"I thought about quitting RETO many times" - Achieving a sub-4 time and recovering from injury in 430 days

RUNNERS REAL STORY Vol.1 Tomoko Tanaka

Text: Shun Sato

Morton's neuroma

It was in July 2022 that Tomoko Tanaka noticed something strange at the base of her toes.

At first, I was optimistic that it was just a strange feeling and would eventually get better, but when I participated in the RETO training camp in September, I was unable to run due to the pain and had to follow a different training program.

After that, even walking normally caused a throbbing pain, making it impossible to run. In October, when I consulted Daichi Kamino, he said, "It's the same symptoms I've experienced in the past," and he referred me to Dr. Shun Torii (orthopedic surgeon). When I was examined there, I was told that the name of the disease was something I had never heard of.

"Morton's neuroma"

Morton's neuroma is a condition that causes pain in the soles of the feet and at the base of the toes. It occurs when the nerves that run from the base of the toes to the tips of the fingers are chronically compressed at the base of the toes. Morton's neuroma is often caused by wearing pointed shoes such as heels for a long time, or by people with bone abnormalities such as hallux valgus, and Tomoko was suffering from hallux valgus.

A stern warning from the doctor

Moreover, at this time, Torii Sensei gave me a severe sentence.

"Basically, it can't be cured. You can only become able to run by living with the disease, so we'll start by giving you injections and seeing how it goes."

The injections were administered every two weeks, adjusting the amount of liquid depending on the pain, and treatment progressed. However, there was no improvement after one month, and even after two and three months, there was no improvement at all. If the pain in the leg was about 80%, after the injection, the pain would decrease to about 50% for two or three days. However, after about a week, when walking, the pain would return to 80%.

"It hurts when I walk, so I sighed when I realized I still have a long way to go. I can't see how quickly it will heal, and I don't know if I'll be able to go back to RETO. I wonder if the day will really come when I can run again. When I thought I might not be able to run anymore, I started thinking about all sorts of things, like whether there was any point in staying in RETO."

Should I quit RETO?

As 2023 entered marathon season, RETO members were breaking their personal bests one after another. Looking at Facebook posts of their marathon successes, I felt dazzled and envious, and cursed my legs, wondering why I couldn't run.

"If it's this hard, maybe I should just quit RETO."

I've thought that many times.

For Tomoko, running is something she loves and is an essential part of her life, so if she couldn't run, she thought she could spend her time on other things that interest her or that she wanted to pursue.

"But being at RETO, running is my second priority after work, so I thought maybe it would be easier if I could just take that away, and I was able to."

Support from friends and Kamino

This was because she loved running and had a strong desire to return, but at the same time, the presence of her teammates who supported her while she was undergoing treatment was a big factor.When her condition was not improving, she met and talked with RETO members Hoshi Ayako, Nozaki Nanako, and Hasebe Yuko in Tokyo, and the time they spent together was simply enjoyable, and it also reminded her that she was part of a team.

"During my treatment, I wasn't attending practice sessions, so I wasn't seeing anyone. But they created an opportunity for all four of us to meet up. They didn't say things like, 'We'll be waiting for you,' or 'Do your best,' but simply listened to me talk about the gloomy days I was having... I was so grateful for that."

Kamino's voice also supported Tomoko.

"Even after introducing me to the doctor, Mr. Kamino contacted me several times to discuss the results of my treatment. He told me, 'There is no disease that cannot be cured, so please wait,' and he really supported me."

Signs of recovery

It's May 2023, eight months after the first treatment.

Around this time, I finally noticed a change. The pain when I walked had significantly decreased. Dr. Torii told me, "Running protects the painful area and strengthens the surrounding area, so from now on, try running, even if it's just one kilometer."

At this time, Tomoko had made up her mind.

He felt that he had reached his limit with being a member of RETO while still unable to run. He decided that if he could not return to the 6th course in August, he would quit, and told this to his coach, Masaya Takagi.

"At first, I tried running one kilometer. I thought if the pain came back, I'd have to stop, but I didn't feel any pain. Next, when I ran five kilometers, it felt like my body had forgotten how to run, and it was really hard, but the pain wasn't so bad that I had to stop, and I got the feeling that I could still run. At this point, I thought, maybe I can finally do it."

