Author Archives: Bob G

Китай, такой далекий и такой любимый. Он впустил нас к себе, дал возможность проникнуться культурой, немного понять менталитет и показал всю красоту своей природы.

Я не раз бывала в Китае до того, как мы переехали туда в 2015 году. Особой любви и восхищения к этой стране у меня не было. Наоборот, были стереотипы и ярлыки, навязанные обществом. За три года Китай освободил меня от стереотипов и ярлыков, помог взглянуть на мир вокруг без предвзятости. Вы не представляете, как все стало на много проще без этой особенности, которая свойственна нам, русским.

Китай меняется, и меняется очень быстро. Между тем, меняясь сам, он помогает меняться каждому, кто принимает вызовы и может успевать за ритмом, который задает Поднебесная. Мне самой очень интересно наблюдать за этим и очень хочу уже по-скорее узнать, каким станет Срединный мир через 20-30 лет. Смогут ли нынешние дети стать самостоятельными, повзрослеют ли они и какими будут дети поколения «маленьких императоров»? Очень любопытно.

Сейчас у меня перед глазами каждый день мелькает совершенная другая молодежь. Те дети, которые уже в 15 лет водят машину, зарабатывают свои первые деньги и всем своим нутром рвутся во взрослую жизнь.

Ну так вот, в Китае государство заботится практически обо всех аспектах жизни своих граждан. И это очень удобно, если там на короткий срок времени.

Китай туристический очень удобный, везде можно доехать, есть дороги, система поездов, инфраструктура налажена практически везде, особенно если вы любите местную кухню, то проблемы у вас будут только с общением.

Миллионы маршрутов с интереснейшими и красивейшими местами на земле, сотни тысяч парков от очень больших до миниатюрных, а какая природа! Уникальные горы, такие невероятные, что порой не веришь своим глазам, красивейшие озера, воспетые поэтами. Даже дожди в сезон дождей! Я не люблю быть под дождем, не люблю когда обувь или одежда промокает, а тут я полюбила дождь … Такой теплый, приятный и сильный, смывает всю грязь и обновляет все вокруг.

До множества мест иностранные туристы даже не доезжают, ограничиваясь заезженными маршрутами вроде Великой Китайской стены, терракотовой армии, пляжей Саньи. В принципе им и не нужны иностранные туристы. Внутренний туризм на столько развит, что в некоторые дни года яблоку негде упасть, сами китайцы говорят в такие дни я видел «моря людей, горы людей». И правда так и бывает, когда толпа на столько плотная, что ничего перед собой не видишь. Мы пытались не путешествовать в такие дни по Китаю, а уезжать из Китая. Соседние Япония и Южная Корея, экзотичная Юго-Восточная Азия – все рядом и буквально в 2-4 часах на самолете. Наши фавориты – Малайзия и Филиппины. Солнечные и приветливые люди с островов, лучшие места для дайвинга делали наши короткие вылазки за свежим воздухом незабываемыми.

В общем, если вы вдруг соберетесь в Китай, то обязательно доберитесь до гор, до маленьких деревень, обязательно остановитесь в Шанхае хотя бы на 2-3 дня. И помните, что вся страна путешествует во время китайского нового года и в первую неделю октября.

Езжайте сейчас, потому что сейчас самое интересное время в Поднебесной – когда очень гармонично сожительствуют несколько на столько разных поколения, когда прогресс и технологии инкрустированы в повседневную жизнь на столько органично, что начинаешь воспринимать это не то, чтобы как должное, а перестаешь представлять свою жизнь без этого.

Конечно есть моменты, которые вы никогда не поймете, или те, которые будут вас раздражать, но разве есть место, где все идеально? В отличие от многих, китайцы открыты всему новому, отдают дань традициям и, поверьте мне, они упорно работают над улучшением и совершенствованием быта, устоев, да и в целом жизни каждого человека, а не отдельной группы людей.

Я с нетерпением жду нашей следующей встречи с Китаем. Это случится не скоро, но я совершенно точно знаю, что мы будем очень рады друг другу. До встречи, дорогой друг!

Racing. Yes, I’ll start with races. It was an amazing year of racing. 

