Japan - 5 weeks to go

Posted by Grant Callaghan - 19 January 2012

As 2012 begins there is so much to look forward to. One of the highlights towards the end of 2011 was being selected to run the 2012 Senshu International Marathon. It will be held on 19 February in Osaka, Japan as part of the Sunshine Coast Sister Cities arrangement with Japan.
 
It will be a special opportunity to not only to cover the 42.2km run through the city of Osaka but also to visit local government officials and schools to spread the word about the Sunshine Coast and all it has to offer. As part of the trip I have the privilege of staying with a local family as well.

Of course there is the training. Running a  marathon is no easy feat so that has been ongoing for the past couple of months. It will not be my first marathon so I know what I am facing. Without boring you with training stories I have developed a couple of core training goals this time around.

- cover at least 45 km per week gradually building up to 80km
- run off-road as much as possible
- look after myself with yoga /core strength and nutrition
- have fun

Over the Christmas break I was able to cover in excess of 80km in the week and to be honest it was a shock to the system. With 5 weeks to go I will build for another 3 weeks and then taper down for the final 2.

I plan to blog about the trip leading up to and during so I hope it can add some value to our blog readers. Also, from time to time I will post some training tales on my twitter account @grantcall.

Have you set your sights on a particular goal for 2012 or in training for an event? We'd be interested to hear about the challenges you are facing.