Please, No More Gung Ho Runners!

June 29, 1983, Wednesday

Today was a bright, sunny day. In other words, it was HOT!!! I left Nima at 8:30am, starting from City Hall with three runners from nearby Ohta City. These runners followed me for 13km. I had asked them how long they were going to run with me and I was looking forward to going at it alone after they completed their planned distance.

As we approached the 13km mark at the corner of road, I was beginning to smile and feel at ease, knowing that I could just relax and run on my own for the rest of the way. I started to joke around with the runners who, by this time, had picked up the pace knowing that they would soon finish. I thanked the three runners and shook their hands as they slowed. When I turned the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes. In fact, if I were wearing shades, my eyeballs would have knocked the glasses 25 feet in front of me. What I saw was a fresh group of runners, stretching and doing sprints with their Kamikaze headbands. These guys were GUNG HO! They waved at me and informed me that they will run the next 12km with me. I didn't have the heart to turn them down, especially after seeing these guys getting so psyched to run the 12km.

Again, I worked hard to keep my cool and maintain my composure as an Ambassador from Guam. I really wanted to be left alone, though. I guess it is not obvious to people about how fatigued one can get when putting in this kind of distance and that a certain form of concentration is required.

I remember reading a study about how recreational runners dissociate while running. They like listening to music or do other things to take their mind away from the task at hand. Elite runners, on the other hand, associate with the activity of running and are constantly gauging their breathing, effort level, etc., i.e. they listen to their body. I definitely don't consider myself an elite runner, but this run requires that I monitor myself very carefully while running, and running solo is the best way for me to do that.

At 3:00pm I eventually reached Izumo City Hall and met with the mayor. (See Photo) I later toured the outskirts of the city as well as the famous Izumo Shrine. I'm staying at Mr. Mochida's house tonight where we had a huge party earlier this evening. Guests kept arriving well into the night to say hello. Today I am especially tired; maybe a result of running in today's heat. I feel like hiding in a dark corner so that I can just rest...just a little bit longer.

Silver City

June 28, 1983, Tuesday

The scheduled 8:00am start was delayed until 8:30am due to an unplanned visit to City Hall. The running club members wanted me to meet some city officials prior to leaving the city. Of course, I was anxious to get on the road to get moving, but I did my best to follow through as a good ambassador.

It was very hot by the time I started running. The police escort that I had for the first 7km did not make it any cooler, but it was nice to be ensured a safe passage even if for a relatively short distance. The Gotsu Chief of Police gave me a reflector-sash after hearing about my close encounters with cars in the dark mountain tunnels. That was really nice of him. The sash was not too heavy for me to carry, and was definitely worth the weight if it was going to improve my chances of survival. This gift is a very practical one and I really appreciate the Police Chief's kindness and consideration for my safety.

I reached the town of Nima after 32km of running today. Today was an easy day, distance-wise. I was finished by around 11:45am in front of City Hall. The office employees were outside of the building to greet me at the finish line. Receiving flowers for the first time on this run was a big surprise for me. I chatted for a few moments with the mayor and then went to Mr. Kanzo Ito's (Japan Marathon Association President's) sister's ryokan. I checked into a very traditional Japanese inn that looked like it had quite a history. I love these old structures and prefer to stay in these over the modern business-type hotels. I relaxed by soaking in the onsen. This is what I call the real Japanese experience.

Later I toured Omori and Nima. This area at one time produced the bulk of the silver that was mined in Japan, which was about one-third of the world's entire production. The mines started producing silver from about 1526 and continued for about 400 year Francis Xavier, the Spaniard who introduced Christianity to Japan, wrote from Goa, India to Father Rodriguez in Portugal, "Castilians call these islands (Japan) the Silver Archipelago... As for the availability of silver, no other island has been found other than the Silver Archipelago." (From a letter dated April 8, 1552 in Goa, addressed to Rodriguez). Many lives were lost while working in the mines over the centuries, and the areas around the mineshafts are scattered with graves. See photo above for some of the old graves near the mine.

After visiting the mine, I went to Nima Shogyo High School to talk with some of the students until the evening. We had another party with lots of food. I also did not forget to get my share of Kirin Beer.

Should I Punch, or do a Drop-Kick?

June 27, 1983, Monday

Sunny/partly cloudy day. The 70km run to Gotsu today started off with a "Bang" from a starting gun at 8:00am sharp. This imaginary starting line was made in from of Masuda Station. It was a tough running in the heat of the day. Man, 70km is a long way. I've learned to take my time on the run, and have started to intersperse the running with some walking to break things up. I know that some strange things are happening with my body as it adjusts to covering these extremely long distances. Although I’ve run long distances like this before, my body has not experienced this kind of volume on a daily basis.

My body seems to be wasting away. (See photo. Even though the photo to the left is in black and white, you can see how dark I've become, and how thin my arms are. I will never forget the smile on the old man's face as we both ran the last few kilometers together into the city.)

