we run seoul 10K

last year, nike called it the human race. i missed the deadline by one day and vowed that the following year, i would take my place along with some other 20,000 seoulites and participate in one of nike's greatest advertisement gimmicks with the perk of a free t-shirt, after of course, the registration fee is paid. how i managed to get my name on this year's roster is pure luck.

unbeknown to me, the deadline was september 6th but i didn't submit my email until september 13th! thanks to a computer glitch, the person to whom i sent my email didn't respond to my application until a few days after...and apologized for the tardy reply. thanks to him, i was able to claim a spot even though i myself was tardy.

i was also tardy when it came to training...i didn't really get into the swing of running until the second week of october and after two weeks of perhaps 6 runs total, i realized that my aim for 54:00 was a tad unrealistic. i opted instead for a time just under an hour. that, would suffice. that, would make me happy.

race day!
my fabulous friends, kyung and amanda, came out to support me and to also check out the digs before the race, which commenced at 4pm. they toasted with an afternoon beer.




i, smartly drank water. though, i must admit, the weather was blissful for a beer. the warmth of summer lingered today and the buzzing of all the highlighter neon yellow jerseys was contagious. i had my pre-race jitters but felt pumped by the masses around me. there were 4 groups, a being the fastest and d being the least fastest. i was in the b group and when the countdown began, and the fireworks shot out, my competitive streak took over.

i felt like i kept a steady pace throughout the entire time but wished for some candy, my throat was dry. the coolest part about the course was that sections of the highways were taped off and we ran next to cars...so literally, we ran seoul, as the name of the event implied. there were various stages set up throughout the race where rock or hip hop music boomed and some very cute children gave me high fives as i went by. as i ran past the 8K mark, i picked up my pace and ended with a sprint. i finished in 57:00, red-faced, sweaty mcsweaty and content. high five nike we run seoul 10K!

status update

it's sunday, october 24th, and i'm sitting facing the window as the sunlight illuminates my room. 2ne1, a fierce kpop all girl bands is serenading me and in a few hours, i'll go participate in the nike "we run seoul" 10K race. there's only 10 weeks remaining until the end of the year and i am still in shock at the realization of how quickly time passes--no joke. not too long ago, i didn't think i'd make it to the end of the year. over-consumed by work and my own cesspool of anxiety, i felt stunted by the length of time. and now? i'm still stunned by time...and the seeming lack of it.

i've regained a renewed sense of appreciation and energy for things quintessentially korean: kimchi--despite the hike in prices, is still served free of charge in restaurants, norehbang--singing rooms!, and nights out with various rounds of fun--restaurants, bars, and clubs.

i've been feeling rather all over the place and my mind won't quit...i want to breathe more during these last two months and to aid this meditation, i'll post more to this blog that hasn't seen many recent additions. they're a coming babies!