The challenges ....

Running in smog like this isn't that inspiring (or healthy!)

I will face a couple of challenges while training for the 21 km run, here they are:

1. Running outside - At the moment, I only run on the treadmill, which doesn't really simulate a run on the Great Wall of China! The smog is so gross and the scenery not that interesting, so running outside always loses out to running inside. However, I do need to start an outside run each week, no matter how detrimental to my health it may be.

2. The boredom - I love running, but because I'm quite competitive, I like to run for shorter distances a little faster or do interval training. So, it was a huge achievement for me to run 10 km on the weekend (in just under an hour) and not get too bored. I will definitely need to start running outside though because it is easy to get addicted to watching TV on the treadmill in the gym - however it's a good motivational tool too because I always watch CCTV5, which is the sports channel, I think the faster the run, the closer I will be to a body like some of the athletes I watch! I have also bought some new 'exercising' music for my ipod as well, which should keep me motivated.

3. A sore body and injuries - a former colleague once told me that my body would start getting injured when I hit 26, and sure enough, that was the first hockey season I ever had soreness and minor injuries. However, I'm lucky here with the availiablity and cheapness of massages in China. I guess I'll just have to take advantage of them more frequently, what a shame!

Ditto, running past scenes like this!