Stop wearing shoes

The internet is full of reasons why you shouldn't wear shoes. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Stop thinking that you know better, Mr. 8 minute mile. Try something new, take a risk. But my arches need support! I am an over-pronator! I NEED extra padding!

Bullshit.

Stop being so scared. Take a chance. What is the worst that could happen? Will you have some discomfort when you run the first few times? Maybe.

I bet you will run faster. And you will enjoy it more. Maybe this is a step closer to finally justifying that elitist attitude of yours. People will talk to you during races. They will call you tough. They will ask you stupid questions. The joke is on them, though because they are the ones who are running with an unnatural gate and the blisters.

Look at these. There isn't a reason you shouldn't be running in them.

Perseverance

Its hard for your body to make the transition from spring to summer. The cool weather fades away and the hot weather starts to emerge. It's even harder when winter gives way to a spring that lasts for 2 weeks and then summer starts and the humidity goes through the roof and the temperatures are broiling. Your body is still thinking it is cool springtime and your sweat glands are still hibernating. In short, you aren't ready to activate the homeostasis required to cool your body down and you start overheating in the blazing sun as soon as you start walking. That's not bad enough for you? Try being from cool, rainy Britain and not an experienced distance runner.

J. came decided to be a badass and run to meet me. He endured the sun and heat of the suddenly emerging summer and ran 3 miles before meeting me. He was already worked over from the run both mentally from not knowing where he was going exactly and physically from the harsh conditions. I took him through the construction course since I knew we'd be near some shade and potentially some water from the work site. It didn't matter...the area was a hot, dusty mess.

We kept moving further from the central city and into a farming village. The sun remained high in the sky. J. finished the last of his water and we crossed into another construction area. We made it to some freshly laid tarmac just and were baked by the dry heat. J. was dehydrated and was running further than he ever had. He was venturing into the unknown.

I promised him that at the end of the construction there was a road and a university and we would find a shop where he could get more water. He ended up finding not one, but two shops and neither of them accepted debit cards. We moved on and almost 1.5 miles later came across a gas station. The attendant took pity on us and gave us two water bottles from the refrigerator free of charge.

J. and I split off to go our respective ways home and I tried to get as worn out as my training partner in the remaining 2 miles home. J. could have quit. He could have asked to cut the run short at any point but he kept at it. He didn't stop, even when the oasis turned out to be a mirage not once but two times. He is going to make a fine distance runner. He already is one, he just needs to realize it.

Trails

I've noticed that there are few Koreans here that run. I don't see them on the streets. I only see them on the running paths. While the paths are nice, they are boring. You can get some good distance while running on the paths and see a lot of the city. Korea doesn't have public drinking water. Boo hoo. I have to run with my water supply so my runs are limited to what I can endure without water or what I can endure with what I can carry.

I decided to have a fast run but I still wanted to work hard. In the spirit of adventure I took a new path and went in the opposite direction from my previous runs. It was easy to see why there were no other people running where I was. I immediately wound up running through a construction zone, then I had to hop a barricade. I crossed the river and ended up on a cobbled path. The path turned into trail resembling a dried riverbed. After a short time this turned into single-track that was being used by mountain bikers. I followed this until I got to a fork and I chose to go up a path and into the mountain that I had been following. The trail started up a short incline and steadily got better (worse) in that there were loose rocks all over, roots and the angle was so steep that I eventually was forced to walk. I walked until the angle eased and then I was back to running.

I ran down the other side of the mountain and ended up in a light-industrial area. People looked at me strange. My shoes were weird and I had bloody, cut up legs from the vegetation. When you walk somewhere you aren't supposed be to people put their hands up to stop you. When you are running people get out of your way to let you through. After a few stares and confused stares I was back to the river and back to the trail.

I went as fast as I could to get back home knowing that I only had a few more minutes before the sun would set and the homicidal daytime Korean drivers would only get scarier and more bloodthirsty in the dark.

I went out 2 days later to try and better my time and reverse the course. It was a more sustained incline going up so I was able to run the whole way. The descent was steep, loose and exciting. I managed to go fast enough to be at a full sprint by the end as I shot out of the bushes with enough velocity to scare the shit out of three peaceful farmers tending to rice paddies. Before they could protest my presence I was gone and running back to the river.

Daejeon is eerily familiar to the skyline of Madison, Wisconsin. The biggest difference is the fact that there are so few people out enjoying the natural surroundings. I could go on and on about what pussies the Korean youth are for never being out exercising but that would likely be futile and counterproductive. Instead I would prefer to motivate people to get out and push themselves. So get the fuck out there and do something. You live in an awesome city with amazing resources. Starcraft is a joke. Don't waste your life becoming fat like Americans. You have a chance to be better.