A Day In The Life: Expat in China

Life in Shenzhen, China is a lot different than New Boston, NH so it seems fitting that I do a little Day in the Life post. I no longer have a job or a car...the two things that used to take up most of my time. Now I spend a lot more of my time on my feet or bike.

We live on the waterfront which is a great place for walking and running. This morning after some coffee and getting caught up on news from home, I went for a one mile run to continue my brand new #runstreak and then joined mrC for a little walk.

We both had a small breakfast: PB&J rice cake for me and bowl of cereal for him. We discussed some ideas for upcoming travel plans, spent some time on social media, and then biked the two mile round trip to the ferry terminal to get mrC's ticket to the airport for his two day trip.

We spent the afternoon watching it rain, catching up on some episodes of The Good Wife, and having lunch (turkey rollups and a salad). After lunch we walked to the ATM. I'm still loving my new Skechers. They're getting quite a few walking miles put on them.

I put mrC in a taxi, had a quick snack, and then tried to figure out what to wear to my first Zumba class. The free class was being held in a neighboring apartment complex gym. I settled on capris and a loose fitting tank. At the last minute I thought to throw on my heart rate monitor to see how many calories I could "dance" off.

After class I walked home, had a shower, and curled up with some popcorn and Amazon Prime TV.


Would you miss your car if you had to give it up?
Ever taken a Zumba class?

My Accidental Run Streak

After substituting a run for my weekly hike up the mountain yesterday because of the rainy weather, I wasn't sure if I should do my normal Tuesday run or not. I was feeling good (which really means my knee) and I hate days without fitness unless I have a really, really good reason (sick or trip to some beautiful place with mrC - hint, hint).

Always up for a challenge, I went for it. Well, after waiting out some passing rain, again. Then I waited until I saw another runner out on the waterfront for a final boost of courage to actually get out the door. It was good. I paced better on this run, so the humidity did not get the better of me.

Still feeling good after my three day run streak, I took the time to go through all my post-run stretches. I think my muscles have been much happier since I truly started doing this and by default my knee has been happier.

Planking is still a challenge. I think my body is really missing my weekly SurfSet class. With a tile floor in our tiny apartment, I can't safely do HIIT workouts, so I'm on the lookout for something.

We took a trip out to a bigger international store and I found some new gluten free chips. I admit that I'm a salt freak and love something crunchy. I picked up one of each brand to try out.

Speaking of gluten free...just kidding. I did not buy any of these live crabs. It's just amazing to me to see them all lined up and spread over a table like this. Ok, and a little creepy.

My actual gluten free lunch: turkey and swiss rolls up and a salad with GF ranch dressing. The salad is one of the things that makes our trip today worth it.

Have you ever done a running streak?

Back to Back Runs, Hands Up Planking, and Yoga Mats

There was no way I was going to get stuck on a mountain in the rain this morning. After 90 minutes of flip-flopping between hiking the mountain or running and two good downpours, I chose to run. NBD, right? Except that I ran yesterday and I never run back-to-back days anymore. That little knee surgery in December has really changed things around here.

Since this back-to-back thing was kind of a test, I told mrC that I would run for about 20 minutes and secretly hoped I would hit two miles. Hitting a 10 minute pace has been challenging since we moved to China and began living in this tropical climate. Plus the boardwalk is slippery when wet and the whole knee thing. Turns out I did ok and it only rained a little while I was running.

Even though I was smoking' hot, I planked before getting in the shower to cool off. I was reminded again recently about the palms up position being a better challenge for your core. It really is.

While I love my free yoga mat, it is very stretchy making planking and stretching difficult at times. Today I finally picked up a new one and would you believe it was only $5 USD?? Isn't that crazy?

And just because random things can make me happy:

Do you plank with your hands up, down, or clasped in prayer pose?
How much did you pay for your yoga mat?

Weekend in 5

I've been feeling really good since my last run on Thursday. mrC has been home (dealing with the same cold I had) and other than the weather, it's been pretty quiet around here. 

