Running to Catch The Last Train

Not much of a jog today, but I did it anyways. I jogged from the bar to the subway station, a big 1.4km! Usually when I run to the station it is to catch the last train, and although I did get the last train, I ran by choice, not necessity. I went out to celebrate the birth of my friends' daughter Lylou. I was wearing Crocs, which are as close to minimal running as I've gotten so far. My running style was a little different, but it wasn't unpleasant in any way. I think I might try to go longer with them soon.

Jogging Haiku 46: Short Couple

Morning hangover
Disappears with fire bands,
Why the firemen?

Last night I jogged from Umeda to Yotsubashi to go to my capoeira lesson. The jog was short, about 2,7km, and it reminded why I dislike running downtown on main thoroughfares: traffic signals, cyclists texting and smokers. I guess I could have taken side streets to avoid such sidewalks, but I was meeting a friend who was going to try capoeira for the first time and since I needed to traverse some of big roads, I would have needed to do detours and/or wait at traffic signals anyways. It proved to be a good little warm up.

Then this morning I went for another short one, about 2,3km near my place, after waking up early. While the distance wasn't long, I did climb up and down many stairs, using the ones of an overpass going over the train tracks. My ankle was bothering me a little - and I don't know if it's the continuous running or the capoeira - and my underfeet also hurt a little, and in this case I know it's because of the capoeira! On the way back, I noticed some firefighters, all men, who were packing up their stuff from a nearby apartment building. I hope everyone was safe.

Jogging Haiku 45: Let's Get Philosophical

Innocent questions
Distract my mind from the pain,
Why ask why, really.

(10.7km, fairly easy pace)

For the second day of my challenge I decided to jog back from my morning class in Itami. The course is nice, with a good mix of pavement and riverside paths, a good part of which has sadly been cemented recently.

During the class the student and I started talking about sports and hobbies, asking me why I had so many activities. When asking 'why?' - and I often do when writing for Kansai Scene - people often expect an easy-to-follow and revealing answer, but often it isn't as simple as that. Here is an approximation of an answer.

To me, Life (capitalized for a reason) is about change and adaptation. Species that don't evolve and move (plants 'move' with their seeds) get swept up by new developments. And as I view my life as a microcosm of Life, I find it important to do many things, to try new experiences.

I feel human life is also about happiness. Keeping a young heart is easy when you do different things and continue learning and achieving new goals. Although I can't say that I love the cold weather, I pity those who live in the tropics where the weather is the same throughout the year; they will never experience the amazing joy of seeing the first snow of the year (and later seeing the same amazement in children's eyes), the comforting joy of drinking hot sake under a kotatsu table on a cold winter night, the liberating joy of that first spring day when you venture out the door in short sleeves and shorts with the warm sun hitting your face, or the dazzling joy of seeing beautiful colours on trees blanketing mountains. For similar reasons, I pity people who waste hours watching TV, remaining spectators of fiction instead of being actors in real Life. When I'll be on my deathbed, memories of 24 are not what I want flashing in front of eyes.

For me, I experience different joys partaking in different activities. With jogging I will always remember the moment I crossed the finish line of the first Oxfam Trailwalker Japan with Yuriko, Akemi & Carsten by my side. The Wow!-I-can-do-a-back-bridge eureka moment is what drives me to continue to play capoeira, always getting a kick when I manage to do a high parafuso, 5 or more scissor kicks while on a handstand, or a beautiful bico do papagaio, even if that's how I dislocated my shoulder two months ago. Ride 30cm+ of dry powder and you'll understand the rush I get snowboarding. And that just with physical activities. Mental activities, like photography and composing inconsequential haikus, are also part of that process.


Wondering like my student how I do it (and it's nothing special, really)? The answer is deceptively simple, so actually difficult to grasp completely: I just go out and do it. I get off the tatami mat, put my shoes (and hat when it's cold or rainy), and out the door I go, literally or figuratively. Come out play!

Jogging Haiku 44: First day

Hunting locations
For a new project of ours,
Just found baguette.

(3.3km, easy pace)

For the first day of my 30-day (well, 29; February is leaping this year) challenge of jogging every day, I went for a small jog around my neighborhood to a bakery my wife likes. Along the way I scouted locations and I took alleys I'd never been on before. My legs didn't feel so energetic, although it shouldn't be too surprising since I rode over 55km on my bicycle yesterday, including the last 14 in less than 40 minutes, including traffic slowdowns & stops. Mind you, that's not to much faster then the world-record marathon pace!

