Just a quick blast from your Member-in-Exile.  We've been  in Moscow now for 5 months, and, within my walled-in housing gulag of 300 families, I have found a couple of runners to chase around our 2km residential circuit.over, and over, and over again.  Just when the monotonous training week is getting me down I get a motivating Thursday Reston Runners eNews that keeps me in touch with the run schedule back home.  Knowing that you guys are going long on Sundays puts sufficient fear in me to keep up or be significantly off the back of the pack when I return in a few years.

This week I ran the Moscow International Half Marathon.  It is an excellent, flat course that starts in the shadow of St. Basil's on Red Square and heads up and down the Moscow River, with the first and final kilometers along the Kremlin Wall.  I was running to check out the course for September's Moscow International Peace Marathon which is largely the same route and terrain.  The September race holds PR potential for me, though weather conditions this week canceled any thought of that for the Half Marathon.  We started at noon amidst a ridiculous snow flurry.  The spectators and runners were incredulous howling "snyeg! (snow)" and various forms of "oorah!"   My first 4 miles were 6:50s, but when we turned around to come up the other side of the boulevard I realized why that stretch had seemed so effortless.  The winds were epic.  Heading upwind felt like struggling up Glade - but 5x the distance.

My goals were modest.  I wanted to (a) figure out the mess of registration at a Russian event, (b) buy some stuff at the expo since I can't seem to find any proper shops here, (c) familiarize myself with the course and, finally, (d) turn in a better pace than my best marathon pace (7:25s).  All accomplished.  I came in at 1:34 even, which breaks down to 7:10s.  More than acceptable, given the wind, snow and the fact that I walked through a couple of water stops.  

If anyone is inclined I'd be happy to advise on plans and provide my corporate rate at Moscow hotels for the 27th Moscow Intl Peace Marathon on 9 September.   www.marafon.msk.ru/index_e.htm   I'm already bringing in a few member of my top management for the event (beats the hell outta schmoozing on golf course).

Give my best to the club,

Joe Krider
Reston Runners
Member-in-Exile

Joe Krider

TEREX Corporation
Russia / CIS
tel: +7 495 225 8645
mob: +7 916 204 8117
mob: +1 703 855 2247
fax: +1 815 301 6663
jkrider@terex.com