Friday evening we took a walk to the waterfront near Sea World. The weather was comfortably cool and although it looked like it might rain, it did not. The waterfront was crowded with Chinese enjoying the National holiday break, drinking coconut milk straight from the coconut and taking lots of pictures. Sometimes we were the subject which can be both entertaining and awkward.

Saturday morning we walked to Peninsula in search of my favorite yogurt. In this area of town there are four good international stores all on the same street. It seems to be the Chinese way to line up a bunch of similar stores on one street. While there are plenty of stores selling imported goods, it's hard to remember who sells what. 

Saturday evening we watched the fisherman bring their boats into the harbor one by one. A tropical storm warning had been issued calling for them to do so.  They looked so frail sitting in the water just waiting for the storm to come.

Sunday morning my regular running partner cancelled because of the rain, but I went out anyway. The Rose Garden waterfront where we live is a great place to run when I want to stick closer to home, but is slippery when wet. There were others out walking and running, so I felt safe going for a slow 5K.

How was your weekend?

Any weather alerts in your area?

Best Parts of a Running Group

My last run was not what I expected, so I was feeling optimistic that today's run would go better. The odds were in my favor since most bad runs are followed by good ones.

But I also had my running group on my side.

Running groups are great for many reasons, but here are the best parts (according to me):

1. No planning necessary - regular group meet ups mean I don't have to worry about the when, where, who. I just show up and run!

2. Instant motivation - whether I'm feeling lazy about getting out the door or struggling to keep going during a run, running buddies encourage me to not give up.

3. Free entertainment - some of the funniest things can happen on a group run (right now I'm remembering the time a dog jumped out of a ditch and made all the girls in my group scream as if we just saw an ax murderer instead of a slobbering, friendly pooch). 

4. Product sharing - Not only do I get the best recommendations for all kinds of fitgear, but my running friends also let me try-it-out. I can also get honest reviews of things they've already tried.

5. Emergency saves - I admit that sometimes I walk out the door without my hair tie or gloves. When I run with a group someone almost always has an extra. Plus, when I need a mid-run potty stop, someone in the group knows the closest one and whether it's "a good one" (aka clean).

This morning it was hot and humid again. We ran nearly the same route today as I did Tuesday, but we slowed way down. That makes all the difference for me on humid runs and it's the thing I struggle with on my own.

Are you a member of a run group?

How was your workout today?

Not What I Was Expecting

Ever since getting sick, I've been waking up extra early.

Today, instead of staying in bed (I'd already laid there for 30 minutes), I got up and laced up. My weather app happily reported that it was a mere 80 degrees causing me to nearly dance out the door.

I was greeted by glowing decorations that made it almost seem like Christmas.

Since I was out the door before the sun was officially up, I ran east to catch the sunrise.

I didn't think it would take me long to get to the waterfront for the best view. I've been feeling better and the weather was so nice, but I bonked. Right from the start the run was a struggle. My legs felt heavy. I couldn't find a rhythm. My breathing was off.

It happens. I didn't give up though (although I wanted to...many times). It wasn't easy. I didn't have a partner to pull me along, but I kept going and finished the route that I had planned.

At home I did some planking. My left side is noticeably weaker than my right.

For breakfast I was super excited to try some GF tortillas and make cheesy scrambled eggs with sausage wraps. I used to buy Udi's gluten free bread in the US to make toast sometimes and it was delicious.

It did not turn out the way I expected. I first tried it as an on-the-go wrap (no heating). It basically fell apart when I tried to fold it. So I tried again and heated one in the microwave between a damp paper towel for 20 seconds as per the instructions. Sadly it stuck to the towel in places and still ripped apart.

Sadly, it didn't taste very good either. Maybe it's a bad batch (I did buy it in China after all).


Is one side of your body stronger than the other?
Have you tried Udi's products?

