runningbrooke: Beijing, China and The GREAT Wall Marathon!

Hello Friends, Family and Neighbors-

According to Mao (and Mao is still much-loved in China), you become a great hero if you climb the Great Wall. Not saying that I'm any hero, but surviving the Wall was one of the biggest marathon-accomplishments yet. Over 5,200 steps (risers ranging from 2 to 18''), with a 4,000' elevation change, in heat that topped 88 degrees, and humidity that only Hot Yoga can prepare you. I saw someone slip and break her leg. A man had a seizure. People sitting on the Wall steps in exhaustion, and seizing up with leg cramps, needing electrolytes. It was not only a test of fitness, but one of Planning (bringing ALL nutrition needed), of Strategizing (starting *really* Slow and finishing *hopefully* Fast) and Patience. Little, common mistakes (that ordinarily would just slow you down) turned into big, breakdown, race-ending ones. Things like: How well you hydrated in the days before (always important and hard to do, especially relying on bottled water). How much you rested (none). How well you feel (good). How well you've eaten (well). How much of your own supplies did you carry (enough to share, and did). How much sun protection you put on (none, and this was a problem). How many time zones you traveled (gulp, 12)...

There is so much to say about China (Beijing). The people. The Wall. The sites. The marathon. I fear that whatever I write, may be woefully inadequate. It could be a book but I'll save that for another day. But for now, here we go, with some general, overall observances...

China is a very proud country, in a fever-pitch to modernize. You can feel it. You can see it. Blocks of torn-down rubble surrounded by high-rise producing cranes. Gleaming cleanliness and (sorry) screaming filth. With over 22 million people and 4 million cars + bikes + over-flowing carts + pedestrians (few sidewalks) + mopeds, it was organized chaos.

Bike anyone? All unlocked...

China is a country (as told by my Chinese tour guide) about image and saving-face. I bring this up in conjunction with their successful hosting of the 2008 Olympics. They did a great job. The world saw it. But at what cost? 800,000 people displaced to build the Bird's Nest (90,000 seats) and The Cube. Beautiful examples of extraordinary architecture that now stand empty... Dams built, an entire town flooded (the roof tops are still visible) to make the necessary water-sport venue. But is this advancement? Are people better off? And what was lost for this price? Architecture? A way of life? And this translates to what I saw last week, with the still on-going tear down and build up of the city. Will there be any of the old things left? I wish I could have seen Beijing before 2008...

The 90,000 seat Bird's Nest, that now empty and without any venues...

Many kites were flying in the Olympic Stadium Plaza (for sale, as were 'Gucci's' and 'Rolexes' ALL for 5 dollars, U.S. ;D)...

Show Ping (tour guide extraordinaire for the week) and me... Show Ping (phonetic) means "Be Good to Your Parents" in Chinese. He said that there were three things we had to do while in China. See The Great Wall (check), eat a Peking Roast Duck Dinner (check) and see a Kung Fu Show (check).

Noticeably few children, or people under 25ish... The one-child program is a policy, not a law. It seems that most people (especially in the city) follow this. Incentives: I was told that the government will pay you money if you only have one child. And, if you have more than one, you pay money to the government, for the additional social services.

3 Religions: Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, sprinkled with A LOT of Superstition and belief in Lucky Numbers (#8 especially good). Remember the Olympics Games Opening Ceremony started on 8/08/08 at 8:08:08?

The Chinese are SERIOUS about their tea: Oolong, Jasmine, Black, White and Green.

Famous Chinese Inventions: Fireworks (gunpowder), Paper Making (rice paper), Printing and Composting (ahhh... the fond memories of Eugene, OR ;D)

And so, without further adieu...

The so, so Good!

The Temple of Heaven, made of carved and intricately painted wood, where the emperors of the

Ming and Ching dynasties prayed to heaven for a good harvest...

Tiananmen Square, the biggest square in the world. It is hard to imagine this square, in April of 1989, filled with thousands of student and intellectual protestors, and the violence that occurred.

Ironic that the day we were there, it was filled with families and tourists enjoying a Late-Spring outing.

*Factoid: Mao is entombed there in a glass enclosure. Visited by (seemingly thousands) that day, on a street-level platform, he in his glass-enclosure, is lowered and refrigerated at night, to stay nice and fresh, for the well-wishers of tomorrow. No kidding...

I'm guessing that our blond hair and western features made us, me and Favorite Daughter #3, mini celebrities. Families wanted us in their photos, and babies were put into my arms. I was happy to oblige but also happy to hand THIS baby over when I realized that he was not wearing a diaper. Not that I want MILLIONS more disposable diapers in land fills, but something there would have been nice. First clue, dampness at my waist. Second clue, full visual!

The Forbidden City and The Imperial Palace, one of China's architectural masterpices...

Male Lion (paw on top of a ball, not a cub) guarding interior palace entryway...

And me in front of one of the MANY interior buildings...

A garden within...

where a lady preformed her slow-motion morning exercise...

The Summer Palace (1749). Vast mini-city with 4,000+ rooms, surrounding a lake, and beautiful arcade, intricately carved and painted ('horse-shoes' the lake). This palace was used by the royal families of the Forbidden City to escape the city heat...

Far away, hill-side building. One of many...