-We broke last year’s records, not only in quantity, but we smashed it with variety: running, triathlon, vertical running (running to the top of the world’s tallest buildings), bike and obstacles races, and team challenges. 

– I tried new distances, felt all sorts of pain and sweat a lot. 

-I can finally swim 1.5km without switching to breaststroke. 

-We were participating in races as invited athletes. Moreover, in vertical races we were racing in elite groups. 

-I set goals to achieve certain times for long distances and didn’t … Yet. My goals were not correctly set, without considering the quantity of races we were doing, it was quite difficult to train properly and work full time. I guess in 2018 I’ll race less and train more. 

– I got personal best in short distances: 5 km – 2min12 sec faster, 10 km – 4 min faster, sprint distance triathlon – 13 min faster. I even finished 3rd in 14 km race at Suzhou International marathon. I was flying that day and I felt the sweet taste of the victory in a huge field of runners. 

-Shanghai Marathon organizers invited us to appear in the the 2017 Marathon promotional videos. 

-And of course, the main race of the year – the New York City Marathon! BG got a spot in the most famous race in the world! An amazing experience and a life changing event! 

Okay, next year I gotta train properly and work on my weak spots! Not looking forward to that painful routine, but I know that I’ll enjoy it. 

We were traveling a lot, at the same time we had very few big trips. Most of our travels were related to the races we were participating in.

-A year of exploring beautiful China. Hiking the most breathtaking mountains, sneaking into small and old neighborhoods, exploring temples and palaces, eating with local people, hours of delays in airports and hotels. There is still so much to do and see! 

-My best friend visited us in June and we climbed Mount Huang. We met each other traveling and I’m so grateful for a chance to have one more trip together.  

-For the first time, our flight was cancelled and we stayed overnight at a hotel. The next day I was working from the airport while waiting for the information about our flight. It was tiny airport with no food and we ordered pizza delivery. And what do you think? Of course, they announced, that our flight is boarding right now and pizza man was 10 min away from the airport. But Everything is possible in China! We got our pizza delivered directly into the plane! And we fed hungry Kenyan runners. 

-Participating in races is one of the best ways to travel. Just imagine – you come to a scenic spot and you have a chance to swim in those legendary lakes, bike across the town and run through the best view points. And, of course, all roads will be closed for you and there will be cheering people making noise and clapping. Priceless experience! 

-We travelled to another city by bike. We left in the afternoon, arrived in the evening and danced all night at a salsa festival. Dancing and having fun for 2 days with our students and friends, and then biked back to Shanghai. Pretty good experience, I was very proud of my legs. 

-Diving in the best diving spot. Every dive there is unique, full of life and flora. Diving for me is like a door to another universe and a privilege to see our planet from the other side. The recipe for happiness is quite simple: dive, eat, sleep, repeat.

-Coming to America. While celebrating and welcoming year 2017 we didn’t plan it. Sometimes things just happen, for good or for bad only time will tell. 

In 2018 we will be exploring another continent. So excited and we look forward to the journey ahead. 2018, we are ready for you!!!!

Как работает прокат велосипедов в большинстве стран? Нужно дойдти до прокатного агенства/магазина, выбрать велосипед в одном месте, заплатить депозит, а после велопрогулки – вернуть велосипед на то же самое место. 

До того, как я переехала в Шанхай, мне эта система казалась единственно правильной. Представьте себе, что может быть на много проще! Никуда ходить специально не надо, велосипеды доступны везде, нужно только выйти на улицу и найти припаркованный велосипед, отсканировать код, который автоматически разблокирует замок. А после велопрогулки, не нужно возвращаться в то же самое место. Достаточно припарковать велосипедна любой общественной парковке. 

Чтобы начать пользоваться велосипедами по всей стране, нужно загрузить приложение на телефон, создать учетную запись, отправить фото паспорта, чтобы подтвердить, что вы это вы, заплатить залог. Сумма залога варьируется – от 150 до 299 юаней. По желанию, в любой момент вы можете поросить вернуть залог. 

