Mary Joy Tabal (left) with Japanese legend Olympian marathoner Akio Usami in a photo from the former’s Instagram account.
THE ROAD to the Rio Olympics is tougher than what Mary Joy Tabal thought.
The Cebuana marathon queen is currently in Tokyo, Japan to train for her stint in the prestigious Boston Marathon, which is a qualifying event for this year’s Rio Olympics. The Boston Marathon is slated April 18 while the Olympics is scheduled August.
Tabal has been in Japan for a week now and said one of the biggest obstacles in her training is the weather.
“I am slowly getting used to it but I’m still adjusting,” Tabal told Cebu Daily News.
As she enters her second week of a scheduled month-long training, Tabal said she is expecting tougher times ahead.
“The first week was already difficult, how much more the coming weeks? I think there’s more obstacles but I’m still motivated and willing to learn,” said Tabal.
Tabal is being trained by Japanese marathon legend Akio Usami in Japan. She said that she already learned a lot from Usami such as using her running form efficiently to economize her endurance in a long distance run.
“That way, I can be efficient with my energy and that would not affect my performance,” Tabal explained.
Tabal’s training in Japan is made possible by the MotorAce Racing Team.
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