Spring 2025

Having spent most of last year trying to recover from an Achilles tendon injury which initially left me having to wear a ‘boot’ to walk, it was a relief to be able to run the Florence & Valencia Marathons in November/December 2024 and starting in the New Year, to put in a decent block of training with 4 runs & 3 gym sessions/week.

I was pleased with my time of 1h 52m for the Hampton Court Half Marathon last month and that I was able to gradually speed up over the course. But I was less happy with 4h 10m for the Tokyo Marathon at the beginning of March. Even though it wasn’t particularly warm at up to 18 degrees, the astonishing brightness of the sun in Tokyo had a very dehydrating effect on all runners with water & drink shortages at the later aid stations. It was very congested with many runners on a course that was too narrow in places. But having run the Tokyo Marathon I do now have my 6th Star : Although technically it was my 7th star as I had run the Sydney Marathon Abbott World Age Grade Championships last year.

And here’s a slightly shaky & skewed video showing what it was like at the finish of the Tokyo Marathon.

After the Tokyo Marathon, we stayed in Kyoto which was much more interesting having been the Capital of Japan until the late nineteenth century. Unlike Tokyo it was a city that you could walk around to see the sites and spend time in. Here are some photos mainly from Kyoto : Unfortunately we were a few weeks too early for the Cherry Blossom but the Plum Blossom was just coming out. As you will see, the Japanese do build a good moat !