Первым на рынок Шанхая вышел Mobike, пока что единственный экспат-френдли с приложением на английском языке. Вслед за ним появился Ofo, ну а после они стали расти как грибы. Следует отметить, что компании прислушиваются к требованиям рынка и совершенствуют велосипеды. Теперь все ведосипеды снабжены корзиной, для особо ленивых есть электро байки, и для привередливых – есть велосипед золотого цвета и зарядником для телефона.

В связи с этим, велопрогулки превращаются из прогулок в средство передвижения. Ежедневно тысячи людей от мал до велика пользуются общественными велосипедами. И уже даже не представляют жизни без велосипеда.

 Есть и минусы, в основном связанные с отсутствием парковочных мест – велосипеды паркуют там, где нельзя. Это очень сильно раздражает не только жителей города, но и местные власти, которые пустили не мало сил и усилий на борьбу с компаниями, предоставляющими услуги по прокату. Неправильно припаркованные и заброшенные велосипеды собираются в кучу и увозятся в специальную парковку, где, как говорят, их уже сотни тысяч. 

Мне сложно представить, что когда-нибудь Mobike или Ofo появится в России. Уж очень сильно развито воровство, вандализм и мелкое хулиганство в нашей стране. 

А вот в странах с велосипедной культурой, такая система проката упрощает жизнь в Шанхае для жителей  и гостей, делая проживание более комфортными приятным. В большинстве случаев отпадает необходимость в общественном транспорте и такси. 

#bgnngg #sharedbikes #sharedeconomy #cycling #bikefriendly #shaghai 

It’s super hot in Shanghai! Temperatures during day time are climbing up to 39C, with  ‘real-feel’ at 50-ish degrees! Chinese ladies are wearing all sort of sun protection, they are really creative here! All sort of body covers, umbrellas, hats and masks. Sometimes they remind me of imperial storm troopers. 

The streets are mostly empty around noon, I guess it’s a peak season for shopping malls now. Trying to avoid sun and heat and save some money on electricity, shanghainese are spending most of their days in cool, spacious, and ultra modern contemporary temples of consumption; drinking ice bubble tea and eating strange stuff on sticks they call ‘ice cream.’

We are also being lazy, it’s too hot for racing and training. 

May and June we spent traveling and racing in sport events every weekend. It was such a great time!!! It was mostly triathlons – 5 weekends out of 8. 

We started to do triathlons only last summer, and it’s already feels like we’ve been doing it for years. So what is so good about triathlons? Hard to put it in words, but let me try.

1. You are not doing the same excersize for hours. First you swim, then you jump on a bike and finish running. You never get bored! And you have to stay focused all the time. 

2. Even if you are not great in one or even two legs, you can win. Because you can’t swim or run, or bike, you overcome your weakness and as you cross the finish line, you are the Winner. You beat your strongest competitor – yourself. And, of course, you can also win the race. 

3. You get stronger. Before triathlons, I was doing some weight lifting trying to improve my body composition. I’m “skinny fat” body type with low muscle mass. Gaining a 100 grams of muscles costs me a lot of effort. Even more to keep it – if I stop eating a lot of protein (around 2.5 grams per 1 KG of weight), I lose it. It was not a fun cat & mouse game. And you know what? Triathlons have somehow helped me improve my body composition! Not significantly, but to the level I was aiming for. Like magic! 

4. You learn your limits. And you push them. Step by step. This is, probably, my favorite part. You never know what are you capable of before you try.  

5. You make new friends. You’ll be surrounded by people who share the same passion and speak the same language- triathlon. 

6. You go to places you’d never even think to visit. Also one of my favorite! You can see the world, meet people and race in the most beautiful places in the world.

7. Waking up at 4am on weekends becomes normal. You’ll be done racing by the the time most of your friends wake up. I love the transition area and all the preparation in the morning. Everybody around is buzzing with caffeine and ready to set new records. 

8. Pre- and Post-race meals. Oh yeah, on the day before and the day of the race, my MyFitnessPal app is exploding from food intake and carbohydrates. I love to eat, what can I say 🙂 and it’s necessary, you can’t race without extra glycogen in your liver. 

9. Plan, plan and plan! I can’t live without a plan. It’s a fact.  I need a plan, even if things are not going to go with my plan, I’d better have one, or two. Plan meals, plan transportation, hotels, training, recovery, how fast or slow I’ll go. And then you can compare you plan with facts. And plan afterwards another plan, “how to improve”. 

