Happy 4th of July!

I decided to celebrate the independence of my home country today by attempting a "long run" this morning. Last time I made it only 4 train stations, so today's goal was simply further than that, depending on how my body would handle the heat/humidity.

Perhaps it was the overcast skies, or simply the fact that I was going uber slow, either way I made it an additional 3 stations, right into downtown - just over 7 miles roundtrip. My first decent run in a looong time, and after standing in front of my A/C unit (that's right, we don't have the oh-so-luxurious central air) for about 15 minutes, it felt gooooood to have taken the first step in getting back into shape :)

After watching the Sapporo International Half Marathon and the Paraguay vs Spain match on tv (I know, since when did I start watching sporting events out of my own free will?  I don't even know myself!), we headed to a local 4th of July BBQ full of brisket and pork shoulder, oh my!

Didn't think I'd get me some brisket this good in Japan!

On top of that, I even got a dose of doggie time too!

Meet Maverick!  He's no Kobi or Gymmy, but he'll do for tonight!