The Olympic Day 8K Run

I participated in the Olympic Day 8K run this morning behind Da-Jia Elementary School, just by the riverside. There were a lot of people there, many groups and societies.

The most amusing bit had to be the warm-up sequence, led by a woman who had to be an aerobics instructor. The music started out with “Chariots of Fire” of course and then ended with a bizarre, Disney-fied rendition of “Amazing Grace.” We started out doing some easy movements, but it just got weirder with everybody holding hands and jumping left and right.

The motivational warm-up over with, the race began. In my case, this was a perfect example of slow and steady wins the race … I burned myself out and had to walk after two-thirds through the race. This old guy who I passed way at the beginning (and then who passed me and then I passed again) passed me and finished the race probably a couple minutes before me. Finally, in homage to the Taiwanese penchant for lining up for free stuff, I jumped in line for five minutes to grab a free cup of honey-water.

A nice morning and an enjoyable experience.