The second early morning run

Yesterday I set my alarm for 4am, but today I set it for 3:30am and lounged around on my bed for 10 minutes before waking up.

I counted the number of people I passed by before I arrived at Nagai Park, and there were zero. Four bicycles passed by. The actual number of bicycles I saw was five, but one went in a different direction.

By the way, the shutters were closed at the JR Tsurugaoka station. The first train was around 4:30?

Here's a picture when I arrived at the start point. Taken at 4:26. Really dark, isn't it?

The radio exercise statue is also too dark to see clearly.

To keep the same pace for a longer period of time, 6.5 minutes per kilometer is probably a good pace for me right now. 

I ran 6 laps at a constant pace this time.

My heart rate was good, too.

While we were taking a short break, more and more people began to gather near the start point.

Soon, a radio broadcast began to come on from a speaker near the radio exercise statue.

Come to think of it, the neighbors said that they do radio exercises at 6:30 every morning in Nagai Park. No wonder there's a radio exercise statue. 

I participated in radio exercises while I was there.

What a pleasant way to start the morning. Maybe it's good to make a habit of it.

FYI: the English versions are on YouTube. You could try 😉

The first early morning run

There are too many people in the daytime anyway, and it gets muggy and sweaty quickly, so I set the alarm on my iPhone to 4 a.m. and took on my first early morning workout.

It was 4:24 a.m. when I left the house. It was dark outside. No one was there. I passed only two people before I reached Nagai Park. This is so comfortable!

This is the view of the starting point. See, not too many people there, right?　Photo taken at 4:45.

But I may be running a bit low on stamina due to my daily running. I mean, if I ran at my normal pace, my heart rate would be all over the place and I'd be out of breath. So I decided to run slowly, breathing through my nose, with my mouth basically closed.

On the third lap, the AirPods sounded like a dead battery notification. Seems like the right side wasn't charged.

That's why I decided to cut it off in an hour. I really wanted to run 4 laps, but I didn't have a choice.

As the sun came up, the crowds became more numerous and harder to run. I've said it a thousand times, but could you please refrain from strolling sluggishly side by side?

Here's what it looked like after the run, at 5:52. It's kind of like normal.

There's something nice and fresh about the early morning air. Maybe next time I should get up at 3:30?　I'd like to get an environment where I can run mindlessly at times when people aren't around, preferably without a mask.

8 laps run of Nagai Park for the first time

Seven and a half laps of Nagai Park is the distance for a half marathon, but another half lap doesn't seem to make much difference, so I ran eight laps as I felt like it, never mind my heart rate.

With temperatures this high, it's essential to stay hydrated during exercise.

I brought a 500ml sports drink with me and rehydrated every lap I ran.

My inner thigh muscles are weak, so I thought that I should just run while bouncing around vertically like a penguin to prevent pain at the base of my legs. They call it "pitch running"?

I didn't feel much pain after the run. I didn't feel my calves were sore either.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the people who don't usually exercise have been swamped by it.

A group of four or more people lined up side by side to fill the width of the road and walked slowly.  I've also encountered up to five people walking side by side at equal intervals, the full width of the road. Something like this.

It's going to get hotter and hotter, so I'll have to figure out a less crowded and more comfortable time of day.

20 km run for the first time

If it weren't for the coronavirus, there would be a marathon in Guam today.

So I figured I should be able to run a half marathon. I walked to Nagai Park (with a dash on the way) after dark to avoid the crowds, and I decided to run 7 laps for the first time.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and I just kept running at the same pace, enjoying the nighttime cherry blossoms. But there were some people having a cherry blossom viewing party, maybe 10 people in total. They looked like they were enjoying a barbecue, and I could smell their food. Give me a break....

Unfortunately, I had to work on Monday and I needed the extra energy to walk home afterwards, so I decided not to run seven and a half laps of Nagai Park (the distance of a half marathon) and decided to run up to the 20km mark insted.

Average Pace: 6'26/km - Not bad, is it?

At this pace, I'd be able to clear the entry requirements for most marathons.

When I finished the run, my calves in both legs were sore. The muscles around the hip joint on the outside of the base of my leg started to hurt.

I need to rest for a while.

But it gave me confidence that I could complete the half marathon distance properly.

I was finally able to cancel the hotel reservation for free!

This is a continuation of the following article.

I made a non-refundable hotel reservation last October, but United Airlines Guam Marathon has been postponed to September due to COVID-19.

United Airlines Guam Marathon - Run in Paradise

I asked the customer service of Booking.com, but they emailed me that I had to pay 100% cancellation fee - on Saturday.

Thank you for contacting Booking.com.