10. Photos. Yes, you’ll get awesome pictures of you coming out of the water in wetsuit, or looking super fast on a bike, or enjoying your run (sometimes suffering, but it also looking good! So dramatic and powerful, haha) 

Can you run? Or jog? Or walk? Are you able to swim at least 750 meters? Do you have a bike? Then you definitely should consider trying triathlon! 

You’ll get more benefits than you think! 

It’s been an intense spring with some small victories, minor disappointments and achievements.  

Every winter, in polluted and humid Shanghai, we stare out the window waiting for spring. It’s good thing that spring starts here relatively early – at the end of February-beginning of March.

Spring for us is a running season with races happening almost every weekend. This year we started a bit earlier than usually with a pre-Valentine’s day ‘Honey run’ on February 12th. 5.21 km we ran as a couple and finished 3rd overall. A weekend stay at 5 star Intercontinental was a great award for Valentine’s day ☺

After a short race, some serious races were scheduled for March. The Suzhou half marathon and Wuxi international marathon.

In Suzhou, I ran my first half marathon in China in 2016 and was super excited to run it again in 2017. As last year’s race was not very smooth and pleasant, I wanted to enjoy the course this time. I signed up for 14 km and BG for 21.1 km as a warm-up race before the Wuxi marathon.

I was so excited and was almost flying! So far it was my best 14 km ever and 3rd place among women. It was a nice surprise and a well deserved podium. BG also did a personal best and was very satisfied with his result. I got 2 huge boxes with prizes (vacuum cleaner and weird iron-steamer), a pair of running shoes and sport costume (it was way too big for me, and perfectly fits BG ☺). Carrying it all back home was a small adventure worth a story of it’s own! Anyhow, we managed to get home with the gifts from the race sponsors. It was my first and, I hope not last, individual podium in a running race, a wonderful experience full of positive emotions and happiness.

But for every success you need to “pay it back” and I did the next week at the Wuxi Marathon. After a great half-marathon in Wuxi in November 2016 getting a new personal best, I was hoping for another personal best in the marathon. The course in Wuxi is amazing – with small elevations, around the lake with great crowds and spectators, and the race itself is very well organized. However, there is something weird and funny: pink tank tops for both men and women, pink gloves, a medal with multicolor crystals in it. From year to year, all of China makes memes and jokes out of the Wuxi marathon outfit. “True men wear only pink”, etc.

The weather forecast was not great for running – it was supposed to rain in the morning. And it did start to rain after 1.5 hours from the moment when thousands of runners began their journey and created a pink flow on the streets of the city. Before it started raining, the race was like a celebration of spring – happy runners, blooming flowers and trees and Taihu lake. The rain was such a run killer, at least for me. Icy, needlelike drops felt like they were piercing my legs, the cold wind was like a wall stopping you. It was at this point that my personal marathon just started. People say that during a marathon you experience a million emotions, feelings, pain, and, the most important and hardest, a unique conversation with yourself. You can actually learn something new about yourself. For 20 km I was struggling along the course but I didn’t stop and finished the race. Probably first time in my life I felt so miserable, disappointed, sad, and happy at the same time.

The lesson was learned.

In April we were running in Shanghai, I was desperately trying to get a spot in the Shanghai marathon. I had 2 chances: to finish in TOP 20 female at 10km race or finish in TOP 200 female at Shanghai half-marathon.

Unfortunately, both times I was 1 minute far from the goal: I finished 25th at the 10km race and 217th at the Shanghai half marathon. 

Okay, I was out and I accepted it. BG also didn’t qualify for the marathon, though he did last year. He didn’t get slower, he actually ran faster this year in both races. The level of chinese runners had increased a lot! Also, more runners from all over China came to race in Shanghai. In the past 2 years we have been witnessing a significant increase of interest in long distance running in China. Not only has the level of runners increased, but there are more, well-organized races and, of course, sales of sport equipment has doubled or even trebled.  

And speaking of race organizers, nowadays there are all sorts of running events: not only standard running, but also series like “Run for your life”, “Spartan race”, “Mud race”, kids, parent+kid, only women and couples’ races.