I finished the run in front of another train station in Gotsu at 4:15pm. The press was there, waiting for me at the train station. They made me run around the parking lot not once, not twice, but at least three times so that they could get a good photo of me breaking the tape at the "finish line." Man, I was pissed off! Maybe that was why I had to do it so many times. I probably looked like I was ready to punch one of the photographers in the first couple of photos. I may have even gathered up enough energy to do a drop kick, like one of those pro wrestlers on TV.

Later, I checked into my hotel room and had an interview with the Hochi; one of Japan's sports daily newspapers. Later in the evening, there was a party with the running club. I hope my hosts don't catch on that I am not as sociable as I should be. It is hard to describe how I feel...I appreciate the support from these folks, but at times I just think about sneaking off to be on my own. Is this the result of fatigue, or am I just being a jerk?

Group Run vs. Solo Run

June 26, 1983, Sunday

8:00am start on a sunny/partly cloudy day. Today's route was a mostly downhill course to the town of Masuda, 45km away. The run today was not too tough, except for the very hot stretch of road where I had no water. The route was very scenic, though, through small towns.

I bought some Shoe Goo today to build up the heel of my ASICS shoes that are wearing away from all the miles. During the run today, I was thinking ahead of the 70 to 80km days that I have coming up. I really would like to be alone on these runs so that I can take my time and run at my pace.

Of course, I appreciate the people who are out to help me on the run. They are extremely enthusiastic and very supportive. I have explained to the folks running with me that I have traveled a lot already and have a long road ahead of me. I need to monitor my pace so that I can survive this run.

Think back, if you will, two months from today. Do you remember what you were doing? Two months is a long time. That is how long I am scheduled to be running high mileage on the road, day in and day out, rain or shine. Once the support crews say good-bye to me, they get to go home and rest until they feel like running again. I don't have that luxury. I hope this message is getting through to the supporters and that they understand how I feel.

A Lesson Learned

June 25, 1983, Saturday

The day of running started at 10:30am after an interview with NHK TV. Four runners from Yamaguchi Prefectural track team ran 6km with me. One of the runners was a very pretty young woman. While I was running with her, I was thinking about how I would like to see her again. I haven't had any excitement since that day in Kumamoto when the nurses placed the suppository up my rear.

It was sunny and hot today, running on a very hilly route through many tunnels that cut right through the some of the mountains. I covered about 42km today to Tokusa station. This is a nice, small town in a valley. High school students greeted me as I finished at the train station. I checked into a traditional Japanese inn and ate a very huge dinner of steak, sashimi, oden and other delicious dishes. I feel like I am a bit dehydrated so I have been drinking a lot of fluids.

I met an older man, Mr. Nakajima, who is also staying in the same inn that is riding his bicycle around Japan. This man looks like he is in his late 60's and is riding not a touring bike, but an old papa-san one-speed clunker that must weigh a ton! He has a basket on the handlebar where he puts his possessions. I asked him how he tackles the hills with that thing, and he just said, "I take my time and go as I please." I began to envy his freedom to start and finish as he wishes. We talked for a while as brothers on a crazy adventure to see the country and to meet interesting people. Now I am considering doing something more sensible like cycling through Japan for my next adventure, if there is one. Meeting people like Mr. Nakajima is what this experience is all about. I know I will never forget his healthy demeanor and carefree attitude that allows him to accomplish what he has done so far. We talked for a while about the attitudes of people on the road.

Today I had many people waving and smiling from their cars as they passed me on the road. This is surely a result of newspaper and TV coverage that I have been receiving recently. It's nice to see this friendly response, but I still wish that I had more freedom to do as I please, like Mr. Nakajima.

By the way, people were not smiling and waving before the TV coverage. In fact, I received many dirty looks along the way. Here was a guy with a dark tan, wearing shorts, tank top, cap, and a backpack, running along the streets. I must have given the impression that I was some kind of a bum. Nothing had changed from the time before and after the media coverage--I was wearing the same kind of clothing, doing the same thing, for the same reason. Why, all of a sudden, do people have to see me in a different light? Does television legitimize what a person is doing? I learned a valuable lesson today--Every person has a story and it doesn't have to be on TV.

Note: This experience has left a deep impression with me and 23 years later, I am still conscious of how people still put so much weight on what is shown on television. I've personally made it a point to change the way I view things. I try to keep an open mind and will not "pigeon-hole" people based on how they look or where they come from. It's not always easy to do, I understand, but when your background is like mine, you are constantly being reminded of how people try to place you in a certain filing system in their brain.

Feel Good, Look Awful

June 24, 1983, Friday

It was sunny when I started the run at 6:30am. (The photo shows me in front of the Youth Hostel. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe it was me! The bags under my eyes show how tired I was.) I ran from Kanmon Bridge with Mr. Yasuda of the Shimonoseki Running Club. He lasted for about 40km, then I went the last 30km on my own into Yamaguchi City for a total of 70km for the day. Not a bad start on Honshu, but I know this island is going to be a very long stretch before I reach Hokkaido.

A TV crew was waiting for me about 5km outside of the city and started filming as I ran into town. I was soaked from the rain that started falling from about noon. I did start to worry about getting cold and sick like I did in Kyushu, but it turned out to be a relatively short downpour.

