Half Marathon in Under 2 Hours

This weekend I managed to run my first half marathon in under 2 hours. I've only ran the 21 kilometer distance one other time in my life which was two year ago. The first time I ran the distance, my time was only 2 hours and 10 minutes. At that time, my goal was simply to run the whole distance. This time around, I had a time goal I wanted to beat. I knew it would be difficult, but to my surprise it was easier than expected. I felt good for most of the distance but started to get some pain in my legs at around the 16km mark. By this point, I only had another 5 kilometers to go so the pain was endurable. I finished the distance in 1 hour and 58 minutes. I then walk for 30 minutes at a really slow pace to let my legs and body cool down.

Before running the HM,I did not do much running training in order to reach my goal. I started running a few months back again after a hiatus of a couple of months. Before running the half marathon, my running training only consisted of a few 5km runs (under time 10), 10 kms maybe two times and one 15 km the week before trying the HM. With that said, I have been training my body on an almost daily basis in other domains. That is, I play badminton, free tennis, and weight train as my main source of training.

Weight training and free tennis are not the greatest ways to build strong cardio, though badminton is. Playing badminton is so demanding when played at a high pace. I've been playing a lot of badminton which I believe enabled me to complete the distance in less than two hours. My badminton training is all about short spurts with maximum intensity. My badminton training consists of someone hitting birdies to me in order to improve different strokes. I usually start off with easier strokes such as drives from the right and left side of the court and progressively increase the difficulty. This usually ends with jump smashing from one side of the court to the other. Another hard skills training that I do is clearing from the back of the court to under clearing near the net. Running back and forth and executing the stroke with accuracy is challenging yet highly rewarding for improved cardio. After the intense training sessions, I usually play some games which can also be intense depending on who I play against.

The difference between badminton and running training is the fun aspect. Pushing my physical limits in badminton can be fun especially when playing a game against someone else.  I don't play badminton purely for exersice but as a means of having fun. Running on the other hand is not the funnest activity and one of the reasons why I don't do it that often. I can understand why people do not stay motivate to keep training when their training regimen is solely focused on running. It can be quite boring! In part for this reason, having a variety of physical activities that are endurance intensive can greatly help someone improve the fitness level and help them run a half marathon in under 2 hours.

All in all, I do not believe that the most important training for runners has to be running. This is the first time in my life that I've been doing badminton training and without it, I do not believe I would have been able to run the HM in less than two hours.

Acupuncture in Korea!

I've been wanting to experience acupuncture for some time now. This is not because I have any problems with my body, but rather because I simply want the experience. Getting jabbed with needles is not the most applealing way to acheive good health, though I am drawn to it nonetheless.  In Canada, it is extremely expensive to be a human pin cushion, so that is one of the reasons why I have never tried it. Prices for first consultation are usually around 125$. In Korea, the price for first consultation was 7,500 Won (approximately 6$ Canadian). However, after the first consultation the price drops to 4 or 5 dollars (tax included). Some of the reasons why it is so cheap in Korea is because it is insured by the government and popular among its citizens. At the same time, if I was not insured, it would only be around 15,000 won (12$). In Canada, oriental clinics are not recognized by medicare. They are all privately run which drives prices sky high.

For the low price I payed in Korea, I got much more than I was expecting. The clinics atmosphere was also warm and welcoming. I was told to lie down on a bed which had beautiful coloured sheets. It makes a big difference compared to having plain white sheets with blue walls as is the custom in Canada. Someone came in and put these three containers onto my chest which had burning moxa inside them. This burned for around 20 minutes on me before the doctor came in and asked me where I had pain. I told him my lower back had some pain, even though that was sort of made up. It then proceeded to insert three needles into my ankle region. I felt the first one slightly, though for the second and third needle, I actually did not feel a thing. I then waited to 30 minutes or so with the needles in my ankle and the burning moxa on my chest.

After 30 minutes, a nurse came in and removed the needles but kept the moxa burning for a while longer before removing it and asking me to turn onto my stomach. She then put this machine with sucktion cups onto my lower back. It felt like it was some sort of octopus sucking the blood from my body. The machine was sucking but also seemed to be giving electrical shocks at the same time. It was quite nice!

I thought the treatment was over after they removed the octo-sucker, but instead they giuded me to another room with these strange vessels. A woman told me to enter and lie down in the machine. One part closed onto my legs and the other over my head. My lower body was warmed by what seemed to be infrared lights. Above my head and upper region, there were blue and green light. The machine started shaking and bumping me around. It was a massage machine. It was wonderful, except for the part that I had to pee since before I got there. With this things shaking and hitting my pressure points, I could have pee-ed my pants. The massage was so good that I had to put that urge to the back of my mind. As I did that, I was able to fully enjoy the experience of being bumped around. When the massage is over, people usually get out of the machine, though I was ready for a nap so I stayed in it for some time.

My body was tingling and I was endulging in the chemical rush that my brain was giving me. I felt great! After I got out I had a big smile on my face. Someone then suggested that I try the massage chair. I did not say no to that. It was also good but by this point we had already been there for around 1 1/2 hours. My friends were getting hungry so we then nom nomed at a Korean Vietnamese restaurant.We ordered Shabu Shabu and it was delicious.