5/21 is a special day in China because it sounds like “I love you” in Chinese. On this day you can always find a race where you have to sign up and run as a couple. This year we chose a 5.21 km race in Wuxi. Wuxi is a beautiful place with a lot of runners and cyclists. People generally do more sports in this city. For example, the couple who won the race ran 5 km in 17 min! It’s very fast! Especially for women, I was impressed. We were running with my speed, of course, and finished 12th.

I improved in 5 km and dropped 17 seconds from February. And if compare to 2017 – improvement is 2 min 12 sec. Damn, I call it a success!

And the funniest thing happened in the very last race of May! We decided to try an obstacle race since it has become very popular all over the world, including China. The race venue was great – on an island not far from Shanghai (technically still in Shanghai). It was a very hot day with 8 or 9 km trail running with no shade or wind. So many people were collapsing during the course. This was THE obstacle and challenge of the race. The original 9 obstacles were a joke, like, mostly for people with absolutely zero fitness level. 

Well, I believe the organizers decided to be on the safe side and avoid hundreds of injured participants. Speaking of the organizers, it was the organizer of the Shanghai marathon and the TOP 50 male and females can get a guaranteed spot for full or half marathon. And I got it! I finished 50th! Exactly 50th!!!

When I saw results I was like “No way!!!” But the fact remains, “I’m in!”

What is home? Where is home? Is it the place where you was born? Is it the place where you grew up? Or it’s the place you’re living in right now? If you asked me “where is your home?” 2 years ago, or even 1 year ago, I’d have said “Moscow” without hesitation. However, living away from home always makes things a bit… different. 

I think it first started in 1991 or 1992, when our house in the village of Namtsi was under renovation. It took, I believe, a year or so. I didn’t see any inconvenience in it, I was a kid and it was like an adventure: in the summer I was living in a R.V with my parents, my sisters stayed with our aunt, and the winter we spent at the hotel. 

Two years later, we moved to Yakutsk. My parents bought a 2 bedroom flat with a bathroom and a balcony! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that our house in Namtsi didn’t have an indoor toilet or a bathroom. But there we had huge yard with greenhouses, a garage, lots of junk, like a boat, and space to play. According to my dad, I once asked him when we would move to a flat with a private balcony and bathroom. Oh, I was so funny and silly! 🙂 

Of course I was super excited! My own balcony! At the same time, I was super sad to leave my friends and my yard/playground. 

A New school, a new home, new acquaintances, a new language… Our flat was quite far from the city center, but my school was just 5 minutes walking distance away! It was fun living there – there were so many of us: grandma, my sister with my first nephew, & occasionally our friends. Also, it happened to be during one of the economically worst periods in Russia. My parents did everything possible to make our live better. Sometimes I feel so sad about it, that they spent their best years struggling and fighting for the best future for us. 

A few years later, we moved to another flat. This time closer to the city center and closer to my university. My parents live in that flat to this day. 

So what was special about this new place? I had my own room! Up to then, I was always sharing a room with somebody. We bought new furniture, I hung posters of my favorite show, X-Files, and painted the walls pink. I think I lived there the longest – 9 years! 

I don’t know why, but since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to live in a big city and be a part of something huge. When I was confident enough, I moved to Moscow in 2009, driven by my curiosity and desire to find love. And love didn’t find me until I had already decided to stop looking it and simply enjoy my life. 

Right at the moment when I thought to myself “I’m home”, life decided to throw me a curveball.

So home has move again, now I’m here in Shanghai, with my beloved husband.

And appears that he has a similar background. BG was born in Texas, but bounced all around the United States in his childhood. He has called home: California,Oregon, Minnesota, Iowa, & Kansas. On average, moving every three years. Home for him had nothing to do with the house he was in, or the people at his schools, or the weather. Instead, Home was with his mother and father and sister, and pet dog/parrot. 

The first time he lived alone was at University. It was quite an eye-opening experience and he realized that he was capable of taking care of himself. But University wasn’t home, it was just a place to study. Where was home then? When he returned to his parents’ home during his junior year, they had moved it wasn’t the same house and the home he remembered was gone.

