RETO menu is the source of growth

RRC member interview

Text: Shun Sato

Takahiro Ichikawa, the A1 team's (goal: sub 3 hours 00 minute full marathon) 6th season MVP

The Hokkaido Marathon: Never giving up until the very end

I feel quite honored to receive the season MVP award even though I didn't even beat my personal best (wry smile).

In the second half of the Hokkaido Marathon, my pace slowed down and it was quite a tough race, but it was a great experience for me personally. I positioned the Hokkaido Marathon as a long-distance run in preparation for autumn and winter, and my theme was to maintain a consistent pace with Tsuchi (Yusaku Tsuchimoto). Even though it was hot and tough, everyone's encouragement and Tsuchi's support allowed me to run without giving up until the end, and this has now given me the strength to endure tough and difficult times in marathons.

The monthly quota is 300 km

As summer began, I made it a conscious effort to train for over 300 kilometers per month. This was because I had heard from team members and other people that I needed that distance to achieve a sub-3 time, and I agreed with that. I started this in July, and I challenged myself to run 25 kilometers or half-miles several times a month.

The effect of solo speed training

I also did speed training in the mornings along the Meguro River, where I can run about 1 kilometer in a straight line. Thanks to that, I initially found the 3 minutes 50 seconds cruise interval at the RETO training session tough, but now I can run it quite easily, so I feel like my cardiopulmonary function and running ability have improved as a result of the training. At the Teganuma Half Marathon, I was able to control my own strength and set a personal best time (1 hour 26 minutes 39 seconds), which has given me a lot of confidence.

Diligently follow the RETO menu

Another thing I was particularly conscious of was completing all the training menus that Seiya created exactly as they were written. I'm busy with work and raising children, so I don't have much time to go to various training sessions. Seiya has created a menu to help me achieve a sub-3 time, so I focused on that training. Other than jogging, I've only been doing Seiya's menus, but my running ability has definitely improved. I want to continue to diligently complete RETO's menus and achieve my goal of a sub-3 time.