japan running news

http://osaka.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/other-games/20100426-OYO8T00354.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Two-time Olympian and double World Championships marathon medalist Reiko Tosa (33, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) gave birth to her first child, a girl, Apr. 25 in her hometown of Matsuyama. Tosa issued a statement which said, "The delivery was way worse than a marathon, but in the end my daughter was born healthy so I'm very happy." Tosa retired from professional following last year's Tokyo Marathon. Her husband, Matsuyama Univ. track and field team coach Keiichi Marui (36) commented, "Even as a 'mama-san runner' it was our dream as a couple for Reiko to run the marathon. Now that it has come to that, we'll look at the possibilities for her to keep running."

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090908-540984.html

translated by Brett Larner

On Sept. 7 Beijing Olympics women's marathoner Reiko Tosa (33, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) announced on her personal blog that she is pregnant and expecting her first child to be born in mid-April next year. "I hope everything goes smoothly from here on out," she wrote.

Tosa was a guest commentator on TBS' coverage of the Aug. 23 World Championships marathon. Shortly before leaving for Berlin she took a self-test which indicated she was pregnant. After returning to Japan she went to a clinic for confirmation and was told, "Congratulations."

In December, 2004 Tosa married Keiichi Murai (35), a former teammate at Matsuyama University. Following March's Tokyo Marathon she retired from competitive running. However, she maintains a position as "Techinical Advisor" with her sponsor Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo and is already considering making a comeback follo…

by Brett Larner

The 2009 National University Individual Track and Field Championships took place June 12-14 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture just south of Tokyo. An elective meet in which student athletes can choose to compete as opposed to September's team-oriented National University Track and Field Championships, the National Individual Championships offer a rare chance to see athletes from other parts of the country take on those from the powerful, Tokyo-centric Kanto Region.

Coached by Keiichi Murai, the husband of two-time World Championships marathon medalist Reiko Tosa, Matsuyama University's Mami Sogabe and Toshika Tamura both broke the year-old women's 1500 m meet record. Sogabe clocked 4:29.03 and Tamura 4:29.10, with Ritsumeikan University's Hanae Tanaka getting under the old record as well in 4:29.12.

New meet records also came on the track in the men's 3000 mSC, with Masamori Kabuki of Tohoku Fukushi University running 8:58.79 to mark the meet's fir…

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090311/oth0903112019012-n1.htm

translated by Brett Larner

"I'm kind of in a slump right now, you know. I haven't been feeling very good and I've been a bit mean to my husband," joked marathoner Reiko Tosa (32, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) in early March. To help put her in the right state of mind as she gets ready to race the Tokyo Marathon Tosa is training in her hometown of Matsuyama, but it's not going the way she expected. She just can't seem to get back into good shape. At the end of February she ran as a guest runner in a 30 km race in Chiba, but her time was more than 8 minutes slower than her best.

At the start of her preparations for the Tokyo Marathon, Tosa's husband Keiichi Murai (35) told her, "Remember how you felt in the good times, and let's try to go after that feeling." For Tosa herself, however, in her heart all she can feel is the difference between her current condition and when she w…

http://osaka.yomiuri.co.jp/sp_others/20081008ks05.htm

translated by Brett Larner

At the All-Japan University Women's Ekiden on Oct. 26 in Sendai, Beijing Olympic marathoner Reiko Tosa's alma mater Matsuyama University, will represent central Shikoku in its first-ever appearance at the national championship ekiden. The team's assistant coach is Keiichi Murai (34), Matsuyama alumnus and coach and husband to Tosa. In a classic example of a running marriage, Murai cultivated a winning athlete.

The day before the Sept. 23 qualification race for All-Japan, Murai held a meeting with his runners at Matsuyama. "When I told Reiko that I thought we would definitely make All-Japan she said that I shouldn't say that. 'You don't know what'll happen, especially in such a high-pressure situation. As the coach you should be more careful about what you say.'" Understanding the tension his runners would be feeling and trying to help them relax such words of wisdom …

published 8/19/08 in the Nikkei Newspaper, and
http://beijing.yahoo.co.jp/news/detail/20080819-00000127-mai-spo
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080819-00000244-jij-spo
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/olympic/2008/news/track/marathon/news/20080818-OYT1T00009.htm
http://www.47news.jp/CN/200808/CN2008081901000618.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women's marathon competitor Reiko Tosa, 32, who dropped out of the Olympic marathon without warning, returned to Japan on Aug. 19, arriving at Narita International Airport at 7:30 p.m. Tosa favored her injured right foot and her posture suggested she was in a great deal of pain, but she drew consolation from the encouragement and support given by her fellow travellers.

In response to questions from reporters Tosa commented, "My right foot became swollen during the race, and it's still painful to walk. I think it's going to take a while to get better. The pain is pretty much constant, so I don't know if it…

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/olympic/news/2008/06/13/05.html

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team member Reiko Tosa (32, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) is now in Kunming, China for high-altitude training. For her 32nd birthday on June 11, Tosa`s husband Keiichi Murai (34) gave her a wallet in her lucky color green. "Kinda pale green, isn`t it?" laughed Tosa while showing off the present. Last year when she won a bronze medal in the World Championships marathon her lucky color was yellow, and she wore shoes and a rubber wristband in that color. This year looking toward Beijing she selected green. "It`s the color of young, healthy things and will keep me from breaking," explained Tosa.

Translator`s note: My younger brother also turned 32 on June 11.

http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2008/05/01/0000996944.shtml

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team member Reiko Tosa (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) left Narita Airport on May 1 for a high-altitude training camp in Boulder, Colorado. "My preparations start with this camp," Tosa told reporters. "I`m going to be training very hard." She will return to Japan on June 4.

Tosa last trained in Boulder while preparing for the 2001 Edmonton World Championships where she won a silver in the marathon. Tosa first visited Boulder in 1999 as a training partner for some of her teammates, and rapidly improved while training there. Last year she did most of her training in Kunming, China, but, as she explained, "I`ve always had a good image of Boulder because of how much faster I`ve gotten there in the past."

3 days before leaving Tosa had the dental braces she has worn since the spring of `05 removed. Tosa got the braces on the recommendation of her …