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Remembering Bill BowermanFeb. 20, 2022 — Yesterday was Bill Bowerman’s birthday. I have written a blog before about Bill’s passing on the Christmas Eve in 1999…

Happy Birthday, Jogging!!Feb. 11, 2023 — A week ago, Peter Thompson shared his story on the birth of jogging in the USA, in a small town of Eugene, OR, 60-years…

60th Birthday of Bowerman’s Running Revolution .. 3rd February 1963–2023Feb. 3, 2023 — Following story was shared to me by Peter John L. Thompson on the birth of “Jogging Movement” in the USA.

Against All Odds — R.I.P. Sir HalbergDec. 5, 2022 — Late in the evening of 11/30/2022, I received a message from my friend in New Zealand. It was a news of Sir Murray…

Remembering Arthur on His BirthdayJuly 6th, 2022 — We have been doing a remodeling of our main bathroom since March. We just installed a new shower door recently. It’s a…

The Greatest at “Greater Boston”July 1, 2022 — It was late last evening when I saw a post at Facebook that Coach Bill Squires had passed away. Bob Hodgie-san forwarded me…

R.I.P., Gentleman JohnFeb. 25, 2022 — It was with great sadness to start the day to find out that one of great middle distance runners from Down Under, and one…

L.S.D. Guru of JapanFeb. 3, 2022 — When I came back from my one-year stay in New Zealand with Arthur Lydiard to Japan, I did a quick translation of his…

Sir Peter Snell’s Mile World Record Recognized by WAJan. 27, 2022 — Sixty years ago today, Peter Snell set his first world mile record with 3:54.4 at Cook’s Garden in Wanganui, New Zealand…

Happy Birthday in Heaven, “Pre”Jan. 25, 2022 — Never did I ever think this rather little-known (in Japan) American runner who some people even think is just a product of…

Running is Special???Jan. 23, 2022 —A simple answer would be: Yes! Running IS special in a sense that you probably gain a lot more “buck for the bang”. After 2…

Calm, Relaxing….and Freezing!!Jan. 17, 2022 — We are having a heat-wave right now. We I went for a run today, it was 26 degrees F!! But last weekend, when I did a long…

The Continuing StoryJan. 9, 2022 — The first week of January is a busy week for Japanese road racing scene. There is All Japan Corporate Team Ekiden…

Happy New Year, from 2021 to 2022!Jan. 1, 2022 — Someone posted a clip from Academy Award winning movie, “Chariots of Fire” on Facebook (which I had shared on Lydiard…

“Looking Good” MattersDec. 24, 2021 — “I will run with perfect style when they start judging races for their beauty, like figure-skating…”. This is a famous…

Remembering Arthur Lydiard, the ManDec. 11, 2021 — This is one of my favorite Arthur Lydiard quotes: when an overweight reporter asked him why he ran; “Because, if I don’t…

Fukuoka Marathon Forever!!Dec. 3, 2021 — This weekend, the last of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships will be contested. It is the end of the era…

Giving “THANKS” on Thanksgiving…Nov. 27, 2021 — Maybe not necessarily THE first time but certainly one of the early memories of my ever hearing about this American…

Remembering Steve HoagSept. 15, 2021 — It is said that the definition of “fool” is someone who keeps making the same mistake. Well, I’m guilty as charged!! When…

The Day that Ignited “Running Boom”Sept. 10, 2021 — Forty nine years ago today, September 10th, 1972, it was the last day of the 20th Olympiad in Munich. Many of the finals…

The Golden HourSept. 2, 2021 — It’s been a while; I guess it’s “post Olympics burn-out syndrome”??? I challenged myself to write “memorable” stories of…

Happy Birthday, Arthur!July 6th, 2021 — Ever since I got to know Arthur, I have tried to send him a card or call him on his birthday to wish him a very happy…

Learn the Past; Find the Path for the FutureJuly 3, 2021 — This is the cover of famous “Red Booklet” (reproduction of this booklet can be seen HERE). I first met with Dr. Dick Brown…

