Running in the land of Murakami

TOKYO, Japan — Some things you’ll hear early in the morning at the Imperial Palace in autumn: the crackling of golden leaves, the bellowing of huge black crows (Baby, here I am…), and the absent sound of motorists. The day is starting out chilly, at 12 degrees, and we, a group of journalists from different parts of Asia, are freezing in our sportswear.  We are told we’ll be treading the entire perimeter of the Palace, a total of five kilometers, wearing our brand new Asics MetaRun shoes. The men in black and gold, the women in black and rose gold. Asics had just launched the futuristic long-distance running shoe — the future of running shoes, really — the day before, and had generously given each of us a pair for a test run.

I’m neither a runner, nor any good at anything long-distance. I run twice weekly as a form of exercise, but I don’t bother with form or anything that’s actually happening as I run. I just run. For Murakami, running is both an exercise and a metaphor. I’m as much a Murakami as I am a runner — that is, not. But running is a metaphor for me as well, a different one each time, and a chance to clear my head. “Being active every day makes it easier to hear that inner voice,” he writes. Today, my inner voice tells me that I can’t feel my face, and I will probably suck at this activity with all these athletes and health buffs aggressively stretching around me. Yet, here I am with my thoughts about running in the land of Murakamis, right before running. Is that meta or ironic? Can’t really tell with Alanis as my teacher. But the shoes, man. Let’s talk about them.

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

The minute Paul Miles, Asics senior general manager, unboxed them before us, everyone knew it was one beautiful running shoe. Minimalist, even. Upon wearing them, one thing that stood out to me was that they were impossibly light and bouncy. The MetaRun incorporates five new technologies that make it 20 grams lighter, and gives runners 28 percent more rearfoot stability, 15 percent more midfoot stability, 18 percent more rearfoot cushioning, and more bounce thanks to the FlyteFoam midsole.

AdaptTruss technology allows it to adapt to the runner’s pronation and reduces pressure on the foot during a long run. It’s a shoe in which optimized fit, stability, and lightness co-exist — not an easy thing to do, as weight and comfort are usually sacrified in the process. As Kenta Moriyasu, Asics Institute of Sport Science Footwear Function development manager says, it’s a shoe designed for performance. “Lightweight stability is difficult to achieve. MetaRun sets a new benchmark for Asics footwear technology and these technologies are going to be in subsequent products going forward.” If you could break in a running shoe by going a good five kilometers without once feeling any sort of foot pain, it must be good.

IF THE SHOE FITS

Later that day at the Asics store in Ginza, I take my shoes off for a Japanese stranger. He puts stickers on my feet and asks me to put them inside a machine that analyzes them via a digital measurement interface. Things get pretty sci-fi. He tells me that 1) I am using my left foot more than my right because my heel is at an angle that indicates it is usually holding most of my weight; 2) That the big toe on my left foot is too close to my second toe and that the little toe on my right foot is too close to my fourth toe; 3) That my right foot is higher than the left.

All these make so much sense. He recommends that I wear shoes that increase stability for my angled heel, wear socks with toes so they’re separated when running and I don’t get blisters (so embarassing), and that I simply lace my right shoes a bit looser. This foot analysis service is also available for free at Asics in Bonifacio High Street.

The Ginza store also features the Asics Running Lab, a state-of-the-art center of geekiness for serious runners. In one room, Asics tests how the body functions and responds during running — heart rate, breathing, form and all, and in another room, they check body features like height, balance, flexibility and muscle strength. The results are compared against other runners’ all over the world and you get an analysis of how you can perform better. Since the Japanese are very serious about running (the Tokyo Marathon is a national affair; they have the ekiden, long-distance relay marathons typically staged in the winter — a tradition that began in 1971), and since Asics is a big supporter of the Tokyo running scene, athletes pay 20,000 yen or roughly P7,600, to have their form and performance analyzed at the lab.

GOING THE DISTANCE

By the time I complete the five kilometers, a lot of the participants are already hanging out in the back alley of our starting point doing all sorts of unhealthy things. It’s 10 a.m. and the streets around Chiyoda have been activated by the work day. I am spent, but not in pain, and I have a hundred new photos on my phone. Always a good thing.

I sit on the front steps of a building with a new friend and discuss lunch. Takoyaki in Harajuku? Ramen in Shinjuku? Perhaps coffee in Ginza? Our feet are ready to go anywhere in our Asics MetaRuns. They’re not just good for long-distance runners, but also for tourists who are willing to go the distance.

During a fun run I once joined, a supportive colleague yelled: “Run like there’s ramen waiting at the finish line!” For once, there actually is. And so we run the home stretch, through train stations, past closed bars, and across pedestrian lanes. The prize? A steaming bowl of heaven and perfectly comfy feet.

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Asics Meta Run will be available in the Philippines in limited quantities this December. Sonia Trading is the exclusive distributor of Asics in the Philippines and has been partners with Asics corporation for 50 years now. Asics is also being distributed by Sports Central, SM Department Stores, Runn'r, Planet Sports, Zalora, Team Sports, and sports shops nationwide. For the full range of Asics collections, visit Asics shops in Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 3, TriNoma, Fairview, Ayala Center Cebu, and Centrio Mall CBD. Photos by CHONX TIBAJIA