Never Run with a Korean Chick

Today Ms Park and I decided to go to the beach to run together. I should've known better. Not to over-generalise, but I've since learnt that running with a Korean girlfriend is not a good idea. Or maybe one or a combination of the following should've clued me in:

(1) She seems super fit and trim
(2) She has a great outdoorsy look, tan and happy
(3) She is Korean (like in, possibly N Korean?)
(4) She does Muay Thai
(5) She is always perky
(6) She finds the gym insufficiently stimulating
(7) She saw me once in running garb and asked to come along

Anyway, we meet at the kids' kindy today and head to the beach. We decide on a 3k run. We start warming up and all this while, she's asking questions about my "training" (huh?) and previous runs, and tells me to run on ahead later, and not to let her hold me up. And we start off.

Urgh, this woman is unbelievable.

I'm panting like mad after the first 100m or so, because she is SO FAST!!! And she's talking to me the whole time! It *was* a beautiful morning, cloudy and breezy. So there I am, gasping for breath, and she tells me she's recently sent her maid home, managing the home on her own, and had just stayed up the past night to help hubby with secretarial work from 1-4 am (she does this several times a week)!! I grunt back.

And I noticed she hardly has to breathe - or at least she doesn't wheeze and gasp the way I do at that speed. So she tells me, try and take long deep breaths! I'm starting to form theories in my head, that she's had military training (of the communist sort) or must be an android.

Halfway, she turns and casually asks, do I know how to put in an abdomen workout while running? Of course I don't. I'm trying hard to not fall over and die.... Anyway, I say no and she tells me, (important multi-tasking lesson here) as you run, tighten stomach muscles and twist trunk from side-to-side. So *that's* what she's been doing, this cute twist and turn thing as she runs. I try it. It's hard! To concentrate on aforesaid task of not keeling over plus abdomen exercise... aieee. But it does feel good.

Then, last 800m, she tells me, you have to run ahead of me, I need something to chase! Whaaaa??

We finish in no time. I want to curl up and die. She was hardly perspiring, and all the way back she was encouraging me not to slow. She's sweet AND fast!! She's insane. I was my usual gross and drippy mess.

Back at the carpark, we warm down and she tells me, see you next week! OH NOOOOoooooooo......

Having said all that, I think I've been running at too comfortable a pace recently, and it was pretty good to really work out the lungs and legs. After a nice lie-down, I may be ready for next week. Perhaps *I* am insane.