Near the end of the run, I started feeling pretty good. This seems to be a pattern. The last 10km are usually no problem and I am able to finish in "cruise control." After finishing the run at Yamaguchi Stadium around 3:00pm, I took a shower there and headed for my hotel.

Now I am eating and drinking in huge amounts. This is a good sigh. I must be burning at least 4000 to 5000 calories on my runs, plus the average 2000 calories that a person needs for everyday activities. I not only eat dinner, but also eat snacks all evening afterwards. Even though I was not a regular beer-drinker, I have become almost dependent on a beer or two to relax in the evening after each run.

Good-bye Kyushu

June 23, 1983, Thursday

The run today started from Yahata Station at 9:30am. It was mostly sunny and partly cloudy during the run. Mr. Ito followed me in a taxi for the 30km to Shimonoseki. To go from Kyushu to the main island of Honshu, I had to run in an underwater tunnel. (No, I didn't see any fish!) The tunnel is a totally safe one and has a place for pedestrians. It's about 800 meters long. (See Photo) I finished running by noon after reaching the major milestone of Honshu.

I now feel like I've accomplished something by making it to another island. Tonight I'm staying in a Youth Hostel near Kanmon Bridge. I really want to run more mileage everyday, but I don't want to be rude to the running club members who are here to help me. I need to stick with the fairly conservative plan that does not involve the kind of high volume that I started with. I feel fairly confident that I'll make it to Wakkanai in early August if I don't get sick again. Or get flattened by a truck.

After running today, I weighed myself and saw that I am now only 58kg, down from 60kg at the start. That is a lot of weight coming off a skinny guy like me. It's OK, though. I'm feeling pretty good.

It's raining again tonight. I hope it stops by tomorrow morning.

Slow and Steady

June 22, 1983, Wednesday

Before I started my run this morning, I met with the Mayor of Munakata City at City Hall and talked a bit with some reporters. The run started at 10:10am to cover 35km to the city of Kitakyushu. This is the town where marathon runner Kenji Kimihara, Japan's Olympic Silver Medallist lives. He won the medal running at high altitude in Mexico City in 1968, soon after Kokichi Tsuburaya had committed suicide.

The story of Tsuburaya is a sad one. He was running in 2nd place as he entered Tokyo's Olympic stadium in the 1964 Olympic Games, but was passed up by Basil Heatley on the home stretch. Still, he won the Bronze medal and was a favorite to come back in the next Olympic Games to take the gold. Tsuburaya was a runner in Japan's Self-Defense Force and was training very hard to represent Japan in Mexico City. Eventually, partially due to pressure from the public, and injuries sustained from hard training, he took his life. He just wrote in his diary after thanking his family and friends for their support, "I just can't run anymore." Such is the kind of pressure that weighs heavily on the shoulders of runners representing a marathon-loving nation.

I took it nice and easy on the run today, holding back some energy in reserve. Mr. Shichida of Kitakyushu ran with me most of the way. I'm staying in a hotel on top of Hirosaki Mountain. The view is fantastic (See photo.)

Mr. Kanzo Ito traveled all the way from Tokyo to see me and to work on a revised schedule for the rest of the run. I really hope to stick with it. Tomorrow I will be leaving Kyushu. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.

Country vs. City

June 21, 1983, Tuesday

I woke up to the sound of rain, pounding on the rooftop this morning at 5:30. I went right back to sleep. I eventually crawled out of bed and started my run from the train station at 9:50am. The rain had stopped by this time, and I was able to run under cloudy conditions--perfect for running.

The distance covered today was 50km to the town of Togo. Unfortunately, I had to run through the city of Fukuoka so I had to deal with heavy traffic at some points. The exhaust from cars, trucks and buses was just too much. I was so happy to reach the outskirts of the city. Urban running is just not my thing. I prefer the open country roads, cruising by the farming communities that are fast disappearing from the countryside. I'll put up with the snakes. They are not as dangerous as the cars and bicycles in the cities.

One good thing about running in Japan is the abundance of drink vending machines. As long as you have a 100 yen coin, you are never going to die of thirst. You can be in the middle of nowhere and see one or two vending machines in the corner somewhere, waiting to quench your thirst. Some even have a roulette-like game with a light flickering around a circle. If you select your drink with the right timing, the flickering light may land on the "winner" segment and you will be treated to another canned drink. Sodas, vitamin drinks, coffee, tea--you name it, the machine has it.

At around 4:00pm, I reached Munakata City and called it a day. I met up with Mr. Kawano, of the Munakata Running Club, and got a ride to his house for the night. The hot bath was very relaxing.

Note: Urban running has become even more of a dangerous activity since 1983. When I was running in Tokyo last year, a bicycle in the dangerous hands of a middle-aged housewife rammed into me. I was on a sidewalk, too, running at a leisurely pace. I was OK, and the lady apologized, but I’ve learned to be extra careful. Nowadays, you also have young kids staring at their keitai cell phones while they act like they are watching the road. You are supposed to know that the keitai is a universal license to be rude, so you'd better get out of the way. Although it is against the law to do so, you also have young adults riding bicycles with an umbrella in one hand and a keitai in the other while riding on the crowded, narrow sidewalks. Both eyes are on the keitai, of course, because they are all brain surgeons by profession and have some very important messages coming through. Right! If you are running on the sidewalks, especially in the suburbs of Tokyo--watch out!

