Kyoto = my favorite place in Japan, so far

I finished the 5k on Wednesday night...and somehow, I've arrived at Sunday morning.
Given one adjective to describe the intervening time between these events, I'd choose nonstop.
Yesterday, however, ranks in the top three for Most Brutally Exhausting days of life.

Quick recap of why that is: Two nights ago, I propelled directly into bed at 3:00am, dazedly responded to the 9:00am wake-up call, hobbled out to meet Mom, Dad, Anjanette, and Lindsay down in the lobby of the hotel, and then set forth on the great, 8+ hour adventure of exploring Kyoto.

However, in the end, Kyoto gave me great happiness for several reasons:
1) GREEN, living things manage to exist in and around the buildings
2) Along the river, there was a running path. Due to the fact that I was on Day 2 of no running, I didn't experience it; however, it seems to be the best available running option in the entire country.
3) The city didn't feel like New York City with Japanese road signs (which is kind of how I've come to view Osaka). Instead, it strongly reminded me of London, in the sense that its not too surprising to notice that a modern building with a Starbucks at its base is adjacent to a 700 year old temple. The combination of historical and modern pieces is much more interesting than endless rows of undeviatingly gray corporate headquarters/shopping mall type of buildings.
4) The abundance of free samples of food from vendors on the street leading up to the temples put Whole Foods to shame.

The trade-off for this good stuff was the walking and walking, through unremitting heat and humidity. Naturally, my parents were champs and had no problem whatsoever. I'll leave it at that, and at the fact I've rarely been so glad to see a tiny hotel bed in my life.

Plans for today revolve around food: coffee with Erin, lunch at Nike, dinner with my parents, great races tonight at the track - the M/Ws 1500m wheel chair final!! Plus the women's 5K. I will write about the races next time, mine and of what happens tonight. Oyasumi!!

writing before i go...

I just attached my number to my singlet. I'm so glad that I decided to go with the collegiate-style full singlet, rather than the sports bra which seems to be more popular with post-collegiate women, because the USA logo is still visible. The number is SO BIG that it still takes up a pretty significant area on the singlet, but at least this way, its possible to see both.

My emotions before this race are more like the way I felt before my first high school XC state meet than anything else. In the sense that I know it will involve the same distance that I've been racing all season - familiarity is definitely encouraging in this environment - but that it will take place amid a level of competition that I haven't encountered before. I wish I had time to write more but I've got to go finish getting ready...

Thank you to everyone who've sent so such good wishes my way - I am floating in optimism and floating in general right now...will post again soon after this is over!!!

For anyone that is interested in any part of this blog to read, PLEASE pick this entry!!

Second post in a row that's been instigated by a NYTimes article...But I could not help but post and write about this link. It is a fantastic summary of the critical situation that must be overcome for people who need an organ transplant to survive. Covers all the basics and very very well worth the 10 minutes it will take to read...!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/health/28brod.html?ref=health

Apparently, its the first in a series on this topic. I'm looking forward to the next one, because it claims to address the idea of using living donors as part of the solution.

Nearly 24 hours until I'll be racing!!

The Ripple Effects of Misplaced Blame

http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2007/08/28/sports/othersports/28track.html&tntemail0=y

Before arriving in Japan, I would have read this article and probably pondered for a few moments about how absurd the idea sounds that a massage therapist's lotion somehow could sabotage the career of an internationally renowned athlete, before moving on to something else. Now, after meeting the team of trainers who devote their every waking hour to the health and injury-repair of the US Team and personally benefiiting from their therapy, I am absolutely incensed at the thought that their credibility as care-takers might be called into question by his accusations.
Thankfully, the article does at least potray Bennie Vaughn in a very positive light - as he unquestionably deserves. The part that troubles me is the insinuation that as of what may or may not have happened to Gaitlin via contact with a particular trainer, the rest of the lesser-known medical staff may suffer from raised levels of scrutiny - and even outright suspicion - amid decreased levels of trust. There cannot be a successful trainer-athlete interaction unless a HUGE amount of trust is available, with honesty and open communication from both sides. So to read that Tyson Gay would only accept Vaughn's hands after his race leaves a small part of me feeling proud of and happy for Bennie - because I like him immensely as a person and as a physio - but for the most part, angry that an injustice is being served to the rest of the very well-meaning, skilled, caring, and ethical training staff.

