For Whom the Dogs Bark

56F, bright and calm morning.  Took my son and his wife to the airport, took my daughter to school, then ran 1 mile on the streets and 6.4 on the elliptical.  My ankle felt pretty good all weekend then didn't feel so good this morning.  I can get around but it is awkward and slow, definitely not making any training progress until it heals, though I am probably maintaining some reasonable level of fitness. 

So over the weekend my son bought a small house to live in during medical school.  Should be pretty nice for them and he might be able to turn a profit in 4 years when he is ready to sell.  The first-time homebuyer bonus from Uncle O was too hard to pass up.  Unfortunately I will have to co-sign, but he is good for it.  (Fingers crossed.)  Might not have done it so readily for a couple of other kids I know with the same last name.

6.2 miles on treadmill.

I traveled to Hong Kong from early Tuesday to Wednesday late, losing a day traveling east to west, amounting to two days lost workout time.  Hong Kong is a three-dimensional place, meaning two things:  it is very much up and down, and you can't just go to the street and walk across to the next building.  Buildings are connected at different levels and I couldn't find a place to run.  So I went to the hotel gym.  They had a big MMA rink there with lessons going on, and a couple of treadmills tucked away in the corner.  So I got on a treadmill.  My ankle still doesn't feel great, but I went 10K in about an hour, speeding up to an 8 minute per mile pace at the end, it felt good but mainly anything to drown out the martial arts sounds -- I would jump every time they yelled. 

Then walked around all day looking at the sights, including a trail that circles the mountain on top of the main island and has a spectacular view of the harbor, about a 2-mile walk.  Then drove into Shenzhen, just across the border in China, last night.  This hotel has elliptical machines, but I am getting ready for meetings today, so not sure when I will get to them.  I'll be here until Monday, will try to get in as much training as my ankle and schedule allow.

Still looking for flat spots.

One hour on the elliptical at the hotel.  I couldn't work out on Friday due to our travel and work schedule and I had a limp most of the day.  I kept working it though, walking whenever I could and forcing myself to put pressure on the ankle.  I am doing this entry on Sunday morning in Hong Kong -- basically the ankle felt great during the workout Saturday morning and I had no limp all day long.  It got a little tired toward the end of the day but is otherwise OK.  Hopefully this is behind me.  Probably good for me this week to work it hard without overdoing it, and then let it rest.

So Friday and Saturday I was in Shenzhen, which is across the border from Hong Kong in China.  It used to be a sleepy little fishing village, but China decided to pour money into it to compete with Hong Kong, so it has broad boulevards and large new buildings, very different from Hong Kong or Beijing, the only two other places I have visited in China.  The hotel there was opulent but had a strange, sterile feel to it.  It is built on a Spanish theme; the doormen are even dressed like matadors.  It felt out of place; just like you wouldn't go to Wall Street for barbeque, you wouldn't go to China for Spanish culture.  I mentioned to someone that the decor felt like one of Saddam Hussein's palaces, and others seemed to agree with that description, though none of us has ever been to Iraq.  Anyway, we enjoyed the visit and particularly the company of the Chinese members of our party -- we had a good time and we got a lot done.  We start back home in the morning (Monday), arriving late Monday Houston time.  This hotel in Hong Kong doesn't have a gym, so it may be Tuesday before I get to train again.

The weather here feels identical to Houston, warm and moist -- now if they could just make the ground flat.