Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kwickwool]

Hi All,

I am looking to start teaching in South Korea approx september and am also training for an ironman(triathlon) at the sametime. I am probably going to take a public school post for the limited hours(22hrs and no weekends) and am looking for somewhere that will be good for the ironman training.Ideally some coastal area for sea swimming, good roads for cycling and run routes. I am thinking that maybe Jeju might be the best as they have held an ironman for the past 7 years but not in 2009 unfortunately but for clean air, nice beaches to swim and run/cycle routes Jeju maybe my best option. Anyone know of any other places that offer similar good training conditions? Any help here would be greatly appreciated. thanks for reading, Christian.

[shifty]

Don't you need to swim in a pool for training and only occasionally swim in the sea for reality checks??

In which case you need to live where there are conveniently located swimming baths.

[blackjack]

[livinseoul]

You have no chance over her mate. All koreans are sparkling.

[ddeubel]

You answered your own question!

No where else but Jeju unless you want to spend a lot of time on a wind trainer. Then, lots of options.

DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[carrotpatchkid]

good luck man... i like olympic distance and i pretty much gave up when i got here.

koreans don't really know how to swim in lanes or do laps but there are pools so brave them if you must... open water's the way to go but once i swan out to an island off the coast (only about a 1k) and i was stopped by a speed boat patrol

roads tend not to be terribly inviting for cyclists... the shoulders are about six inches wide from what i've been on (trails in the city are ok but i hate riding more than an hour on them)

you're good to run anywhere. there are mountains everywhere you look and you'll get a good, clean-air workout

just because you only TEACH 22 hours at a public school doesn't mean you're not stuck there for 40 hours... i found working split shifts to be more condusive to training and also check out the shady hagwons that might only have 7 hour days. jeju's probably your best bet if you're only about training and nothing else, otherwise, you might consider yeosu or the area around jirisan, i've heard there's good road cycling out there

to give you an idea of korean triathletes, i used to teach one and he did ironman jeju... he swam the 2.4 and gave up a few miles into his bike (he rides a mtb)...

[ddeubel]

[EricB]

I have a coworker that has been (and done quite well) in two Ironman competitions in the last couple of months (China and Korea), as well as several marathons and other competitions. We work in a Hagwon and live right in the middle of Seoul. He trains with a bunch of soldiers. He doesn't seem to have any problems training in the city. He pays for a pool, rides bikes in groups on the highway, runs on the sidewalks, and climbs a lot of mountains. If you are serious, I could probably get you in touch with him if you decide to come to Seoul. Either way, you most certainly do not need to be in Jeju.

[Justin Kimberlake]

Ironman types hang out at the hill just behind hooker hill in Iteawon. Best of luck!

[kingplaya4]

How strong is your immune system? With different hygiene practices and lots of pollution it will be tested. Some are lucky and their bodies zap the viruses before they get a foothold, but as you probably know intense exercise weakens your immune system, and you may very well end up getting run down here.

My suggestion is try to work in the countryside even though they may not have some of the roads or facilities you like. Because even if your body can easily adapt to your first year in Korea, I just can't believe heavy training in polluted air can be good for you long term. Btw, I don't exercise, but I'm sickly in Korea (not really at home just here) but have found that taking 200 mg of selenium and zinc have at least for the past few months restored me back to normal. You might want to consult with a doctor, but perhaps these supplements might help you from overtraining.

[CeleryMan]

You are in a for a severely rude awakening. Ironman level training in Korea? Right.....