And there I thought I had passed on New Year Resolutions… But as soon as I landed in Beijing, I started running again. At a very slow pace, and short distances at first, mind, but still it’s something.I had to do something about the excess of fat I gained during my 4 weeks spent in France. Foie Gras, Champaign and all kind of sweet pastries are not compatible with how fit I aim to be.
So I used Jet Lag and the absence of L, who stayed in France while her visa was being issued, to go running early in the morning. I was the first surprised, but it’s feeling good. I’m now at week 5 of a 8-week training plan to get myself to run 5K races (when is the Color Run coming to Beijing again, puh-lease?), and I’m proud to say that I’m lacing my trainers at least thrice a week.
But it’s not always easy running in Beijing. Most parks are requiring us to pay an entry fee, and the rare free ones are too small to be interesting. Hitting the road is not convenient, for a peculiar specificity of the Chinese traffic law: cars have right of way over pedestrians, how crazy is that?? And right now Winter has become quite harsh, with strong wind chills and sub-zero temperatures.
But the worst for a runner, cyclist, or whoever aims at exercising outdoor in Beijing is the Air Quality. Though it had been okay for the beginning of the year, with Spring Festival and the firework craze, it has become very hazardous to practice any outdoor activity at all. Even going to work and walking to the subway station requires me to wear a particle filtrating mask.
All that combined, I don’t really enjoy running outside in Beijing, especially in our current neighborhood where the only available kinda green spot is a very narrow path alongside the Tonghui River, path only accessible for a mere 1.75 km… I can’t wait to move over to the Lama Temple area, as I’ll have access to the much bigger (but not free) Ditan (Temple of Earth) Park. Until then, I’m hitting the treadmill at the local gym, and dream of spring and clean air…
Geek & Chin' 