Part four in a four-part series of half marathon national record holder Hitomi Niiya and coach Masato Yokota answering questions about her training . Part one here . Part two here . Part three here . Coach: Sorry, can I ask an amateurish question? Is this "locking into a rhythm" thing you're talking about something like a "runner's high?" Niiya: No, totally different. Coach: I don't get it at all. Niiya: If it starts to feel like you could go forever then you're there. The times when you're like, "This is a good rhythm. I can keep rolling in this rhythm." Coach: I've never had a time like that. Q. They say marathons go the best if you get into your rhythm in the first 5 km. Coach: I can't run further than 5 km. Niiya: If you trained some you'd be able to go up to 30 km. But, there are too many times when I can't find my rhythm, and sometimes when someone is pacing me our rhythms don't ...
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