I Love Public Transportation

I did my easy four-mile pre-pre-meet run this morning with Jenny at Osaka Castle. This sounds way more glamorous than it actually is, given that my perspective consisted of running the perimeter around the moat, which circles a massive wall, behind which (supposedly) the castle resides. I could catch glimpses of golden arches and turrets, but mostly I focused my attention on keeping my ankle from any unncessary twists and on the conversation with Jenny about Boulder and CU's upcoming XC season. She's been to the same bar that Tom and Keith love, and said that its every bit as good as they claim!!

On the way back from the run, I happened to share the same subway car with four Jamaican track fans. I wasn't wearing any American gear, so when they discovered that I was indeed from the US, it launched a great discussion over last night's showdown between the two 100m superstars (Jamaica's Asafa Powell was the George Bush to Tyson's Al Gore). I loved just listening to the way that English words flow from their mouths - the cadence is so relaxing. The most mundane of sentances are suddenly transformed into soothing, peaceful sounds. I got the same tranquil feeling while listening to them speak as I do when I'm lying on my bed during one of those rains that you know will just go on and on for hours.

Alright, big day ahead!! I'm going to get breakfast, then head over to Nike with Anna, then later on, off to track to watch some really fantastic races tonight - and also to meet up with Coach Annie!!! I'm really excited!! (probably redundant to add that given all these exclamation points!!). Also, I just got a call from Tom Ratcliffe with some inside information on Matt Taylor that I plan to use at an opportune moment. Sayanara!!

TYSON GAY WINS 100M GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that about covers it - but I'll just add that I couldn't have dreamed of a more remarkable way to witness his win...in a small room with all of the team USA sprinters and jumpers, who know exactly what it took for him to get to this point, who live the same life themselves...
REALLY REALLY INCREDIBLE!!!!

For once, talking with physios about non-tendonitis related issues!!

The fun started in the ice bath after I finished my workout. I don't know yet how they make ice baths in outher countries outside of the US, but I learned today that in Japan, they freeze the hell of out them!! So I'm standing in the traditional silver, trash-can sized container, freezing like crazy (I was only up to about mid-thigh in water too, because there was NO WAY I was going to submerge my whole waist like I usually do in Wake's ice baths). It was so cold that I couldn't help giving voice to some slightly aggravated yelps, just to make myself feel better. This attracted the attention of several well-meaning Japanese physios. A group of them immediately rushed over to me, probably thinking I was bleeding to death or had fractured a femur or something equally terrible. After they realized it was just a more-or-less involuntary reaction to their ungodly cold ice bath, they kindly stuck around to keep me company (further proof of the unfaltering friendliness and politeness of the Japanese).

As a result, this ice bath transformed into one of the most educational ten-minute periods of my life. I mastered how to say "I like Japan" (Watashi ha nihon ga suki) and Very cold, and Hot, and I am a runner. At this point, I've forgotten all but the first phrase; however, one of the Japanese physios was also kind enough to write down the english translation on a piece of paper - which when connected to the spoken sounds helps immensely for learning the language!!

Although this entry is becoming longer than I thought, I can't leave out my interaction with a second wave of foreign physios. I passed the 40 minute bus ride home from the track by chatting with two physios from Belgium (their native language is French but thankfully they could also communicate pretty well in English). They brought me up to date on the political situation in Belgium these days, and the fact that the country is pretty significantly split between the French-speaking side and the Dutch-speaking crew, with a corps of German speakers still makng their presence known as well. Apparently, they've been without a true government for about 70 days now because no one can reconcile who should be in charge of the country.

To sum it up, these sorts of unplanned cultural exchanges are one of my favorite parts of the entire meet experience. I am absolutely enchanted that there are so many opportunities to talk with people from all over the world. I so enjoy trying to understand them and where they're coming from - first linguistically, then literally, and finally, psychologically. It really really really makes me want to study more languages too!!

I think that's about enough for right now - time to get a quick massage and then watch track on TV!!

Idle hours in Japanese Hotels spawn blog creations...

First post! I don't know if I'm ever actually going to use this Blog or to open it to eyes other than my own defective pair, but here goes entry number one.

I'm in Japan.
More specifically, I'm in my hotel room, on floor 14 of Hotel Hanshin, which is located in Osaka, Japan. By barricading myself inside this unusually tiny space (relative to grandiose American standards), I am effectively shielding myself from the light and heat of the outside world. The reason for this imprisonment is that I'll be battling both of these elements soon enough, as I take to the track in a few hours...

My hotel room boasts a heated toilet seat, tea maker, two beds - one of which serves double-duty as a chair for the bed, and a great view of the city. More to come later....