Get Running & Train: HeyRunning Spring Camp 2012

This past Sunday, I joined Heyrobics for their monthly People’s Run in Chaoyang Park.  Running 5K total, they took us all through Chaoyang Park, stopping only for interval strengthening exercises like arm lifts, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, etc.) My first major work-out of 2012, I have literally been so sore that my legs haven’t been working the past two days.

But this is just a taste of how effective Heyrobics and HeyRunning work-outs are. With an upcoming 10K run for the Northface 100 Challenge and a half marathon in June with the Genghis Khan Festival in Inner Mongolia, I’m convinced that the best way to prepare for both races is with the aid of HeyRunning!

Once again, they are hosting their annual HeyRunning Spring Camp in just a few weeks!  Starting March 11, 2012, they just opened registration this past Sunday, Feb. 26.  Don’t wait to sign up because the first 50 slots get to sign up for discounted price of RMB 500 (normal price is RMB 700) for 10 weeks of non-stop running training with at least two sessions every week and personalized coaching from running pros (yes, I consider the HeyRunning team to consist of an elite team of running coaches)!

And Heyrobics Founder Linus Holmsäter said that last year, the 50 slots sold out in just 7 days, so hurry before this deal runs out! To sign up, just email heyrunning@heyrobics.com with your name, age, contact info and goals of signing up for this running camp (training for a marathon or just joining to get fit?)

LDS Hook-Up: Free Tix to Black Rabbit Music Festival

An all-day festival in Beijing Chaoyang Sports Park with headliners Ludacris and 30 Seconds to Mars, Black Rabbit Music Festival will be held in both Beijing and Shanghai on September 17 and September 18.

Organized by Taihe Live and Split Works, this should be a pretty diverse festival with a line-up including everyone from local artists like Hanggai and Carsick Cars to Ludacris…sure, why not?

Be among the first to get in touch with me and get the LDS HOOK-UP to FREE Tickets to Black Rabbit Music Festival! This offer comes on a first come, first dibs basis so if you want to get hooked up, just email – kristen@lumdimsum.com before noon on Wednesday, September 14.

Line-Up Includes:

• Ludacris
• Thirty Seconds to Mars
• Titus Andonicus
• Grandmaster Flash
• Gold Panda
• Perfume Genius
• Saigon
• Lil Ray
• Carsick Cars
• Hanggai
• The UK B-Boy Champs
• (see flier for all artists)

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, September 17
• Tickets: RMB 210 (presale), RMB 300 at the door
• Purchase Tickets: www.sendmetickets.com
• Location: Beijing Chaoyang Sports Park
• Address: 3.5km east of 4th Ring Road, 77 Yaojiayuan Rd.
• Website: www.hei-tu.com

This Sunday: Say Heyyy for Heyrobics!

Heyrobics has already taking Sweden by storm with over 5% of the population participating in Heyrobics on a weekly basis and it’s very quickly becoming one of the most popular aerobics/fitness groups in Beijing!

This Sunday, join Heyrobics in Chaoyang Park for a secret course with a short run and Heyrobics sessions in between!  Led by the one and only blonde Swedish man in bright pink shorts, Linus Holmsater is a great motivator and a hilarious fitness instructor.  He’ll have you dancing and groovin’ like you’d never expect!

Upon completion, they are treating all participants with a picnic in the park with music by DJ Sleeping Bootie and DJ Charlie G.  If that’s not enough reason to get you in Chaoyang park, there’s all kinds free gifts and picnic goodies to treat everyone.

A great reason to spend a lovely afternoon in the park with amazing food, drinks, music and people, the picnic is open to anyone and everyone so feel free to invite friends!

To sign up for the challenge, email joy@heyrobics.com.

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, 19 June 2011
• Time: 10:45AM (picnic starts at Noon)
• Location: Chaoyang Park West Gate #3 (just inside gate)
• Price: RMB 50
• RSVP: email joy@heyrobics.com
• Website: http://issuu.com/heyrobics/docs/heyrobicschallenge_june_19_2011_-_invitation__comp

Soak Up the Last Bits of Summer

As much as I hate to admit it, summer is soon coming to an end.  I hate Beijing winters as much as everyone else, so these last few weekends of sunshine and blue skies will be cherished and savored to the nth degree.

If I’m not swimming and suntanning in Chaoyang Park (click here for article), then sprawling out on a shaded green lawn for a massive picnic party is the next best way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.

After a weekend of debauchery, a chilled out afternoon in Chaoyang park with packed sandwiches, chilled white wine, a portable iPod and speakers and good friends is the perfect hangover cure.

LumDimSum Snapshots of My Sunday Afternoon in Chaoyang Park:

LumDimSum Discovery: Make a Splash in Chaoyang Park

As awesome as the Tuanjiehu Pool is with its fake beach and giant wave machine, it really does not offer me much other than visual amusement and a very mesmerizing picture of local Chinese culture (a very, very different scene than I would see at an outdoor pool party filled with Westerners ie the Riviera Pool Party).

In seeking out a nice outdoor pool, I much prefer to avoid the crowds and proper lanes so that I can actually swim laps. As you can see from the photo attached, Chaoyang Park now offers multiple pools including a massive Olympic sized pool with swimming lanes!

