sterre Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 I'm sterre. I'm 30 years old and live just outside of Tokyo. I finished grad school last year and in my final year of school, I didn't really have time to do any exercise. Plus I somehow, I got a bit extra tubsy while living with my parents for two months between finishing school and moving to Japan to live with my partner (it's amazing the difference not having to pay for food and living in the suburbs where nothing is in walking distance makes). I've lost a bit of that by now, but I'm not back to where I'd like to be. In the last couple of months, I've started getting back into running. I went through the couch to 5k (again) then gradually increased my total distance so I could add a fourth run per week (a goal I'm meeting this week). I really want to keep on track, despite the fact that August in Tokyo is supposed to be pretty terrible, so I came here to help keep me motivated on this point. I look forward to joining the next challenge. 1 Quote Level 9 Amazon Druid STR : 17 | DEX : 23 | STA : 22 | CON : 23 | WIS : 21 | CHA : 15 Challenges: 10, 9, 8, 7.1, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.1, 3, 2, 1 Battle Log Link to comment
virtualmonkey Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Welcome aboard! The suburbs are good at making people fat. I get lots of strange looks when I leave the grocery and start running home. Quote Level 6 - Scout Challenges - Lost Diary of a Scout #5, #4, #3, #2, #1 Link to comment
sterre Posted July 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yeah, I went from living in a city where everything that wasn't an easy walk was on the bus line (but at least I had a bus pass) to having to drive almost everywhere. Living here, at least I get to walk a fair bit, but it seems like it's a lot easier to put on weight than it is to take it back off. Maybe that's just getting old though. Quote Level 9 Amazon Druid STR : 17 | DEX : 23 | STA : 22 | CON : 23 | WIS : 21 | CHA : 15 Challenges: 10, 9, 8, 7.1, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.1, 3, 2, 1 Battle Log Link to comment
blkhole24601 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Tokyo, I'm so jealous!! I want to go back to there like burning. Where near Tokyo are you? And yeah, August in Tokyo is pretty awful iirc, and if it gets to be too bad I'd recommend finding someplace indoors to run, like an indoor track or even a treadmill if you're desperate. Otherwise, try waking up early and going out before it gets too bad (which is what I do here in Colorado where August is still horrible, but at least it's not humid!), or wait until things have cooled down in the evening especially if you can find a buddy to go running with you? Tokyo/Japan is safer than most places in the States (is that where you lived before?) but still, better safe than sorry. Have you run a 5K yet? Are you planning on increasing your distance? Quote Vicki | Sheikah Bard | Level 13 STR 32.5 | DEX 51.1 | STA 25.5 | CON 37.1 | WIS 26.0 | CHA 31.3 blkhoe24601 Gains the Power to Revolutionize the World Past Challenges: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 2016 Battle Log Link to comment
blkhole24601 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 woops double post~ Quote Vicki | Sheikah Bard | Level 13 STR 32.5 | DEX 51.1 | STA 25.5 | CON 37.1 | WIS 26.0 | CHA 31.3 blkhoe24601 Gains the Power to Revolutionize the World Past Challenges: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 2016 Battle Log Link to comment
sterre Posted July 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 I live in Wako, Saitama... it's basically one stop on the train outside of Tokyo prefecture. Before, I lived in Canada. Lately, I've been running in the evenings when it's not so terrible. I'd try running in the morning, but the Sun comes up so early here so it's hard to wake up before it's already hot. I run alone, but the park near my house has a lot of running paths and there are usually quite a few people out at the hours I'm running so I feel pretty safe. I've been running 5 km at a time. I did a few longer runs (longest was 8.2 km) to increase my total weekly distance and add an extra run. I'm not sure if I want to increase my distance more right now since I'm just getting up to 20 km a week. I might stick with this for a few weeks before increasing distance again. Quote Level 9 Amazon Druid STR : 17 | DEX : 23 | STA : 22 | CON : 23 | WIS : 21 | CHA : 15 Challenges: 10, 9, 8, 7.1, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.1, 3, 2, 1 Battle Log Link to comment
blkhole24601 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Oh, cool! I've never been out that way, but the Saitama Seibu Lions ballpark is right near my grandparents' neighborhood in Musashimurayama, so we are Lions fans. Ugh, yeah, that's right, sunrise is early in Japan, I forgot about that. And that's good to hear; Japan is generally an awesome place for running. I always intended to go running while in Japan but then I never did, but next time I visit, I'll make the effort to. It'll curb my inevitable weight gain since I always eat a LOT when I visit! Awesome, it's always best to increase your mileage slowly, and no more than 10% a week I think is the general rule of thumb. Have you run any races, or are you planning to? They're so much fun! Quote Vicki | Sheikah Bard | Level 13 STR 32.5 | DEX 51.1 | STA 25.5 | CON 37.1 | WIS 26.0 | CHA 31.3 blkhoe24601 Gains the Power to Revolutionize the World Past Challenges: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 2016 Battle Log Link to comment
sterre Posted July 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yep, I was increasing my overall distance just 10% a week to get up to 20 km total. I just made one run longer each week until I could make the jump to an extra run. I would like to run some races, but I haven't signed up for any yet (I still have to find one that's still open and reasonably accessible by train). I'm not sure how that will go because my Japanese is kinda crappy and I've never done a race before. I might have to drag one of my friends with better Japanese along just to help translate instructions. Do you get to visit Japan often? Quote Level 9 Amazon Druid STR : 17 | DEX : 23 | STA : 22 | CON : 23 | WIS : 21 | CHA : 15 Challenges: 10, 9, 8, 7.1, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.1, 3, 2, 1 Battle Log Link to comment
blkhole24601 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 A well-organized race wouldn't require you to know much Japanese, if the races there are like in N. America. Show up, get your bib, go to the starting line. Most information would be online but races, on the athlete's side, are made to be super simple. Behind the scenes is of course a whole other story. But, again, I've never experienced races in Japan, so it wouldn't hurt to have a friend around to translate -- and it's always great to have someone there to cheer you on anyway. I don't visit as much as I wish I did, but because of how expensive it is just to fly out there I can only afford to go every 2-3 years. Someday, I'll move out there, even if just for a year or two! Are you loving it there so far? How long are you staying? Quote Vicki | Sheikah Bard | Level 13 STR 32.5 | DEX 51.1 | STA 25.5 | CON 37.1 | WIS 26.0 | CHA 31.3 blkhoe24601 Gains the Power to Revolutionize the World Past Challenges: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 2016 Battle Log Link to comment
ChristArtist Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Hi Sterre!welcome to the rebellion!I've been here for a little while...but I can't wait for the next challenge to start up as well! Just fyi - you would start in the Level 1 guild...http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/33328-challenge-instructions/After that, you jump into your specific guild! I know one person of Japanese descent...@Tennis Geek....great guy!But this group of folks is great for starting out, and getting to know others and supporting each other, as you 've already seen with blkhole24601 I am working on trying some races...but I am in the states, so, it is probably much easier for me. Looking forward to seeing you this next challenge! Quote In His hands and Under His wings, Phil 4:13; Is 40:31; Jer 29:11 Adventurer by choice Link to comment
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