japan running news

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2010/08/27/11.html

translated by Brett Larner

Back to full training for the first time since a left thigh injury knocked her out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, women's marathon national record holder and Athens Olympics marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (32, Team Sysmex) announced on Aug. 26 that she plans to make a return this year with a half marathon.

In July Noguchi went to Sugadaira, Nagano for her first full-effort gasshuku training camp since the injury. She is currently training in Hokkaido together with her teammates, where she has extended her long runs up to the 30 km level. Team Sysmex coach Hisakazu Hirose commented, "She's back to running like her old self. This fall or winter Mizuki will do a half marathon."

Noguchi has not run a race since her victory at the Sendai International Half Marathon on May 11, 2008.* She has been talking discreetly with several domestic and overseas races to find the option best-suited fo…

translated and edited by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner

Click here to enter JRN's World Championships marathon prediction contest for a chance to win a 2009 Japanese national team singlet.

World Championships marathoner Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) writes an entertaining blog together with her husband and coach Shuhei mostly talking about the food she eats as part of her training and about her daughter Yuna. In recent weeks she has written about some of her final training for next week's marathon where she is a potential medal winner. Below are highlights of some of her recent entries. Click photos for full-sized versions.

July 14 - Running in Thick Fog!!
There are only a few days left at the Sugadaira high altitude training camp. Since it's the rainy season we've had lots of rain but I went through all the training as planned. Almost as bad as the rain is Sugadaira's one of a kind fog. When I had a key workout the other day the fog was really thick.

This is a picture a…

translated and edited by Brett Larner
source articles at bottom

Marathoner Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) left Hiroshima on Aug. 10 with his coach Yasushi Sakaguchi to travel to Berlin for this year's World Championships, which are scheduled to begin on the 15th. It's been one year since Sato suffered a complete breakdown at the Beijing Olympics. Looking toward this year's peak summer race as he prepared to depart, Sato said, "At the very worst I'm looking at top five."

Sato is flying out of Tokyo's Narita Airport on Aug. 11 but left Hiroshima a day early to avoid the approaching Typhoon #9. He returned from a training camp in New Zealand on only Aug. 8, but was relaxed and unconcerned about the strain of all the travelling, saying, "If you can't deal with stress when you need to then you can't deal with the demands of competition either."

The World Championships marathon is on Aug. 22. It's been four months since Sato qualified fo…

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090604-502565.html

Japan's most famous running mother, Berlin World Championships marathoner Yukiko Akaba (29, Team Hokuren) told reporters visiting her high-altitude training camp in Sugaidaira, Nagano on June 3 that she plans to retire from professional running after the 2012 London Olympics. "I want to have a second baby, but first I'm going to keep working as hard as I can until London. After the London Olympics? Then I'm going to be an ordinary mom. Planning for that to be the end will keep me focused on being the best I can until then." Her coach and husband Shuhei followed up, saying, "To help the Hokuren company, the season right after London will be dedicated to her running the ekiden circuit with the team."

Working toward this final goal, Akaba is deep in her hardest training for the World Championships. Her inspiration now comes from watching the way a cheetah moves. With the image of a loose, …

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090603-502205.html
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090602/oth0906021957011-n1.htm
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/olympic/news/2009/06/03/03.html
http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009060200863
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/f-sp-tp0-20090603-502398.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Thanks to "the power of being watched," Berlin World Championships women's marathon team member Yukiko Akaba (29, team Hokuren) ran a 40 km test run at her high-altitude training camp in Sugadaira, Nagano, on June 2 in front of 10 members of the press. Akaba's form and rhythm were smooth as she completed the 6-lap practice run in 2:35:27. She smiled afterwards as she said, "That was tough. It's been a long time since I've done something this hard."

Two days before the workout Akaba experienced some discomfort in the middle toe on her left foot, but she nevertheless ran the full distance as planned. "…

http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKF0368%2027062008
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080628/oth0806282316038-n1.htm
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080629/oth0806291819009-n1.htm
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20080701-OHT1T00058.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), on track to defend her Olympic marathon gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, travelled to Beijing on June 27 for a series of test runs on the Olympic marathon course. Noguchi reported that she would be doing the test runs at jogging pace to reconfirm her image of the course after viewing videos and previous test runs as well as to get an idea of the weather conditions in Beijing.

At 4:00 p.m. on June 28 Noguchi ran 26 km of the course, accompanied by her coach Hisakazu Hirose and wearing the race shoes custom-made for her by Asics` master craftsman Hitoshi Mimura. The two covered the final 15 km of the Olympic course in one hour. Conditions during the test run were ap…

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/0001115236.shtml

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team member Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) met the press at a conference in Okayama City on June 6. At age 22 the youngest marathoner on the men`s or women`s teams, Nakamura told the assembled crowd, "My biggest strength is my youth. [Thinking about the Olympics and] lasting until the end is scary, but I want to run a race which exceeds all expectations."

Nakamura spoke in front of 500 members of the Okayama Track and Field Association and assorted members of the press. Her mentor from her days at Nishinomiya High School, Kenkichi Hagiwara, as well as Asics` master shoe craftsman Hitoshi Mimura who made the shoes she will use in the Olympic marathon, also attended. The event concluded with a video of Nakamura`s victory in March`s Nagoya International Women`s Marathon, her debut and the race which qualified her for the Olympics. Nakamura`s pride in her accomplishmen…

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2008060202014342.html

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team leader Mizuki Noguchi (29, Team Sysmex) has begun her "China-free" main Olympic preparation in Nagano Prefecture`s Sugadaira Takahara region. Noguchi arrived in Sugadaira on June 1 to begin an intensive training camp. Her coach Nobuyuki Fujita (67) told reporters that Noguchi has abandoned plans to attend a training camp in Kunming, China which was scheduled to begin June 12 and will instead remain in Sugadaira for the rest of the month. Noguchi will take advantage of the area`s arduous up-down terrain to strengthen her lower body in order to withstand Beijing`s hard road surfaces.

In the lead up to Beijing Noguchi`s support and coaching team made the decision to avoid China, with Fujita instead selecting a domestic base for Noguchi`s training. "Kunming`s main advantage is its elevation," said Fujita. "This time, however, …

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008051800123
http://beijing2008.nikkansports.com/athletics/f-sp-tp0-20080518-361526.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Running for two-time defending champions Team Sysmex, Beijing Olympic marathon team leader Mizuki Noguchi ran the anchor leg of the 4 x 400 m relay on May 18 at the Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships in Hyogo. Noguchi received the baton in 5th place but, despite being an Olympic marathon gold medalist and ekiden ace, was unable to pass even a single runner and came home in 5th.

For Noguchi, who turns 30 on July 3rd, this was the last race she will run in her 20`s. "I did what I could," commented Noguchi afterwards. "It goes without saying that the 400 m is a speed race, so it was pretty tough. I did kind of want to end [my 20`s] with a little stronger performance than this, but I feel freed now to put all my focus into my marathon preparations." Asked for her opinion of marathon world recor…