4:56

I woke up from the jello pool, that is dreamland, at 4:56 this morning. Alert and refreshed. So I tossed on my running shoes and bandanna and iPod and went on a run.

I love getting up before the sun. It makes me feel like I've got a jump start on the day and the rest of humanity, but I'm so lazy it happens about as often as the Vikings win a Super Bowl. The streets are normally teaming with angry taxis and a black haired sea in a rush to hop on the bus or subway. But not quite yet. The streets were silent and I felt completely alone as I ran. It started to drizzle when I hit the Bird's Nest and turned into a full out downpour when I turned for home. And 12.24 miles later I slowly climbed the steps up to the Cloister, smacking my lips to turn on the lights (Here in China, a lot of lighting in stairwells / outside are turned on via sound, so whenever I walk into a dark room I'll smack my lips. Turns out this is a tough habit to break.) as a soggy body of jello.

It was a treat to run in America - clean air and quiet roads. But I'm running a marathon on November 17th in Hangzhou, China, so I better get used to blackened lungs and dodging taxis.

- m -