The Refill

The Refill is a Fukuoka E-Zine that comes out every two months. It's written and published by JET's for JET's and covers topics such as travel, upcoming local events, and life in Fukuoka Prefecture. This past issue, I wrote an article (guess what it's about), so check it out!

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Fool Me Twice...

I distinctly remember swearing to myself that I'd never do it again. Sure, at the time, I convinced myself it was worth all the pain and effort. The feeling of self-accomplishment and afterglow made the following hours of complete immobility worth it. However, once was enough. I told myself that it was a check off my bucket list, and since it was completed, I never had to do it again.

I wouldn't call it "fun"...

Well recently, I was going over my bucket list. I have a lot left to do, but I've completed a few since I started it a few years ago. One of those was, as I mentioned, the Los Angeles marathon (not LA specifically, but run a legitimate marathon without any breaks or walking). I noticed, though, that I neglected to write down my time. Why didn't I write it down? How fast did I run it? Wasn't it around 3:50? Was it faster? Slower? Is my time lost forever?!?

I couldn't remember (thankfully, it was still online--3:49:16), but it got me thinking. "Well... I'm trying to run more anyway, why not have something to run for?" I played with the idea of a half-marathon here in Japan. That lasted about 5 seconds as I reminded myself that a half-marathon equals half an accomplishment.

So it'd have to be a marathon again. After briefly google-ing a few different marathons in Japan, I found one that would be in a city close enough to visit in a weekend. At 6 months away, it could be the perfect amount of time to train properly... but no. No. Never again. I promised myself.

But... it would be cool to say I ran a marathon in Japan. I'm sure it's a cultural experience in itself to race in a foreign country. Plus, since I have experience completing a marathon before, I would know what to expect.

Wait a minute, I know what to expect. That's the reason I don't want to do it again! Right?

I half-jokingly messaged a friend asking if he'd be down to run a marathon. There's no way he could say yes. I expected a,  "Hell no," and then I'd try to convince him otherwise. Like how it's an amazing experience, it's worth it at the end, there's plenty of time to train, et cetera. Or at least, there'd be some sort of resistance. Then he would say he'd think about it, but ultimately decide no. I would be able to say I tried, but it wasn't meant to be. And that would be that.

Notice how long he took to decide... so fast, there's a typo.

Instead, we were registered around 11 that same night. By the next day, we were paid entrants for the 2011 Osaka Yodogawa Marathon--my second marathon.

Too bad there's no bonus check on my bucket list for doing something twice...