100th post extravaganza Bonanza!

I know it's been quiet around here for a while, I've abandoned this room for far too long, as evidenced by the dust & cobwebs accumulated on the passé decor and secondhand furniture in here (I guess, no matter how hard I try, it can only rightfully be the 80's once, right? Apologies to the Ray Parker, Jr.  poster with the ripped corner hanging above the desk overcrowded with stacks of discarded 8-bit Nintendo cartridges, near the cracked & wilted Chia Pet* on the paint chipped windowsill that looks out onto the nostalgia addled garden of my mind); I feel slightly guilty I've neglected this place, but other than a brief stint in, nearly internet-less, Kyoto, I haven't been all that far away. Part of that silence has been the contemplative slow burning incense build up to the future of this blog, and above all else, this very post, which I am proud to announce as Vegan Marathon Runner's 100th post! That's right, welcome one & all to the official 100th post on Vegan Marathon Runner. Though I can't take the credit for making all those posts myself—as from the get go, this has been a collaborative effort with long time friend, and fellow vegan marathon runner, Vincent—I can bask in the neon glow of a heart-shaped vacancy sign, welcoming all while flickering in the front lobby of a seedy riverside hotel throughout the dim moonlit hours of the foggy Tokyo nights, and conversely pale sunlight afternoons, because sharing this long and winding road, post after post, has never been short of surprises, tragedy, (failed attempts at) humor, & despite all odds, victories.

the 100th post continues after the break....



A brief timeline of news events (highlighted in the Japanese media) since arriving in Japan looks like this:

Feb. 16th Leave US for Japan
Feb. 22nd 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand, killing at least 75 people (of those, 10 were Japanese students).
Feb. 27th Tokyo Marathon

March 11th. 9.0 magnitude earthquake & tsunami devastate north east Japan
March 12th growing concern over Fukushima Daiichi radiation leak is reported.
March 19th In Libya, Western Allies launch airstrikes against that whacky Gaddafi & in a far off Berlin zoo, Knut the Polar Bear dies (correlations are still under consideration)
March 23rd Elizabeth Taylor dies

April 11th Fukushima 1 is rated a level 7 nuclear incident
April 18th Boston Marathon: fastest time broken by Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya with 2:03:02
April 20th Sony admits large scale security breach by unidentified hackers; 100 million users have personal info stolen.
April 29th The Royal Wedding: the Prince of Wales marries Catherine Middleton

May 2nd Bin Laden is killed by US Navy Seals in Pakistan

As you can see, 2011 has been quite a complicated, tragic, and, if nothing else, an eventful year; and we're not even to the halfway point yet. Looking back to the beginning of this adventure, the first post of this blog seems so naive in hindsight. This was my first blog ever, other than a vague notion, I really had no idea what I was in for, what I was doing, or what it would become. I've tried to document the marathon training process from a highly personal and minutia filled perspective, one that hopefully is helpful & entertaining to those curious about taking one on themselves. I suppose if I had a source of inspiration before beginning this whole thing, then I owe much of the credit to Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Such a great author. Anyway, by the culmination of the actual marathon, chapter one was closed, the marathon was completed, and this blog morphed into more of a broader chronicle of a vegan runner's life, one (though there are actually two of us) that just so happened to be living in Japan as a historic tragedy befell an entire nation. As I continue to carry on with this runner's blog, you will see a continuing pattern of this broader scope utilized more and more. Sure, there are other marathons and races on the horizon, but in between those days, this blog will pursue subjects in the world that are of interest to vegans, runners, writers, foodies, musicians, travelers, and the lot...this is, after all, a chronicle of a vegan marathoner's life, so it needs to reflect all aspects in order to be accurate.

To recap my current credentials, I run a consistent 4 to 5 days a week, and have been recently reeling in, on average, 20-25 miles (on foot) per week. The days that I'm not pounding the pavement with my soles, I'm rolling over it with my borrowed bicycle tires, though I still remain a novice when it comes to cycling, I do enjoy it all the same. For running in Japan, I have two main predetermined "loops" that I run to keep track of the distance**. The first loop is a 2.5km (1.5 mile) oval along the river that I affectionately refer to as the Funabori loop, since it basically involves running to the closest train station and back, so those in my home-stay household know where I am pretty much at all times when I'm running. The entire scene is a riverside rendezvous from point A to point B and back (I attempted to make a video of this for y'all, but failed in capturing anything of quality. Below is a photo instead).

Approaching the halfway point

of the Funabori loop

The second loop I tackle is called the Kasai Rinkai Koen loop. It's about a 12km (8 mile) round trip and basically involves running to Tokyo Disney and back. This is also a riverside run, but the river is wider, the path tends to be windier, and unlike the Funabori loop, I have to stop twice for traffic lights. (Funabori has no roads to cross, just pedestrian bridges. If at any given time I want to run more than 8 miles, which believe it or not DOES happen, I can easily combine the Funabori loop with the Kasai Rinkai loop, as they somewhat overlap in a rather awkward figure eight, if you drew your eights with a lazy hand in the bottom loop.

My first round spent living in Japan is sadly coming to an end in just a few short days. Through all the terrifying AND conversely wonderful experiences I've had while living here, I've gained an insight to portions of my soul/character/will (whatever you feel comfortable identifying as that intangible essence of being) I never knew existed before. I'm pretty sure running a marathon brings that, and a whole slew of other emotions to the forefront. But it's also in the long hours spent on your own, on the road, that gives your character a chance to develop more greatly. In a philosophy I've put into practicing since accomplishing the marathon, in the wake of all that has happened personally and in the world since then, I have found that we win because we try, and we try because we are winners.

Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Vegan Marathon Runner(s), across two continents, no less!



Footnotes:
*As a naturally curious vegan, the question came to mind, are Chia Pet sprouts edible? Turns out the answer is, yea, kinda...but I'd like to also point out the Q&A immediately following the one of human edibility...


"Q: My cat ate the sprouts. Is this a problem?

A: No. Many cats eat greens when they have an upset stomach, in order to induce vomiting. Keep in mind that your cat may be eating the Chia sprouts because it already ingested something poisonous, and wants to throw up. Or it might just like to nibble on grassy stuff. Use your judgment, and when in doubt, call a veterinarian."

**otherwise, I just go by time spent running, and vaguely map out the distance in Google maps when I get home. If I'm listening to a playlist, I'll designate a Return [of the Jedi] song somewhere along the way, so I know it's been 30 minutes, or what have you, and I'll begin to get homeward bound.