[One Thousand Characters a Day] Ordinary Running <1> - Not Doing, But Becoming

Editor's NoteAuthor Kang Juwon, who wrote ＜For Those Who Can’t Do This or That＞, ＜Light but Not Light＞, and ＜Seesaw Life＞, has released a running experience essay. ＜Ordinary Running＞ records the two-year journey of an ordinary person who could barely walk properly, who one day accidentally started running, experienced changes in body and mind, and ultimately challenged a full marathon. The author himself introduces it as "a prose collection that records what I realized while struggling to live like a human being through running, and a self-confession containing my life reflected upon while running." It is hoped that readers who are hesitating whether to start running, those who have just begun running, those who cannot handle their tired bodies all day, or those who think their depleted stamina is all due to age will read and run together. Word count: 706.

I lost 5 kg. I can’t say exactly from when to when, but it seems to have taken about two months. I didn’t want to diet. I had no intention of losing weight. One morning, after running and checking my weight, it had just dropped by that much. The weight that didn’t drop when I tried to lose it just dropped like that.

I started running to build stamina. At first, I was out of breath to the point of gasping, and the next day my calves and thighs screamed in pain. After a few days of screaming legs, they quieted down, but then my ankles were strained, and when my ankles got better, the tops of my feet screamed. Meanwhile, the muscles in my back and shoulders also tightened and caused pain. I took rest days to prevent injury, but unless it was for that reason, I never stopped running.

After about two months, my body, which kept screaming, quieted down, and the breath that used to reach my chin stabilized. I, who had difficulty running even 2 km, was able to run 10 km, and my pace per kilometer improved by about one minute. I went from a body that couldn’t run properly to a body that could run well. Naturally, my weight dropped.

Not losing weight, but becoming someone who can run 10 km; not dieting, but becoming someone who can easily climb Bukhansan Mountain; not eating chicken breast and sweet potatoes, but becoming someone who can walk lightly for three hours. I thought it might be easier if you focus on becoming rather than doing.

- Kang Juwon, ＜Ordinary Running＞, Biroso, 16,800 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.