picking up the knees

I had my first private lesson today.  I ran there in 15 minutes.  We talked for 90 minutes, I took $33 and then I ran some more.  My student described how he had been on a

Ultimate Frisbee--better than NFL

Back out to the forest today on a beautiful morning.  I’ve taken to doing more pull-ups at each attempt.  Not sure why.  It was great fun to run around and around in circles aimlessly.

containers - new apartment

It has been raining for a few days, so I wasn’t able to go into the forest today.  I looked in there at one point and ran a little bit.  The ground was thickly covered with leaves, but the chances of getting mud all over my shoes and then tracking it into the tiny apartment was too great for me to take the chance.

Gorky Park 5.275 meter run

I ran 5,275 meters today with over 1000 other people.  I finished in 21:58—that’s 20:29 for a 5K.  Why such a strange distance?  The organizers, three aid organizations (United Way, Life Line, and Reach for Change), thought they would run 1/8 of a marathon.

Map with glasses

I ran from my apartment nearly to where I will be teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I wanted to do this to determine if it was a reasonable distance to think I could run there on my teaching days.  I’m not sure…I was in the vicinity in 30 minutes, and I saw the street I needed.

pull-ups in the forest

I was touched by a dog today.  Not since 1992, also in Moscow, have I been touched by a dog while running.  Normally, I pay no attention to the dogs, keep running, and they lose interest.  Last time, it was a full-sized German Sheppard with a crocodile-sized mouth

80 mph on the subway?

Today, I ran toward town from the hostel.  It’s amazing how close things are—esp. when you are running.  Going down 2.5 minutes on an escalator it seems like we are descending deep into the earth’s rock mantle.  In the sub-terrain, the metro whisks passengers away

Embassy push-ups

A problem with running in a new city is the possibility that one might get lost; and in a city as big as Moscow, you could get lost for days.  Luckily, I was able to ask where to go and I wasn’t out there terribly long.  Some of my push-ups came on a level raised above the sidewalk

moscow

My first run in Moscow since 1992.  I’m staying in a hostel near the circus.  Unwisely, I wore my money belt around my chest when I went out, so it was uncomfortable. I am trying to find a park where I can do some sprints.  Hopefully, I will not be in this area for too long.  Actually, there are parks everywhere.  I just have to find one that has some long straight area.
Walking around yesterday, I found a pull-up bar and I did 20.

22! on the last day in Tirana

Twenty-two pull-ups!  My last day in Tirana for at least a few months.  I did 17 without stopping.  During earlier attempts, I’ve done 15 before a rest.  This time, I loved it and felt terrific when I finished.

a whisker

I didn’t get the 21 pull-ups I was going for this morning.  I got 20 and 3/4 of a chin.  I feel like I should have done it.   The last millimeter is the toughest.  After the 20th, I should have hung there and thought, “This is IT.  Put all you’ve got, more than you’ve got into this last pull-up.”

rest

I took a bit of a rest today.  No pull-ups.  I’m preparing for an attempt at 21 pull-ups, or more, on Sunday.  I’ve been feeling like I could use a bit of a break.  I want to give my muscles a chance to heal.  So…I ran two sprints of the same distance as my usual Final Sprint.

Bonus post: Frisbee

Frisbee last night was nearly miraculous.  I say ‘nearly’ only because to call a no-consequence, pick-up game ‘miraculous’ would be a bit more grandiose than I am willing to claim.  But it was definitely fun and gratifying.  I played better last night than I have throughout

climbing, sore, skinned knees

Final sprint was interesting today because I don’t know why I am stuck at such slow results.  I give it all I’ve got throughout the run, but don’t even break the 50 second mark.    I’m suspicious that my body may be a bit weary.

nothing special

Started today feeling a bit tired.  Used the horizontal ladder for the pull-ups.  Don’t know why, just did it.  Because I was changing things up a bit, I guess I felt okay NOT to do as well.  Since I did only 14 at the beginning, I had to do more later to make the 70.