He spent the first semester of your senior year in Russia, and realized he probably should have been born Russian. The sense of belonging there was so much higher than in the US. He understood the people more, and realized his future didn’t have to be in the office if he stayed.

So upon graduating, he found the first job he could, teaching English. He enjoyed it a lot and one year turned into several. Moscow was a place to make money, so money was made.

Unlike NNG, he wasn’t in Moscow looking for love. Love was probably the last thing on his mind. But after nine long years in Moscow, by pure chance on trip, he met the woman he knew he was going to marry in St. Petersburg.

And just as BG ‘n NGG were settling down to a happy married life, the Russian economy decided to go poop. And Moscow without money is not a fun place to be. Especially having a mortgage and American student loans. 

So … Shanghai. The city we didn’t like at first sight, but gave a chance. And it worked! Shanghai is amazing! It changes every day, and it gives you the opportunity to change yourself. I’m still not sure if it is good or not, but so far we are satisfied. 

Originally, we were planning to stay here for 2 years. However, upon arrival, we immediately decided to cut that in half and enjoy ‘expat life’ for just a year.

Oh well, never say never! It’s been 2 years now, and we are going for a 3rd and still not sure how long our Chinese journey will last. 

I know people who came to Shanghai for the “short term” and have been living here for 9, 10, 11+ years. It’s so Shanghai, to be unpredictable and unique. 

So back to the question: where is home? I don’t know. But I know, that I always find home where my heart is. It’s here, next to me, spooning me and sleeping. 

Home away from home. We have found it and it’s doesn’t matter where we are.

Годовщина? Как отмечать? Встретить рассвет и пробежать полумарафон в Ангкор Ват. Именно так мы отпраздновали вторую годовщину. Это было прекрасно, местами очень жарко, а в целом очень интересно. 

Пожалуй, это был самый лучший способ отпраздновать, очень в нашем стиле. Наша совместная жизнь немного отличается от устоявшмхся шаблонов и канонов и семейные праздники и годовщины мы отмечаем по своему. 

Между прочим, дату, точнее месяц для регистрации мы выбирали с тем расчётом, чтобы можно было поехать куда бы то ни было и при этом везде был сезон для чего-нибудь интересного. 

В этот раз наш выбор пал на Камбоджу. По приятнейшему стечению обстоятельств, в этот день проходил Angkor Empire Marathon. Почему бы и нет, кто не пробует, то не пьёт шампанского! 

Итак, я зарегистрировалась на полумарафон, Роберт на марафон. Несмотря на то, что за последние месяца три я не бегала больше 7 км, а Роберт больше 10км, забег прошёл без тяжелых последствий 🙂 на 2 минуты медленнее моего желанного времени, а у Роберта – на 2 минуты больше своего лучшего результат, но все же в пределах намеченного. 
Сам забег не такой большой, всего несколько тысяч бегунов, в основном из Азии. Из России была только я, и то во время регистрации не было опции “Россия” … Но зато была её королевское высочество принцесса Тайланда. Она бежала с охраной (всего 6 человек) и с группой поддержки. Но в итоге она бежала только с тренером и 3мя сопровождающими и финишировала с весьма неплохим временем в районе 2-х часов с копейками. 

Итак, 3rd Angkor Wat Empire Marathon проходит ежегодно, это благотворительный забег, с общим количеством участников в районе 2000 человек. Поэтому забег получился очень уютным, не было больших толп и очередей. 

Мы прилетели за день до старта, чтобы получить стартовый набор участника и осмотреться на месте. 

Стартовые наборы выдавали на территории одной из рекомендованных гостиниц. Мы приехали туда с утра и без проблем и очередей получили свои номера. Паспорт, справки и подтверждения не просили, нам поверили, что мы – это мы. 

При желании можно было поехать с группой на инспекцию трассы. Мы решили не ехать, а просто расслабиться в отеле и поплавать в пустом бассейне (такая возможность бывает крайне редко). 

Предмарафонский ужин был также организован в одной из гостиниц. Но время было достаточно позднее – 7 вечера, в старт марафонской дистанции 4:30 утра, а полумарафона в 6 утра. Нужно быть на месте в 4 утра, ехать до Ангкор Ват из гостиницы около 20 минут. Нужно ещё поесть, выполнить все ритуалы – причесаться, намазаться гелями, сходить в туалет и т.п. В итоге мы проигнорировали ужин и поели сами в гостинице. Не в первый раз, как говорится, и что такое углеводная загрузка и как ее лучше провести для своего организма, мы знаем. 

