Last Sunday I got to participate in a race. For the first time, I ran a 5 km race with some friends through the streets and pathways of Bundang. I had been anticipating this day for some time – and was stoked when it was all complete. The idea to run a mini-marathon was not my idea initially – it was only something I considered after friends’ prodding. However, once comfortable with the idea – I jumped on board full force.
During my early stages of training, I was preparing to run a 10 km race. This seemed like a massive enough challenge for me. Yet, once the details were all sorted out – there turned out to be only two races here in Bundang – a 5 km and a 21 km. Now, obviously, 21 km was out of the question and 5 km seemed a tad short. But I had no other choice. So I settled on the 5 km and proceeded to try and run every few days.
Things hit a snag though a few weeks ago when I got sick. At first, I thought it was a just a cold – and at the start it seemed to disappear within a few days. Then, it came back – with a determination to stick around for awhile. At this point, it started to subside – only to come back with a force all of its own. I went to go to the doctor out of frustration more than anything but was told it was nothing more than a common cold. However, upon reflection, this latest reincarnation feels different than the previous attacks. I’m almost certain that my sickness is at least somewhat correlated with allergies.
During my early stages of training, I was preparing to run a 10 km race. This seemed like a massive enough challenge for me. Yet, once the details were all sorted out – there turned out to be only two races here in Bundang – a 5 km and a 21 km. Now, obviously, 21 km was out of the question and 5 km seemed a tad short. But I had no other choice. So I settled on the 5 km and proceeded to try and run every few days.
Things hit a snag though a few weeks ago when I got sick. At first, I thought it was a just a cold – and at the start it seemed to disappear within a few days. Then, it came back – with a determination to stick around for awhile. At this point, it started to subside – only to come back with a force all of its own. I went to go to the doctor out of frustration more than anything but was told it was nothing more than a common cold. However, upon reflection, this latest reincarnation feels different than the previous attacks. I’m almost certain that my sickness is at least somewhat correlated with allergies.
As a result, my fitness was at an all-time low before the race. But I had mentally committed to this race for weeks – and was not gonna lie around in bed. So, early Sunday morning I was raring to go. There is something exciting about a race – and especially a race with hundreds or thousands of people. I think what made it even more fun was running with a group of friends. Phil, Devin, Youngyoo (Devin’s girlfriend), Walter and other friends were all participating as well. It was great to start the run with them – but even more special to be there for the finish line. Actually, a few of our posse ran the 21km race so we stuck around for awhile after the 5km finished. That’s an achievement. For real.
It was a beautiful day – and in spite of my allergies – I enjoyed every minute of it. The feeling of satisfaction after completing the race was surprising as well. I had never anticipated just how much fun the whole experience would be. If you want to know – I finished just under 30 minutes. I’m not exactly proud of that – but it could have been worse!
As for the future, I would like to complete one more race before leaving Korea. There’s a 10km race at the end of May that I’m seriously thinking about. I’ve just got to figure out the facts. I’m excited. Maybe I’ll get into running these kinds of events back home too…Cheers!
-Paul
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