Arasaki Running

Otowa Bay

Halfway down Miura Peninsula is a small rocky promontory called Arasaki. It is an area of great beauty, so far spared the condominiums and luxury second homes creeping south from Akiya and Sajima. One of my favourite long runs is to simply follow the coast as closely as possible south from Hayama, ending at Arasaki. The trick is to stay off the main road, Route 134, as much as possible. After ten years of cycling and running up and down this coastline, there probably aren’t many more back roads and tracks left to discover.

Mt. Fuji viewed from Tateishi

For the first few kilometres, I followed the 134, but just after Tateishi, a famous rock stack and Mt. Fuji viewpoint, I dropped down on to the beach and ran along to Akiya fishing port. From there, I ran up and down steep, narrow roads to the larger fishing port of Sajima, well known for its fishmongers and restaurants. I looped back to the 134, crossed to the backstreets of Ogino, and on south to the Japanese Air Force Base in Otowa Bay. Despite the base, Otowa is a peaceful bay, with its own grand views of Fuji-san.

Arasaki Pines

Past the base, I turned off on the road to Arasaki which soon leaves suburbia behind, and enters a typical stretch of coastline struggling to retain its beauty despite all the efforts of the fishing communities that line the road. I have no idea why this is, but orderly, tidy Japan disintegrates when it gets to the sea. I have yet to visit a pretty fishing community; instead, rotting, rusting, refuse piles up against dilapidated shacks and crumbling pontoons. Poverty is obviously one reason for the decay, but the piles of rotten fishing nets and ropes, broken polystyrene ice boxes, and years-old garbage is hard to explain. From Kamakura down to Jogashima, there is barely a beach or port which is not blighted by rubbish and decay. I think of the stunning beauty of fishing villages in Cornwall, the Algarve, and Majorca and wonder why it can’t be the same here.

Arasaki

Finally, I reached Arasaki Point from where I could leave the road and jog / walk / scramble along the next few kilometres of rocks and small beaches. It is an area of great natural beauty, with gnarled pines clinging to rocky pinnacles, all the time Fuji-san dazzling in the distance.

South of Arasaki

From here, I usually loop round to the bus stop at Yokosuka Shimin Hospital, but I had only run 23 km and felt like doing a bit more. I ran back towards Hayama along the main road, my legs starting to feel heavy and my head light. The traffic on the road no longer bothered me as I entered that runner’s world in which nothing matters except the next footfall and the building discomfort in your feet and legs. I was also past the point of getting a bus home, so I ran on back despite the feeling that I was about to lose a toenail or two. I arrived home drained but satisfied with an unexpected 34 kilometres of training completed.

Tsukuda-arashisaki

 Hayama to Arasaki and back

Arasaki detail

Garmin Data

Christmas Eve Swim

It has been a long, long wait, but at last the clear winter waters have arrived. Clear enough to see the bottom two hundred metres out from the beach and to watch the sea urchins grazing the seabed. Clear enough to feel like I was swimming IN the ocean, rather than ploughing across its murky surface. And clear enough to watch and learn from Ben and Mizukami-san as they slid through the water ahead of me.

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Afterwards, we went for lunch at our new post-swim haunt, the oddly named H and Cafe. Are the owners inspired by two Londoners called Harry and Catherine? I must ask them. Anyway, the atmosphere is relaxed, the jazz music soothing, and the food quite excellent.

Hayama Lunch at “H and Cafe”

JTU Age Group Ranking

I think it was in 2015 that the Japan Triathlon Union introduced funding for all age group “champions” – the individuals who had accumulated the most points over the season – to go the World Championships. Previous to this, only one male and one female – the winners of the overall points championship – got funding. Now there is funding for 13 bands in both male and female age groups, not just for the Worlds, but also the Asian Championships. On top of this, you get a champion’s cycle top, announcements of every race you enter on the JTU website, and guaranteed entry for all ranking races.

To win your age group, you have to accumulate points from JTU ranking races. Unsurprisingly the system is rather complicated and takes a bit of getting used to. Points are awarded for the top 5 finishers in each age group. There are three grades of race: A, B, and C. 15 points are awarded to the winner of an A race, 14 points for a B race, and 13 points for a C race. Your annual point tally is calculated on the basis of your best 4 races, but with one condition: only two A races are counted. In most age groups, it is necessary to get the maximum of 58 points to win – two 15-point races, and two 14-point races. If there are two people on the same number of points, they start counting your fifth and sixth races. This means that it is really hard to win an age group if you only do 4 races; most people do many races (one AG winner did 11 ranking races in 2017). If you are serious about winning the age group, you also need to win races you don’t need points for in order to prevent rivals getting those points. It turns into a bit of a rat race.

In 2013 and 2015, I just missed out on first place as I didn’t understand the points system. I was focusing on races I didn’t need to win, and missing races I needed. At the start of 2016, my friend and rival Misu-san explained how we needed to target certain races, particularly 14-point races, to win. (This act of kindness was based on our being in different age groups at the time; from next year we will go back to not talking!) I sat down for hours working out target races, and then arranged my training and warm-up races around them. Just like everyone else does.