Итак, утро 7 августа, 3:30 часа утра/ночи. Мы проснулись, собрались, забрали наши сухие затравки и поехали на место старта. Было очень темно и даже как-то жутковато. Ели мы по дороге, наш завтрак от отеля включал булочки, джем и сок. А так хотелось отварных яиц т кофе!  

И знаете что? У старта продавали кофе, в 4 утра! Благодаря тому, что много туристов встречает рассвет в храмах, сервис на месте налажен. Я довольная села за столик под зонтом и не торопясь пила горячий кофе. Роберт по началу нервничал, хотел пойти на старт, который в общем-то был в 20 метрах. Тем более, что участников было не так много и не было толпы перед зоной старта. Никто, по виду, не горел желанием стартовать первым, как это бывает на больших забегах. Здесь же все было очень расслаблено и дружелюбно. 

И вот, сидим мы за столиком, мимо идут бегуны, кто-то почти бежит, кто-то лениво ест на ходу, и тут начинается ливень! Прямо такой серьезный, с молниями и раскатами грома. Зонтов, конечно же, ни у кого с собой не было, многие промокли ещё до начала старта. А мы счастливчики, сидели под зонтом, я все ещё медленно потягивала кофе. 

Пожалуй, единственная неприятная вещь случилась перед стартом. Если быть точнее – старт был дан с опозданием на 40 минут! Ждали кого-то из спонсоров, чтобы тот смог официально дать старт. Бегуны негодовали, а когда особо важная персона прибыла, его освистали. А он ещё толкал очень длинную речь, видимо всю ночь и утро готовился. 

Полумарафон, слава богу, стартовал во время! 

И вот наконец то я бегу. По ощущениям было очень комфортно, не сильно жарко, трасса ровная, вода каждые 1-2 км. Но не было сладкой/соленой воды, а в такую жару соли и минералы – экзистенциальная необходимость для организма, или могут спазмы, судороги и вообще неприятные ощущения.

Мы с собой брали гели, которые мы обычно используем для триатлона. Организм к ним привык и я примерно знаю, когда он начинает работать. 

Первые 5 км я бежала рядом с принцессой. Она стартовала довольно в быстром темпе, но потом начала замедляться. Было очень приятно бежать рядом с будущей королевой. 

После 10 км все же стало жарко, но зной и жара, которая стоит до сих пор в Шанхае (днём до 36с, ночью не ниже 27с) довольно хорошо адаптировали нас к таким экстремальным условиям. Но все же скорость значительно падает по сравнению с идеальными 15с для бега. 

Кстати, было так легко дышать! В Шанхае я забыла, что такое “дышать полной грудью”, а тут я прямо таки всем объемом лёгких жадно вдыхала и выдыхала чистый воздух. 

По ходу трассы было очень много детей, которые приветствовали и подбадривали участников. По началу я тоже приветствовала каждого, хлопая по их маленьким ладошкам, но спустя какое-то время мне это дело надоело. 

Под конец было уже немного тесновато бежать – тук туки с туристами, автобусы, мотоциклы и велосипеды создавали небольшой трафик. 

И вот заветный финиш! Медаль, банан, вода, фото. 

На территории Ангкор Ват было уже очень многолюдно, туристы со всего света пришли посмотреть на одно из величайших творений человека. 

А мы поехали в гостиницу и наконец-то позавтракали. А после мы поехали смотреть храмы, а вечером мы купались под дождем. 

Это был отличный день! 

Part 1 – The Swim

I really don’t like swimming. I discovered this when I was about 1000 meters into my 1,500 meter leg of the Wuxi Triathlon this weekend.  Not really something that should be going through my mind. But there I was, on my back, doing my upsidedown butterfly stroke that allows me to breathe enough to keep moving.  Occasionally, I would flip over and do some breaststrokes or sidestrokes to sight the next buoy, but generally, I followed the swimmers splashing around me.  I also had to stop for more than a minute while I caught my breath between 750 meter loops.  I got to see my wife finish and wish her luck on the cycling portion before I reluctantly went back into the water and proceeded to slowly back/side/breast stroke my way around the loop again.

