Bear Country?

July 17, 2006, Sunday

Another rainy day today. I started the run at 9:15am in the cold rain. I am prepared with my lightweight red poncho from Champion Products, that easily folds up into a pouch. Mr. Ito is running with me again today. I really respect this 66-year-old man who has experienced all kinds of running adventures. He's such a nice guy and fun to be with. He understands how tough it is putting in these long distances and is very sensitive to not disrupt my pace.

The legs are feeling much better, but I still need to monitor the pain in the knees. The knees can really put a stop to your running, especially when you are prone to the sharp pain that can come and go, like big needles being rammed into the knee joint.

When I reached Murakami and checked into a ryokan, I got a massage from a Murakami runner. The Niigata people are really helpful. This part of the country feels so different from being in the big city environment. The people really seem to be so much friendlier.

Today, I heard that bears appear every once in a while out of the mountains. In fact, this year, because of the lack of food in the mountains the bear sightings are more frequent. The other night, I watched a news clip on TV about the apparent sighting of a bear in the vicinity. The TV camera showed a pile of bear droppings, proof enough that it was not just a vision from a guy drunk on sake.