The day hadn't started so good though, as I ignored my early alarm clock to go for a quick jog. But the extra time did allow me to think of a reason to jogging, which made the outing all the more pleasant. The distance might have been short, but day one is no time to go all out and burn myself out. Tomorrow I'll go longer, jogging back from morning classes in Itami.

30-day Challenge & Barefoot Running Event

For the past few months I've been taking 30-day challenges. In December I tried to take portraits of strangers every day, while in January, I ate natto almost every day (I still don't consider it food, but it much palatable than before).

For February, I've decided to try to jog/run every day without fail. I will consider any jogging of a kilometer or more as a success. There will be days when only 1k will be fine, as I do not wish to injure myself either. The biggest hurdle will probably finding the time to do so, but I'll do my best.

On February 18, I will do so barefoot, when I will join a clinic on running 'au naturel' (at least for the feet)! It is organized by the original makers of 'barefeet' shoes, Vibram Five Fingers, and a pro runner will guide us through the first steps of running without shoes, and then we will get to try some of the companies products. I found out about the event when I went to try shoes in a store; I jumped on the chance to literally try the product before buying. If you live in Kansai and wish to join either the Osaka (me!) or Kyoto event, check out this link; if you can't navigate the website, probably you shouldn't join since everything will be in Japanese!

See you on trail!

Jogging with Bob

Yesterday I went for a job with Kaz using our Bob Revolution jogging stroller. We've been jogging with it for about 4 months now, so time to do a little review. The model has changed a little since we bought ours, I imagine it only improved.

First of all, it's big! So for everyday promenades, especially ones going shopping or riding mass transport, it is not the most suited, although on not-so-crowded trains and large shops, it's much much of a hassle. Also, we've never brought us with us on any car trip, but if we did it would take a good amount of cargo space. On the other hand, it goes really smoothly on streets and relatively even paths, much more so than our other stroller. It has a pretty big cargo space under, a net at the back, but it lacks a bottle holder, a mosquito net and a full rain cover, which considering the price (thanks, bro) perhaps should be included.

As for jogging, Kaz seems to enjoy it quite a bit. The times he got fussy were when we were out for a long time (jogging or not), like when I jogged for charity from my place to (and then around) Osaka Castle Park. And he got fussy because he got bored or sleepy, not from lack of comfort I think. On our run yesterday, even if it was pretty cold, he fell asleep in it after 10 or 15 minutes, and only woke up when we got home and I talked with my father-in-law whom we met by chance. I never had the feeling that the balance was off and it could tip over.

I'm about 165cm (5'6") and although the handle bar is a little high for me, it does offer the advantage of keeping my hands high, which is supposed to be good. I've had to re-inflate the right wheel 2 or 3 times since getting it over a year ago (and I walked with Kaz before jogging with it), perhaps there is a very small puncture in the tire, but as it doesn't happen often, I suppose it could be unrelated.

Overall, I'm very happy with it, and so does Kaz it seems (he can't talk yet)! If I would have known, though, maybe I would have ordered a model that can be adapted to pull behind my bicycle (my friend has one), but that point notwithstanding, I have no real peeves with this product.

'Born to Run' Book Review

Christopher McDougall has a nice bank account thanks in part to his book, Born to Run. And it's easy to understand why, as for people like me, who like jogging & pushing the limits, a bit of traveling and some sprinkling of mysticism, it makes for a very interesting read. Actually, I got my hands on the book Sunday night after a great KFMH3 run (thanks, Dog), and finished it very early Wednesday morning after spending close to an hour trying to put my baby back asleep. I managed to sleep another hour before heading out to w*rk, and slow jogging the 7k back to my house (the best part was meeting this woman, this time in my jogging shoes, not on my bicycle). I got the will to do the run from the book.

The main thesis, which seems to me well argued and researched, although the text sources are pretty inexistent, is that humans climbed the food chain by being long-distance-running hunters. From our ability to run (not walk) farther than any other predator, thanks to great evolutionary developments like sweating to prevent over-heating and a ligament at the back of our skull which allows for our heavy heads to move coordinately with our bodies (apparently all running mammals have it, walking mammals don't), we were able, in the long run (pun intended), to out run faster preys so they couldn't relax long enough to catch their breath. This ability has been observed in some African tribes, and the author goes so far as say that this was made possible by the development of our brain, which allowed us to 'predict' and put ourselves in the mind of our hoofed prey, a creative act that is at the base of pretty much all artistic and scientific endeavors (if x happened in a circumstances, maybe y will happen in b circumstances; if I were a deer, what would I do in this situation?).

