4D, 5K, 1 Splendid Day!

For those who have known me for a while, especially since my high school days, it is a well known and accepted fact that I, Michael Owen, do NOT play sports. You are looking at the kid that got out of gym all four years of high school (thank you Harry!), while my brother attempted to take 5 gym classes in ONE semester his senior year. Needless to say, sports and highly physical activity were never my forte. However, during my time here in Korea, I have started to slowly shift away from that hard outer shell and have begun to embrace a small part of the sporting and exercising world (as is evident by the gym post a couple of weeks ago).

Saturday was a day full of firsts for me.

I have joined a volunteer group here called Mannam International with a couple of my friends. This group goes throughout Seoul and volunteers at various events and locations, helping the locals. The organization also has a sports component to it, as a way to involve a larger group of people. Recently, they started a running club and have been actively recruiting members to join, regardless of skill, stamina, and speed level. Seeing as I have been trying to get break into the fitness realm of life, I decided to join. Part of my reason for joining is to get in better shape. Another piece of the puzzle really belongs to my friends, Leah and Kari, who have run multiple long distance races over the past few years. Watching them do it has made me want to accomplish something like that as well. Thanks guys for being part of my inspiration to see this through!

Saturday was our first meeting. Our coach, Mark, is currently training for his second triathlon and is a really awesome, relaxed, motivating guy. It also helps that his instruction comes with a British accent! We spent the first 45 minutes going over some basics about running (what to wear, nutrition, setting objectives, etc.) and then we went for a little "warm up" run. This said warm up run ended up being a 5K! No biggie. There were about 15 of us that participated in this first run and I ended up bringing up the end. But I was just more proud of myself that I finished and did not once slow down until the end. The end goal is to partake in a 10K race in April. Now that I have that goal in mind, this whole work out thing might actually be worth it!

This past weekend was also my friend Megan's birthday. We went out Friday night and had a great time living it up Seoul style. So Saturday, it was decided that a more mellow and low-key day was in store. Megan really wanted to go to the movies, so we went and saw Puss in Boots. But not just the regular Puss in Boots --- Puss and Boots in 4D!

This was the second 4D movie that I have been to (when I went to Disney World in high school, we saw A Bug's Life in 4D, which was pretty cool). The movie itself was definitely intended for a younger audience, but with all of the awesome effects and sense gripping extras that they added, it was definitely worth seeing. The chairs moved, wind blew through your hair, water sprayed your face, and flashes of light momentarily blinded your sight, giving the you impression that you were somewhat in the movie. It was a pretty awesome experience and great way to end my glorious day of firsts!