Asia

Happy Morning Run

Published November 30, 2019

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!

: Castle Park

: registration & bib pick-up

: Japanese drums (和太鼓)

: Osaka Castle

: Happy Morning START

: United States of America 🇺🇸

: opening ceremony

: friendly sunshiny Japan

: 14 minute FINISH 🙂

Osaka ‘Happy Morning Run’

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Welcome to Japan

Published November 28, 2019

Lottery entered in April, golden-ticket pull 3 months later.

Osaka Marathon. Asia, my 7^th continent.

Thanksgiving celebrated Saturday. Snowpocalypse Tuesday.

D.I.A. 3:30am Thursday. Roads plowed; airport open. Going West – far far West.

LAX breakfast burrito. Bloody Mary. Next stop: Japan. O’er the Pacific, past the International Date Line. Touchdown: Osaka. Kansai Airport.

5pm, FRIDAY.

Taxi. Hotel check-in. Sleeps. ‘Happy Morning Run’ tomorrow.

Welcome to Japan. Land of the Rising Sun.

And this Sunday, my 7 Continent FINISH 😊

: Los Angeles ➛Osaka

: o’er the Pacific, past the International Date Line

: hotel home #what3words

: Asia, my 7th continent

Welcome to Japan

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7th Continent REALITY

Published June 24, 2019

7^th continent REALITY, my lottery name pulled.

Tradin’ turkey for sushi this year. Passing on the free entry to Abu Dhabi.

Path laid out; my globe now COMPLETE 🌏

Thanksgiving 2019 – JAPAN!

Moscow ⇨ Hamilton NZ ⇨ Toronto ⇨ São Paulo ⇨ Knysna SA ⇨ Antarctica ⇨ Osaka

OUT LOUD voice, speak it to the universe – PRAY. Stay faithful. Don’t get overwhelmed, DREAMS can’t always be planned. When/how. Pray to stay strong, that HIS will be done. ANYTHING is possible.

SEVEN continent REALITY!

Gettin’ my holiday SUSHI on – Osaka JAPAN, December 1^st – whoop, whoop!