One Island at a Time

June 20, 1983, Monday

I'm still dealing with the Tsuyu season as I follow the northerly route of the rainy season. Tsuyu season will be over soon in Okinawa, but not here in Kyushu. When I started my run at 6:30am, the rain was coming down strong. I know I said I was going to avoid running in these conditions, but I started running anyway. I just can’t waste any more time. The rain let up by mid-morning, so I lucked out. I took my time covering the 35km into Futsukaichi, where Mr. Inaba, whose daughter Sachiko is in Canon City, was waiting for me at the train station. He took me to his home. I took a bath there and relaxed in the house while the hard rain began to fall again. We continued our discussion about Colorado and his daughter. It was a good way for me to unwind after being on the road.

It does get stressful running on the road. Small things can become major nagging points in your mind. I already mentioned the extra distance I was putting in by running to the train stations. The exhaust from the cars has been bothering me. The black smoke from buses and cars can do a number to your head. Running through long, dark tunnels where the smoke just sits also affects you on the run. I usually come out of those tunnels with a massive headache from the exhaust. Some tunnels are narrow and winding, which have resulted in some close calls with cars. The drivers don’t expect to see a skinny, dark Japanese American running in these tunnels and hug the turns as they drive through. I’ve flattened my body against the wall of the tunnel to avoid getting wiped out. I also should mention the snakes. Japan has Mamushu (see photo), a deadly snake that you need to watch out for. On a number of occasions, I have come close to stepping on a snake. These creatures like the rice paddies and I frequently see them while running by the rice farms.

Later in the evening, I had some tempura, made by Mrs. Inaba. It was delicious. I bet Sachiko misses this tempura. I doubt Canon City has this kind of tempura to offer its residents. However, I'm sure Sachiko is making up for the lack of authentic Japanese tempura. Come to think of it, a big, fat juicy steak from the state of Colorado sounds really good to me.

Now I only have a few more days of running on Kyushu before I reach the main island of Honshu. Just take it one island at a time...Hey Robert Baldridge, I just may make it out of Kyushu after all!

Reminiscing: Life as a Mountaineer

June 19, 1983, Sunday

I woke up before sunrise and started to get ready for an early start. It was 6:00am when I took my first steps out of Ueki. Today was a 40km day, a distance that I covered fairly easily. I am now in Fukuoka prefecture, the prefecture that has hosted the Fukuoka Marathon. This race is recognized by many elite marathoners as the unofficial world marathon championship race. It has been held on the first Sunday of December for a number of decades. It really is a first-class event.

As I travel from town to town, I try to pick up on the new things that I've observed. I've noticed the slightly different speech patterns here. Hearing people speak Japanese with a different dialect tells me that I have traveled a good distance. The Kyushu dialect has many different forms, depending on where you are on the southern island. I know that I will be able to catch even more dialects as I continue running north.

Mr. Ushiyama of Kurume was waiting for me at the train station. The train stations have become my official starting and finishing points on many of my daily runs. I am not too excited about this arrangement, because train stations are not necessarily on the roads or parallel to the roads that I am running on. This means I have to run extra distance. It may not seem much for a single day to run an extra kilometer or two, but if you have to do it again to leave the town, and do it day after day, it adds up to a considerable distance. This has to be the way it's done, I guess. The support from the running clubs is worth the extra effort.

In addition to meeting with Mr. Ushiyama, I also spent some time with a Mr. Inaba, who has a daughter going to a high school in Canon City, Colorado. He heard that I had graduated from Western State (Go Mountaineers!) in Gunnison, so we chatted for a while about life on the Western Slope. Training at 7703 feet above sea level in Gunnison was a real challenge for me. The altitude, cold air of the Gunnison Valley, snow and icy conditions for much of the winter and early spring--these were new experiences for me. I didn't mind living in the small, rural community of Gunnison, though. Life in Gunnison and Canon City is nothing like life in Japan. I'm sure Mr. Inaba's daughter is getting a taste of the real America in the small Colorado town. We decided to get together again tomorrow to talk some more.

In the evening, I went to a Chinese restaurant for a Japanese-style Chinese dinner. The food was excellent. Back in my hotel room, I loaded up on bananas for the potassium to help prevent muscle cramps. The ones in the calves are extremely painful, especially when they come on in the middle of the night.

It's raining again tonight.

The Long Way Home

June 18, 1983, Saturday

We left the Inoues’ house at 7:00am. Mr. Inoue gave me a ride in his car to Uto High School so that I could start running where I left off a few days ago. Some press people were waiting (UPI) so I talked with them for a while before starting the run at 8:10am. I really was anxious to get started.

I ended up going the long way to Kumamoto, as I followed the narrow roads away from the main highway. It was hot out there on the blacktop, and I had to double back a few times because I took the wrong road. I ended up taking a whole 3 hours to put in the 15km back into Kumamoto. When I finally got to the city, I was greeted by more news people who were waiting for me at the Inoues’ house. This time it was reporters from a TV station. I took a short break and chatted with them for a bit. (The photo above is with Mr. and Mrs. Inoue, in long, white pants, with some Kumamoto Running Club members.)

