Buffalo Marathon 2018 Training Update

Distance:  32 Miles total for the  week (no long run, rest week)

Today’s run was cold…26 F. I’ve been loving a Kari Traa base layer that I bought about a month ago at the Buffalo Fleet Feet.

It’s super light and I don’t feel sweaty at all, even though I’m warm. I’ve also been wearing a pair of Under Armor gloves and a pair of Manzella NIV hatchback gloves over those.

I originally was just wearing the UA’s, but my fingers were freezing! I’ll have to research to know for sure, but it seems that touchscreen capable gloves just don’t keep my fingers as warm.

Just this winter I’ve started wearing running tights as a base layer with a heftier UA pant over those.

It’s been a cold one, and I like to be comfortable…which for me usually means I want to be on the warm side. At 50 that has a tendency to change, though!

I had some tea yesterday in the late afternoon, and that contributed to my going to bed at 10:30,  but not falling asleep until 3am! Getting up at 6:30 was not fun, but I had a cup of coffee and was out the door with my hubby by 7:00.

Running in Shanghai

Here in Shanghai the sidewalks and roads are always busy, so the earlier the better if you have any hope of getting some longer periods of running in without having to stop.

Actually, that’s one of the fears I have for the marathon…because I’m doing most of my training in cities.

Will all the stops for red lights, people, scooters, etc. have an effect on my performance when I’m running 26.2 miles with none of those little cheat breaks?

It’s nice to have my husband run with me most of the time. It’s a great time to connect and just enjoy our time together. I was hit by a scooter here back in September, so I also use him as a crutch so I’m not in panic mode crossing the street, lol.

Pedestrians are definitely on the bottom rung here, although recently the government has passed laws that drivers have to wait for us. I’ve definitely seen a difference…however slight…that drivers are starting to “get it”.

Scooters, scooters everywhere!

The same day I was hit by the scooter, I was crossing at an intersection that had a green walking man and a car had stopped his right on red for me and a bus slammed into him.

The sound of the crunch was awful! About 15 minutes after that was when I was hit. Again, I had the walking man and started to run across the street.

I heard a screech to my left and a scooter was coming straight through the intersection. He slammed on his brake, but the back of the scooter whipped around and hit my left side.

I was lifted into the air, hit a metal fence that separated the sidewalk from the street and went down. Exactly what you want to happen to you in China, where I speak MINIMAL Mandarin.

Luckily a fellow runner came up on the scene and was able to speak English. He made sure I was ok (at the time I thought I was) and then proceeded to yell at the poor guy on the scooter, who was terrified.

All he could say was “I’m sorry, are you ok” in English. I assured him I was and scooter guy went on his way. Then the man who helped me turned to me and said “You are in Shanghai now, you need to look all around you” lol!

It wasn’t until about a half mile down the road when the adrenaline wore off that I realized my pelvis wasn’t right and my left arm was wonky.

My pelvis and hips were just sore for a few days, and I had some pretty impressive bruising for about a month.

I never went to the hospital, because I just didn’t want to deal with having to do that in another country. I’m fairly certain my arm was hairline fractured. All in all, that was not a good running day!

Which brings me to the topic of the day…What to do if you are injured while traveling.

How to Prepare for Injury When Traveling

I didn’t go see a doctor when I was injured but had I really needed to, I at least knew where the International Hospital was.

I always carried a card (in Mandarin) with the apartment information where I live.

Here are 7 ways you can help yourself feel more secure in another country if you are injured or sick…

1. Carry a card with you that has the name of the hotel, address of the Airbnb, or wherever you are staying in the language of the country you are in. I carry my key card in the paper sleeve it came in because it has the address/phone number on it.  I also have the name of our driver with his phone number on it. Since he is Chinese he would be a better contact in an emergency than my husband (and he has a direct link to Dave, as well).

2. If you don’t have a phone that works internationally, get a cheap one and buy a SIM card at the airport. There are usually people at a kiosk that can speak English and help you set up the phone. Make sure the phone is unlocked before you buy it or travel with it! Load it with contact information then and there, including your doctor and any insurance numbers.

3. It is always a good idea to know where the Embassy is from the country you are from.

4. Research the area you will be in and know where a hospital is. Many big cities have International hospitals, so search for that as well. Also, some hotels have English speaking doctors on call if your injury or illness is not an emergency.

5. Carry a card with you that has any crucial information on it, in case you are unconscious. Mine has my blood type and my allergies on it. It is in English and laminated, so it doesn’t fall apart. There is some risk depending on the country I’m in that no one will be able to read it, but I know if I had to re-do the info in every language every time I traveled I probably would skip it! Plus, I don’t have any life-threatening allergies, so I can be a little more lax in that.

6. Know what your at home health insurance does or doesn’t do for you while you are abroad. There are travel health plans you can purchase for your trip, and a Google search or YouTube search can get you up to speed. We have an ex-pat plan through my husbands work, so I can’t recommend any travel health plans since we don’t use them.

7. Finally, take a travel health kit with you! You would be amazed what you can’t get in other countries that you can get in the US just by going to the grocery store. Here in Asia, I can’t get anything like pain-killers and bandages unless I go to the pharmacy. Some things to consider putting in your kit…

• packable foam roller

• band-aids— I carry several boxes of the blister kind since my feet are prone to get them

• Ace bandage (don’t forget the clips)

• Pain reliever

• Anti-bacterial gel/cream or ointment

• Antacid

• Packable ice pack- I like this kind, because you may not have access to a freezer for the gel kinds, but can usually get ice.

• Any medications you take

Is there anything I’ve missed? What kinds of things do you do to make sure you are covered for injury while traveling?