We Might Have to Wait a Long Time for Long Distance Olympic Runners from Vietnam

High altitude training is supposed to build more endurance, at least that's what Gilbert Arenas was told when he spent thousands to rig up his house to have Colorado altitude while living in D.C. I thought I'd give it a whirl, since Sapa is the highest elevation I'd be living in for a prolonged period of time. I headed to the town's main lake and was only able to manage a few laps, with there being a noticeable difference in difficulty. I didn't get to run as long, but I pushed myself a bit harder in the laps that I did run, wanting to get home as it was already getting dark.

My eyes were really drying up during the jog. There are a lot of little pharmacies in both Hanoi and Sapa which are about the size of a large closet, where you just walk up to the counter while you're still standing in the street and ask for what you need. I was needing some eyedrops, so I stopped by one I had been to before. The owner of this one, I think her name is Phuong, when I first met her, had asked me to teach her some English in order to increase her profit at her shop. One of the cardinal rules of freelance teaching, or lets just be real, freelance anything, is don't do it for free, even if you really feel like the person needs the help. It could become a slippery slope and you'd end up having no time for yourself while resenting the student for getting something for nothing. I told her I was too busy at work, but if she needed anything translated at the moment, I'd be happy to. She didn't have any pressing concerns at the time, but thanked me for my offer. The subsequent few times I would walk by that pharmacy, it was rarely ever open, no matter what time of day it was. Either that or she would be chilling in front of the pharmacy with the store doors closed, conversing with a friend on little foldup chairs, ignoring all of her potential customers walking on by. After seeing that far too many times, I was very satisfied with my decision to not tutor pro bono.

My eyes were dry and I went up to Phuong's currently open pharmacy and asked for some eye drops, or as it translates literally from Vietnamese, 'saltwater'. Like I said I had been pushing myself, dripping sweat that pooled around my t-shirt collar and my hair puffing out like Casper in "Kids". 

(in Vietnamese)

"What? Why are you so warm?" queried Phuong, jointly perplexed and concerned.

"I was running," I murmured, still tired.

"Good heavens, from who?"