Race day started with an early breakfast at the hotel and then a ride to the starting venue. There the other sister city runners met again and talk about our home stay experiences. It was clear that all of us had learned a great deal about Japanese culture in our
short stay. The start of the marathon brought us great race conditions – not too warm, not too cold, very little wind (maybe a little too sunny). The race experience was different than most American races – no one talked at all. The crowds were encouraging but subdued, except for the children who yelled, “Go for it” in Japanese very loudly. The race for me went ok. I hit the halfway point right on schedule, but I slowed during the second half with some stomach trouble and four fairly steep climbs over two bridges that had to be repeated. Though I lost nearly 13 minutes in the second half, overall I enjoyed the race. Post race festivities included a bowl of soup and an interview with a Japanese newspaper. Then, it was off to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Race day started with an early breakfast at the hotel and then a ride to the starting venue. There the other sister city runners met again and talk about our home stay experiences. It was clear that all of us had learned a great deal about Japanese culture in our 
short stay. The start of the marathon brought us great race conditions – not too warm, not too cold, very little wind (maybe a little too sunny). The race experience was different than most American races – no one talked at all. The crowds were encouraging but subdued, except for the children who yelled, “Go for it” in Japanese very loudly. The race for me went ok. I hit the halfway point right on schedule, but I slowed during the second half with some stomach trouble and four fairly steep climbs over two bridges that had to be repeated. Though I lost nearly 13 minutes in the second half, overall I enjoyed the race. Post race festivities included a bowl of soup and an interview with a Japanese newspaper. Then, it was off to the hotel for some much needed rest.
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