But I finished.  The last time I tried a triathlon was 3 years ago, in Moscow, and it was only a 750 meter swim.  I had not practiced or trained, and vastly overestimated how easy it was going to be.  I got about 50 meters in, flipped onto my back because the splashing of dozens of Russian guys around me was making it hard to get any air, and realized the borrowed wetsuit I was wearing was pushing me underwater while upside down.  I quickly called it quits and doggie paddled back to shore.  The referees allowed me to finish the bike and run portion of the race, and I even got a time, with a mysterious blank in the swim and 1st transition times.

This time, in China, I was prepared.  My wife is a pretty good breaststroke swimmer, and very relaxed in the water. She amazes me with her resolve and ability to swim non-stop for so long.  I guess she feels the same way about me and longer distance runs. But her regular swimming at the pool near her office encouraged me to also swim regularly, if not as often as she.  And I was making great progress until a small accident caused me to skip the pool for about a month.  I still got back in the pool before race day and was able to swim nearly 1000m with only minimal pauses.  I could do another 500m, I thought.  And so I did, but I did not enjoy it at all.  Which only makes me want to get better for next time.

Part 2 – The Ride

Cycling is something I absolutely love, and have been doing almost daily for about 5 years now.  I don’t train for races, but ride to work and pretty much everywhere else I need to going within city limits.  Last semester my commute was 15km each way, and I usually have a longer ride once a semester to another school which is about 50km one way.  I ride hard, and with city traffic, I get lots of practice stopping and starting (which is a good way to get stronger hamstrings for hills if your city is too flat for actual hill rides).  Forty kilometers is well within my limits and I didn’t have any trouble on race day.

Even though Shanghai has zero hills, I was most definitely one of the fastest uphill riders in the race, which was a coastal road that climbed up and down the isthmus repeatedly through the loop.  On every downhill segment, my cheaper-than-triathlon-style Giant™ hybrid-road-bike would be overtaken by thousand dollar time trial bikes ridden by guys with super aerodynamic helmets and stuff. But when the next hill started, I would literally blow past them, sometimes not even needing to get out of my seat.  Next race I’ll have aero-handle bars which will give me a more aerodynamic position to ride in and help my downhill and flat section speeds. 

I actually got out of the water so late almost all the bikes where out of the transition zone. It was rather disheartening, but I knew I wasn’t slow so I went out there optimisticly and passed quite a few riders.

Part 3 – The Run

Finally, something I’m actually good at!  When I got back to the transition zone, I knew I had gained several positions, since not all the bikes were back yet.  Yay!  I spent a little extra time switching to compression socks and took off running.  My calves were hurting from the swim, they had cramped up repeatedly and I knew any hard running would’ve had me walking to the finish. However, with the compression socks, I was fine and I could run at almost my usual pace.  While I was nowhere near ‘fast’ for a 10k race, I was passing all those thousand dollar bike riders who were jogging or even walking the entire 10k.

I am very competative and love winning, and even though I knew I had no chance of winning the race, with every passed runner, I ‘won’ one more position and that gave me plenty of motivation to catch up to the next guy, and the next and the next.  

Marathon running is probably the least common entry vector to triathlon.  And all around me were amazing swimmers, great bike riders (helped by super fancy bikes), but no runners.  Both NG and I come from a running background, and it’s really great to finish a race in your strong suit!

Impressions

The organizers did an amazing job.  UltraSports.cn put everything together and kept everyone informed about when/what/how/where very regularly.  The level was definitely international, and I have only praise for their ability to organize a first time race in a new place over a national holiday, and have it go without any problems.  The government changed their course at the last moment, but they had a good backup plan.  The swimming portion was safe and able to handle the numerous early panickers who dropped out like I had oh so many years ago.  And the hotel/travel/bike transport was all done through them, so coordinating was easy for participants.  TLDR; well done, highly recommend.

I am already ready to do another triathlon, and want to get back in the pool asap.  I’m going to get really good at this, just you wait.