with Fernando and Fasil to Japan last month was one of the more thought provoking travels I have been on recently, for many reasons. Foremost, I was in Japan longer than I have been before, and, for the majority of the time, away from the bright lights of Tokyo. That doesn’t mean I was away from all bright lights entirely, as cities, commerce and culture are the cultures of this island nation, and Fukuoka is at the cross roads of Asia.

 

 

 

It was the day after the Chiba relay that Cabada and I flew south to Fukuoka, one of the southern most cities of Japan and ironically one of the more international as Fukuoka has much greater trade relations with Southeast Asia than even Tokyo has.

 

Being in Fukuoka for nine days before the Fukuoka Marathon, I think, was a rewarding experience for both Fernando and I. Primarily, establishing consistent eating, running and living habits over that week put Fernando in a stable condition. “More of the same!” This was Cabada’s quote for the week, as well as for his training going forward after the marathon.

 

Almost without exception, once we explored the many restaurants around the Nishitetsu Grand Hotel, Fernando breakfasted, lunched and dined at the same places throughout the week. Those places were – Starbucks for breakfast, three blocks south of the hotel (the only place in the city, I found, to have WiFi, due to its location beneath a cellular store); Jammin Kah, a Thai restaurant cheffed by Ken, who became close friends with Fernando after so many lunches; and La Boheme, and upscale Italian restaurant in the western style, in other words, pasta and pizza without seaweed or raw fish and English spoken, albeit with an Australian accent.

 

As for the culture of Japan, and the economy, as they are both strongly intertwined, it is amazing and probably more “western” than even we are. Everybody has a job, everybody has money, and everybody has style. I mean everybody has style. Walking around Tenjin, the shopping district of Fukuoka where our hotel was, is like walking around a JCrew or a Gap catalog shooting stage. Everyone has the latest style. Women in high boots, guys in hip jeans, irreverent T-shirts, and very few care to speak English. (one middle aged women’s T read “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Hedonistic – I Just Like To Have Sex.” I’m sure she had no idea, nor cared, what it said. The point being, Japan does not need us (us being the US.) They have their own style, their own pop music, their own culture. Unlike much of the rest of the world, Americans are a curiosity not an attraction.

 

SPORTS

Like any modern prosperous country (especially one that is forbidden to make war) sports play a big part in Japanese life. The depth of world-class marathoners in Japan is amazing. There were no fewer than eight sub 2:10 Japanese in the Fukuoka marathon, one of three national marathons, comparable to the US’s NY-Chicago-Boston. Better than the US. Why? Dedication and an extremely strong work ethic. The Japanese work six days a week. But why few medals over the years? I think because many 2:06 guys over train heading into the big ones, national trials and world and Olympic championships included. But the competition is that tough!

 

Here’s another example of discipline and dedication in Japanese sports. Below our hotel window, Little League kids would have baseball practice long into the night. But at the Ohari Park 2k running loop, a 2,000-meter long 20-meter wide rubberized running surface around Ohari Lake, I witnessed Little Leaguers racing that 2k. Can you imagine such an aerobic training component required in American youth baseball? The model of American baseball is an overweight, tobacco-spitting slugger, pulling his polyester pants over his gut while he earns a million a year. Not so in Japan. Ten days and I did not see one obese person, with the exception of a few Americans staying at the Hyatt.

 

SPORT TECHNOLOGY

Japan is the home of Asics and Mizuno and the Japanese are at the forefront of technology. I recall a few years ago the debate in the US over the use of chips in the timing of races. The problem was that two finishers crossing the matt with chips on either shoe may not be accurately timed as the rules give the win to the first torso to cross the line, whereas a chip on a shoe could finish before another runner’s torso.

 

Somehow the Japanese have advanced the technology and Fernando’s race was scored with a single chip affixed to the inside of the athlete’s bib. The chip (you can see a photo of it on the Fukuoka Marathon photo page) was smaller than a matchbox. When will this come to the US?

 

FERNANDO’S RACE

The week heading into the race we discussed many times what strategy he should use. One of the race director’s informed us that three rabbits would be taking the lead pack through the half in 1:03. Too fast, we thought, for his first marathon. A conservative beginning would reap better rewards we agreed.

 

 

REPRISE

So far, Fernando is recovering well with sights on a mini-indoor season if recovery allows followed by two spring championships, the US 15k and the US 8k, before taking a break to then prepare for a summer season. Right now, our thoughts are to race the marathon at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. We know that the US marathon trials are a mere two months after that, but the saying goes a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Osaka is a World Championship and should feature the best marathoners in the world, a perfect place for a young buck to test himself. As for the US trials, we’ll just see. Fernando’s first marathon venture was put together with three goals. 1 – To safely and successfully prepare for the marathon; 2 – To race resulting in a positive, promising experience; and 3 – To recover, as a result of correct training, from the marathon itself. So far the first two goals have been met with flying colors and the third, recovery, is on the way.