R.I.P. Dr. UllyotJune 25, 2021 — I was once again getting my “other” blog ready when yet another sad news came in— we have lost an icon; a true path-finder…

Japanese Woman Marathon PioneerJune 7, 2021 — Came across an interesting article. A lady by the name of “Kiyoko Ohi (formerly ‘Obata’)” participated 2020 (+1) Tokyo…

PRE!May 30, 2021 — I never watched him race in live (including on TV). In fact, I didn’t even know who he was while he was alive and competing…

Remembering Dick QuaxMay 28, 2021 — It has been 3 years since I received a call from Roxanne, Dick Quax’s wife, at 6AM while I was jogging with my daughter in…

Never “Over-the-Hill”May 23, 2021 — Just I was getting ready to post my blog this morning, a sad “shocker” news came in via Facebook. England’s legendary…

Power of AdaptationMay 17, 2021 — We have the cutest dog!! Her name is Foxy. She is a pomarenian-poodle. She loves to jump up on our bed (we have a storage…

First Four-Minute MileMay 6, 2021 — Sixty-seven years ago today, “Mt. Everest of Athletics” was conquered. A young medical student from Oxford University by the…

Lilac BloomsdayMay 3, 2021 — Anne Audain’s facebook post reminded me that this weekend is Spokane’s Lilac Bloomsday. Of course, unfortunately, because of…

Grete (1953–2011)April 25, 2021 — This past Monday (April 19) marked10 years since the world lost one of the greatest female athletes of all time and one…

Tech-aided PerformanceApril 17,2021 — A while back, I read an article about the new Japanese National Stadium, the site of 2020 (+1) Tokyo Olympic Games; that…

Use It, Or Lose ItApril 11, 2021 — I was watching a Japanese news on YouTube recently and I heard something interesting — “Corona Locomo”. Japanese love to…

FUKUOKA!!April 3, 2021 — When I was 11 years old and I had no idea what the heck this “marathon” thing was, but I knew about Fukuoka Marathon. It…

Team Hoyt Forever!!March 27, 2021 — As I was finishing up my Part 3 of “Runners from the Land of Rising Sun”, the sad news came in. The father of “Team Hoyt”…

Runners from the Land of Rising Sun (Part 3) — TrainingMarch 17,2021 — When Coach Susumu Takahashi decided to switch the prep work of Masayuki Nagata for Lake Biwa Marathon in 1962, Nagata was…

Runners from the Land of Rising Sun (Part 2) — Lydiard ConnectionMarch 12, 2021 — The result of Rome Olympic Games was a shocker to Japanese marathon squad. The unknown soldier from Ethiopia named Abebe…

Runners from the Land of Rising Sun (Part 1) — BackgroundMarch 5, 2021 — Last weekend (2/28/2021), they had Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan. Lake Biwa had served as Japan’s Olympic Marathon Trials…

The Greatest Upset in Olympic HistoryFeb. 27, 2021 — Everybody has heard of his story. Any runner and coach has seen a black-and-white video clip (THIS is my favorite although…

Grow the Roots in the WinterFeb. 21, 2021 — At 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Japan’s Naoko Takahashi became the first female athlete from Japan to win the gold medal in…

How Far Have We Come?Feb 12, 2021 — Just as I was writing my blog on “The Magical Week”, Anne Audain shared a link about the new Wanganui Mile — the Cooks…

The “Magical Week” Down-UnderFeb. 3, 2021 — Just as September 2, 1960, is forever remembered as the Greatest Day for New Zealand’s Athletics when Peter Snell and…

Long Run for Sprinters…?Jan. 29, 2021 — I participated a zoom Q&A with Running Niche a few weeks ago. One interesting question came up: “Is aerobic training (i.e…

The Long and the Fast of ItJan. 23, 2021 — While chatting with Anne Audain, she pointed out that, as she was reading one of my posts on Dick Quax, she realized that…

