We all have to endure the wonderful air in Beijing – these days we had another “Golden Week” for National Day but pollution levels were still high, even with an apparently blue sky. A bit strange because normally during holidays the Beijing Environmental Bureau is posting API on its website of around 150.

See here how it looked like on 31 July (yep, just close to the “Olympic Week”?!), views inside Julong; the 2nd ring road from Chaoyangmen Bridge and from the American Club.
Could be worse of course – I once run a relay marathon with an API of over 500.
So, like it or not, I find refuge in the near 5,000 sqm gym in Capital Group Plaza, the building between Swissotel and Fuhua Building. The gym occupies the entire 5th floor.

I call it a factory, so large, and with a constant flow of people in the most varied outfits and the most varied body types – from ultra thin to overweight plus the usual muscle mountains.
The girls love to be assisted by the muscular trainers. One needs the psychological motivation, right!
The gym has dozens and dozens of machines (from the USA and Italy), saunas, showers, lockers, hot yoga room and a large activity room where Valerie enthusiastically joins the belly dancing, kickboxing and taiqi (or taichi) including sword taiqi. There is also a small bar, shop and an Internet corner.
Positive points: good and varied choice of machines, good layout and decoration, many group activities (most are free except the hot yoga), open space (in some gyms you feel like in a submarine), trainers, etc.
Weak points: lack of English speaking staff; no swimming pool; steam sauna and dry sauna are too basic and often don’t work properly (reason for some members to switch to other gyms); very poor temperature control: in winter up to 29C in some areas (with the dry air, that makes serious running a pretty bad experience), in summer the aircon is too weak in the running treadmill area (humid and stuffy – I lose liters of sweat); the shop could probably sell more outfits if they would have better stock of sizes.
I stick to my routine of workout machines and especially my favorite treadmill (Technogym – Italy), a special model just right in the middle of the many others – and with a nice view on the gym. Training for a marathon takes time so I keep myself busy listening to my iPods (either the Nano or the old 1st generation iPod (there is only one such machine in the gym though they all look alike).

view from my machine – the control panel (with heart rate)

training… and then stretching…

the entrance to the activity room – Valerie at her belly dancing lesson
she takes it very seriously
Be warned: her father keeps an eye on strangers and she has vicious kickboxing legs and has a quick punch.

So, what’s next? Well… I am getting pretty anxious as the Beijing International Marathon is soon… on 15 October. See here the map of the over 42 Km loop, only for crazy people like me.