Moscow’s Not a Bad Running City After All

All these months, I hemmed and hawed because I had convinced myself that Moscow was a terrible city to run in. Turns out I was wrong. Yes, running up Tverskaya or the Garden Ring is a bad idea. But tonight, I found that if you stick to the back streets, it’s actually fun.

As I got ready to run tonight, I yet again faced the quandary of what to do with my keys. In the States, this is not a problem. I could get it down to one little key that I could tuck in the key pocket of many running shorts. Here my keys look like this:

Tucking them into a key pocket isn’t so easy. I found a solution, but one that my mom probably won’t approve of.

For today’s run, I queued up Steph’s “Heading Out I” on my iPod. I think she intended it as pre-party music, but since she had delivered it to me in Lisbon, I’ve found that it works equally well as a cleaning mix and a running mix. Though Steph, the Biebs really does sound like a girl.

Since I’ve spend about 95% of my 8 months in Moscow totally lost, once I find a way to get somewhere, I don’t deviate it. This has significantly improved my rate of arriving places on time, but means that I haven’t explored my neighborhood.

Today, with no deadlines, I let myself get lost in the area behind my building. Wish I realized there were so many cute restaurants and shops while my parents were in town! I kept winding my way around and secretly enjoyed running past the Chabad Synagogue in my neighborhood in running shorts and a tank.

Heather, I’ve decided I’m going to need to keep a daily count of all the couples I run into making-out just for you. Again, probably upwards of a dozen in a 40 minute run today. Most were in the park, but at least two just stopped in the middle of the sidewalk right in front of me. And I’m not talking about a little peck either.

Ended my run with a couple of laps around the pond — I think I’m providing a lot of amusement for the Russians sitting on benches drinking beers. By that point in my run, I’m sure I was not looking attractive, but noticed a few smiles as I panted around the perimeter.

I forgot how great it is to get to know a city by running, but my new effort reminds me how much more you see when you give yourself the freedom to just wander about instead of focusing on getting somewhere. There’s so much people watching to be done in Moscow — can’t wait for my next run.

Getting back to it . . .

There are always so many excuses.

Less than two years ago I ran a marathon. Then there was post-marathon tendonitis in my foot and some other health issues, and next thing you know, I wasn’t working out regularly. There was a run or two here or there, but nothing consistent.

Then I decided to move to Moscow. Not exactly a running mecca. And of course, while moving dozens of boxes of books down to my storage unit managed to sprain my ankle for the first time in my life. So, I moved to Moscow, the streets were frozen over, the gyms were a fortune, and I had a bum ankle. Perfect excuse not to do anything.

And then I ate nothing but cheese, chocolate, yogurt and bread for 8 months. (There are other options here — I just choose to avoid them.)

So, when two friends of mine recently achieved huge running milestones, I decided it was time to start up again. This time there is no big marathon goal (though running a marathon here would be amazing), but I just need to get back in shape and get my mind back in shape. Running is therapeutic for me. I turn off and just live in the moment.

Starting tonight there aren’t any excuses. It’s gorgeous in Moscow, and it’s light out until after 10 p.m. So, I put on my running shoes and jogged the whole 3.5 minutes to Patriarch’s Pond. It may not be as glamorous as my lake front runs in Chicago, but it’s well lit, nice running service, and there’s tons of people around making it fairly safe.

On weekend mornings, while I lounge with a book and a pastry, I’ve seen other runners, but tonight there was nothing. Much more the drinking and strolling set, I was the huffing and puffing red faced American girl.

I wasn’t fast, but I got thirty minutes in. And some zen back.

Would like to get up to an hour several times a week. I know it will take a bit, but it feels great to have started.

Here we go again . . .

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It’s mid-March again, which means it’s almost time for the opening of the Chicago running season, the infamous Shamrock Shuffle.  Last years race was a combination of sleet, snow and rain, but I finished, and my sopping wet yoga pants managed to stay up most of the race.   And making it through the race made me realize that I could probably do just about anything, including the Chicago Marathon, which I did manage to finish last year!  And just today, I registered for again in 2010. 

It’s been an interesting winter for my running.  I haven’t been as consistent as I would like, and may have lost some endurance, but I feel like I’ve picked up a lot in terms of speed.  Did some interval training yesterday, which felt terrific, and we’ll see how the shuffle goes. C and I picked a 5K in early April, and we’ll see how it goes.  The Shuffle is never for time, it’s just to get my butt serious about the running again.

Second, and it probably should have gone first, it’s time to start earnestly planning my next big trip.  Which, once again is going to be a National Young Leadership Cabinet Study Mission.  So in the last two weeks, I bought my tickets to MOROCCO!!!!!  More to come in a future post, but I’m beyond excited to be heading out a couple of days early to spend a couple of days in Fez with five of the most fabulous women I know!  (I know, I sound all wacky and girl power here, but I’m just super excited to be traveling with these friends.)