..in Tokyo

This Tokyo Marathon is the real deal. 30,000 runners, big sponsors, and $80,000 each for the men's and women's winners.

Today I heard about a cool service: you can type in a runner's number (23149) on this site starting at 9am and check the progress of that runner. Times are updated every 5k. Hopefully my 5k times will be in the 24-minute range, though that is likely to fall off after 25-30k.

My number is B23149. The B designates my place in the starting queue. B out of K. I'm in the second-fastest group, which is pretty awesome. The weather will be interesting, with temperatures around 14C during the marathon. The wind is also predicted at 43km/h. Eeek! I'll have to experiment with my friend Wren's drafting suggestion.

I don't have any big predictions except that to say I haven't thought about it much. I am aiming for a 3:20 but don't think that's actually possible. I've had my requisite pasta dinner tonight and laid out everything for tomorrow morning. I have to be at the site around 8am to drop off my bag and get in place before 8:30, which leaves 40 minutes to stand in the cold. That's a greater concern for me than running the actual marathon.