7 in a row

Words  345

            I cannot express how strange this is.  Absolutely eerie.  How could a person finish a 60-second sprint in a time that varies less than 2% each day?  Today, again, I finished between 60 and 61 seconds.  If a person set his watch by the amount of time it takes me to run this sprint,

squat video; 1:00.39, 19.92

Words 129; one video        

            I wanted to hustle up this time because I needed to visit the tailor where I took a pair of pants that needed to be repaired.  Therefore, I did only 9 pull-ups in the middle two pull-up reps.  I’m sure the amount of time saved was at least 23 seconds.  The psychological impact was great, however.

official square dancing enthusiast 1:00.09, 19.94

Words 475; 1 picture; 1 2-minute video

            A great run today…cloudy with a forecast of rain, but no rain in while I was running.  The mid-run sprint is an interesting event.  Once I, and I will posit that this goes for nearly anyone, become accustomed to running at a certain speed, expending a certain effort, I fall into a routine and continue this behaviour.  How else could I explain finishing in such remarkably similar times.

no hot water

Words 148

            Stairs only again today.  I got the record in the 16-flights, but I ran this effort at the beginning, after warming up with only 6 flights.  So there was a small amount of ‘cheating’ involved.  The temperature is so nice, I think I might cut thought of the details until it gets super warm.

busy-ness = business

Words 153

            I ran only the stairs today because I wanted to take shorter time with it.  I am in a pleasant situation.  I have a lot of stuff to do, I want to do a lot of stuff, and I don’t have time to waste.  I can remember sometime last year when I would intentionally give myself a heap of time to get to wherever I was going, and I would take the long route so I would be on the road longer.  I loved being in the car—I had a purpose and I could listen to NPR, or a book on CD.  I much prefer business.  (Whoa—can you believe it?  Has anyone ever noticed that ‘business’ can be formed by putting –ness on the end of the word ‘busy’?  I wanted to say “I much prefer busy-ness.”  I decided to change the y to i and add the ending.  Low and behold…business.)

I lied; Wait, Wait

Words 586; one Wait, Wait recording

            I truly think that the mind has a huge influence on the performance of the body.  Generally, when I run certain distances, at first, I think that I am running as quickly as I can.  When I run faster, I believe a large part of the quicker finish is due to the fact that my mind TELLS me that I can run faster.  Today, however, was a different story—

green marathon

Words 449; 3 pictures

          Today was something called the Green Marathon as part of the build-up to the Winter Olympics in 2014.  It was sponsored by the bank where I teach.  The Games will be Sochi on the Black Sea several hundred miles from here. 

Tsaritseno again

Words 15

            Went back out to Tsaritseno today, and ran with my friend.  A truly terrific place.

another tasty dog

Words 212; 1 picture

            I woke up at 6 today, completely refreshed.  The sun filled the sky—I almost said it was high overhead—not true.  Hence, I saw no reason why I shouldn’t go for a run.  All went well until the third set of pull-ups.  Just as I was about to start,

cut short

Words 132

            When out today, then I realized that if I ran today, AND tomorrow, that would mean three days in a row.  If I DIDN’T run tomorrow, that would mean three days of rest in a row.  I didn’t want either, so I came back in. 

thin, food, walking screwy app

Words 240; 3 pictures

            I walked my customary route today.  My running app says that I covered 10 miles today rather than the normal 5 or so.  I’ve had suspicions that the computer is not totalling things properly, but now I know.  If anyone out there has any ideas about a good running app, please let me know.  Someone told me that the Nike running app is works well,

A beautiful place; a missed opportunity

Words 511;  pictures

            The most beautiful place I have seen in Moscow.  Tsaritsina Park.  For me, it’s no work today, or tomorrow.  I heard from a friend about the great beauty of Tsaritsina last night.  It’s true.  I got out there about 9 am.  The park has dorozhki/trapinki (walking paths) all over the place.  The air was fresh and clean.

18 seconds!

Words 103

            Zeros again!  It was good, but I was hoping to break a record for the mid-run sprint.  BUT I DID BREAK A RECORD FOR THE 6 FLIGHTS UP TO THE APARTMENT!!! 

Maxim and karate win

 

Words 79; one video

            After several days of earning the right to run up only 6-flights when I return to our apartment, today, I finished the sprint in 1:02.

geezer marathon runner?

Words 197

            Oh, yeah, baby.  Sub 1-minute.  I’m wondering how long I am going to be able to maintain this level of speed/health/fitness/whatever.  This summer, I will be traveling with the boys, sitting in a car for several hours per day. 

Snail mail in Russia--it'll slow ya down

Words 148

            I probably sound like a broken record, but the effort I am forced to put into running the sprint in less than a minute and one second is astronomical.  It's a welcome kind of hurt, though.  It makes me feel good for the rest of the day.

sparrows in those hills

Words 176

            I ran near the Sparrow Hills.  The day was fantastic!  People were all over the place, biking, running, roller blading, skate boarding, etc.  Unfortunately, it was like being in any place anywhere else in the world.  Russia used to be unique and special. 

2.75 hours, a May Day Parade wearing a backpack

Words 690; a few pictures

            I’ve heard there is going to be a marathon on the 18^th of May.  It’s sponsored by the Sber Bank.  I teach at a branch of Sber Bank on Tue, Wed, and Friday.  I looked at their website, and it seems that the run may be distance of 4.2 km, instead of the 42 km needed for a marathon.