Sendai International Half Marathon 05/12/2019 Recap

The 6-day trip to Japan for the Sendai International Half Marathon was THE MOST amazing experience. But, that wasn't the only big event/change in my life this month.

The month of May in a nutshell...

- Graduation from LLU School of Pharmacy
- Moving into a new home
- Being accepted into the Rabbit Elite racing team

- Representing Riverside at the race in Japan

Graduation
I am excited for change and the new challenges and responsibilities that come along with it. Prayers have been answered and life unfolding as I transition into this next stage of my life where I will be graduating with my pharmacy degree after 9 years of college. I am studying for the pharmacist licensure exam (NAPLEX) and I plan on taking the exam by the end of summer. I am excited to soon make training my number one priority for once in my life!

There will be live online streaming of the pharmacy graduation on May 26th at 1:30 pm at: www.llu.edu/commencement

New Home
The true blessing in all of this change is being welcomed into a home to stay for the summer with friends from the Loma Linda Lopers running club. They have been so kind and supportive of my training and I feel like a part of their family. I had to move out of the room that I was renting prior because the pipe broke from under the flooring and it flooded and I had to box up everything and move out.

Rabbit Elite
Thrilled to be accepted into the Rabbit Elite team! Rabbit is a brand of running apparel that sponsors elite and non-elite runners. Rabbit athletes are composed of runners from all over the country that support one another through racing and community events. As part of the Rabbit Elite, they will provide me with a racing uniform, warm-ups, credit to purchase running clothing on their website www.runinrabbit.com, and a community platform to engage with the Rabbit family around the world.

SENDAI, JAPAN (May 9 - 14th)

Riverside Delegation

Runners: Joanna Grace Reyes, Julio Garcia

Coach: Linda Kennedy (Jalinda)

Chair of Sendai Committee of IRC: Yoko Boucher

The trip to Sendai was amazing in so many ways! Loved all the sights, sounds, architecture, food, and culture! Fun learning about the history of Sendai on our day of excursions on May 13th. All meals at the hotel were buffet style! My favorite part of the trip besides the race was the party after the race with all 8 sister-city delegations from around the world, Sendai city officials and Mayor Kazuko Kori. There was delicious food like shrimp stir-fry, sticky rice in bamboo leaves, mochi, and sake. Tried out a beautiful red kimono, participated in the rice cake pounding, and danced with the Date Busho Tai. Afterwards, I went to a restaurant with Julio and the runners from Texas and we all tried beef tongue. I also enjoyed visiting the Japanese gardener's home which looked like a traditional Japanese home with a low table and pillows as seats, shrine, antiques, and hand-carved wooden chairs and tables from a 300 year old tree. They greeted us kindly into their home with a bow and served us homemade mochi and fresh green tea which they whisked in small wooden bowls. They wanted to know more about us and wished us good luck on the race (they also cheered us on at the race)! Very grateful to have an English translator from Sendai who went everywhere with us! 

On race day, it was windy and I had bad jet lag, but still had a fun time running through the streets of Sendai with people cheering all along the course "Ganbatte!" (translation: keep attempting to do your best). The markers on the course were kilometers, which kind of threw me off because most races in the U.S. have mile markers and I always pace myself by miles not kilometers. There was over 1,000 ft of elevation gain throughout the course, which is the same amount of elevation gain as the L.A. marathon, but this race was half the distance so the hills made it tough to keep a fast pace. I finished as 12th overall female out of over 10,000 runners, and 1st sister-city female in 1 hr 20 min. Solid race for the challenging course, weather, and jet lag. 

Fri May 10th
- Flew into Tokyo on May 9th and rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai
- Welcome Ceremony with the Mayor of Sendai and all sister city runners
- Drive to preview the race course

Sat May 11th
- Visit Japanese gardener's home
- Lunch at Shokeikaku restaurant
- Shopping at Daiso, the 100 yen store (dollar store)

Sun May 12th
- SENDAI INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON
- Sister cities exchange party
- Restaurant with Julio and runners from Dallas, Texas

Mon May 13th
- Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Sendai Arahama Elementary School
- Fish Market
- Panorama Park
- Zuiganji Temple
- Matsushima Bay ferry ride
- The next day, took the bullet train from Sendai to Tokyo then flew back home

Slideshow of my trip to Sendai, Japan May 2019