Evening Run in Harbin in February

The most unusual sensation I got from running in negative 18 degree weather was that of my sweat beads freezing to my beard. When sweat evaporates off of skin in the summer, it cools the body. When sweat freezes on the body in sub-zero weather, it warms the body. It was a strange feeling but I have to admit it felt pretty good. Once or twice a week, either in the early morning or at night, I head out for a run in Harbin. I have to go early in the morning or at night to avoid traffic. At night, the air is cool and clear while in the morning it has the faint scent of burning coal, a residual odor of the city's nightly ritual of burning coal for warmth. The path that I run leads from the campus straight north for about two miles until I reach the Songhua River. Then its another two miles east along the historic and beautiful riverside parks until I reach the flood memorial tower at the head of Main Street (Zhongyang Dajie). The first portion of the run takes me past much of the Nangang neighborhood, then on over an overpass which crosses the main stretch of railroad tracks. From there, I pass major shopping areas, office buildings, and eventually I get to the river. What the road to the banks of the river lacks in scenery is made up for by the breathtaking beauty of the second portion of the run. Several lovely parks, including Stalin Park line the river. In the mornings, couples can be seen strolling, elderly folks can be seen doing Taiji, and one time I was surprised to see a truly remarkable sight: two middle aged women emerging from a swimming hole carved into the frozen river. Swimming in negative 18 degree wheather! In the evenings I'm usually alone, except for the occasional passing middle aged jogger. The river appears tranquil in the moonlight and up above not only is the moon visible in all its glories, but so are stars. Not tens of thousands of stars like I remember seeing during my childhood family vacations to the New Hampshire hills, but at least hundreds of stars.

Truly a sharp countrast with Beijing, where often even the sun cannot be seen. The best part of the river portion of the run is the path. Unlike the icy and difficult road to the river, once in the park, soft powdery snow crunches under my shoes. This also helps to take some of the pressure off my knees, which is good because once I reach the flood memorial tower, I have to turn around and run the four miles back to campus!