"THONING IN KOREA

THE ‘THON- OCTOBER 19


So I did my best to avoid to build up the marathon I just ran because I had some I high expectations and I felt like if I fell short it would have been more difficult to endure if other people had also been expecting big things. Fortunately, things panned out and the race went rather well. Having been rather disappointed with my first attempt at a Korean marathon in Seoul last year and soundly discouraged in the wake of my more recent Boston Marathon effort, I took to training for this marathon with increased conviction.
My choice for this marathon was pretty much made on the basis that it gave me an excuse to travel to another city for a weekend. I was told by English friend, Terry, that Gyeongju was a beautiful city with plenty to do. Based on my research, I also learned that it was hub for Korean culture, dating as far back the 7th Century when Korea was, more or less, actually governed by Koreans. It is considered an “open air museum” because much of the city is comprised of preserved architecture from the aforementioned century. The reviews and guides I read promised my fill of temples, palaces, monuments and memorial landscape. Now, all these things were available, but it should be noted that Koreans were, apparently, not terribly ambitious in their architectural aspirations. There was a great deal of classic Korean buildings and the like which really is nice to look at but can also be found in Anycity, Korea.
With an experience in Seoul the year before as an indication of what to expect at a marathon in a Korean city, I was able to convince a couple of my friends to accompany me on a trip to Gyeongju about a month before the actual race. First, it gave us the opportunity to spend more time to check out things worth seeing rather than feeling limited by necessity of making the proper arrangements that are characteristic of the day before a big race. Second, it allowed me to get a sense of the city and to get a better understanding of what I would be getting into when I came back in three weeks for the real deal.
The pioneer excursion was a success though a bit of a let down. Gyeongju is, by all definitions, a beautiful city by merit of the panoramic mountainscape that surrounds its dozy confines. It also has plenty of things to see in the way of cultural edification. However, none of it was overly impressive or terribly intriguing. There was a fortress advertised somewhere in the city that we spent a good deal of times seeking out only to discover that it was little more than a big hill with some intentionally placed rocks here and there. We sought out an observatory that boasts the label of “Firs Observatory in Eastern Asia” but when we actually saw it became clear why they felt it necessary to build more after this one. It essentially looked like an oversize rook-piece from a chessboard and couldn’t have been much taller than twenty-five feet. We also got to see a large number of tumuli- burial mounds- that housed the remains of some pretty storied fellows from old dynasties but just like the temples I’ve seen in Korea and Japan, they become pretty redundant pretty fast. In no time they became as unremarkable as the countless corner marts that litter all Korean urban locales. The one saving grace for these massive burial hills would have been if we could climb them but, as you might expect, that was STRONGLY discouraged if not forbidden. We had no desire to step on any toes, living or dead, so we kept to the roads and paths. Still, the weather was beautiful and our trio rented bikes which permitted us to cruise the extremities of the city with relative ease. Additionally, we had the chance to experience the “Gyeongju Smile” that the city flaunts and actually does have. While I don’t find people in Gwangju to be, in any way, unfriendly people, the people in Gyeongju are exceedingly kind and approachable. On top of that, we were even greater novelties there than in the “backwaters” of Gwangju which made us the topic of many surprised and excited outbursts from passers-by.
With our second arrival to Gyeongju being a little more purpose-driven, we spent most of Saturday making plans and getting a more comprehensive sense of where I would need to be and what I would need to do before the 26.2 began. After the proper arrangements were made, we cabbed it out to our hotel which was not within the proper city limits. You may want to note here that I did, in fact, say hotel as opposed to a motel or a hostel. This choice was made based on our first hostel experience the month before. While I don’t believe myself picky, I could safely say that the hostel we stayed in was pretty much the worst one I have seen in my travels, with the motel we stayed in in Busan the night before that taking a close second. That is not to say that I wouldn’t stay at these places again for the sake of budgeting, but knowing that I would want to feel comfortable and have a good night’s sleep we splurged for the upgrade. Fortunately, this elevation in quality of our sleeping quarters didn’t demand a huge rise in expenses because we split a two bed room among four occupants.
After we had settled into our room, my traveling companions, Cody and Chris, and I decided to scope out the nearby attractions. As it happened to be, the hotel we were staying in was in proximity of two major sites that we had omitted from our previous trip because of their distance from everything else. The rest of the day was spent taking in some culture and entertaining ourselves with puerile antics that struck us and onlookers alike as particularly foolish within the context of our deeply reverent and somber surroundings.
Our brief stroll through Korean history met with an unnecessarily long quest for a suitable race-night dinner. I have to mention now that this has become a theme for us when looking for places to eat in cities other than our own. Though the streets of any Korean city are riddled with small shops and restaurants, we always have difficulty finding one that really piques our interest. The reality is that while there is a restaurant around every corner, they all serve the same things and that is just unacceptable when we think that being in a new place entitles us to food that is unlike that which we eat everyday back here at the ranch. Unfortunately, our prolonged plodding led us to a typical Korean restaurant that served us average food at a more expensive price. Regardless, the remainder of the night put us back in the hotel with minimal event saving the eagerly awaited arrival of our fourth, Lindsay, who had already bused it to Seoul earlier that day before making it our way that night. We just relaxed, watched Iron Man and regrouped the big show the next day.
Accepting that Korea is ever-waiting with a curveball to confound my most elaborate plans, we rose with the sun in the morning to make sure we had enough time to throw together a contingency plan I necessity demanded it. I remain extremely grateful that my support crew endured the early morning without any grumbles and even a good deal of enthusiasm to ensure that spirits were high from the start. Breakfast was a bit of a debacle because Korea doesn’t understand bagels and when I thought I had found one it proved to be a doughy ring filled with sweet, red bean paste, which is a Korean confection that I have spent the last year and seven months avoiding. Luckily, a colleague of mine had given me a Snickers Marathon Bar the Thursday prior that she had asked a friend to send from America for my benefit. Again, yet another moment where I was extremely appreciative of the support of others during this undertaking. Salvaging my need for sustenance with the marathon bar it was only a few trips to the port-a-john and some last minute pictures before I was in the corral and awaiting the start of my eighth marathon.
For the majority of the race, I could feel all the months I spent training start to pay off and I felt confident and strong. There were even moments and here and there, during the race, that I could actually feel my heart leaping at the prospect of finally busting 3 hours. I was in good spirits for about two thirds of the race, confident until until about mile 22 but notably worried as I struck out into the last four miles and began to think that I was losing it and that I would spoil everything I just spent two and half hours working on. At that point, I simply looked forward, focused my gaze and weathered the storm.

