Winter`s here! Break out the heavy blankets, scarfs, hats, and gloves! Burrrrrrrrr......

In America, soon it will be Thanksgiving! Do you know about Thanksgiving in America? Do you know the meaning of this holiday? Do you know what Americans typically do to celebrate this holiday? If the your answer to one or more of the questions above is "NO", click on the link "November 2006" and "November 2005", and read about Thanksgiving on my blog from the past.

From tomorrow is a 3-day weekend, for most people. On Friday and Sunday I am off. On Friday, I will head up to the mountains, Fukuchiyama, and participate in the Fukuchiyama marathon. I ran and finished this marathon about 11 years ago. My time was an impressive 3 hours and 35 minutes...I ran as hard as I could...when I crossed the finish line I cried like a baby, and I didn`t even know why. Sometimes running a marathon can be very emotional. 11 years ago I was in very good shape, i didn`t drink alcohol, didn`t smoke(presently I don`t smoke either though) , was a vegetarian and didn`t eat meat or eggs or any dairy products, ran every day for about 45 minutes, rode my bicycle 90 minutes to and from work 5 days a week, did Aikido about 4 times a week, and weighed about 65-67 kilograms. I was a machine!

Now, I drink (only sometimes ;), eat meat, eggs, dairy products, and any food that is put in front of me, for that matter. Some people call me "The Vacuum", or people say "If you can`t finish it, just give it to Glenn...he`ll finish it". I have trained for this marathon since about 6 months ago, jogging 3 or 4 times a week for about 35-45 minutes...But on October 8th, when I did a long run of about 17 kilometers, I injured my Achilles tendon and heal. I thought it would get better in a week or so, but I was wrong. It still hurts, aches, is tender a little. But after the 8th, I began swimming at the gym I go to, DO SPORTS, about 3 or 4 times a week. Now I really like swimming...I am like a dolphin gliding through the water!! Haha, actually, I am like a flailing fish, flapping wildly...My goal is to just run with a smile tomorrow, and when my leg begins to hurt, stop with a smile too. Maybe I can run about 22 kilometers I think, but if my leg hurts after only 10 kilometers, then I will just stop. No worries! It should be fun...and I am looking forward to seeing the beautiful red and orange and yellow fall leaves as I run...

Hope you have a good weekend!