In contrast to Joe's luck, this story starts with me not being selected to participate in the 2011 Tokyo Marathon. Joe and I had big plans to double team the Tokyo marathon with some mad O-town style, but the raffle gods frowned upon me and I didn't make the first cut. Now my only chance is making a second cut after people who made the first cut fail to pay, but I don't have high hopes for that.
So that leaves me wondering if I can somehow just stroll out in the mass of people who'll be running it and just run it all the same without registering. People do that in the States all the time at the 5-Ks and 10-Ks that I typically run, but they're pretty hardcore about preventing things like that here in Tokyo, and it'll become even more obvious as the pack spreads out. Will I be refused drinks at the water stands? Will some overzealous John McClane wannabe take me out in a full body tackle and cuff me when he sees I'm lacking a race number? Not sure I'd care to find out...
So since Joe's got me all pumped about running, my plan B is to map out my own marathon and run it on the same day, or maybe plan C is to find another marathon to run nearby, although I didn't find anything close on RunNet.jp.
So here's the quick about-me rundown... Like Joe, I've been vegan for about half my life (and only a month or two longer than him) and a mathoner never. Unlike Joe, I've been running for a bit longer than I've been vegan. I was a consistent runner throughout high school and college, but then became an off-and-on runner who would train for a race, run it, and then fade off for a bit, or haphazardly run for a bit with no goal in mind but then, again, fade off. Perhaps training for a marathon that I probably won't even be able to run is a sign that I'll be able to run consistently from here on...
For this elusive marathon, I'm also using Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program, which both Joe and I started on Monday, October 24 (conveniently a day of rest).
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