Arriving in Japan
The story keeps getting better. My new friend & guardian from the race staff, Mr. Nobohito Isono didn't just recommend a hotel. He made me a reservation. Finally, I'm ready to run in Fukuchiyama! I found out about the hotel while at Inchon Airport in Seoul. Now I'm on the train for my final three hours of travel between the Osaka airport and Fukuchiyama. I didn't sleep a lot the last 35 hours I've been traveling, and it's 11 hours ahead of where I was on Sunday. Fourteen ahead of Grand Rapids time. My body isn't sure what time it is, but I'm feeling well fed and fairly recovered from Sunday. Feeling tired and off schedule.
My theory is that the best way to recover from jet lag is to get up and run a marathon in the morning. It's easy to get yourself feeling on schedule. The GI tract takes a couple days to catch up though. It bothers me, more mentally than physically, I think, because race morning elimination just isn't the same. That's about what I'm going to say about that. Oh yeah--so far, so good on this trip, but be sure to take paper to the race site, just in case.
The train ride to Fukuchiyama is about three hours. From the time I left my hotel in Curitiba to the time I arrived at my hotel in Fukuchiyama is approximately 41 hours. Lots of travel, yes--this is the longest leg of my trip so far. But look at the bright side--my last five meals and two nights lodging were provided by airlines. I am, however, looking forward to an actual bed tonight.
After arriving at the station, once again I find myself in a place without any English. While looking up my hotel on a "You Are Here" sign in the station, I was able to find it using the phone number. A guy came along just to ask what I was doing, and walked me down the street to the hotel. Well, turns out they were full, so I was at the hotel on the other side of the station. Which he took me to! I had no more than checked in when Isono called me just to make sure everything was good. I hope I get a chance to buy him a beer tomorrow. He certainly has one coming! Customer service people could learn a lot from the Japanese. What a great place this is.
The hot shower felt SO good. After 40 hours of travel, I really needed that. Had some dinner and a couple beers at the hotel restaurant, and now I'm about to the end of my useful life.
Tomorrow is marathon #4. I'm excited. It's 14 hours ahead of Michigan time here. I'm going to bed. You all enjoy your work day.
My theory is that the best way to recover from jet lag is to get up and run a marathon in the morning. It's easy to get yourself feeling on schedule. The GI tract takes a couple days to catch up though. It bothers me, more mentally than physically, I think, because race morning elimination just isn't the same. That's about what I'm going to say about that. Oh yeah--so far, so good on this trip, but be sure to take paper to the race site, just in case.
The train ride to Fukuchiyama is about three hours. From the time I left my hotel in Curitiba to the time I arrived at my hotel in Fukuchiyama is approximately 41 hours. Lots of travel, yes--this is the longest leg of my trip so far. But look at the bright side--my last five meals and two nights lodging were provided by airlines. I am, however, looking forward to an actual bed tonight.
After arriving at the station, once again I find myself in a place without any English. While looking up my hotel on a "You Are Here" sign in the station, I was able to find it using the phone number. A guy came along just to ask what I was doing, and walked me down the street to the hotel. Well, turns out they were full, so I was at the hotel on the other side of the station. Which he took me to! I had no more than checked in when Isono called me just to make sure everything was good. I hope I get a chance to buy him a beer tomorrow. He certainly has one coming! Customer service people could learn a lot from the Japanese. What a great place this is.
The hot shower felt SO good. After 40 hours of travel, I really needed that. Had some dinner and a couple beers at the hotel restaurant, and now I'm about to the end of my useful life.
Tomorrow is marathon #4. I'm excited. It's 14 hours ahead of Michigan time here. I'm going to bed. You all enjoy your work day.
No comments:
Post a Comment