Putting a Damper on mySELF

Apparently I can't run outside anymore. Not until the dust settles.

Literally. This is an image of Seoul this past weekend from Physorg.com:

From The Korea Times...

The dust in the air marked 2,684 micrograms per cubic meter in Daegu; 2,408 micrograms in Jindo, South Jeolla Province; and 1,048 micrograms in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. These are the worst figures since the KMA started taking dust density measurements in 2005.

According to the agency, the special warning is posted only when the density is over 800 micrograms per cubic meter. The KMA posted its first such warning in 2007.

Drivers and pedestrians said the thick dust clouded their visibility.

The particles also kept many people from going outdoors for fear of respiratory problems.

A KMA spokesman said the dust storm was initiated in the Gobi. ``Dust from Neimenggu (Inner Mongolia) and the yellow soil of the Hwangho River valley (China) have also contributed to the record amount of pollutants in the air.

Air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide blowing in from China have long been a headache here.

The agency asked people to take precautionary measures when going outdoors and pay attention to individual hygiene (hahaha...this is tough for most Koreans on a normal day!).
Dust storms are said to cause or worsen conjunctivitis (pink eye...ew!), respiratory disorders, allergic rhinitis and various forms of eczema.

And borrowed from Ryan,

Let me give you an idea of how bad this is. In North America, air quality index of 200 is unhealthy and anything over 400 is 'dangerous,' well this past weekend, the AQI was over 500 and I, as well as many other naive foreigners were outside without masks. MISTAKE.

I know I don't take my respiratory health as serious as I should. This drives the Mother Hen loony. I recall training for the Around the Bay last year and asking my Doctor Friend whether or not I really needed to take my inhalers (I have asthma). He was firm: the doctor prescribed those puffers for a very distinct reason. When the weather changes from freezing cold to regular old cold, the lungs have to work very hard to keep up. Running exacerbates any issues in the lungs, especially with asthmatics. I listened to him and was pretty religious about taking them then. Since starting the SELF regime, I've been back on them twice a day. Good thing too: they're probably keeping me from going into respiratory convulsions here in Korea. Lovely.

ATB is this weekend! Wow...a year has gone by so quickly!

So I'm gym-bound for the spring. I can't stand that. I watched the last part of a documentary on the Boston Marathon last night and I got so excited to get back outside and pound out a loooong run. Alas, it will have to wait until I'm no longer yellow.

Too bad this means "cowardice",
as per the Rogers 21st Century Thesaurus.
Good thing I'm so brave ;)