What a wonderful relief to be out of Beijing and into the peaceful calm of the Japanese countryside.

We arrived at the Hiroshima airport two days ago and went straight to bed after a quick dinner. That first night we ran at 3am and were greeted by a wonderful sunrise and a beautiful series of running legs that wound through the islands directly east of Hiroshima. After just a few hours in our new surroundings and 10 miles of running, I was shocked by how much more relaxed I felt. Traveling so quickly between such different areas – from the mayhem and pollution of Beijing to the tranquility of Onomichi – made me realize how much more at peace I feel when I’m out along the ocean away from the big city.

On my leg I ran over a 1-mile long bridge to a beautifully lush island, with steep green slopes cutting into the Pacific Ocean. I knew from speaking with our guide that I would be running on a pedestrian path across the bridge, one level below the car traffic. As I neared the bridge I stopped to ask an elderly Japanese man on a moped if I had missed the pedestrian trail entrance. After a few minutes of charades and much smiling on both sides, my new Japanese friend communicated to me that I had indeed missed the path and he graciously guided me back on my way. As I crossed the bridge I took a deep breath and couldn’t help but enjoy the spectacular view of islands and mainland on both sides.

When Simon finished our last leg of the morning we took advantage of a small strip of sandy beach to cool off a bit in the ocean. Refreshed from the swim, beautiful run and crisp, clean air, I couldn’t stop gushing about Japan.