DALIAN, China — A steady sea breeze blew against the tree-speckled foothills that serve as the backdrop for Dalian University, the campus where the U.S. track team is holding its pre-Olympic training camp.

They call this bustling resort town a little slice of paradise in northeastern China. Relaxed and comfortable as they began their workouts, the last thing the American runners were worrying about Saturday was the heat and pollution in Beijing, 300 miles away.

"Unless I can't walk and my lungs are falling out, or I'm coughing up a lung, I'll be running," said Shalane Flanagan, who plans to race in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events come rain, shine or soot.

Flanagan, like many of the U.S. athletes, has heard the reports of Beijing's choking pollution, the oft-discussed possibility of wearing protective masks and other problems awaiting at the Olympics. Nevertheless, she is treating her training as business as usual.

Those who arrived in China in the past 48 hours, with a quick stop in Beijing, were pleasantly surprised to find blue skies.

"I got there and I don't know what they were talking about with the smog," said one of the 400-meter favorites, Sanya Richards. "It was great when I got there. I know it rained for three days, but it was definitely great to come in and not have to see what I'd been hearing about for months."

Sprinter Torri Edwards has asthma and admits she was concerned about Beijing's air quality.

"But since I've been out here training, my breathing is fine," she said. "I might use my inhaler a little more than normal, but I haven't had to so far."

Marathon runner Deena Kastor, looking to add to her bronze medal from Athens, said it's no problem getting ready for the kind of heat and humidity she expects in Beijing, where it's typically about 5 degrees warmer than in Dalian, which reached 82 degrees Saturday.

Kastor figures she'll drink up to 20 16-ounce bottles of water every day she's in China.

Preparing for pollution, though, is another matter.

"The best way you get ready for pollution is by staying out of it as long as possible," she said.

Thus, the trip to this resort.

"They're doing everything they can to make us comfortable," sprinter Darvis Patton said. "They've got ESPN, CNN, all that."

There is a Disney-like quality to the place, which has a golf course, miles of coastline, and even an amusement park called the Discovery Kingdom. At one point, during a drive along the beach, you cross a short span called the "Golden Bay Bridge" — appropriate for a resort called the Golden Pebble Beach.

The university's track, recently resurfaced for the Americans' arrival, is inside a concrete bowl that seats about 20,000 — with a backdrop somewhat reminiscent of the San Gabriel mountains outside the Rose Bowl. But there are no Rose Bowl-like crowds at this stadium thanks to a security detail that rivals anything LeBron James or Michael Phelps have ever seen.

Practices are closed to fans and there were maybe 75 police and security officers at the stadium to protect about a dozen athletes who worked out Saturday.

It was the same scene at the resort, where USA Track and Field had booked all the rooms and outsiders needed to pass through several layers of scrutiny to get to the lobby.

This kind of detail — a combination of indulgent planning by the American federation and typically tight Chinese security — left the runners with very few worries. Flanagan said she has been impressed with Chinese hospitality.

"They won't let me do anything without aid," she said. "I went out there and tried to set up some hurdles and they wouldn't let me do it. Extremely helpful."

Of course, long-distance runners like Flanagan aren't the only ones who need to think about the conditions. Sprinters go through multiple heats over several days. Some race in more than one event and also have relays to consider.

"A lot of people just see that finished product," said Patton, who is entered in the 100 meters along with Walter Dix and Tyson Gay. "They don't realize everything else that's involved."

Still, he said 'no' when asked whether pollution was one of his concerns.

"It's one of those things, where it's only out there when people bring it up," Patton said. "I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about getting a medal right now. If there is air pollution, it's going to affect everyone, not just me."

Wind Sprints: Nobody at USA Track knew what day Tyson Gay was scheduled to arrive. Neither did his friend, Darvis Patton. Patton said he, like most track followers, was interested to see how Gay has recovered from the hamstring he strained at Olympic trials. "Sure, we're all curious," Patton said. "He's our teammate." ... 400-meter favorite Sanya Richards said she's "almost 100 percent" back from an illness, Behcet's Syndrome, that sapped her strength and forced her out of a number of meets in 2007. "I'm the best I can be, while still having the disease," she said. ... Rodney Martin, a candidate to race in the 400-meter relay, overslept and missed the bus for the afternoon practice. He's expected at the track Sunday.