I hit the road again and ran on to Ueki for another 20kms. I was able to run this distance today with no problems, other than the fact that I got a bit irritable when I found I was running extra distance earlier the heat this morning. The afternoon turned out to be partly cloudy, with a little sun. I reached my goal of Ueki at around 2:15pm. I quickly found a traditional Japanese-style inn and soaked in a hot bath. I then proceeded to stuff my face with food and drink. My schedule for the rest of the afternoon/evening was to kick back and watch TV, something that helps me to relax and not worry too much about the distance ahead of me. Tomorrow I will have to get up early to put in as much distance as I can before it gets too hot.

I am starting to feel like myself again due to the fact that I am running again. I am easing back into the longer distances in order to survive and not break down. Each step that I take is getting me closer to my goal. I need to keep reminding myself, though, that getting to the goal is not the primary purpose of this run...the experiences along the way there are what really count.

Tourist with a Headache

June 17, 1983, Friday

This is my final day of my rest before I hit the road again. My head still hurts and I am still feeling very tired. I'm just not used to feeling this way. I'm usually the guy who bounces back quickly after a bad day. That's always been my strength. My body must have been really beaten up by the pneumonia experience.

Mr. Watanabe of the Kumamoto Running Club took me on a tour to Aso National Park. This park is a region of scenic contrasts. You can see lush green meadows and dense forests, alternating with bare blackish-brown lava fields and bizarrely shaped mountain ranges. This beautiful tract of country is very characteristic of the scenery of the volcanic island of Kyushu.

After going to Aso, I was asked if there was any other place I wanted to see. Although I was tired, I wanted to see Kumamoto Castle so we ended up going there, too. We toured the castle grounds, took some pictures, and then went home. I went straight to sleep in the afternoon. All the excitement of sitting in a car, standing around like a nerd for pictures, and walking around like a zombie in an old tracksuit just wiped me out.

I got up at dinnertime and had a delicious meal prepared by Mrs. Inoue. She really knows how to cook. We had spaghetti, ham, vegetables, miso soup, rice, beer, tea...just to name a few of the menu items.

To be honest, I have been thinking all day about my run that is scheduled to begin again tomorrow. The volcanic steam that I saw rising up from the caldera at Aso just reminded me of how much my head was throbbing. Am I going to survive to finish this run in Hokkaido?

Tonkotsu Ramen

June 16, 1983, Thursday

Today, I was finally given the OK to leave the hospital after finding that my temperature was down to 36.4. At 2:00pm, I got my stuff together and headed over to Mr. Inoue's house to rest. The plan is to stay there to gather my strength today and tomorrow.

I spent the entire afternoon in the house skimming through Mr. Inoue's large collection of running magazines. Hell, if I can't run, I may as well read about it. My appetite is slowly returning.

In the evening, the entire Inoue family (Mrs. Inoue and 2 young elementary school-age sons) went out to eat ramen at a noodle shop. As I spent time with this family today, I was able to observe how happy this family was together. It was obvious how much each member of the family enjoyed each other's company. I was also trying to think of ways that I could possibly repay this family for the kindness they had shown to me during this setback. Having a stranger like me imposing on their lives must have been difficult for them, but they did not show it at all.

The ramen that we ate at the noodle shop seemed to be the perfect nourishment for me. In Kyushu, they use the Tonkotsu soup, which is made from simmered pork bones. This broth tastes much different than the more common Shoyu (soy sauce) flavor soup that you find in Honshu.

From reviewing what I have been writing in the past couple of days, it seems that food is my second love next to running. Do I run to eat, or do I eat to run? What difference does it make? I enjoy doing both. I know that I am not quite ready to start up with the running just yet. However, I do want to get moving on down the road.

Swordsmen and Kumamoto

June 15, 1983, Wednesday

This is the town that the famous Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi(1584-1645), settled in before dying at the age of 62. Musashi wrote a book on swordsmanship titled Gorin no sho (The Book of Five Rings) and was immortalized in a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa (1892-1962), that was serialized in a newspaper from 1935 to 1939. I would love to go to the Kumamoto Castle to learn a bit more about the history of this city.

Today is a damp, gloomy day. The rain is driving down very hard on the rooftops of the homes surrounding the hospital. To get a feel for this gloominess, one can watch any of the Zatoichi (The Blind Swordsman) films. You usually get the scenes of Zatoichi walking with his cane in the driving rain on a deserted country road before he slices up his ambushers with his sword, which doubles as his cane. Those movies provide a sort of escape into a dark, gloomy world. What I am experiencing now is real. You can't help but feel depressed, being in a hospital while staring out the window at such bad weather. It feels like Minamata all over again.

Physically, I feel weak, have a bad headache and have absolutely no appetite. They are feeding me Okayu here at the hospital. Okayu is rice gruel; watery, soft cooked rice that resembles oatmeal. It is a suitable dish for using left over rice and is often served to sick people because it can be digested easily. (See photo)

I have been thinking over and over about all the time I am losing, just laying here in bed. I am just hoping that I don't have to stay here much longer. My head really hurts...I don't think I will run again on this journey when the cold rain is coming down as hard as it is right now.

