Tokashiki Half-Marathon

Yesterday I did my laundry and paid close attention to what I ate. I stretched last night and woke up at 5:40am this morning to stretch again, eat early, and shower. All in preparation for today's Tokashiki half-marathon. Tokashiki is the big island in the Kerama chain and there aren't many opportunities for me to see it. I was annoyed at the exorbitant entry fee of 4000 yen (just under $40) but entered because I knew I would be in shape and Tokashiki is just so close.

I met the first grade teacher at the port at 7am, when the boat was supposed to leave. Three of us were going from Zamami and we were picking up 10 others from Geruma. A lady came running up a few minutes later to tell us that the boat was canceled due to high winds. The excuse given was that they thought it would be dangerous for the children (what?). I was not amused in the least because while last night's winds were rather strong, this morning's were not (I checked online prior to leaving). Boat decisions are always made the morning-of, but it appears this decision was made last night.

There are few times when I get frustrated with small island life. Very few. I like being separated from the mainland and I appreciate the reminders we get with boat cancellations. But I don't want the cancellations to affect me! My frustration was only amplified by my belief that the winds were not in fact strong. Losing the $40 entry fee (that I thought was a rip-off to begin with) didn't help, but the worst of it all was that I still had to run 26k today as part of my training plan for the Okinawa City Marathon in two weeks.

In an attempt to channel my frustration, I began the run as quickly as possible. It worked; I ran the 26k in 2:08.

Now I'm sitting here while the Tokashiki half-marathon is taking place only 3-4 miles away. On the other side of a channel with calmish water (I could see it from my running route). The only conclusion I can come to is that a boat driver (or the village office paying him) was not excited about spending the day on Tokashiki. Perhaps understandable, but 13 people were affected by this decision, including people who have been training. Also, some $400 in entry fees were wasted.

Argh.