At first, I increased the distance at a jogging pace, then did strength training and bike riding to improve my cardiopulmonary function. After I was able to run, I was unable to attend training sessions due to my frequent work overseas, and I couldn't do speed training frequently due to concerns about my legs. However, I decided that I needed to run at least 200 kilometers, and I set myself that goal. One time, the Nozaki couple and Hasebe-san held a private training session for me.

"Ton (Nozaki Toshio) pulled me along at an incredibly slow pace, like 6.5 minutes per kilometer, saying, 'This is Sato-chan's training.' Even now, when I think about it, I'm really grateful."

When Tomoko restarted running, she focused on thorough post-run care. Before developing Morton's neuroma, she only did simple stretches, and she believed that this accumulated fatigue was one of the causes of the condition. She used the care method using a tennis ball and stretching pole that Nakano James Shuichi taught in the RETO online course as a reference.

"I continued the care shown in this video every day. When I was busy, there were days when I only used a tennis ball or a stretch pole, but by continuing it without fail, I no longer had any major injuries and no longer had to go to the hospital or acupuncture clinic. For me, Nakano's care was a savior."

Return to team practice

In August, he returned to RETO RUNNING CLUB training sessions.

He quickly decided that his target race would be the Tohoku-Miyagi Reconstruction Marathon in November, with a goal of running under four hours.

"The speed training at RETO was tough, and I'd never run 40km in around 5 minutes 30 seconds, so I decided to give it a go. But Yukorin (Hasebe Yuko) and Nana-chan (Nozaki Nanako) offered to run with me at my own pace. It was very encouraging, and I didn't want to let that go to waste, so I decided to do the bare minimum I could to achieve a sub-4 time, and practiced."

Achieving a sub-4 time with all my might

On November 5, 2023, Tomoko ran in the Tohoku Miyagi Reconstruction Marathon. Hasebe was her pacer. She achieved an impressive sub-4 time of 3 hours, 51 minutes, and 43 seconds.

"Yukorin's pacemaking in the race was perfect. There were a lot of people at the start, so we were slow. She took that into consideration and asked me about the time to catch up and how I was feeling on the day, and she instantly changed her pace to suit that, running all the way ahead. During the race, she didn't think about the clock, she just focused on running, and she led as if she was just trying to keep up, so I felt really supported and it was such a luxury. I don't think I could have done sub-4 without Yuukorin and Nana."

Daichi Kamino, who was participating as a guest runner, was there to report that Tomoko had achieved a sub-four time. His polite response of "Congratulations" was filled with the kindness of Kamino, who knew that Tomoko had been struggling for nearly a year.

"Honestly, I'm relieved. I joined RETO with the goal of achieving a sub-4 time, but I quit before achieving it, and I thought it would be a bit tough to live the rest of my life with that burden. There are so many people who have helped me, including Mr. Kamino, and the only way I can repay them is through running. I had always thought I couldn't quit until I achieved a sub-4 time, so I'm really glad I was able to achieve it."

Tomoko still runs with the goal of running 200 kilometers per month.

Planned to participate in Tokushima and Hasetsune

My feet feel a bit tingly on some days, but the pain doesn't stop me from running. I feel like I can live with the slight pain.

"Next, I plan to run the Tokushima Marathon in March. I used to live in Tokushima, so I applied last year as well, but I had to cancel because I couldn't recover from an injury, so this year is my chance. Also, in Miyagi, I was able to achieve a sub-four time with support. This time, I wanted to run alone and achieve a sub-four time, so I would like to see that happen."

Tomoko is also scheduled to take part in the Hasetsune 30km race a week later. As she loves trails, she is not going to give up on running, and her smile has completely returned as she says, "I'm going to do what I love as much as I want."

An unimaginable 430-day battle

In fact, I met Tomoko in the waiting room during Dr. Torii's consultation in April 2011. We both shared a wry smile, saying, "If you're here, that means you're seriously injured, right?" But then, around the same time, we both started running again. While injuries are something no one should suffer, those who have sustained them feel a sense of comradeship, sharing the same pain. In that sense, I felt as happy as if it were my own achievement when Tomoko made a long recovery from that injury and achieved a sub-four time.

It may be difficult for Tomoko's injury to ever be fully cured.

However, the process by which he returned to the point where he could achieve a sub-four time will undoubtedly be a blessing to runners who have suffered from the same injury or been forced to take a long break, but are still looking forward and trying to make a comeback.