Thank God for Nurses

June 14, 1983, Tuesday

Mr. Inoue picked me up at the capsule hotel at 9:00am this morning to drive me to the point where I stopped yesterday, 15km from the city. The plan was to run the 15km to Kumamoto and another 20km to Ueki. The distance of 35km sounded like a piece of cake.

On the way to the start, we stopped by Kumamoto Nishi High School, where Mr. Inoue teaches social studies. When we arrived, he took me to the nurse's office just to get myself checked by the nurse. The nurse took my body temperature and found it to be 40 degrees Celsius. The normal core body temperature of a healthy, resting adult human being is stated to be at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.0 degrees Celsius. With a temperature at 40 degrees Celsius, we knew that I was in trouble. I was immediately taken to a hospital and had to check in.

For the rest of the day, I received numerous shots and IV's. The body temperature eventually rose to 41 degrees Celsius. I asked the doctor about my condition, and he informed me that I had some form of pneumonia. He explained to me that their priority was to get my body temperature down. To that end, a couple of young nurses came into my room giggling, as they asked me to lower my pants. They then proceeded to insert a suppository in my rear that was supposed to help bring down my body temperature. I would not recommend this experience to anyone. In just a few days, I went from running ultra distances to laying flat on my stomach while young girls forced a pellet in my arse.

Now I can't help but hear my buddy, Robert Baldridge, laughing as he joked, "You may not even make it out of Kyushu!" There is no way I can quit at this point.

I will be staying in the hospital tonight. I just can't believe that I am actually a patient in a hospital. I was never hospitalized in my life other than the day I was born. I've been thinking back about the past few days, wondering what it was that contributed to my condition other than the distances. It must have been the runs on the mountain roads in the cold, driving rain. When I left Minamata, the road took me into some mountainous areas, which included a number of dark, narrow tunnels. Although I did have some close calls with cars in those tunnels, it turns out that the wind and rain did more harm to me after all.

I'm not sure how long they will keep me here. It all depends on how quickly I recover. I'd better focus on getting some rest now.

Hitting the Wall

June 13, 1983, Monday

I left the hotel in Yatsushiro at 8:45am to cover the 45km to the city of Kumamoto, the one famous for its castle. My legs are very sore and feel very heavy. I can barely pick them up. The distance in the first two days was just too much.

Although I mixed in a lot of walking with my running, I was still only able to manage 30 km today. I had some major stomach problems. In fact, I felt very sick with a terrible headache and diarrhea. I decided to pack it in after 30km to make up the 15km into town tomorrow. Mr. Inoue of the Kumamoto Running Club picked me up and took me to a capsule hotel. It was my first time to stay in this kind of hotel. If you are not familiar with capsule hotels, it is a bit difficult to describe. As shown in the photo, these "rooms" are not very big, but they are big enough for an adult to sit up in. There is a TV and radio in each capsule. Valuables can be put in a locker. Showers are available in a separate shower room that is not capsule-size. I felt so sick that I just checked into my little hole after the shower. The way I feel is not exactly the same as hitting the wall in a marathon race. I know that something other than plain fatigue is causing me to feel this way. However, the result is still the same. I dropped out from finishing my planned distance today.

I really need to recover quickly. I'll have to revise my schedule. This is the price I pay for biting off more than I can chew in the first couple of days

Feeling Kind of Down

June 12, 1983, Sunday

I ran alone today from the start, and what a relief that was. I finally got a chance to run at my desired pace. Yesterday was nice and sunny, but today the rain is falling. June is the time for tsuyu, the rainy season. Come to think of it, I will probably be following tsuyu as it also creeps in a northerly direction in the coming weeks. I left from the Akune train station at 8:00am sharp. I knew it was going to be a long day. “Man, I am sore and tired and it’s still just the beginning of the 2nd day of a long journey,” I thought.

Later in the day when it started pouring rain, I was running into the town of Minamata. The rain was coming down pretty hard and there was a cold wind blowing. As I entered Minamata, the news of this town started coming back to me. The case of Minamata, Japan, and the mercury poisoning (originally called Minamata disease) that took place here, appeared briefly in news headlines in the 1970s and then receded from public attention, outside of Japan. The Minamata tragedy was fully and richly documented by former Life photographer, Eugene Smith, and his wife, Aileen. They lived in Minamata for several years. Chisso Corporation in Minamata, that employed up to 60% of Minamata’s workers at one time, had been allowing mercury to spill into the bay from about the 1930’s. This mercury eventually ended up being part of the food chain, leading to unfortunate consequences for the people of Minamata. At first, cats showed bizarre behavior, first dancing out of control, and then jumping into the ocean. These were called “cat suicides.” Eventually, the loss of motor control began to appear in children and adults. I remember seeing the photos and news reports of this major event in Japan in the 1970’s when the people afflicted with this itai-itai byo (ouch-ouch disease) were letting everyone know of what was happening in their hometown.

