Kwandongbrian Health Report

For the past few years, I have participated in a seven km run on March 1 in Sokcho. Koreans call any run of five km and longer "marathons" which sounds strange to me, but I guess I am a marathon runner.

To prepare for it, I start exercising in December as the fall semester finishes. I try to exercise year-round but late in the fall semester I tend to be doing nothing athletic. So, each December, I start from around zero and return to some kind of regular program.

Indeed, I was close to absolute zero this Dec 1, despite having a good routine through the summer, until around September 10. I was increasing my running mileage and preparing for the Terry Fox run. The day I learned it was cancelled in Korea I put down my shoes and did not run again for two and a half months.

This year, I joined a health club and have been running and pumping iron for three months.

Each March 1, Sokcho has a seven km run around Lake Yeongnang which has great participation. Several hundred men, women and children do the circuit.

This year, I ran the fastest I ever have around the lake and was close to the speeds I managed ten years ago (for the record, 7km in 33:20).

I am also the heaviest I have ever been. Usually, during the winter exercise period I would lose a few kilos and occasionally see 89.--kg at the end of February. This year, 92 kg was the best I achieved.

Still, I am happy enough about the run, and have learned of another run in mid-April to motivate me. I hope I can find a way to work around my schedule and my wife's to keep running.

Oh, Gord and Sean, get outside and run. Man, I turned into a human waterfall on the treadmill. I suspect that anyone walking behind me while I ran was sprayed by sweat falling from my body and launched by the moving conveyer belt. Outside, the fresh and moving air kept me comfortably dry.

Of course, every March 1 that I have run has had beautiful weather and been unseasonably warm, so that may be a factor in how great I felt.