First Asian Race

So I ran my first 1/2 marathon this past weekend. I wasn't too nervous about it. I ran 10 miles the week before so I figured I could do the last 3 miles on adrenaline. Lots of people were "suppose" to run it, but only about 7 of us ended up going through with it. So it started in Sincheon (where I live) on the Han River & we ran all the way to Mapo & turned back to finish where we started.
I woke up at 6am to ran. But turned out not to be so bad, it was a cool day, perfect for running. There were about 9 foreigners total, the rest Korean. Donna, who ran with us, said that asians are really fast! So I was a bit intimidated at first. Joel & Julie showed up, what a sight! Julie was in a bumble bee suit & Joel was in, well, some type of bunny outfit. Hilarious! People LOVED him! They were practically lining up to take pictures with him!
So the race started. I ran my normal pace the first half. Then, this older Korean guy came up running beside me. I recognized him because I had passed him earlier. He started talking to me in Korean. It was crazy. He wouldn't let me slow down. He kept talking to me in Korean, I think he was telling me to keep going, great job, how much time we had left, etc. If I started to slow down a bit he would look over at me, slow down a bit, then make me catch up to him & run fast. We were HAULING!!! We went over 5 miles at the pace I usually sprint at the end of my run! If he wouldn't have been there pushing me, there's no way I would have run that fast! It wasn't too comfortable.
So, we finished, I wasn't sure my exact time or how good/bad it was. Before I knew it, they slapped something around my neck & ushered me up on stage. Turns out I got 5th place for the women! Jeff & Joel finished & spotted me up on stage getting my awards & they were like what are you doing?? I got a trophy, plaque, & ceramic dishes! heheh...it was hilarious!
My favorite part of the race was the post-race food. It was...tofu! It was a fun run! I think we're gonna run another 1/2 in Busan in October!










(ya see the #5...yep, that's right;)

Jordan & Tiner's Summer Visit

So Jordan & Christina booked a random flight to Tokyo & decided since they were going to be all the way over here in Asia they might as well book another flight to Korea, pop in & say hello! They came on a Thurs & left on Sun, short but sweet trip. It was SOOOOO good seeing them! I took them to Shabu Shabu when they got in. I had to work on Friday but sent them off with plenty of things to see in Seoul. We went out for Korean BBQ Friday night (they LOVED IT!) & met up with some of my friends in Gangnam. Saturday, let's see, we went to Gyeongbok Palace, Insadong, Samcheong-dong, & Namdaemun Market. By this time, Jordan started feeling sick. We went home. Jordan was going to stay in but Megan, Tiner & I were going to go to Hongdae. We got out there then Christina started feeling sick. Poor girls, they both got something. I'm still not sure what it was. The next day Jordan felt better so we went to Dr. Fish. Since I had done it before I thought I'd be a pro & show here how it was done. Yeah right! I totally freaked out! The fish were HUGE this time! But it was AWESOME! Then they had to catch a flight back to Tokyo. They weren't 100% when they left. Even though they didn't feel well in the end, it was still SOOOOOO great seeing them! I love those girls. Even though we aren't able to see or talk to each other that much, they are still my girls! And they always will be! I'd do anything for them & I know it's the same for them. I'm SOOOOO happy they came & can't wait to see them when I get home....whenever that is!

Summer Vacation With Mommy Bear

Grrrrr...summer break is over, back to the grind tomorrow:( My mom came here for the break. Was awesome. We packed a TON of stuff in. Perhaps too much. By the end of each day we were so exhausted. But I LOVE spending time with my mommy bear. Let's see, what all did we do? We did TONS of shopping. I took her to markets, malls, you name it. I drug her all over Seoul, poor thing. We went to Dragon Hill's jimjilbang. I thought she might be 'weirded out' by all of the naked people, but nope, she was fine. We got a body scrub & an oil massage! NICE! I had her try ALL kinds of Korean food. SHE DIDN'T LIKE RICE CAKES!!! She said she didn't like the "texture"...what the heck? We went bike riding along the Han River. We got a 2 seater bike! Was sweet! We went to Jeju for a couple of days. I had no idea Jeju was so big! It was hard getting around because everything was so far away! We didn't get to do a couple of things because we ran out of time. The people were SOOOO friendly & helpful! We did, however, manage to get fried at the beach, see some beautiful waterfalls, do a TON of walking, go through a maze garden, eat some of the local delicious food & see practically the entire island by bus.
We also got to go to our first Korean wedding. My boss got married. Was "interesting" to say the least. We were in & out in 1.5 hours. I found it odd that we were eating while they were walking down the aisle & saying their vows. But it was an extremely nice wedding. She got to eat some Korean BBQ. We went to the Seoul Tower & Lee & I took her out on her last night out on the town! We went to Hongdae & had a great time. I'm pretty sure I have the best mom in the entire world. Yep, even better than your's;) She is an incredible woman & I'm so blessed to have her as my mom. She is the most selfless person I know. I can only think of 1 flaw...she can't use chopsticks for the life of her. I've been trying to teach her for YEARS! I don't understand how she can't use them. It's like it's physically impossible for her to use them. Oh yeah, & she doesn't like rice cakes. Other than that, she's pretty amazing. I think this trip opened her eyes up to what asia is like. She found Koreans to be very friendly & respectful. I miss her already.