Tokyo, Week 4, Day 7; Maybe 7 or 8 miles on a bike + some groovin'.
Today was cross training day once again, and I didn't manage to get around to it until around 4:30, as it was already starting to get dark. Not particularly enthusiastic about riding around in traffic at dusk, but not feeling like walking again and actually kind of eager to get out into the 16ºC (60ºF) temps we've had tonight (and still have as I write this around 9 p.m.; do I need to remind anyone that it's practically December?), I geared up and went out the door.
My gear was basically my typical running gear, less the iPod so I can hear traffic, plus a helmet and a reflective vest that I wear when running at night. The helmet came as part of a set of skateboarding pads, so it's clearly not a biking helmet. On top of that, it has some corny logo on the side that a 12-year-old kid might think is totally bodacious, so I was truly rocking it. The reflective thing looks goofy on a good day, so it's that much worse when I'm wearing the I'm-a-runner-who's-cross-training-on-a-bike get-up.
To the average person, I probably look pretty serious. I'm wearing a helmet and, despite Japan being anal about safety in just about every other facet of life, the only people ever wearing helmets on a bike are small kids. So, basically, if you're wearing a helmet you're either hardcore or you're paranoid. I've got long-sleeve Underarmour leggings crawling to my wrists and ankles. And I'm always pedaling; I figure that I'm cross training so even when I could coast down hill I pedal—even if that means I need to ride the brake at the same time.
To a person who actually bikes, however, I probably look pretty ridiculous. My bike is a ¥10,000-yen (or about $100-dollar) mountain bike from a department store, complete with a basket on the front. Come to think of it, that might be a giveaway to your average Tanaka that I really have no clue what I'm doing on a bike, but it's a convenient place to store my GPS navigation system (i.e., Google Maps on my iPhone), so I ain't parting with it.
Today's goal was to do a dry run to Yoyogi Park, the destination of my long run next week. I looked it up on Google Maps before I left, and it seemed pretty straightforward. I just had to head the same way towards the grave yard, but take a road to the left instead of the road to the right that leads to the graveyard. Didn't work out quite like that though.
First I rode a bit down the road towards the graveyard. Once I recognized what I had done, I rode down to the next light and crossed the street so I could go with the flow of traffic. Heading back, I made a right and knew I'd have to make another right almost right away. However, thinking I'd be going onto a big street, I skipped the numerous tiny little streets and made a right at the next light. I think that was what threw me off; I should have been going down one of those small streets.
Anywho, that led me to zigzagging through Tokyo, checking the GPS occasionally. However, the not-so-accurate compass plus directions that always started with "Go southeast" or something like that left me less than sure as to where I was. Eventually I made my way over to Shibuya, one of Tokyo's approximations of New York's Times Square, but with fewer tourists and many locals there to hang out. I got stuck at the light as thousands of people crossed the main intersection in front of me, and I seemed to have been the lone person on a bike traipsing through that particular section of urban jungle.
I rode around a bit more until I realized via Google Maps that it would now be a pain to get to Yoyogi, so I just decided to head home. The path took me through Ebisu and ultimately linked me up to one of the routes I've been running for those easy 3-milers that have been in the schedule over the past few weeks.
After I got home, I still didn't find myself particularly tired, and when my kids (ages 6 and about 3, plus the wee little one who found herself caught up in the chaos) wanted to play music and dance, I found myself part of their little plans. We were dancing around the room for maybe 45 minutes or something, and I strangely found that I worked up about as much of a sweat as I had while biking (although that is probably explained by my kids wanting me to dance while carrying one of them on each of my shoulders).
After it all, I'm feeling pretty good and I kind of wish I had a run tomorrow morning (it's an off day), but I s'pose I'll rest up and what I can make of it on Tuesday.
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