Mar 9 ā¢ šInside Running - With Nick
š Tokyo Marathon: The Risky Choice
Last weekend I faced a decision every runner eventually encounters in a race.
Stick to the planā¦ or go with the moment.
At the Tokyo Marathon ā one of the most special races in the world ā that decision came much earlier than expected.
Getting into Tokyo is incredibly difficult, so simply standing on that start line already felt like a privilege.
But once the gun goesā¦ the mindset changes.
You're no longer just happy to be there.
You want to race.
Early in the race I found myself in a massive pack running much quicker than planned.
It felt smooth.
It felt effortless.
So I rolled with it.
But as every marathon runner knowsā¦
Those days donāt last forever.
Around 14km in, reality kicked in and I backed off the pace.
From there I ran almost 28km completely solo, often not seeing another runner ahead of me.
Tokyo has a unique racing culture and I got caught up in what I call the āJapanese racing style.ā
Start fast.
Hang on for dear life.
Risky for a marathonā¦
But when in Japan šÆšµ
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Hereās the interesting part.
As a coach, I normally tell athletes to do the opposite:
ā¢ Stick to the plan
ā¢ Control the pace
ā¢ Respect the distance
Yet in Tokyo I did the exact thing I usually warn runners about.
I went with the pack.
And honestly?
Part of me loved it.
Itās chaotic.
Itās risky.
But itās racing.
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š¬ Your Turn
Imagine you're standing on that start line.
Your pacing plan says one thingā¦
But the pack around you is moving faster and it feels comfortable.
What would you do in that moment:
Would you stick to your pacing plan āor take the risk and go with the pack?
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š Tokyo Marathon: The Risky Choice
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