So this morning I abandoned the mountain and decided to run along the "corniche" (sea front) down in Beirut. It was surprisingly busy when I got there just before 7:15. Some lads were even playing some sort of beach tennis with large wooden table tennis like bats and there were quite a lot of people in the sea (guys, no women!). Most people were walking/power walking, but there were some other runners. It was a bit tricky at times having to run round people, but the run itself was SO much better, it was worth it!
I've had 3 really hard runs that all ended before the 30 minutes I know I can do (and were all at a much slower pace than normal) and it really didn't seem as though I could get any air into my lungs.
Today was SO much better (even at 26 degrees that early in the morning!). 30 minutes, 5.27km according to endomondo. Feeling much more motivated to keep going, as long as I get a little "treat" of a run by the sea every week or two!