A good part of the book is based on the Tarahumara, a used-to-be-secluded tribe of Native Americans living in Mexico, and known for their running feats, shaming pretty much anyone around you claiming to be an ultramarathoner (especially me, although I don't consider myself one: I might have jogged/hiked two 100km charity events and a 56km trail as a challenge, I've never actually ran such an event; I've never even finished a full marathon). His romantic view of the tribe is a great read (and I can sympathize, if not agree, with his claim that long distance running is beneficial for the mind and spirit as much as for the body), but one should not be forgotten that his account is a bestseller book, and not a peered-reviewed scientific paper, allowing a bit of creative freedom along the way (I assume). He deplores the disappearance of their old world style of life, and yet, by making them 'famous', he contributes to that last tragic act.

Perhaps my personal beef with the book, however, are the numerous attacks on my favorite ultramarathoner (because he's basically the only one I know), Dean Karnazes. I'm sure McDougall's claim that Dean is a bit vain are probably justified up to a certain point; that some of his exploits edge toward publicity stunts is an acceptable point of view. But then Karno, through these feats, like running 50 full marathons in 50 days in 50 different states and doing a charity 199-mile team relay run solo, did make the sport of ultrarunning much more popular, therefore helping the sale of Born to Run. While he spends a lot of time writing about how long distance running seems to make people more balanced and better humans, his argument is defeated by his own gratuitous attack on an athlete whose only negative point seem to have been chosen by some marketers to be the poster boy for what was going to become a popular sport anyways. Shooting the messenger is never a virtuous deed, in my humble opinion.

In a way, it reminds me of when snowboarding entered the Olympics; many in the sport shunned the event, feeling it betrayed the true soul of the sport, and I understand their point of view. On the other hand, it helped legitimize an activity that is now the bread and butter of thousands of athletes, creative designers, factory workers, lift operators and so on around the world. And while the focus is on the big names getting gold medals in the olympics, it doesn't stop 'true souls' from enjoying the activity they love, and to this day, many snowboarders like myself follow the progression of big mountain riders like Jeremy Jones and Xavier de la Rue much more than the antics of pipe and park jocks, even if their double-corked 1080s are something amazing to witness.

So in conclusion, if you enjoy running, especially longer distances, you will enjoy this book. You might even be tempted in trying out a full matathon or barefoot running, which according to more and more doctors is the natural way to do it (running injuries are more common since the advent of "modern" jogging shoes, that go against what Michelango described as one of the most beautiful pieces of engineering, i.e. the arch of the foot; and the book does present some evidence of this). If you are looking for motivation to start jogging or go longer, the book can also prove inspirational. But remember to take some of the facts with a grain salt. Actually, I have started to read it again, taking some notes for further research into performance and nutrition, which seem to be more than grains of salt.

Kansai Scene Article on the Rokko Trail

My article on the all-mountain Rokko trail was (finally) published in the January issue of Kansai Scene. Check it here.

Jogging Haiku 43: First New Year Jog

First jog of the year
After over-indulgence,
Come on little heart.

(9km, at an easy and sustained pace)

Happy New Years!

I'm not going to make any resolutions, especially about running. When you want something, just do it. None of the big changes in my life were the result of a New Year resolutions. I think that if you really want to do something, you don't need to wait to the start of a new year to get on with it.

For the last few days I wanted to go out for a jog, but always found excuses not to: woke up too late, too cold, etc. But after exchanging emails and reading the blog (in French only) of a real runner, I decided last night to set my alarm for 7am. Of course getting out of the warmth of my futon was a little difficult, but as always once on the road, it felt nice to be jogging, even if I only went once in over a month, after the Sanjurokumine race.

It wasn't that cold actually, certainly less than in Canada where my new jogging internet friend has to train. And the sky was very beautiful, fantastic winter morning skies. I was wearing some new clothes I got in a New Year 'surprise' bag (not much of a surprise, the contents were advertised in a flyer!) on January 1st after lining up for 45 minutes or so and waiting for the people who grabbed the bags without looking and then returned them (numbers were limited). I got an Under Armor bag, which contained tights, two 'compression undershirts, a hoodie and a beanie for ¥10,000. This morning I wore the beanie [quite useful considering my (lack of) mane], the thin undershirt (which will probably change shape in the future considering my belly) and tights, in addition to a fleece. The shirt felt nice, and it seems to have helped with posture a little, the tights were OK, and I didn't feel the beanie, which is good. At regular price, I don't know if any of the items would have been worth it, but with the special, they certainly were.

