Since last week, we have not had access to the internet. I had 2 cold showers, and one day a swim in a lake instead of a cold shower. Diarrhea, once considered an enemy, has now become more like the disliked relative—unwanted, but ever-present and accepted—as most of the runners have experienced it at one point or another. It affected me for 2 days. Once shy about using the woods, the long call (as my Kenyan friend calls it) in the bushes is no longer a problem for me. Neither is stopping mid-run, telling the police escort “5 minute toilet pause” and running off to the woods. After running through half of Russia, priorities shift a little. Access to the internet is no longer expected, and hot showers are a nice luxury. Toilet paper is a number one priority, and a toilet seat is a pleasant surprise. Yeah, good times running around the world.

Tuesday was a special day for our guide Arina– we were in her home town: Irkutsk. We got to drive by her university, and go bowling. Wednesday was her birthday, and we bought her a cake and had it at one of the exchange points on the side of the road. Our guide Arina and driver Alexej have been great. Without there help, running through Russia would be extremely difficult. They both are very good people, and I am glad had the opportunity to share the last four weeks with them. After running in the flats for last week or so, the countryside now has more variety, which makes the running more interesting. Water is life, and life is good in Irkutsk.

This blog entry is dedicated to my sister Tereza, who has been my guardian and mentor for the last 28 years. It was her who helped me with homework, gave me advice on girls, and even researched for me for which countries on this trip I need visas. Thank you!

Tento blog je venovan me sestre Tereze, ktera byla muj ochrance radce poslednich 28 let. Byla to ona kdo mi pomahal s ukoly, radila o holkach, a dokonce mi nasla pro ktere zeme na teto ceste potrebuji viza. Diky!