Running & A Taste of Korea

Mike and I found ourselves on NW 23rd Friday night after work after a whim to go to a specialty running store. Believe it or not, I was actually fitted for a pair of running shoes after finally deciding that I'm going to try to make running a marathon a goal. (Now I have no idea how long it will actually take me to train to do a marathon, but I'm hoping to at least try a 5K later this year.) Anyway, it was pretty cool to see how one gets fitted for running shoes. The store had cameras set up to track how your feet land when you're running on a treadmill. First, you try running barefoot to determine the necessary support for your foot, then you try out several pairs of shoes to see which work best. The guy at the store also showed me a way to tie the shoes so my heel didn't feel like it was slipping.

Afterwards, Mike and I tried out the Korean restaurant next door. Mike's never had Korean food, and I had real Korean food back when I visited Korea in the 1990s. (I am familiar with bulgogi, though--good stuff!) So, after perusing the menu, we decided to try the traditional Korean meal, which came with 7 courses. That was a VERY good idea on our part! The presentation was quite striking, but the food was fantastic! Very, very tasty. Good thing I'm planning on hitting the gym more--I'll definitely need it!

I tried out the new running shoes on Saturday afternoon at the gym. Not bad, I guess. Of course, I can't run more than 3 minutes straight without my lungs feeling like they're going to collapse. Guess I'll be working on getting my stamina going for the next few months! I can see why I LOVE the elliptical so much more than the treadmill. I'll just have to get past the burn to the "thrill" that you're supposed to feel about running after 20 minutes or so...hmmm...

Sunday was a great day to be indoors (can you believe there were snow showers on Saturday and hail on Sunday in LATE April?). Of course, with a newsletter deadline, I was definitely indoors and working. In the background, we caught the Pope's mass at Yankee Stadium. Wow--almost like going to church, but not having to leave home to attend! (And, you can talk and have lunch at the same time, LOL!) If the Pope had been closer, I might have actually tried to see him in person. After all, it's not every day that the Pope visits the U.S.

The other thing for the weekend: watching Lars and the Real Girl on DVD. (Did this film ever hit the theater???) It stars Ryan Gosling (from The Notebook--one of my favorite books!), who did a terrific job of playing the title role. This film is definitely not mainstream. If you watch it, be sure to remember "independent flick" in the back of your mind. Essentially, it's about a guy who gets a girlfriend--who just happens to be a doll. Now, after that storyline, how can you miss this flick??? ;)

Anyway, the weekend definitely flew by. Is it Friday yet?

Oh, last comment on a surprising news item: the Midwest had an earthquake back on Friday! It was a 5.2, and today, there was a big aftershock (lots of little ones over the weekend) of 4.5. It's a little amusing to me since a lot of people are so adamant about not living in California or on the West Coast because of earthquakes. Just goes to show you that an earthquake can happen anywhere--even in the Midwest!

Have a good week!