Now, I previously said I wouldn't take any resolutions, and I won't, but I would like to run more this year, and to this end, I may do the unthinkable and join more races. There's a nice 36k trail one coming up in April and I think I'll try to enter it. If I start training again now, judging from my performance last month I think I could do it relatively easily and enjoy it. The race is located southeast of Osaka, going over the Kongo mountain, and its main challenge is that there is only one aid station to fill up with water along the course, so participants need to carry more water than usual. This is an important issue for me as I tend to drink and sweat quite a bit while exercising. And if that goes well, I may even be tempted in trying a 50k, but we'll see then.

Happy trails, folks.

How Not To Be Cold: Canadian State Secrets Revealed

"It is cold."

"I am cold."

There is a fundamental difference between these two sentences, and I would bet that every language in the world can explicitly express the difference. The first one isn't a matter of choice, unless you are Bill Gates and have the money to travel anywhere, anywhen (I know it's not a word, but it should be). The second is, for most people [especially the few (Hi, mom!) that actually read this], more a matter of choice. It depends on what you wear. Contrary to hot weather, when even if you remove all your clothes you'll still be hot, cold weather offers you the opportunity to protect yourself from its unpleasantness (even Canadians don't like to BE cold).

Interestingly enough, here in Japan I've often been the coldest inside a building, which makes you wonder why in a country with 4 seasons (and five temperatures: cold, cool, warm, hot and the-pop-corn-popped-in-the-jar hot, as opposed to Canada's hot, warm, cool, cold and the-tip-my-nose-fell-off cold) it took them so long to come up with the idea of building insulation, when comic books for grown-ups (and I'm not necessarily taking about the gross ones) have been around for so long. But I digress.

Yes, there are cold temperatures, and here are a few serious rules about how to deal with it. Telling non-Canucks about it makes me a traitor and subject to be court-martialed; think of me as the Bradley Manning of cold weather. So without further ado, here are the basics of "How not to be cold", applicable when doing sports OR not.

First and foremost, you have to make the choice between function and style. For some this is the easiest step; for others the hardest. Last winter I saw a young woman wearing mini-shorts (midly NSFW), a blouse and open jacket complain about the cold... No matter wether you bought it at Uniqlo or at Chanel, down jackets will keep you warm, with the side effect of making you look like Bibendum or Stay Puft Marshmallow Man: they were ugly when they came out, and no matter how talented the designer, they are still ugly today. BUT, they do keep you warm, if you wear them properly.

Second step is to keep your extremities covered: head, hands and feet. We lose most of our body heat from the head. Natural since the brain is the body's biggest energy consumer. Considering how little hair I have, this is much of a concern for me, but even lucky people with more gracious manes need to think about it. Warm gloves and footwear will also go the distance, especially when immobile. Sandals and high heel shoes dot fit in this category.

The final step, found in "The Perfect Canadian Compendium" given to children upon entering elementary school and all new citizens, is the 3-layer system. It is very basic, and it works wonderfully. When putting on clothes which you actually want to keep you warm, dress accordingly. First layer, which could be the most important, wear anything that wicks away moisture, i.e. NOT COTTON. Cotton is great in hot temperatures as when it gets wet (perspiration, rain, etc.), it cools down. This is NOT good when it's cold. In the past I have worn ice hockey jerseys [Canadiens represent! (represented would be more appropriate)], but recently when doing sports I usually opt for inexpensive 'dry' sport t-shirts, both 'warm' and 'cool' seemingly working equally well.

The second layer should preferably also wick away moisture, but mostly keep you warm. Think wool, fleece, down inner jackets, and so on, which do get cool when wet. The final layer should stop the wind and water (frozen or otherwise) from coming in, and preferably 'breathe' out moisture (think Gore-Tex, no bloody Texans here, and other fabrics work good too).

Use this system and you'll rarely be cold (although remember that to be 100% effective, it should be like this all over your body, not just your trunk). For instance today was pretty cold and quite windy in Osaka, so much so that I saw some flurries while riding my bicycle (nothing like this, though). And during my two 40-minute commute, except for a few moments at the beginning when the wind was cooling my feet faster than they were warming from the exercise, I was never cold (had a beanie under my helmet, snowboard gloves on my hands). This, even if I committed the crime of wearing cotton as my first layer.

Would Lady Gaga have called the fashion police had she spotted me? Perhaps, but only if she was indoors, because otherwise her fingers would have trembled too much to even dial 119 (this is Japan). But I really couldn't care less. I was warm and off to meet sensible people.

And cold weather isn't all that bad, isn't it? First, it allows a way to deal with it and still enjoy fun activities. Second, it makes some of the good things in life even better, like kotatsu tables, Japanese pot-au-feu, warmed sake and snuggling.