Pollution

A little bit ago, I decided to multi-task and run over to the bank. I've been wanting to get some running in lately, so this seemed like a good time because the bank is far enough away for a good, short run. However, after about five minutes of running, something seemed to be going wrong. I had this strange tickle in my throat. Three minutes after that, I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen. By the time I got to the bank, my lungs hurt.

I'm not terribly out of shape, and it hasn't been that long since I last went running, but the little bit of running I did made me feel terrible. Usually after I run, I feel refreshed and good. Right now, I feel like I have asthma. I'm still coughing. The thing is, I wasn't even tired from running. My body could have kept going, but my lungs and throat couldn't. I feel like I just smoked 80 cigarettes at once. On top of it, today was a low pollution index day. I could see the blue in the sky.

My friend Stefanie has been trying to start running lately, too, but she's been having to take hits off of her inhaler immediately upon her return. And she didn't have an inhaler before she got to Beijing.

How are the Olympics going to be held in this city?!