Close-up of the arcade and of one of the many pavilions. Notice the woodwork and paintings...

a close-up of one of the many (1,000's (?)) of paintings...

The Pandas. The emissaries of Good Will for China...

There are 3 types of Pandas: Black and White, White, and White and Pink (Manchurian - rare/hard to see). Because of loss of habitat, it is estimated that there are only 2,500 Pandas left.

Rickshaw Tour through the ancient alleys of Hutong, the old city of Beijing!

Tibetan Lama Temple (1694) with its famous Buddha statues. This temple was originally built for the Imperial Palace Eunuchs, then became the palace for the Emperor's son. Now considered THE place to come and burn incense, PRAY, and MAKE WISHES. Many believers come, buy incense, donate, and pray that their wish will come true. Buddhist or not...

Race Day, Saturday May 15th! I had a great run. Just coming from marathons in Eugene, OR (5/2) and Oklahoma City, OK (4/25), I had no expectations. I just ran. My only plan was to start SLOWly, walk the (and I'm not kidding here, 5,200+ steps) of the Wall, run strongly during the middle section of the course (through towns and trails), and finish as FAST as I could. I did that. Was able to negative split. Didn't kill myself, and placed 2nd in my Age Group!

Race Officials...

Me and "Favorite Daughter" #3. The mountains behind us were where we were heading...

Marathoners ran this section twice, once in each direction...

Me and some local kids. About mile 12... Nee how'd (phonetic for hi or hey), and gave out plenty of 'hi-5's.'

Further along. These boys were handing out their hand-made 'laurel wreaths.' Tried to run with it but unfortunately, it wouldn't stay on...

Nancy, Floyd and myself. Sorry Goeff that you missed being in the picture!

Impromptu reunion with Floyd, Nancy, and Goeff (from New Zealand). We were all in Easter Island together last June. None of us knew that any of us would be on this trip! Congratulations to Floyd who has now run a marathon ALL 7 Continents!

*I'd like to recognize Lee at www.marathontours.com who organized this GREAT trip, and who came to my rescue. With NO notice, he booked all flights, expedited all visas (still don't know how he pulled this off), and had a general "no problem" attitude with anything that came in the way. And lined us up at a great hotel too... Big hug to Lee! See you in Antarctica ;D

The Bad

The Jet Lag. It took me four nights (each way) to sleep well.
The Realization that Dog Meat could be on the menu...

The Ugly

The Bathroom Facilities. I'm a trouper and I don't mind 'roughing it' (within reason), but I was absolutely unprepared for the bathroom situation. Bring-your-own TP and hand sanitizer. Squatty Potties with porta-potty like odors... UGH!

RunningBrooke Updates

*I have a lot of new readers, so for those of you who have been with me for awhile, bear with me as I revisit my vision, and bring others up to speed...

My Vision:

I have been running marathons for many years now. And for most of those years, it was about ME. Getting better, getting faster, getting stronger. Ironically, the faster I got, the better the runner I became, the more goals I met, the less my running meant to me. So I changed my thinking. I decided to pair two passions. My running, and my commitment to helping those less fortunate than me. I feel very blessed and very lucky, so this is what I have done. I have committed to running a marathon on every continent, in each of the 50 states, and the 5 marathon majors (London, Berlin, Boston, Chicago and NY), one marathon a month, in order to raise awareness to, and raise money for, the at-risk population within the City of Alexandria. I partnered with ACT for Alexandria, a 501 (c) (3) organization. Click HERE for more information about them. Every dollar I raise goes to charity. I pay all of my travel expenses and associated fees. A donation is 100% tax deductible. In February of 2010, I granted $20,000.00 to Child and Family Network Centers. Click HERE learn more. My grant ensured that 36 children and their families continued to receive FREE preschool, FREE ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, FREE job training and FREE social services such as hearing and vision screening. My goal for 2010 is $50,000.

Many of my friends have been generous (thanks friends!). And many of Alexandria's businesses have supported me (Virginia Commerce Bank, Jack Taylor Toyota, Lindsay Lexus, and Unwined) or have become my sponsors.

MY SPONSORS have laced up their shoes and committed to 1K a year for the next 5 years. A BIG thanks goes out to them: Bonitt Builders, Pacers Events, McLaughlin Ryder Investments, TJ Fannon & Sons, Macnair Travel Management, Mark G. Anderson Consultants, Sean McEnearney/McEnearney & Associates, and McGinn Investment Management, Inc

Upcoming

Stella & Dot Jewelry Show, this Wednesday, as in Tomorrow, at the house! Two showings: 9-11 A.M. and 7-8:30 P.M.! Click HERE to check out this Super-Cute jewelry at good price-points. 50% of the proceeds go to the RunningBrooke Fund. Online orders are accepted. Let me know if you'd like more details and I'll fill you in.
Upcoming Event Ideas: #1 Speaker Series (are you, or do know anyone/ have any connections with anyone interesting, politician/s or other?! that we may be able to get for an informal and fun Q&A?), #2 Hot Yoga at Down Dog Studio in Georgetown and #3 Texas Hold'Em Night... And I'm up for any suggestions or fun ideas ;D
Next Marathon: Grandma's in Duluth, MN. June 19th!

Cheers and it was a beautiful day for a run!

-Brooke

Below are assorted pictures that I couldn't exclude, but didn't make it in the narrative, above...