The stimulation and change of mindset I gained from RETO

RRC member interview

8th Course B Team (Goal: Sub-3 hours 30 minutes) MVP: Naoya Yamamoto

The diet begins

I started running around the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

I work in sales at a pharmaceutical company, so I usually visit hospitals and clinics to meet with doctors and medical professionals. However, COVID-19 restricted access to medical facilities, and we had to work mostly remotely. With our stores closed, I ate, drank, and did nothing, and I quickly gained weight. My weight went from about 64 kg to 70 kg, and my belly was protruding and flabby. Before taking a bath, I looked at my body and thought, "I really have to do something about this," so I started running to lose weight. Then, while I was looking for a team to join, I happened to read an article about Tamken (Coach Tamura). Later, when I was having dinner with Hiroyuki Arima, he told me that Tamken was a coach at RETO. I was so excited, he introduced me to him, and I applied.

Breaking away from snacking

I joined RETO in November, and the month leading up to the Shonan International Marathon was incredibly intense. Until then, I'd been training alone, watching YouTube videos and picking out different things to see which would work best. After joining RETO, the members taught me a lot about training and race planning.

How to gain distance

What surprised me the most was the monthly running distance. Until then, I had only run about 90 kilometers, but everyone else was running 300 or 400 kilometers. When I asked them how they increased their distance, I found it very helpful to hear that they increased their distance by running to work in the morning or evening.

The motivation of Strava

Until then, I would go out drinking on Fridays, and then waste half a day on Saturday (wry smile). I decided to cut back on Friday drinking parties and make time to run on Saturday or Sunday mornings. This increased my monthly running to 220km, and I still consistently run over 200km. What inspires me the most right now is Strava. When I see things like, "Everyone's running so early in the morning," or "They're running 20km on Sunday," I really feel like I have to do it too.

The only person to improve his personal best at the Itabashi City Marathon

The Itabashi City Marathon was a race in the heat and strong winds, and I ended up running with my contacts out of alignment. But thanks to everyone's support, I was able to finish the race and achieve a personal best (3 hours, 31 minutes, 55 seconds). I was struggling with the heat, but about 30 kilometers before the finish, I received an OS1. They even ran alongside me and took my trash. I was surprised at how delicious OS1 is, and it really gave me strength. It really brought home to me the incredible power of support. At the post-race drinks party, I was told I was the only person to achieve a personal best in Itabashi, and everyone congratulated me, which made me happy (laughs). I really wanted to break sub-3.5 to qualify for the Beppu-Oita Marathon, so I'll have to postpone that. I'm also registered for the Mito Man'yu Marathon, where I hope to achieve a sub-3.5.

Passionate Albirex Niigata supporters

Besides marathon running, I love soccer. I was on the soccer team until high school, playing defensive midfielder. I'm from Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, and have been a fan of Albirex Niigata since I was a child. I still go to see games in the Kanto region, but I usually watch them on DAZN. The subscription fee has gotten really expensive, but I grit my teeth and pay it to support the team (wry smile). I've heard that there are a lot of soccer fans in RETO, so I'd love to talk about soccer with you all. I only play futsal occasionally, and I have a uniform and cleats, but they're just gathering dust in my dresser now (wry smile). I've recently started buying more running shoes, and I recently bought the Vaporfly Next 3. I get excited when I wear them, and I hope to achieve my goals with them.