We have been in Korea now for about 7 months. Prior to coming I had ramped up my running and completed 2 half marathons and 1 full marathon prior to coming out. I just got a GPS running watch which made running a little more fun, so you can say I hit the ground running here in Korea... But as life got busy I never registered for a race with the local running groups (mostly because every run they do is on a Sunday and for me personally, I view it as a religious commitment to keep the Sabbath as holy as possible. Yes I feel at peace when I run, yes I love to see God's world as I run, but in the end it is for me, for entertainment, so I sided with not running on Sunday if it is avoidable.
Too long an introduction... anyway - I found a link online that lists all the runs in Korea. I learned the words for Half and Full and could see the dates, but beyond that, as you can imagine, it is all in Korean. So I had no idea where the races were. So I enlisted the help of a friend from work who is Korean by birth to help me pick a run. So thanks to Danny Lim for helping me out on this.
The closest run was in Seoul. I still don't know the name of the run was, but it was on Korean Independent Movement day (Tuesday! not a Sunday), and was only 40,000 Won (~$35), AND came with a free pair of running glasses with interchangeable lenses. Great deal. It was a 1 hr 45 min train ride to get there, so gratefully the race started at 10 am.
Though I posted this on Facebook I will repeat this here. I had/have bronchitis right now. A first for me. I just got worse and worse till the day before the race, as I finished my shift in the ER the oncoming doc said, "Alright, enough already, check him in and lets get him treated." I felt kind of silly sitting there where my patients always sit as I felt I did not have an emergency. But the meds did take the edge off enough for me to chance this run.
However...when the cab would not pick me up in the morning, the temp was ~15 degrees and then the metro/train station issued me an IOU 7000 Won, I started to wonder if this was a sign that I should just go back home, make some chocolate milk, and climb in bed...
But no, I don't trust in little signs like this.... so I forged on. I got lost on a few transfers, but this nice gent (bottom left corner), saw me dressed in running gear and said in a questioning tone "Marathon?" as he made a running gesture. I nodded and he indicated to follow him. I later learned he was a pacer for the 30K. His wife was there with him. Thanks, nice stranger, for helping me navigate the train.
The train exit puts you right in front of the Sports Complex (ie Olympic Park). Really convenient.
Side note, to register for a race here in Korea, you cannot just put down your name, CC info and click a box that says I am over the age of 18. You have to do a local money transfer from a Korean bank. So as you can see, having an inside man help you register is important. Thanks again Danny.
On my way in. I did not get a picture but to your left and my right in the photo is a baseball stadium. The LG Twins play here and from what people say, the games are really r
fun.
Post-run photo op of the stadium. I know it is just a building but I love the Olympics and the spirit of friendly competition they provide. It seems like for this small moment we as humans remember that we are all just that, human, equals. We run, we jump, we swim in the spirit of national pride and competition, but it is done without guns, knives, or anything else that is ugly about this life experience.
The first look inside. The pics with the time stamp are from my GoPro knock off I bought for $80 in Thailand. Small and convenient for photos on the go. Also gives me a ~170 degree view from the lens.
The warm-up was on the track. The field is protected during the winter with the large tarps
This was fun. They lead group stretching prior to the race. A friend and fellow running of mine here in Korea (Lauren Bosshardt, a ER doc I work with) said that at the races she attended they even grabbed a partner and gave each other massages. Awesome! And yes, a bit outside the American comfort zone.
Leading the stretching
Side Bends
Stepped aside for the Full Marathoners.
And here is the group for the half!
Right before starting the run, they did some sort of war cry where the MC would say something and they would all raise a fist in the air and shout various things in unison. I really wish I knew what they were saying - but my ignorance did not stop me from joining. I pumped my fist and shouted incomprehensible things right along with them. Pumped and ready!
And a few action shots. Why have an action camera if I don't use it right? This is coming out of the stadium. I think the reason my GPS watch clocked me at 12.9 miles rather than the full half distance is because we ran through some tunnels and it messed up the distance calculations. Oh well.
This is what most of the run looked like. A nice running/biking path along the river on the south side of Seoul. The one nice thing about the cold front which had just settled in, is that it cleared the air of the nasty smog that had been hanging around.
I did not take too many pictures while running, I was just trying to focus on running without coughing up a storm. I did however see this... very humbling.
These guys are tethered together! The man in the middle is blind and was trucking it at a good 7:30 min/mile pace! Talk about humbling. There were several other couple runners like this. Sure makes you question any excuse you give yourself right?
Makes me think of how we should run with God through the marathon (or half, or 5k or whatever it's our course to run) of life. So often we hesitate change because we cannot see what God sees. The trick is to just trust Him and just keep running.
And here I am after the race. The pic most closely represents how I felt. Exhausted. I coughed non-stop for about 45 min. I nearly grabbed the ambulance but just had to talk myself through it. I knew what was going on... just give it time... a little more time... Gratefully I pulled through. But yes, running with bronchitis was idiotic. I would have told anyone else not to do it. But I am a guy and we always think rules apply to everyone else.
2 cool things about the runs here: 1) when you turn in your timing chip they print you a certificate of completion. 2) If the full marathon is out of your reach, but the half seems to be not quite enough, just sign up for the 30K! 30K = 18 Miles so it is the next step towards the full. Kind of cool.
My certificate
The fast guys getting their trophies
Outside the baseball stadium you will find KFC and Burger King. Next to them, one of my favorite things about Korea: mom and pop sit-down restaurants that sell Korean style fast food. Here is some Kimbap (rice roll with ham, pho crab, pickled radish, carrots, kimchi, etc, really yummy), miso (hot fish broth, not fishy actually) which hit the spot, and some pickled radishes (a form of kimchi) which I love.
Lessons learned:
1) Don't run with bronchitis, but if you do have fun.
2) Taking a change of clothes for the end of the race was a fantastic idea.
3) Next time you need running gear, just go to a race and shop outside because the running shirts/shorts/hats, etc were super cheap.
4) If a blind guy can run a half marathon, then there is little I cannot do.
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