Beijing Update

Well I did it. I ran today. I was supposed to do 4 miles, and I'm afraid I didn't quite get it all done.

The gym here is crazy. It's empty. During my 40 minutes on the treadmill I saw two people. One when I got there and another when I left. That was it. The treadmill was nice. Complete with television. Not a bad deal really. I turned on Chinese MTV and enjoyed a nice run.

Well, nice if you like running in 85 degree weather. Yes, I know I told you I was at the gym, but evidently it is not air conditioned. The thermometer on the wall read 85! I couldn't believe. No wonder I was sweating my balls off.

At about 3 miles I did something wrong and invoked the emergency shut down. Sweating, panting and feeling a little light headed I decided that was far enough. I showered and went home. I've been making up for the distance with a lot of walking, so I don't feel so bad, but I will try to beef up the next few runs to make sure I do all my mileage.

I found the runners! My mistake was thinking that no one here runs, I was looking in the wrong place. Actually the wrong time. When we headed to dinner tonight I saw all sorts of runners. They were waiting for the cooler weather. It was even breezy tonight and was therefore approaching something you might call comfortable. That run outside may actually happen. As I get acclimated to the weather here I'm starting to think it may even be feasible.

I'll keep you posted.