Singer Sean's insistence on exercising despite a leg injury drew a wave of concerned criticism from viewers.
On the 28th, a video titled "How is Sean's condition after running 81.5km?" was uploaded to the 'With Sean' channel.
That day, three days before the 815 run, Sean attracted attention for maintaining a large training load despite his injury. He said, "I'm running 81.5km in three days, and I can't say my condition is very good right now — I have some minor injuries. So I'm doing a lot of cycling as an alternative exercise," and he rode 81.5km by cycle.
Not stopping there, after weight training Sean visited Namsan Park and explained, "Today I woke up at 3 a.m., rode a bicycle 81.5km from 4 a.m., did weight training and then came to the mountain for the third time. Viewers might be puzzled: 'He's injured so we're worried, yet he rode a bike, did weights and came to the mountain?' I'm confused too. I clearly have a right leg injury, I'm receiving treatment and going to the hospital, and I have to run 81.5km in three days. I felt that simply resting wouldn't be right, so I reduced road running as much as possible and looked for other alternatives. That's cycling, weights, mountains, trail for me," he said.
The production team asked, "Recently on social media there's been a lot of talk about your injury — what injury do you have now?" Sean replied, "It's already been one or two months. It affects down to my lower leg: right Achilles tendinitis, left plantar fasciitis, and left Achilles tendinitis. After running I have to limp when I walk. I have to run 81.5km in a few days. Anyway, I have to endure and run, but I don't know how long I can hold out," reporting that his condition was not good.
When asked, "Wouldn't it be better to rest while rehabilitating?" Sean said, "I love running. There are many things I must do (by running), and I take care to avoid getting injured, and I receive treatments I didn't used to. In the past I would think I'd rather run once more than go to treatment. But lately many people are watching, and because of that I want to run more healthily, so these days I'm receiving treatment while continuing. Running healthily requires investing a lot of time in other things. But the one thing I can't do is rest — to do absolutely nothing," he admitted.
Meanwhile, Sean complained of discomfort in his leg, saying, "Last night when I went to bed I felt much better after treatment, but this morning riding the bicycle put a slight load on my calf. When I woke up this morning I felt nothing, but now I feel a slight sensation in my calf." The production team expressed concern, "The 815 run isn't far off, is it? Is your condition okay now?" and Sean candidly replied, "You won't know until you try."
When asked, "Don't others think, 'If he's injured, why is he exercising?'" he replied, "That's a fair question. If you're injured you should rest so you can recover quickly. I just love it. I love running. Someone who loves games will stay up all night playing, which people who don't like games can't understand. People do what they love even if it involves sacrifice and pain. I don't want to say my way is the right way. To stay healthy long term, if you're injured you should rest and recover first, so I absolutely wouldn't recommend this, but this is my path," he emphasized. When asked whether his family worries, he said, "I don't show that I'm in pain and I'm so happy on this path that they respect me, support me and pray for me."
After finishing the trail, when asked about his condition, Sean said, "My legs hurt a bit in the latter part, so I thought I shouldn't go long. The most important thing is do not follow me. To run healthily for a long time, always listen to your body, check your condition, rest when you should, and take recovery time if injured. Doing that seems to let us run happily for a long time. I have to run 81.5km in a few days, four major World Marathon Majors events remain in the second half of the year, and I also have the important goal of a sub-3 time, so I will manage my body well and achieve them one by one," he said.
And a week after finishing the 815 run, when he met the production team again Sean said, "I completed the seventh 815 run well. After the event I went to the hospital. I had an X-ray and there are early signs of a stress fracture. It hasn't fully cracked yet. Fortunately I was worried because I had a tearing pain while running 81.5km, but it doesn't seem to be a rupture. Still, I have pain around the calf," he reported on his condition.
When he said, "Viewers have been expressing a lot of concern in the comments lately," he replied, "They tell me in the comments and I know well that I should rest. I'll try my best to take as much rest as possible. Because I have so many things to do, I've tried to do work and running together and ended up like this, but many people say rest is also training. I'll do my best to practice resting well," promising to devote effort to rest.
But viewers who watched the video reacted with discomfort. They said they could not understand his insistence on a training volume that even ordinary people would find hard to handle when he needs rest for a leg injury. Fans voiced concerns toward Sean such as, "It seems you're pushing your body to the extreme. Resting well is also a form of exercise," "Please make content about resting and heal us," "This is another form of stubbornness and obsession," "You might never be able to run again at this rate. Please think about your body," and "Anything in excess is an addiction."
At the same time, some said, "I can't watch running videos anymore. Seeing someone stubbornly insist on training while injured rather provokes negative feelings," "A level of stubbornness that makes watching uncomfortable," "You do a lot of good things but you look too stubborn. I'll unsubscribe for now," expressing that they might not watch his videos for a while because Sean is overworking himself. Similar reactions have continued for some time, and attention is turning to whether Sean, who finally promised, "I'll practice resting well," will keep that promise.
[Photo] With Sean
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