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Shibui Leaves for Arizona Training Camp

http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKG0108%2030052009
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/f-sp-tp0-20090530-500774.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Shibui in Narita Airport on May 30. Click photo for full-sized version.

Berlin World Championships women's marathon team leader Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) left from Tokyo's Narita Airport on May 30 for the United States. She is first scheduled to attend an event in New York, then on June 2 will travel to a training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.

At the beginning of April Shibui injured her left thigh while doing high-altitude training in Kunming, China, forcing her to miss the spring track season. "This was the worst injury I've had since I first started running, and even I was surprised," Shibui told reporters at Narita. On May 29 she ran 30 km, her longest run since winning January's Osaka International Women's Marathon. "I'm back to normal now. It doesn't hurt any more and I'm looking forward to this camp," she said, putting a good face on her recovery.

In Flagstaff Shibui will be training at 2100 m elevation, but amid concerns about Shibui's tendency to overwork her coach Shigeharu Watanabe says, "[Reiko] Tosa pulling out of the Beijing Olympics served as a lesson for us. We want to be more careful this time" in planning her workouts.

The training camp is scheduled to last for one month. Shibui intends to return to Japan at the end of June. She then plans to run the July 5 Sapporo International Half Marathon as a rehearsal for August's World Championships.

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dennis said…
Is there any news on Mizhuho Nasukawa? She ran really well in Tokyo beating Shimahara, and OMminami. How come she didn't run any track races?
June 1, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Brett Larner said…
In her victory interview in Tokyo Nasukawa said she wants to run the 5000 in Berlin, not the marathon, so I expect that's what she's up to right now and we'll see her at Nationals later this month.

But I agree, her run in Tokyo deserved more attention than it got and I can't really believe either that Rikuren didn't consider it either even though it wasn't part of the designated system.
June 1, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Brett Larner said…
Her PB is 15:23 but her best time within the qualifying window is 15:45, so no, no B-standard.
June 2, 2009 at 1:03 AM
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