2012.04.01 - Marathon (almost)

Busan Marathon

Well - marathon may be a little exaggerated, but the general idea is OK. Start running and don't stop until well after you are knackered ! I had signed up for the 10km distance at the KNN Marathon in Busan and Paula for the 5km. She had to bail out after her encounter with the kidney stone. As the run was early Sunday morning, we drove down the night before and stayed over at Annveig and Øyvind's place. As they were going out for a party in the evening, we acted as babysitters ! Considering our lack of experience, I thought that we did alright. The girls went from extra extra shy to all over us in half an hour, so that is good enough for me. No major crisis either.

Sunday morning we met our colleagues (DNV for Øyvind and Dolphin for me) at the BEXCO exhibition hall. The race organization was really good and it was nice to be able to wait inside the exhibition hall instead of outside in the biting cold wind.

7000 people were at the starting line and that was felt during the first few kilometers, as not all had lined up according to their intended speed. So I was actually in a good spirit as I was passing loads of runners in the first half. At the turn-around on Gwangan Beach, I was starting to run out of motivation. After 7 kilometers I was bored s***less (and pretty worn). I just didn't see the point any longer.... This was my first run outside in 25 years and on my training sessions on the treadmill up to the race, I had only done max 7km, so I really suffered the last 3 km. Didn't help that I was being passed by everyone ! But best as I had decided to start walking I saw everybody else starting to sprint. Being just a little proud by nature, I sprinted (?!) over the finish line in the time 50.32. Well within my acceptable time range - pleased. And tired !

In the afternoon we stayed for Iselin's 3 year birthday party. Lots of children ! We tried to help Annveig a little with the party preparations, but the energy stock was low. Did a bit of vegetable cutting and blew up a few balloons, but that was all.

During the week I am buried in work. Except for one day when I sat down with our new sewing machine and took in a pair of shorts bought way too big (on the internet). It took me all evening and the result was only just passable - or passable from afar but not so much up close. Will improve with more practice I expect. The plan is to re-upholster the couch with some nice fabric brought with us from Chile. It is impossible to find nice fabric here. Paula keeps herself busy with the painting. Her newest creation is a bucket for the umbrellas.

Friday Dawn and Robert showed us (Paula, me and Pietro) another of their Ulsan discoveries - first it was the Moroccan restaurant and this time it was an Italian. It was a little risky to bring Pietro there as his standards for Italian food are rather high, but the gamble paid off. The food was really nice and probably the best Italian food I have had here in Ulsan (outside Pietro's kitchen that is!). Definitely a place to return to.

Yesterday we went out to the airport and bought the domestic tickets for next week's vacations (Malaysia - but we need to first travel to Seoul), then checked out what was supposed to be a vegetable market but turned out to be a large Korean supermarket. From here across town to a Japanese Teriyaki place next to Grand Park (with an awesome ice cream cafe next door) and then to the final destination - Seonamji Reservoir in search of cherry trees in blossom. The cherry trees were not quite there yet - but very close - but some of the other trees have already shown their colors. I think they are apple trees, but I can't tell for sure.

The walk around the reservoir is really nice although not without the usual Korean curiosities - this time a mini Saint Peter's Church. I can deal with that but was a little put off by 6km of ABBA on the loudspeakers. Can't they live without the noise ? Will all life be sucked out of the Koreans if the music, election campaigners, shipyard cranes et al. all of a sudden fell quiet ? I think so ...

In the evening we went down to the club house for a Thai night. One of the ladies had planned what she thought would be a quiet dinner for around 30 people. When the participant list reached 150 she had to stop the enrollment. We got the last two tickets !

Poor lady - she chopped vegetables for several days and made 700 spring rolls ! Good thing that she had a few people to help her. The food was amazing and as soon as we had finished eating, Serhiy and Anatoliy called me. They will start on our project on Monday and had just arrived to the compound main gate with all their suitcases! So Paula and I picked them up and saw them to Serhiy's new apartment. Actually not so new, as it is exactly the same as he lived in last year, when he was with Lauritzen Bulkers (as was I).

Today I went for a MTB ride (of course) in the morning with Chris, Trygve and Ian. Chris unfortunately twisted his knee on the first hill and had to turn back, but the rest of us carried on for 3 hours more (and then I carried on for 1,5 hours on top of that). I wasn't too lucky with my guiding ... took a wrong turn and ended up in a mess of felled trees, so we had to walk where no man had walked before. Not part of the plan :-(

In the afternoon Paula and I enjoyed the sun on the Moby Dick terrasse on Ilsan Beach before returning back home for a chilled afternoon. Have to get into the holiday mood. Yiiihaaa - Malaysia here we come !