Running in China

Burpees - I hate them. But GOD, they make me feel good two days later.

Immediately after running 5 miles up and down hills this morning and doing 20 burpees, my legs felt as if they were being consumed by tiny, little fire-breathing demons whose only goal was to tear my muscles apart. Now, later in the day, the scorching pain has subsided and the dull ache of repairing muscles has taken its place. Tomorrow morning, the all-over warbling numbness of my thighs will make me miserable as I climb the stairs of the Consulate over and over. But by Saturday morning, my muscles will be mostly back to normal and I will be dumb enough inspired to re-do the hill/rear-end workout again. Crazy? Maybe.

This time last month I pre-registered myself and 8 of my work colleagues for the 2013 Great Wall Marathon. As someone who completed the half marathon last year, I found it easy to recruit people to join me for my second go-round on the crazy wall-o-madness. Pictures and first-hand accounts go a long way when trying to convince people that anything is possible when they put their mind to it. The BFF and most of the recruits will compete in the 7.5km race, which is new this year (the race coordinators combined the 5km and 10km distances for a middle-of-the-road distance). A and I will do the half, and one of the crazy guys from CONS signed up for the full (simply for the fact that they cost the same, so why not?). +1 for everyone and good luck during the next six months of training!

Running in China is difficult. Aside from the looks of astonishment that I get as a foreigner whenever I run outside, there are serious deterrents to running out-of-doors in this country.

1. Pollution - Smog is everywhere. The air is cleaner here than in Beijing (by a huge degree) and on average we see blue skies more often than most cities in China. But the lungs do not appreciate working out when they have to filter out ground-level ozone and other atmospheric pollutants.
2. Traffic - In a city of 4 million people and a rising middle class, traffic is a huge obstacle to road running. Not only are the streets filled with cars, but drivers don't follow the traffic rules at all here. Oh yes, China has tons of traffic laws. Do people follow them? Nope. One indicator of why traffic laws are not obeyed is the methodology for obtaining one's drivers' license. Pay the license fee; take a written test; complete a eye exam; bend over and cough --> BAM! You've got your license. No street driving test required. Don't know how to drive your stick shift car? Who cares? You're in China.
3. Conditions - I've written earlier about the winter weather. It does a number on one's moods and emotional health. Imagine what it does to the sidewalks, public places, and parks! Find me a 1km stretch of sidewalk without stones missing, human-sized pot-holes, scaffolding, or hordes of people waiting for buses/walking by and I will give you a pony. Or at least a golden lap giraffe.

So, running in China is difficult. I haven't started my half-marathon training plan yet, but last year I didn't start training hardcore until late January. For now, I'll focus on continuing my long runs (6-8 miles) on the weekends and getting through the holidays healthy. I have my fingers crossed that by the time the race registration closes in March, I'll have recruited even more people to join me on the Great Wall for what will be an even better GWM experience.