Welcome to Fukuoka JET Spotlight! In this new series of posts, we will be sharing some of the achievements of our fellow JETs here in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Now nearly two years into this pandemic, many of us have found ourselves with plenty more free time than usual, leading to a range of brand new hobbies cropping up in our lives. This mini-series, Hobby Highlights, aims to share some of the great hobbies that our colleagues have nurtured during the pandemic.
Danièle, Kitakyushu ALT
Q: What is your hobby, when did you start, and why?
My hobby is running and I started running at the end of August 2020. The main reason that I started running was to get back in shape and just change my lifestyle to be more active. At that time, I was using a training app called Nike Training App, with which you can choose a 4 to 6 week plan that generates exercises to do throughout each week. I had that app since 2016 but I never managed to finish a simple 4-week plan. My ex-partner at the time had poor eating habits and lots of drinking, and I unconsciously followed that pattern as well. I wasn’t happy at the time and naturally I gained weight from it. That’s when I decided to at least finish a 4-week plan. I wanted to include running, too. I also changed the way I ate by cutting down on carbs and being more creative with my meals.
Q: What has encouraged you to keep up this hobby?
I was inspired by my friends Rosie and Finlay because they participated in a few small marathons in Kyushu. That helped me to continue running. Eventually, around November 2020, I met a retired science teacher at a school who was mentoring the new science teachers. We exchanged a few words and he noticed the different food I would bring to school. I stopped eating school lunch and started bringing my own meals instead. He got curious and from then, we slowly talked about many things.
Eventually, running was a topic that popped out. He told me that he used to run often, and that’s when our friendship bloomed. He would always ask me if I ran, how long did I run, how far, etc. He took interest in what I was doing (unlike my ex-partner) so that was a boost. Eventually, after the breakup, my new friend would ask me if we could run together sometime. Since February 2021 to this day, we have been running at least once a week together. We keep each other motivated.
Q: Please tell us about some of your best achievements or proudest moments with your hobby so far.
I have quite a few! They are like milestones for me. The first one was running my first 10k. It was in August 2021—the middle of a hot summer. I ran on the mountain in the morning. It was quite difficult going up but when I did, I felt so proud of myself.
The second one was running over 20km (27.37km! More than a half-marathon). My running partner and I joined a running group and one told us about a really popular and nice daifuku shop somewhere in the Miyakawa area (near Nogata). We ran from Yahatanishi in Kitakyushu, all the way there. Those daifuku were very delicious, and running a very long distance was a great experience. After eating, we had to run back to our starting point.
When I reached kilometre 21, my right leg and hip started hurting A LOT. I had to walk back but even walking was hard. I could barely walk for the rest of the day but, for those daifuku, it was totally worth it! It took me three days to recover. My peers told me I did great for my first time running a long distance so I felt really proud of myself. We also saw some spider lilies on the way!
Q: What is your goal for this hobby?
My goal was to participate in the Kitakyushu annual marathon with my running partner. We paid for our entries (which was done by lottery) and we actually got in. I got really excited to run in a televised competition for my first time. We started training seriously back in November 2021.
Unfortunately, in mid-January 2022, we got the news that it had been cancelled by the rising cases of COVID-19 in the prefecture. I was devastated about it, but my running partner told me to not be sad and that we should see if there are any other marathon/running events that might still happen before I leave Japan in summer this year. If it is still not possible while I’m in Japan, I will try the marathon in my city: Montreal, Canada (which is coming up in September 2022). My training will not go in vain!
I can say that I have successfully incorporated into my lifestyle and I intend to keep on doing it for the rest of my life.