Beijing and Hong Kong vacation and time to race!

Wow.  It's been a long time since I posted on here.  I went to Beijing, China and Hong Kong last month and that trip altered my running routine.  The trip was incredible and I was pleased with making myself get up early in order to utilize the gym for running.  I could not sleep on the flight there and was exhausted upon arriving in Beijing (total flight time not including the layover = 16+ hours); we decided to go on an additional tour that day but had a couple of hours to relax and get ready upon arrival at the hotel.  I hit the gym and my sleep deprived body managed a few miles (or shall I saw km!).  The days in Beijing were nonstop activity and I managed a couple of gym runs and, of course, did some running (but mostly climbing) on the Great Wall.  I would LOVE to do that race someday, though it would kick my butt more than any other race due to the inconsistent size of the steps; going up is challenging but descending sections is downright scary.  In Hong Kong, I loved the gym; it had the nicest treadmills I've ever seen so I made sure I ran each day, especially since the effects of very delicious, salty, greasy food (and too much of it) caught up to me.  I saw some trails on one of the islands near HK and was sad that I did not get a chance to run the trails there; maybe one day we will return and I'll have that opportunity.

After returning home, I decided to log a higher mileage week and then take a few weeks off from running.  I managed about 48 miles and my legs were not accustomed to running every day and doing double my recent mileage.  I hoped that a few weeks off would help my knee; I've gradually gone from no activity to slow walking to fast walking and hiking to slow running with mileage increasing gradually.  Unfortunately, the knee issue (cyst) is still there.  But yesterday's run with a Train 4 Autism group led by my friend Sam was good enough and long enough for me to decide that Alan and I will be able to do a half marathon next month!!!  We logged ten miles and the second half was faster than anticipated due to my leading the way; I had been eying the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon and yesterday's run confirmed that we will be ready to run and enjoy it.  We are not in "racing shape" but we have a wedding to prepare for so I'll sign us up this week. I love that Alan is excited about running and can't wait for the race.  Not being able to run as fast as I used to has been a blessing in disguise; I now enjoy my runs with him even more because I'm not having to slow down and his company makes every mile more enjoyable.