Each year, the ranking races change somewhat, but certain races are always A-ranked: Yokohama and Murakami in particular. In 2016, there were six A-races, all of them on the flat. For people who prefer hilly courses, this is a disadvantage. In terms of B-races, there is much more variety. You can choose hilly courses, such as Hiwasa and Toyama, or flat courses. C-races are mostly for training as they don’t allow you to get maximum points.

While the points system undeniably adds an extra dimension to triathlon, it also takes something away. From when the season starts in April, till when it finishes in November, you have to keep training and keep winning. If you hit a slump, that is it. I have talked to several other triathletes who are at or near the top of their age group, and by the time it gets to the end of the season, they say they just feel tired – not only tired from racing, but weary of the whole chase for points. One person in the 60-64 age group told me he is going to do Xterra from now on as he wants to go back to doing races for the pure joy of it. He has a very good point.

In 2018, I will try not to chase points again. As a break from Olympic distance, I have already signed up for the Goto B-race (middle distance) and plan to do at least two more at that sort of distance. However, for those who are interested in targeting the age group ranking races, here is the list for next year.

 [Click here for PDF file]

Winter Running

Home sweet home

I live at the foot of a range of hills which stretches inland from the sea. Five minutes from the house, a trail climbs up to a ridge, and from there I can walk or run for several hours without seeing another person, or indeed many signs of human life. In winter, the trails are clear, dry, and free from the sticky webs that make summer hiking a series of close encounters with fat, biting spiders. Winter is the time for trail running – for leaving civilisation behind and building up strength for the following season.

Mountain sakura on Sengen Ridge

Today, I ran a loop which starts from Sengenyama (仙元山), runs east along a sawtooth ridge as far as the Yoko-Yoko Expressway, and then loops around to Morita River. At times the ridge offers sweeping views of hill after hill after hill, all covered with untouched deciduous forest. The proximity of the ancient temples of Kamakura, and the emperor’s summer palace in Hayama, has protected this oasis of nature from urban sprawl and from the equally destructive plantation forests which cover most of Japan’s lower mountains. Instead giant hinoki and sugi must compete for space with even larger camphors and cherries and oaks.

Ridge Running

The first hour of the trail is so up and down that it is hard to run for more than a minute or two. At times the path tunnels through dense bamboo groves before reemerging in the sunlight. It is hard going. But once you turn north towards Morito River, the trail flattens out and for the rest of the way it is mostly fine running.  Just before Futago-yama (二子山) a damp train descends steeply to the middle reaches of the Morito River. Indistinct trails run up the various tributaries, deep into the forest, but today I headed west towards the sea. It is a rare place in Japan – a mostly untamed river, free from concrete and dams, just left to run its course through the steep-sided hills. Before dusk, the air is filled with the chatter of squirrels and the screech of birds. One evening, I caught a glimpse of the rare and exotic Japanese paradise flycatcher which lives in this forest.

Morito River

The trail exits the forest at a gate with a no entry sign. I remember the first time I went through the gate. I couldn’t believe that such a wild place exists within the urban sprawl of Kanagawa.

Click on map for Garmin route

The main trails around Morito River. There are numerous unmarked trails and river-walking routes.

I have two great pieces of gear for trail running. The Inov8 Talon 200 are lightweight trail shoes designed for Britain’s wet, boggy moors. They somehow manage to combine a fairly low drop with great support and comfort. I bought them for swimrun, as they hold little water, which makes them perfect for river trails. The Mont Bell Cross Runner 7 has all the features of packs made by the famous brands, but at half the price. It fits like a glove, stays in place, and holds all you need for a day of running.

 

Beauty of Japan

I just found an old slideshow of photos I’ve taken in Japan over the years. They are mainly of Kamakura and Kyoto, as well as some nature pics. Miki kindly composed a piano piece to go with the images.

 

Winter Swimming

There is nothing in triathlon that evokes such a swing of emotions as winter swim training. Putting on a wetsuit in a chill wind, knowing you are going to be even colder when you enter the water – it takes an effort not to turn around, head to a café and read the paper.

Instead, with Youri and Ben and Niall there, I have the willpower to head out into Ohama Bay. The wind is already brisk and rising all the time. We head out to the rock in the middle of the bay so Youri and Ben can climb out and jump back in. The water is getting clearer as winter arrives and Mt. Fuji is now visible.

By now, I’ve warmed up and starting to slip into a relaxed rhythm. We head out to Chojagaski where waves are colliding on the sand bar. It is so beautiful.

Chojagasaki

On the second side of our triangle, heading out to the three yellow buoys, the swell and the chop is building. We hang around enjoying a warm patch in the water, but I have to start moving again as seasickness wells up. The third side of the triangle is easy as we get pushed hard by the waves. We turn around the rock by the beach, head out and repeat the triangle for a 1500-metre swim.

It is cold in the wind so we head into the hills for a short run along the coast, returning for panoramic views of Ohama Bay. As Van Morrison sang, “Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time”.

Ohama Bay