How does one come to this conclusion while out on a run? Well, since it was already getting dark I decided to stay close to home and just "run around the block" right outside my housing complex. I knew that the cross streets were pretty spread out, but I had no idea just how much. I made a left turn out of the neighborhood, and then a left at each first cross street. One lap was about 1.5 miles. I'd say that's one big block.
Fortunately the sidewalks along this route are wide and evenly paved, and one stretch along the back side of the neighborhood is lined with some sort of fir trees that gave off a quite pleasant aroma, not dissimilar to a floor recently mopped with Pine-Sol. The same stretch is also along the elevated road, so the ground traffic is actually minimal, which means fewer blaring horns. Dodging people waiting at the bus stop and side-stepping piles of dog poo are still standard practice, but you need something to remind you that you're still in Shanghai!
Even though this was an "easy" run on my schedule, my pace was noticeably slower than recent runs. I attribute that to two factors: I had a helluva tough spin class yesterday, and I was on my way to pilates. Sandwiched between two other workouts, this run was meant to be extra slow and light on the legs.
Back to that pollution thing... this is the first run when I've decided to add a new component to my post-run routine: a sinus rinse. It's bad enough that you can see black goo on the tissue when you blow your nose after being outside for a while; who knows what kind of microscopic gunk is building up if you don't find a way to get rid of it!
The Fine Print
Date: 1/15/13 Time: 5:00 pm Location: Shanghai, PRC
Time: 34:08 Distance: 3.1 mi Pace: 11:01
Music: Genius mix "Urban Remix" or something. Ehh.
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