Although the open space pool is pretty packed in with people flapping around, the Olympic sized pool just behind was surprisingly relatively empty. Even more surprising, not only were the swimmers in this pool relatively serious, the poolside tanners were hardcore about their sun exposure. Men in tiny speedos were spread out like I’ve never seen.

Only RMB 18 to enter with lounge chairs available to rent (an additional RMB 15), the pools at Chaoyang Park gives Beijingers a much needed, easily accessible outdoor pool for some fun in the sun.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Chaoyang Park’s Pools:

Note: Most of these photos were taken at sunset (close to closing time), hence the lack of flappers in the water.

Wokai’s Afternoon @ All-Star

***Change of Location***

Due to the rain, Wokai has changed their meeting place to be at All-Star Bar & Grill at Solana (Map) north of Chaoyang Park West Gate, for an afternoon snack and chatting.

This Saturday, July 10th, come out to All-Star Sports Bar & Grill and enjoy an afternoon with the Wokai community. Expect snacks, chats, and friendly faces. Fun begins at 5:00PM.

Wokai Background:

Wokai is a not-for-profit organization committed to alleviating poverty in China. Wokai (wo3kai1 我开 in Chinese) means “I start” and refers to the the opportunity that our organization provides to Chinese micro-entrepreneurs to start small businesses, start change in their own lives, and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. www.wokai.org

Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Casa Latina

Authentic Mexican food has FINALLY arrived to Beijing!! I have really missed good Mexican food since El Fogoncito closed in Wanda plaza (such a shame) but everything about Casa Latina is an absolute delight and the food is no exception.

CityWeekend made it easy with the ordering. Casa Latina’s CW Gourmet Month Set Menu (RMB 99) offered four courses which left us happy Humpty Dumpties stuffed to the brim. If there was a wall, we definitely would have had a great fall.

For the first course, we started off with tasty Sopesitos (normal price: RMB 48) – 3 crunchy mini-corn tarts topped with refried beans, shredded chicken, fresh lettuce a la Julienne, sour cream, cheese and served with spicy salsa verde that gave the perfect amount of kick. The combination of rich flavors and textures all complimented each other perfectly.  I highly recommend ordering this dish either as an appetizer or the perfect compliment to accompany your Latin cocktail (they have a long list to choose from).

Casa Latina's Superb Sopesitos

Crema Poblana Soup

Next, they served Crema Poblana soup (normal price: RMB 48). Never have I had such a thick, spicy cream-based soup! Made from roasted poblano peppers, the Crema Poblana is also served with mini squares of cheese and corn kernels.

The main course was Traditional Fajitas (normal price RMB 98) – a massive skillet filled with pinto beans on one side and the other half with strips of beef tenderloin on a mound of onions and peppers. The best part – it came with homemade real corn tortillas and freshly made guacamole! While the fajitas were big in portion with a lot of flavor, I thought it was a bit on the dry side. Next time, I’d definitely like to try one of their other main course dishes – Enchiladas Verdes, Pollo Con Mole, Ropa Vieja, Ensenada Taco Fish, the list goes on.

For dessert, the Capirotada was a bit rich for my taste with a condensed milk-like sauce poured over mini bread slices with cinnamon, raisins, peanuts and cheese (think Mexican French Toast). In the future, I would also prefer to replace this dessert and try their cream caramel or apple cake.

Capirotada Dessert

Review of Casa Latina: Located across from Invito on Solana Bar Street (down the road from All-Star), 6 Chaoyang Park Road, 朝阳公园路6号, Solana蓝色港湾商业区8号楼3单元; Tel: 5905-6201; Daily Hours: 6PM-2AM

Best Part:

• In just one month, they’ve already begun to establish themselves as the one and only authentic Mexican restaurant in Beijing.
• Everything from the decor, the food, the chef, the music is all as authentically Latin as can be.
• Sopesitos and Crema Poblana soup were the highlights of our meal.
• They have a great live Cuban band every day except for Mondays
• Owners/managers are both personable, professional and knowledgeable.

Comments:

• Newspaper style menu is cluttered with the first page listing salads, soups and main courses, 2nd page listing cocktails, appetizers and desserts, third page with pizzas, snacks, martinis, milk shakes and non-alcoholic cocktails, and left overs of their drink menu on the fourth page. Pizza is random to offer at a Mexican restaurant, but then I met one of the owners (from Italy), and the pizza addition came to make sense.
• RMB 99 for a four-course set menu was a great meal and incredible value (normal price would be RMB 218), but when I go back (which I definitely will), I would prefer to order a la carte and try one of their salads or their Aztec Soup – the house special with fresh tomato and dried pepper base with fresh cheese and avocado cubes, crispy corn strips and fresh cream. I would also love to try their Pollo con Mole (Chicken Leg dipped in dark sauce made of chilies and chocolate!) and finish off with a cream caramel dessert. The only thing I might order again would be the Sopesitos starter, which was perfect.
• We happened to come on a rainy Monday night, the only night of the week without the live Cuban band and having just rained, it also explains the lack of customers, but word is that it has been consistently full almost every night for the past 2 weeks. In any case, this just gives me an excuse to return for some more delicious Mexican food to enjoy with live music and a lively crowd.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 6 (no live band on Mondays, and it was raining, so quite empty, but I heard it is normally packed and very lively)
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 8