Back, by popular demand!

Well silence has hung over the MarathonWill training camp in recent weeks. After the 10km Omi race I am ashamed to say that running has been somewhat on the backburner. A week of rest and relaxation after the race led into a hectic weekend in Tokyo (even if Fuji remained unsummited) and then a week of birthday celebrations. To make matters worse, temperatures and humidity levels have been steadily rising, leaving a dash to the car a strength sapping, sweat drenching exercise.

But excuses I shall make no more! I intend (although make no promises) to head out for a run this evening (be it at 10 o'clock when hopefully the temperature should be around 26C). I shall update on Monday with my head held high or ashamed and pathetic.

My actual birthday last Wednesday was a quiet affair with just a few of us propping up the bar before some karaoke action. The full scale of the night was not really acknowledged until half way through my reading of Peek-a-Zoo to a mother and sub 3 year old's group. I figured I still had it when I made a kid cry with my first roar of the revealed lion but by the time we were uncovering the rhino the beer et al was not wanting to be forgotten and the rest of the morning was a little shaky.

On Saturday Brian, Sonja, Valerie and I went up to the water jump in Hakkuba. Me and The Sonj did the jumping (kinda) and our support team took photos/videos and generally caught the sun. Turns out the jumping is pretty easy, it's just getting down the fake slope that's a bit tricky. Laying the matting on concrete means that not only do I have a bruised arse but my left hand is still having issues. Sonja's cheeks also, I am told, did not escape unpunished. The good news is that a video replay has confirmed that I managed a 360 - granted it was as I fell over the lip of the jump, but I definitely did spin.




Saturday night we started on the 'lunar' beach before more bar then karaoke action. A bloody good time all round and I'd like to say thanks to the chaps that made it. To those that didn't.... what kind of excuse is being thousands of miles away?




Anyway - more photos are up here and I shall again state my intention to drag my bruised bum out running tonight.

Take care, and be warned - UK return in 19 days and counting.