Team Silver had a super Day 46 off in the Town of Tulun, Siberia. I ate three incredible meals and lots of snacks. In truth I pigged out. Shiri, Jason and I scored excellent massages at a Massage Institute in town. The proprietors took a great interest in BPR. They put Shiri on a medieval table with a neck restraint for 10 minutes of traction to pull her spine into alignment. Whether it worked or not is unknown, but it sure was great fodder for photos. Getting to the massages was an experience as well. We inquired in a local pharmacy staffed by four adorable older local women. Through hand signals and a phone call to one of our interpreters, they figured out what we wanted, made a phone call and put us in a taxi to the Institute. They described it with a hand signal indicating it was far across town. The taxi drove two blocks and dropped us off. After charging his base rate of 30 rubles or $1.20 US he refused a tip gesturing that it was not very far. Massages in this country have generally been really good and they are inexpensive. The least I spent was $5.00 and the most $43.00 US, times ranging from 45 minutes to an hour. Most have cost between $20-25 US.

We are half way around the world on our journey'€™s route. Team Silver with the artistry of Shiri made up cards for every team and staff van to distribute with each of us, including Jason, scripting a message into each card. Very fun and very team spirited. Jason will be with us another day or two before returning to Team Green.

Being back in daylight, and especially with the sun, is a rebirth. This morning'€™s run was one of those runs that filled my heart'€™s desires and my soul. It was rolling on good roads with expansive and beautiful views, very much like parts of Vermont. We are surrounded by green verdant hills. The flowers were exploding all around me, especially the wild daisies and thistle, and of course the beautiful but engulfing purple loostrife. The train remains a constant companion and the police have become our friends. The passing motorists would cheer me on and sometimes slow down to inquire of the police what I was doing, then give an ebullient cheer as they pulled away. On one long uphill when there was not another car around, the police car pulled up alongside me and turned up the music. The two officers were very cute and smiled ear to ear as I started to make some dance moves to the music while running. They loved it!!! They are such an opposite to the attitude of the police we encountered in Western Russia. We will miss them when they go. When I passed off the baton a small group of locals was waiting and asked how far I'€™d run. Then Emmanuel and I stickered them and sent them home with extras for their kids raising smiles on all their faces.

Per Jason this was "€œtickle me Emmanuel"€ day. Emmanuel is such a joy to us. We'€™ve been preparing him for the day we cross over the Mongolian border and he is dethroned as the self-proclaimed "€œKing of Russia."€ He thinks he can stay "€œking"€ through Mongolia. Knowing him, he'€™ll make it happen.

Our team now has a new theme song, "€œMosquito"€ by Loco Loco, provided for us by our guide Arena. The lyrics are a perfect fit for the experiences of the last weeks with those ferocious insects. The lyrics include "€œmosquito, I kill you"€ along with sound effects like the high pitched buzzing of a mosquito. The song ends with a slap sound and "€œouch."€ It'€™s a scream and a perfect memory sound of our experience in Siberia.

We are still in parts of the forest, a mix of conifers and now also great stands of birches. In between the landscape is dotted by large communities of punched out houses, like the suburbs of Denver or Williston outside of Burlington, Vermont, all the same but all very neat and ordered and haven to families with kids. Tonight we stay in Irkutsk, our last large city in Russia. We are three days from the Mongolian border where our team will have our next day off, with a plan to eat pizza at Pizza de la Casa in Ulan Bator washed down with cold Mongolian beer. Then into the Gobi Desert where there should be a full moon.

We are without internet or phones. Team Silver grows closer and closer together, a small tight family. I want to adopt them all and take them home with me. In fact, yesterday this man Yuri at the massage place asked if Shiri was my daughter. I answered "€œI wish."€ He then proceeded to ask if we could bring the whole team over to his house for chai (tea). It took forever to explain why not, that we were on a time schedule which included dinner in 15 minutes, bed and out to run again at the crack of dawn. Yuri was totally awed by my world map plotting how far we'€™ve come. Frankly, it awes us too.

Now in addition to Shiriism'€™s we have Emmanuel ticklers. Today'€™s came out as he was biking with our guide while David ran. It started to rain, he picked up a rain jacket and commented through the window, "this is so unfortunate."€ Then off he went with that glowing toothy smile that is only his. We are laughing so hard with him and with each other. Laughter is such therapy for the heart and the soul, and for good health. Today has been for me one of the greatest days on this odyssey because of my team, because of the staff, because of the wonderful people we'€™ve touched today along the way, and because I can laugh at myself and with these new friends I have grown to love so much.

Water is life. Pass it on!