We have contacted the hotel to cancel your reservation. We are very sorry, but there is no exception, and the property has been notified that the full cancellation fee will be charged.

On the other hand, I continued to exchange email directly with the hotel..

I sent the following message on Saturday;

I made a reservation via Booking.com but no response so far.

United Airlines Guam Marathon has been postponed to September because of coronavirus so I want to reschedule.

I know it’s non-refundable but I cannot check-in.

Then they replied

Hafa Adai!

Please be advised that we would need proof of flight cancellation or supporting medical documents to waive cancellation fees.

Please provide either document if possible.

Si Yu'os Ma'ase'!

So I provided the screenshot of United app and forwarded the e-ticket email.

Then the other person from the hotel replied on Sunday;

Hafa Adai 

Email Received.

Please send cancellation with zero balance.

Thank you

I am not working for booking.com so I asked the customer service.

Then finally!

Well, I felt obliged so I rebooked to the same hotel again.

www.youtube.com

United Airlines waive change fees with original travel dates of March 9 through April 30

Last time I posted an article that United Airlines Guam Marathon has been postponed

So I have been in contact with United if they waive change fees in case of rebooking a flight on Facebook.

Finally, I successfully rebooked the flight for United Airlines Guam Marathon without change fees! I had to pay the difference, though. Really reasonable.

A travel waiver is in effect for your resavation.

View the waiver details to understand your options for fee-waived changes. If you'd like to make a change, select Change flight below.

On top of that, they gave me United EconomyPlus seats for around trip without additional fees! So I don't have to bring a lot of batteries 🔋

www.united.com

We’re also waiving change fees for all tickets issued on or before March 2 — domestic or international — with original travel dates of March 9 through April 30. 

FLIGHT CHANGES:

• New tickets must be reissued on/before December 31, 2020 or 12 months from original ticket date, whichever is earlier
• Rebooked travel must commence within 12 months from the original ticket issue date

ORIGINAL TICKET MUST BE ISSUED ON OR BEFORE:
March 2, 2020

 After I paid the difference with a credit card, they sent me the new e-ticket.

IMPORTANT CONSUMER NOTICES
Tickets - For tickets issued March 3 through March 31, 2020, customers will be permitted to change free of charge to a flight of equal or lesser value up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date. If the new flight is priced higher, customer may change for no fee but must pay the fare difference. If the customer decides to cancel their flight, they can retain the value of the ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date.
Cancellations: If the customer decides to cancel the flight they booked between March 3 and March 31, 2020, they can retain the value of the ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date.
Fare Validity: This applies to all tickets, all fare types, all destinations, all points-of-sale, all travel dates available for sale, provided ticket is issued on 016-stock.
Minimum Stay: No minimum stay.
Blackout Dates: No blackout dates.
Miscellaneous: Fares, fees, rules and offers are subject to change without notice. Seats are capacity-controlled and may not be available on all flights or days. Fares are nonrefundable except during the first 24 hours after purchase. Other restrictions may apply.

I'm glad if you can use this article as a reference. 

Starbucks Japan's measures for COVID-19 (coronavirus)

Starbucks announced measures for coronavirus

Translation (an extract)

Notice of changes in store operations related to the spread and prevention of new coronavirus infection

Thank you very much for using Starbucks.
We sincerely thank all those affected by the new coronavirus infection and those concerned.

Regarding the spread and prevention of the new coronavirus infection, Starbucks Coffee Japan has placed the highest priority on customer safety, and has ensured that about 40,000 partners (employees) working in stores and offices nationwide can work with peace of mind. Since the early occurrence of the disease in Japan, strengthen measures such as wearing masks for partners, installing alcohol for disinfecting customers, and canceling coffee seminars.
We will continue to take measures in light of the ever-changing situation in the future, but as of Monday, March 2, we will inform you of the hygiene management and store operations that have been decided to implement at all stores as follows.

■ About services

• Temporarily suspending drinks at the tumbler you bring
  * You can use the drink ticket (official name: Commuter Mag Coupon) attached when purchasing the tumbler.
• Suspended use of mugs and stainless forks / knives, and switched to paper cups and plastic forks / knives sequentially
• Provision of products to be delivered directly, load of method of money transfer
• Stop sampling drinks and food
• Temporary reduction of milk, honey and powder installed in the store
• Cancel coffee seminars, local activities and events

 But you can get the 20 yen cup discount if you have some mug or tumbler. Just show them yours, and they will give you 20 yen discount.

Instead of stainless fork, a plastic one like this. They offer paper cups for hot beverage.

Schools are now closed nationwide. I didn't see any students there, so now you can sit and eat or drink in the Starbucks.

abcnews.go.com