Hola ! Madrid

I was in Madrid for business on Monday night and Tuesday. As a seasoned runner now, I carry my running kit with me wherever I travel. I forgot my toothbrush and shaving kit, but not my running gear. I have a true sense of what is important in life.

It was hot when I arrived in Madrid on Monday night. When I say hot, it was actually parched. Madrid from the sky looks like a lost city in the sierra: landscape all around that has been deprived of water for months. I got out of the aircraft and the heat hit me: it was 8:30 pm in the evening and still 35°C. After checking into the hotel, I had a meal and a few beers and it cooled down drastically. It was now 11:30 pm and 32°C.

My initial plans for going for an early morning run around the hotel were dashed. If I tried to run in this heat, I would have managed 200m before wilting in the sun. I decided to go for the easy option and attack 10km first thing in the morning in the treadmill in the hotel fitness room.

The fitness room was a delightful experience at 6:30am. I entered the room using my roomcard and the lights came on automatically with the motion sensor situated by the door. The gleaming equipment stood out from the starkly empty room. I got on the treadmill and began running at 11kmh to begin with then raising the speed rapidly to 14kmh. The lights went out.

Marvellous, automatic lights that come on as you enter the room and then go out as the equipment you want to use is farthest from the door. I couldn't be bothered to stop so I ran 10k in the dark just using the glow of the machine and the timer and distance ran to determine when to stop. There's nothing so boring as running on a treadmill: no scenery; no breeze; no movement, just the sound of the machine and the sweat running off your clothes and face and dripping on the equipment.

10k in 45 minutes. Nothing more to be said.