Another Climb Up the Mountain

My head cold is definitely in the final stages of existence. I know this because far fewer tissues are being defiled and my appetite is back.

It felt good to meet up with the SWIC hiking group for another Monday climb up the mountain. There's a lot to think about while climbing the 850ish steps to the top. How lucky I am to be able to do this every week. How blessed we are to have the chance to live this adventure in China. How much I miss my family and friends in the US.

When we get to the top, we always take the obligatory group photo. Some might think of it as just another picture of ourselves, but to me it means more than that. It takes a lot to get to the top. It's a strenuous climb. Sometimes we are attacked by mosquitos. We sweat a lot because it's hot and humid. But, still, we do it. All the way to the top.

Then we rest. We take in the views and enjoy our success. Even though we repeat this every week, it still feels like we crossed some imaginary finish line. After that, everything is just covered in happiness.

We tried a new place for our post-hike cool down and I ordered watermelon juice. It was delicious, but I would have rather had a smoothie. I'm definitely a smoothie person.

Just for fun, here are some random things I saw today:

A merry-go-round - probably part of the Mid Autumn Festival which is a celebration of the moon.

This sign - you might not know this, but there are a boatload of dogs here and many strays. I hope the dogs can read so they know to stay off this one random street.

Do you prefer juice or smoothies (especially after a workout)?
Did you see the super blood moon?

The Sick Zone

For the past few days our apartment has been a sick zone and it felt like all I could do was empty tissue boxes.

My attempt to rid myself of my cold on Thursday with a run did not work. In fact I ended up losing my voice and taking two more days of mostly rest. Maybe what I needed was an IGP.

I took a walk on Friday morning to test my energy level (so low I decided to skip Pilates), but I did enjoy the sights on the walk.

Beyond daily planking, the only other thing I did was bake. I finally had all the ingredients to make Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (recipe here), one of my all time favorite meals (and gluten free).

Today I woke feeling like my cold had taken a turn and all I could think about was running. All the virtual cheering I did for my ZOOMA friends who ran the Cape Cod race really had me itching to go.

To make sure I didn't do too much, I ran intervals. It was a much better run than my last one:
1. I was feeling better
2. the weather was cooler
3. it was earlier (no sun).

Before I knew it, I had run nearly 4 miles.

I'm going to take it easy the rest of the day and share this little video of an epic sendoff my old school gave to a student (link).

1,200 high school students and staff come together to give a 21-year-old student aging out of the special-ed program an epic, sweet sendoff.
Posted by ABC News on Friday, September 25, 2015

I love GOOD news like this. Let's keep it going. Tell me something you've seen or heard recently!

Sniffles, Smoothies, and some Running

I came home from my #treadmilltuesday progression run feeling all happy and then went down with a head cold.

SNAP!

Just like that I was drinking Emergen-C, skipping Wednesday yoga, and sipping smoothies because my throat felt like it was on fire!

I literally spent the day sleeping and watching episodes from season 1 of The Good Wife. Good show. I don't know why I didn't watch it before.

I woke up today feeling a bit better, definitely not sick enough to miss SWIC running group. Plus, I thought it would help to sweat a little. I should have looked more closely at the weather app. That feel like temperature is a killer. And the sun...I struggled.

So yes, it was a very tough run. Heat, humidity, and a head cold. And it's good that I went because it was only two of us today. Ironically, two New Englanders running in China :)

Post run and planking, I went for a nice cold smoothie. Main ingredients today: blueberries, raspberries, almond milk, protein, flaxseed, kale and greek yogurt. With a side of GF Rice Chex. I finally got my hands on some. It's only the second time I've seen it sold here, so I bought two boxes. I love munching on them.

I spent the rest of the day using up all the kleenex in the apartment while wish-listing for some new gear.

Loving these long roga shorts...good for running, but great for hiking too.

and these chi extra long tanks...any color would be ok.

How does a cold affect your fitness?
Favorite smoothie ingredients or snack?