Run #22: Double Digits

This morning the sun was already shining when I came downstairs for my peanut butter on toast with half a bottle of Gatorade.  That's my favorite pre-run meal, although I prefer a flour tortilla to toast.  Anyway, spring has unofficially hit Shanghai, so I was looking forward to a very pleasant run.

This week Heather K. came out to the zoo to meet me, and when I suggested we go 10 miles (or 16 km for her) she gave me a look of "Ya right."  I acquiesced and said we could just go as far as we felt good, and if it was close enough to 10 miles then great for us.

We did a long block around my neighborhood and then ventured into the big Xi Jiao park.  Unfortunately we ran into the same "Do not enter sign" and had to turn around, and yet again we were turned away as we approached the main road through the park.  Obviously some high-ranking official was staying in the hotel, or else they were preparing for one hell of a wedding.  Either way, we turned right around and left the park.

I piqued the attention of a guard across the street as I darted into some bushes and disappeared from sight for a minute.  Believe me, that option was way better than any public toilet I was going to encounter.

We continued on along familiar streets; the sunshine warmed us up significantly and the neighborhoods came to life with people out walking dogs, picking up their morning snacks, or running errands.  Then we came to a new sort of road block: the biggest pile of trash I've ever seen outside a landfill.  It smelled like it was fresh, full of all kinds of animal waste, bodily fluids, kitchen scraps, and lord only knows what else.  At that moment Heather and I decided it would be worth mapping out our next long run to try and find another more serene and clean route.

As we approached the zoo on the return we determined we could still go a little further, so we did another long block.  By then we were up to 9.4 miles which was right at Heather's threshold so she head off to the metro stop while I doubled back into my neighborhood.  One small loop inside our compound was all it took to get me to that magical "beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep" notifying me of my arrival at the 10-mile mark.  What a relief.  And it was still early enough to enjoy a post-run breakfast of scrambled eggs and cinnamon roll with a big cup of coffee, all well-earned.

The Fine Print

Date:  3/16/13  Time:  7:00 am    Location:  Shanghai, PRC

Time: 1:53:09    Distance:  10.0 mi    Pace: 11:18

Music: conversation

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