Fastest 5k ever in my life?  Wasn’t even sweating.

After a series of 2-hour cat naps, up for the day.  Tight cruise-ship type of room.  Managed the shower.  Unpacked my run clothes.  Marathon not ‘til tomorrow.  Today, Osaka’s Happy Morning Run.  Start near Osaka Castle, same run beginning as Sunday’s marathon.

Sunshiny skies, light jacket.  Good to acclimate, get in a short run (after flying all-day yesterday).  Just a 5k – not the distance that had me freaked.  Japanese characters.  Super foreign.  Squiggle, 2 long lines.  Box shape, arrow to the right.  Crazy foreign.

Navigation: Google Maps to my destination, British app ‘What3Words’ would get me home.  No tunes, no streaming.  Phone fully-charged ALWAYS.  Solo travel navigation tool.

Immediately outta the hotel, wrong direction.  LOL>  Ok, reset.  Turnaround.  Much faster my second try.  Empty city streets.  Saturday morning early.  Two undergrounds, one long street – then, green park ahead AND other runners.  [GREAT hotel location 😊]

Once in Castle Park, English signage & super friendly volunteers.  Nicest folks.  Upbeat, smiles, ‘good morning’.  No blending.  Giant white Gulliver far, far from home.

Brought my registration card.  Bib pick-up easy peasy (just kept showing my piece of paper).  ‘United States’ – VERY cool.  An hour early.  I’m where I need to be.  Just follow the crowd – & soak in the experience.  Sea of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Japan.

Announcements.  Something repetitive.  More Japanese.

WELCOME 🇬🇧 & an opening ceremony… DRUMS.  Traditional & AWESOME!  …& then we ran.  14 minutes.  Garmin read 1.5 miles.  Definitely notta 5k.  Short & sweet.  But… I got out.  No longer hotel sequestered.  Quick shower, change of clothes.

Focus: FOOD.  Handful of cherry tomatoes not gonna fill the Buddha.

Happy Morning, friendly sunshiny Japan!

Osaka ‘Happy Morning Run’