Monday, November 18, 2013

Smedals

I've started training for a 5k approximately 394 times since I was in university. Running a 5k has been on my to do list forever, but didn't tell anyone for fear of accountability. It wasn't that running ever really appealed to me. Oh no. It did not. Volleyball is my favorite sport because you don't run after that white striped ball. Nope, you just launch yourself across the floor. I'd rather sacrifice my body screeching across a wooden gym floor than run. See these long legs? Volleyball legs. Meant to be used as a springboard for my arms to block and spike. Running is not my thing. Never. It's not going to happen. And that's what I told myself every time I would fail at the running thing. It was always my excuse for not losing weight too. "If I started running, I'd probably lose so much weight. She started running and now look at her. That could be me." And then I'd sit down and eat chips or chocolate or cookie dough.

But then I came to Korea. Land of lifestyle change. I don't know why, but I tried again for the 395th time to train for a 5k. I downloaded the Couch to 5k running app and started training without telling anybody. Didn't want to fail and have people know! The horror. Then a friend and coworker told me she was running too. We are strictly non-runners. Yet, here we were. Running. Alone.
So we started running together. That was the beginning of September.
We ran our first 5k yesterday.
Booyah.


Night before race meal. Huge bowls of pasta. Mama, please don't judge the  tupperware bowl. I know you raised me better. After eating this, I read online that you're not supposed to have a huge bowl of pasta the night before. And I regret doing it. It sat in my stomach like lead the whole next day. 


Got up at 5:45 am to get the busses to the race location. Next race has GOT  to be closer. 

Pre-race

Pre-race Korean style picture

Finish line


It was extremely cold, and the wind was terrible.


Pre-race everyone stretches together here in Korea. 

No gun was used to signal the start of the race. Just this massive drum.

This was not "I'm in pain face",  just a "victory" face.


After race triumph picture.


We had support! 
And everyone gets a smedal.

Three weeks before the race, my friend and I joked about getting a cold before the race and how much that would suck. The next week we were both in the doctor's office. She had an ear infection and I had a sinus and ear infection. Breathing through my nose was all but impossible and our training halted.

The night before held no sleep for me as it was filled with nightmares of me missing the race. One was so real that I actually got up and sprinted, covers and all, across the room to change only to realize it was 3:30am.

There were only 3 foreigners running the 5k, so we were easily spotted, but people were so encouraging! A group of people were near the halfway point beating drums, waving flags, and cheering complete strangers onwards. It was beautiful. I loved the atmosphere surrounding the stadium  and felt like a minor celebrity because of all the "whoas" we got from Koreans. That's right. I'm running. I'm running past the guys in their Army running uniform, those guys who protect this country. Whoa indeed. 

The day of the race it was the coldest it had been all fall. The wind was brutal and against us in the beginning AND at the half way point it started to rain. I loved it. My first race included storms, wind, a mother of a hill at the end, and I still did it. Ran the whole thing. I didn't meet my original time goal because of the lack of training in the past two weeks. But it doesn't bother me so much because, like I said, I still did it. 
And I got a smedal.

Thank you to my friends who came to the race and supported me, and thanks to all the texts, kakaos, and Facebook love I received. Thank you for recognizing the effort it took to train for months, work really hard, and fight mental battles. It means more than I can say. I am beyond blessed with good friends and family.
I learned so much about myself during my training. I prayed before every run, knowing that I couldn't do it on my own and whatever glory comes has to be returned to the one who gave the strength and courage to do it. I can do nothing without the help of Christ. Every time I go for a run I am reminded of that. I am strongest when I am weak. May I always be weak so the Strongest of all can carry me. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go hang my smedal in my room. 

1 comment:

  1. I am so incredibly proud of you! It isn't easy to run 3.1 miles (or 1 for that matter) if you aren't a natural runner like those people I hate (not really, but there is quite a bit of wanting to throw something at the people who don't have to train and can just get out there and run it).
    You are an inspiration running while getting over sickness. Running in a foreign country. Running. Just running- inspiration enough!
    Love you and I can't wait to cheer you on (or maybe run with you) in a 5K here!

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