[One Thousand Characters a Day] Ordinary Running <2> - Does the Mind Control the Body?

Editor's NoteI had been living with chronic fatigue. Wherever I went, I searched for a chair. My knees ached, and my lower back throbbed. Strangely, hospitals only reported that there was nothing wrong. Kang Juwon, the author of Ordinary Running, recalls that he almost lived accustomed to the screams coming from his entire body. Only after he finally started running did he realize how many joys he had closed off, using age as an excuse. Word count: 714.

The hardest thing was walking. I disliked walking so much that I always preferred escalators, and when it was too difficult, I even used the subway elevator. My stamina dropped so sharply that even a little walking made my head feel dizzy, and my feet and legs ached.

Because of such poor stamina, I wasted precious time. On my first trip to Jeju with my parents, I had to be rushed to the emergency room due to sudden stamina loss and symptoms of enteritis. On a grand mountain in Canada that I visited with my partner, I had to come down after only a few steps. If only my legs and stamina had kept up, I probably would have had twice as many experiences as I have now.

People ask me if running really improves stamina. I tell them this: the person I was before running and the person I am after running are completely different.

Now, I no longer get up like a corpse. I rub my eyes briefly, change into workout clothes, and go for a run on an empty stomach. I no longer wander looking for empty seats on the subway, and if the escalator is crowded, I take the stairs as exercise. Even distances that I had to take the bus for, I walk if the weather is nice.

I think I had comforted myself with the saying that the mind controls the body, neglecting my body. But I painfully realized that without basic stamina, no matter how strong the mind is, it cannot overcome a weak body. If stamina is negative, no matter how strong the mental strength, the result will ultimately be negative.

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