Knowing the history of this town, and running in the cold rain in windy conditions, made me feel depressed while traveling through Minamata. To top it all off, the streets were deserted. All I heard was the lapping of the ocean water up against the sea wall, which just reminded me of the uncontrollable muscle spasms displayed by the victims of mercury poisoning. I just plain felt miserable.

After trudging through the cold rain, I eventually made it to Yatsushiro by 5:30pm. It is not much of a scenic place, but the people here are very nice. Another long 86km day. I checked into a hotel to soak my legs in a hot bath.


For more information about Minamata, see http://www.lewrockwell.com/rogers/rogers111.html

Leaving Kagoshima

June 11, 1983, Saturday

After a number of introductions and photos with the Governor and the Kagoshima Prefectural government people, I started running right on time at 9:00am sharp. I was glad to get going, away from all the media. I did not expect so many newspaper reporters, as well as television and radio people. They all hit me with a lot of questions all at once. "Why are you doing this run, Mr. Schumann?" "What do you do for a living back on Guam?" "A teacher? Is that at an elementary school?" "Can you use chopsticks?"

I had a couple of Kagoshima Running Club members accompany me on the run until I reached the outskirts of the city. It was good to get into my own rhythm after that and I ran on my own until around the 35km mark. That was where the running crew from Akune found me. A group of runners from the town of Akune ran with me all the way into Akune, while a van with a loudspeaker followed us, announcing my arrival to the townspeople. Although it was quite embarrasing to get all that attention, I did wave to the folks who gave me a nice reception as I passed them on the road. All this noise also encouraged me to run a bit faster than I had planned.

Total distance covered today was 86km, and I feel it. Immediately after the run, I took a nice, onsen bath and then ate dinner. Next on the agenda was a party with the Akune runners. The food is great, especially the sashimi (fish, this time). I'm worried about tomorrow. On schedule is about the same distance as today, but on very hilly terrain. And I'm sore!!! I guess I'll have to take it easier to survive this run.

Chicken Sashimi

The daily entries for 1983 will begin today, although the running part starts tomorrow, June 11. I have scanned a number of photos and newspaper articles to include with most of the daily entries. Unfortunately, the quality of the photos and articles are not top-notch due to exposure to the elements. Things don't keep well when your house gets trashed by a number of super-typhoons that frequently visit Guam. I've made some digital enhancements on the photos for better clarity. Entries from 1983 are in italics. Here goes:

June 10, 1983, Friday
Traveled directly to Kagoshima on the Air Nauru flight earlier today. I had heard stories about this airline, about how the flight schedule could change any time if the President of Nauru needs to go somewhere. The flight had only about 3 passengers. I settled into my seat and after take-off, looked around for the flight attendant to ask for a drink. I couldn't find one, so I just kicked back in my chair. I felt a little shove from behind my seat, so I turned around and found a flight attendant with her feet on the back of my seat, reading a paperback book. No problem, I thought. I don't really need a drink.

After landing in Kagoshima, I was greeted at the airport by Mr. Shimizu, Mr. Iizuka, and Mrs. Kouno of the Kagoshima Running Club. Mr. Mito of Goldwin Co. (distributor of Champion Products) had also flown in from Tokyo to meet with me before the start of my run. All were very kind and I felt very comfortable in preparing for tomorrow's start. We all traveled to a hotel at Shiroyama, which has a nice onsen with a huge window facing the Sakurajima volcano. After settling in, I had a short meeting with Mr. Mito who gave me some running equipment and provided instructions if further assistance is needed in getting more running equipment. I took a nice, long bath at the hotel's onsen and ate dinner with the running club group. Had chicken sashimi for the first time in my life. It tasted pretty good--not like chicken, but more like fish sashimi. People from the Kagoshima running community kept arriving at the hotel to wish me well. Kagoshima is such a beautiful place and the runners are super nice. They keep telling me about their marathon in January. I'd like to run it sometime, maybe next year.

Now I am really looking forward to the 9:00am start tomorrow at Kagoshima City Hall. I called my mother, who lives in Sasebo. All she had to say was, "Be careful."

Final Preparations

In 1983, I was a History and Civics teacher at Academy of Our Lady of Guam, a Catholic girls' high school. It was a job that I enjoyed because of the challenges involved in teaching young students. As all good teachers know, the job is not an easy one if you want to be most effective. It took a lot out of me to teach a number of classes every day in addition to advising school clubs, but I think I benefited from the experience just as much as the students did. Unfortunately, AOLG being a small, private school, it did not pay very much. I dug into my savings to purchase my airline tickets to Japan and the one-week railpass on Japan National Railways (JNR) that I planned on using after the run.

My first year as a schoolteacher was coming to an end and I had the entire summer break ahead of me. I had meticulously planned the route for my run, which I had been working on since the time I was still a student at Western State College of Colorado. For technical assistance, I had been communicating with Mr. Kanzo Ito, the president of the Japan Marathon Association. This association had ties with running clubs throughout Japan and Mr. Ito was in touch with the ones on my planned route to let them know I was coming through. Mr. Ito had represented Japan as a marathon runner in the Berlin Olympics back in 1936, the Hitler Olympics. As a veteran marathon runner and Olympian (once an Olympian, always an Olympian, and never a "former Olympian"), Mr. Ito was well respected by all the marathon club members throughout Japan. He and I became friends in the previous year when he came to Guam with a number of runners for the Guam Seiko Marathon.

