Tunnels Again

July 14, 1983, Thursday

I had a late morning start today with a lot of distance to cover. I'm not sure how many kilometers I ran today, but I do know that it was over a fairly long distance. The guys here at Nyuzen informed me about the tunnels. No way you can run in these tunnels, according to them. They are way too long and are not built for pedestrians to pass through, they said.

They insisted to follow me in their vehicle, and believe me, I was glad. The Nyuzen Marathon Club guys were right--these tunnels were huge and long. They were filled with exhaust fumes. I know I would have been terrified to go through these monsters on my own. For just the terribly dangerous tunnels, the guys insisted I ride with them. I did not argue. No way...I want to live!

I reached Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture in the late evening. I'm staying at the Youth Hostel here, which is crowded with Tsukuba University track athletes. They remind me of the time I ran for Sophia University in Tokyo when I was a freshman. The training camps with the team were so much fun. Train hard, eat, sleep, and do it again with the rest of the team.

This run is nothing like that experience, although the activity of running is the same. Nothing compares to this long journey, at least nothing that I have encountered so far in my lifetime.

The legs are still sore and I especially feel it in the knees and hip.

Note: Photo above was taken on the first day. Almost a distant memory by the time I reached Kashiwazaki.