Running to Help Japan and Runmeter

A few days ago, my friend Steve tweeted to the company that makes the iPhone running app "Runmeter." He told them about what I am doing and that they should gift me the app as a way of supporting me and Running to Help Japan. The kind folks at Runmeter did just that Last night I installed the runnnig app on my phone and I used it fir this mornings run! I still have a lot to learn about the functionality of the app, but so far, so good! I really like it. It has a lot of options my previous running app didn't have. I like the fact that it will tweet my location and maps to people as I run. i also like the fact that if people send me tweets on Twitter or messages on Facebook while I run, a voice reads them to me! Great motivation.


here is the Runmeter display showing the stats on my run today. Actually, I would have run this about 5 minutes faster, but I stopped to fumble with the app and figure things out. There is a function that stops it from recording when I am not in motion (great if you are stopped at a traffic light), but I didn't know how to turn it on until half way through the run!


Thanks to the fine folks at Runmeter for supporting me in my run. I appreciate you sending me this very cool app and will use it during my June ultra run for Save the Children. i will also use it during the Osaka Marathon and some other runnning events this year!


Here is the map data from the run I did this morning in Kobe.



Make a donation to "Running to Help Japan" by clicking the button below:

My Running Week in Review

Of course, if you are reading this blog post you probably know that I am currently training to run a 60km ultra marathon in order to raise funds for Save the Children's Disaster Relief Fund.

Here is my week in running in review. Over the following weeks my mileage will increase:


This image is from my training log over on Daily Mile.

Running to Help Japan Training Continues and Black Water

Today was a day filled with a picnic, a sick son and a run. I went to the Hanami party like I mentioned yesterday, but didn't drink since I wanted to get a training run in afterwards. I initially planned to run this morning, but my son woke up around the same time as me and was feeling miserable with a cold. I decided it was better to hang out with him in the morning and run later on.

I had a decent run downtown and by some of the waterfront in Kobe. It was a slow pace, but my knee felt stronger than any other run in the previous two weeks.

You can see a map of my run this evening (recorded with Runkeeper, the app I will use to document my 60k run in a few months):


The game plan for tomorrow is an early rise and 10-11k before breakfast. I also plan to go to sleep earlier than normal tonight. The more I sleep, the faster my knee heals!


I wanted to share a great song with you all today. this was written and performed by a Canadian musician who lives in Nagoya, Japan. Check it out and share it:




You can sponsor me when I run my 60k ultrarun to Help Japan:

Running to Help Japan....the Beginning

My name is Kevin O’Shea and I am a Canadian teacher, father, runner, husband, and social media junkie. I am known by many on You Tube as "BusanKevin" and "jlandkev." I live with my family, in Kobe, Japan.

I have been living in Japan for three years and have a strong attachment to this country. My wife is Japanese and our son is both a Canadian and Japanese citizen.

The events of March 11, 2011 will be something that Japan will never forget. The massive earthquake and resulting tsunami took thousands of lives and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. The resulting nuclear disaster is still ongoing. Japan is an amazing country that needs help. Japan needs help from everyone of you!



I want to do more though. That’s how I came up with the Running to Help Japan Project. Although I’ve never run an ultra marathon before, I decided that this tragedy was a good reason to start!

On June 12, 2011, I will run 60km in the city of Kobe to raise funds for both Save the Children and the Japanese Red Cross. This will not be an official race. I will map a course in the city of Kobe, where I live, using the GPS iPhone running app Runkeeper. The accurate route map will be posted here on the site in upcoming weeks. (The actual date of the run may be subject to change in case of illness or injury.)

My run will be recorded using the Runkeeper app and people will actually be able to follow me live as I run on Runkeeper live (link will be provided on run-day).

It will be a long run and June in Japan is hot so I will set out very early in the morning (I estimate it may take up to 7 hours for me to finish this run). I hope to start my run at 5:30 - 6:00am on that Sunday. I have no “projected time.” Finishing is my goal!



This blog will be a training dairy, and media center of sorts. There will be video blogs as well as written blogs about my training, fundraising efforts outside of running and events in Japan itself. I will post maps of training routes as well as photos and my Twitter feed.



If you are interested in making a donation to Save the Children, click on the button below!


Contact me by email: kevinkansaischool@gmail.com