Running in Cairo

I went on my first run today since I've arrived in Egypt. Wow was it difficult. It wasn't the heat or the lack of even pavement to run on. It was the air. A lot of people smoke in Egypt. My run was a constant weave of street to sidewalk at night, while people were smoking all around us (oh ya I ran with a guy from California).

Our dorm has a gym, but I don't run on treadmills. They hurt my body and these ones in particular are old as hell. My mind and body were needing a run. So I decided to go to the computer lab at the dorm and print a sheet of paper that had my number looking for someone also interested in running on the street.

As I was walking into the gym, I saw this guy who I met earlier and he was going for a run at the time. I ran upstairs, put on some workout clothes, and grabbed my Ipod. Next thing I know I was running on a sidewalk next to the Nile. We both looked at each other at different times and said "I can't believe we're running in Egypt". A lot of people starred and some even made noises or said things to us. Some guards outside an embassy even pretended to run near us. I guess running on the street isn't very common in Cairo. We'll too bad, Cairo is going to get used to this white girl running around their neighborhoods.

Imagine running in a city with horns honking, people smoking, and pollution that's so bad people say its like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Ya I struggled, but was awesome. It's going to take some getting used to. I just hope I don't get lung cancer in the process (just joking well not really).