The logistics for the run were worked out with Mr. Ito. Some running clubs were to have runners join me on certain segments of the run and would help carry my belongings. We also decided that I would travel on the western coastline of Japan to avoid going through the major metropolitan areas in the Kansai and Kanto regions. The route would hug the Sea of Japan most of the way. From Kyushu to Honshu, I would run through the underground tunnel at Shimonoseki. To get to Hokkaido from Honshu, I would have to take the Seikan Ferry (owned by JNR) since there was still no tunnel that connected the two islands.

I was able to find two excellent sponsors--ASICS and Champion Products. ASICS provided me with some shoes for the run, and Champion Products supplied the running wear. Champion also contributed some yen to help defray the cost for food and lodging, which was going to be no small amount for the planned 2-month period of the run.

At this point, I started asking myself, "What are you getting yourself into?" A friend of mine from Sasebo, half-jokingly (or maybe he was dead-serious) asked, "What are you going to do if you don't even make it out of the island of Kyushu?" and followed it up with a loud laugh, "Wa Ha Ha Ha....!" This question and the laughter played over and over in my head as I lay in the hospital bed a few weeks later in Kyushu...

Heat & Humidity

I've been back home on Guam for a few days now, and I am reminded of how extremely hot and humid it gets during this time of year. From my experience running on Guam, I would say that May is the hottest month of the year, with June coming in a close second only because we get a little more rain. Even with the rain, it is still hot, hot, HOT!!! A short 4-miler yesterday, which started at 5:56AM had me sweating like a pig right from the start. I was incoherently babbling something like, "Squeal like a pig, squeal like a pig!," on the tail end of that run.

Looking back at my training diary from 1983, I can see that I was putting in a considerable amount of mileage in preparation for the length of Japan run. Daily runs were in the 10 to 20 mile range, with long runs of up to 3-4 hours. Many days included two runs, once in the morning and another in the evening. The fitness level was pretty good. I have recorded in my diary doing 10 miles of the Pre-Memorial Day 13.8 Mile Race from Anderson Air Force Base to the Paseo in late May. I led the race with Joe Taitano, putting in miles just over the 5:00 to 5:15 per mile range on the rolling course in the oppressive heat of May. I told Joe during the race that I was dropping out at 10 miles to save myself for the soon-to-start length of Japan, but I think he didn't believe me. Whenever I put in a little surge to increase the pace, he came with me. He seemed surprised when I told him at 10 miles to take it in for the rest of the 3.8 miles. Actually, he begged for me to continue running with him. Being the nice guy that I am, I declined. I think he didn't want to suffer the last 3.8 super-HOT, brain-frying miles all alone. (By the way, the race is no longer being run. Today's runners can opt to race the more sane 5K distance in May.)

By early June 1983, I had received the special running backpack that I ordered from an ad in Runner's World magazine. Although these are widely available today, it was a challenge to locate a runner's backpack with a strap that comes across your chest. This strap keeps the pack from bouncing up and down as you run. There is no way one can do an ultra-run with something as annoying as a bouncing pack on one's back. I tried a few runs with this backpack, not really knowing how much I would end up having to put in it, and how I would later on the run weigh the pros and cons of taking with me even one small sheet of paper in the backpack.

The mind and body were just about ready by this time. I was all set for the flight to Kagoshima, a direct shot from Guam on Air Nauru.

Kodoku

Let me "Begin with the End in Mind" as Stephen Covey of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People would have you do things. Just some thoughts here from the day after I completed the length of Japan run, before I begin with the daily running entries from June 11, taking us back to 1983.

Kodoku is a special Japanese word for loneliness, and it was the word that kept coming to mind when I was running. It also seemed like an appropriate title for this story about my run. In fact, on the train ride back from Wakkanai after completing my run in August 1983, I had written a few words on the back of gift-wrapping paper from the Trappistine Monastary in Hokkaido where I had bought some monk-made cookies. I still have the paper with all my chicken scratch writing on it. It reads,

...This is the story of my personal experience with this type of Kodoku, which lasted for 59 days from June 11 to August 9, 1983. The 2000 miles covered by my footsteps between the cities of Kagoshima and Wakkanai have brought forth many interesting experiences of pain and joy. It was also a very lonely journey. However, this loneliness was not caused by the lack of regular companionship (there were many friends made along the way), but more of a lack of psychological companionship. How many people can relate to someone who is extremely fatigued from pounding the pavement, day after day, covering up to 55 miles a day for almost 2 months? This feeling of being alone from this fact was almost unbearable.

Mental preparation for this run was just as important, or maybe even more important, than the physical. As I high school student, I had read the book about Bruce Tulloh's transcontinental run across the United States called "Four Million Footsteps" (1970). In that book, he describes how he just stopped running one day, sat on a sidewalk and just started to cry because he was so tired. Reading about his run helped to to prepare for the relatively unknown field (at that time) of mult-day ultrarunning.

More about the run preparation will be added in the coming days. Stay tuned...