And the Winner is…SincerityJan. 15, 2021 — When Arthur Lydiard visited Japan for the last time in 1991, my friend, a runner and a writer, Mifuyu Komatsu asked him…

The “Winningest” RunnerJan. 9, 2021 — The other day I was talking to Anne Audain about 2020 and, naturally, with COVID (among other things), she wasn’t too keen…

Happy New Year! Happy Birthday, Dick Quax!!Jan. 1, 2021 — I saw this photo in 1975 in the Japanese running magazine as an “up-and-coming young athlete”. After 1974 Commonwealth…

The Bill Baillie StoryDec. 25, 2020 — One of the original “Arthur’s Boys”, Bill Baillie, passed away on the Christmas day 2 years ago. He was a great athlete…

Father Christmas of JoggingDec. 24, 2020 — It was during the Christmas vacation in 1999, in the days before e-Christmas letter (well, some people might have already…

The Human Potential: Post Script

Dec. 19, 2020--The owners of Running Niche in St. Louis, MO, Bob and Jen, have been helping us develop International Running Academy for several years now...

Hail to the Human Potential!!Dec. 17, 2020 — The story goes; one evening after the workout, coach Arthur Lydiard and the newly joined athlete, Peter Snell, sat in the…

….And R.I.P., Sir Peter SnellDec. 12, 2020 — Is it a coincident that, the day after (and 15 years later) the Master Coach passed way, his greatest protégé passed away……

R.I.P. — Arthur LydiardDec. 11, 2020 — In 1999, I organized the US lecture tour for Arthur Lydiard. That was something he personally asked me. I was working for…

The Unofficial World Championship Marathon — “Fukuoka”Dec. 7, 2020 — It’s been almost 30 years since I lived in the US, but when the first week of December comes around, I get excited. I grew…

The Sun Will Shine Again…Dec. 3, 2020 — This is one of my favorite lines in 1978 version of “Run — the Lydiard Way”: “…Most of the world’s greatest athletes have…

Getting into Shape is a Gradual BusinessNov. 26th, 2020 — The first time I saw about “Thanksgiving” holiday was when I was in high school in Japan (remember; we do NOT have…

First When There’s Nothing; But a Slow Growing Dreams…Nov. 21, 2020 — I’m a closet “Flashdance” fan… ;o) Okay, kinda embarrassing; but, hey, that was “Rocky” female and a dance version!! But…

An Elite Runner May Not Always Make a Good Coach…???Nov. 15, 2020 — Japanese had always been traditionally good with longer events than shorter events or field events in Track & Field (of…

Come from Behind…Nov. 08, 2020 — I’m going to start this with the election but I have no intention of making this political at all!! Nevertheless, when I…

Wax On…., Wax Off….Oct. 30, 2020 — That was just a Hollywood entertaining movie…. Surely, I didn’t care too much with that crane form or whatever it was……

Long Live the KingOct. 25, 2020 — On October 21st, 1964, the history was made. Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila won the Tokyo Olympics Marathon in the world best…

The System Still Works…Oct. 20, 2020 — In the spring of 1983, two of the fastest marathon runners in history clashed in Rotterdam. American’s Alberto Salazar…

Trust the TrainingOct. 17, 2020 — Coach Andrew Yates of UK shared the story of one of his runners, Kerry Clark. Thanks, Andrew and Kerry!!

The Loss of a Legend…Oct. 9, 2020 — Yesterday, the athletic world lost yet another legendary “teacher”. When I first heard the name, George Gandy, it was in…

The Mission Has Been Completed…Sixty years ago today, on September 10th, 1960, the marathon race for the 17th Olympiad was contested around the cobblestone ancient…

The Finest Day for the New Zealand AthleticsIt was 60 years ago today (September 2nd, 1960) when everything Arthur Lydiard had done in the previous 15 years had paid off and the…

Restoring the Legacy of Arthur LydiardWhen I started running in junior high school, I had heard plenty about this coach from Down-Under. Then I came across his 1978 version of…

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