Hiroyuki and his wife, Yukiko, cross the finish line in Honolulu.

An article by Casey Yamazaki and Kim Oishi: 

Many of us remember what ultramarathon star Dean Karnazes achieved in 2006. Project 50/50—running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days—was phenomenal, incredible, and looked extremely hard to replicate, especially for the rest of us with day jobs. Now, though, an amazing CPTC member has made a new legend with his own 50/50.

Hiroyuki Nishide, 47, who is a CPTC master runner and a full-time banker, finished the Honolulu Marathon in 3:58:35 on December 14th, 2008. As an experienced marathoner, crossing a finish line is a relatively ordinary ritual. But this time, coming back to Waikiki beach after 26.2 miles in hard rain was an unforgettable one, because it meant Hiroyuki had successfully completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 11 years. What is more amazing is that he accomplished this demanding achievement in his 25th-anniversary year together with his wife, Yukiko, of the Westchester Track Club, who is a breast cancer survivor.

According to Hiroyuki, the couple decided on their own 50/50 project in August 2004 after they ran their fourth marathon, and aimed to complete it by their 25th-anniversary year, 2008. “It was just our own personal plan and we were just hoping that it could be accomplished someday. But as we finished more marathons, it became more realistic that we would be able to complete it,” he said. However, their voyage was not as easy and peaceful as they first thought. In 2005, Yukiko was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo multiple regimens of radiation therapy. “It was very hard to accept and overcome this tough situation, but going out to the Rockefeller State Park and running with our fellow runners encouraged us a lot. Without running, we could not have been able to fight against the cancer.” Since Yukiko’s recovery, they have had to run marathons with incredible frequency (a pace of one marathon per month), which may not be advisable according to Coach Tony’s weekly words of wisdom…. Although it was a grueling path, the couple kept encouraging each other and carried out the achievement of their goal with their strong spirit and even stronger love for running.

We’re not sure if the Nishide 50/50 is the first 50/50 by a couple in the U.S., but it is at least the first in their home country, Japan, and in the history of CPTC. What an amazing accomplishment by one of our fellow members!

Although it is just one month since the completion of their long-term project, the minds of the Nishides are not wandering. Their ambition never ends. They said, “We’ll keep challenging. Now we have set a new goal, a quest to complete seven marathons in seven continents by our 50th anniversary!!”  They literally mean all seven continents–including Antarctica, of course! We don’t know how the current rate of global warming will help them with running all over that shivering cold continent, but we’re sure that there will be another big celebration in 2033!!

                                                                     Hiroyuki        Yukiko

The most salient conclusion is, it is better to sacrifice optimal  training for injury prevention. Those problems which are apparent in  stride should never be ignored. Healing is slower as we age. If I start a run and feel an injury, I walk home. If that same injury is present the next day, I will defer the run for as much as a week. This isn’t to say I don’t cross train. Without cycling, I’d lose  aerobic fitness. If pain arises during the run and does not resolve in a reasonable time, I walk home.

Which brings us to the necessity of maintaining aerobic fitness. There is no substitute for this. When I broke a rib snowboarding 4 years ago, I got on a stationary bike the next day. In just a bit over a month I was running in and around my PB. Looking back at my running history, I would guess that 10 years of continuous aerobic base accounts for a lot. An older athlete doesn’t have the luxury of time to get back into shape.

I have come to appreciate the difference between muscle soreness and true muscle fatigue. You can train on the former but must recover first before training with fatigue. Been there and done that: spent months recovering from too much for too long without recovery. Going hard 3 days in a row feels great when it works. But if I don’t back down and recover I am toast: no power, no speed. Pushing one more time is not only uncomfortable, it is a fool’s errand. Recovery will make you stronger but pushing hard ahead will break you down. Going into the red affects my performance on the bike as well. There is little as humiliating as falling off the back on an easy club ride.

So how is my current training going? Less than perfect.  I personally committed myself to running the grand prix half marathon series back in the winter. Between injuries and an overly ambitious event schedule on wheel and foot, my weekly mileage is pitiful. Speed work with the club on Tuesdays has been important. But you can’t live on icing alone. There is no substitute for mileage.  I’ve been using my half marathons as long runs, a less than perfect strategy. Currently injury-free, the rabbit keeps getting bigger and the hat smaller.

The term “injury-fee” at my age is a euphemism for “between injuries.” The math is getting difficult.  However, being an optimist also accounts for a lot.