The result… a 2:51:45 and an implied invitation to the exclusive corrals of New York City in November (provided I can have my time reported from Korea to NYRRA).

At moment, I am writing from my apartment with the briskness of autumn peeking through my window and a soreness in my calves that reminds me of Sunday’s activity. Other than that, I am enjoying a couple of days away from rigors of training before I get back on the asphalt to carry my momentum back to Seoul for marathon number nine. While I recognize that running another marathon three weeks after I just finished one is ill-advised in most cases, I registered for this one as safety new in case this one didn’t meet my expectations. Now, with the results in, I can rest my legs for a little bit and get back into the mix with the confirmation that my body as at the point I need it to be. I imagine by race time I’ll be approaching this race with equal parts relaxed surety and eagerness to take my race to the next step. It probably won’t be decided until mile 20 whether I am going to really push on this one or just put it in cruise control as a race to send me quietly into the marathon dormancy of winter. I’m excited to see what happens.

For now, I think Johnny Walker might be calling me for a nightcap before I hit the hay and contemplate getting back and pounding the pavement tomorrow.

Also, if the guys and I do everything right I should know where I’m heading for winter vacation by my next post. If I don’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was looking at another wintry week in Korea. At the moment, the leading contenders are the cold but cultural China or the sunny but more distant Vietnam.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, America.