Ome Marathon/10K Race

Today was Ome Marathon and 10K race. We went with our local running club to the event. There were 5,000 participants in the 10K race and 8,000 participants in the 30K race. I ran the 10K with my friend. It was her very first race. Since she had never entered a 10K race before, I ran beside her the entire time for support and to help her stay motivated. (By the way, I ran 19 miles the day before. My legs were tired, so I didn't actually race the event. Instead, I ran with my friend to help her achieve her goal of finishing her first 10K race.) (Side note: 10K is equal to 6.2 miles.) Here are some pictures from the day.

The guys waiting for the train to Ome.

Me and my Japanese friend. She was kind enough to write my name in Katakana so people could cheer me on. It was awesome to hear Japanese strangers calling my name. I'll wear it again at Tokyo Marathon.

Here are my running buddy gal pals. Oh, wait...there's a Japanese man in there too! Oops!

Look at all the runners for the 10K race! Crazy!

My friend and I getting ready to run. Don't you just love the pink sun glasses!!

Here is the crowd cheering for us. They thought it was hilarious that I was taking pictures of them...usually it's the other way around.

Here I am running and taking pictures. One of my student took this picture of me.

Here I am still running and taking pictures. I had a blast taking pictures along the 6.2 mile course. I will do the same at Tokyo Marathon.

Overall, this was a great run! I didn't run my guts out. Instead, I ran a nice, comfortable pace next to my friend. I made sure she achieved her goal today...finishing a 10K. And, that made it a GREAT race!

Just another day in Weenie's World!