So we have now been in Russia for a week, visiting Novgorod, Moscow, Kazan and now Perm.

Some of the highlights of this time included a lovely evening spent at a log cabin where we enjoyed a few beers as it was team yellows day off of running, not really a day off as you are usually traveling or running around in circles for a film crew. As the sensible one of the team I know when I have reached my limit, but not the same can be said of my room mate Heiko who thought a vodka or four would make sure there was no repeat of the day before ‘s stomach problems. Well his stomach may have been fine but his hearing was a little sensitive and his head was pounding ever so slightly.

Moscow’s welcome may be a little grim, with power stations and factories lined along the long road in to the centre, windows and vents closed as the fumes from these and the thousands of vehicles scrambling for position on the equivalent of the M25 fill the air. The centre on the other hand was magnificent, especially the Red Square, with Lenin’s tomb the centre of attraction. The evening was spent at a lovely little restaurant where we enjoyed some fantastic food, the best of the trip so far. We had to say good bye to our team of medics here, who have been really supportive over the last couple of weeks, I know Heiko will miss Ellen’s healing hands.

The running was not so interesting over the last week, with most of the time spent on the M7, a stretch of never ending road heading east from Moscow. To add a little competition to our daily slogs along this road, Heiko and I decided to see how dirty our running vests could get during our four day shift, mainly from the black grime that is pumped out of thousands of trucks that continually trundle along this road. And once again Heiko had to settle for the silver medal. This will become more interesting when we do the eight day shift when we are going to see if we can get then to stand up on there own. What has been really nice is the surrounding country side with little hamlets of houses doted here and there. The locals working the land in a way our Grandparents would have done before machinery started to take over. Whole families could be seen raking and stacking hay and loading it onto horse drawn carts to take it back to there small homes. Each small house has its own small plot of land, planted mainly with potatoes. It seems to be such a simple life out here, but we see it in the summer, I would hate to think what it must be like in the winter in these small wooden homes.

FOOD, Very important on a challenge like this, getting enough carbs and protein, making sure you are topping up those salts and minerals lost through excessive sweating. Well what we have found is that those in the know who decide what we will have from the set menus that we are given, seem to think that this will all come from the rabbit food they call salad. NO MORE SALAD are the shouts from Heiko and me, if we were meant to eat salad then we would have been given teeth like a rabbit. So after hours of deliberation we have decided on the four B,s BEEF, BREAD, BACON and BEER in any order at any time of the day would be sufficient to see us through this trip. Another problem is the size of the portions, we are usually served what I take to be children’s portions, and so after this is consumed within a few seconds then the radar is out to scan what can be BORROWED from other people’s plates. Occasionally Heiko and me do get a second meal, like last night, where we given these lovely small dishes of Salmon, no difference between the starter and main course. So after a little whine in the ear of the lovely Vicki, she managed to get us another meal. The only problem was that Heiko ended up with the salad starter and I was lucky enough to get the main course. Well I smiled more at the waitress.

Now we have been away from home for over five weeks and it is difficult some days thinking of Jo and the children at home. It is our 15th wedding anniversary on the 4th of July, I did not forget. This is the longest I have been away from them ever and it doesn’t get any easier as the time goes by. What does motivate me is thought that this small amount of suffering is nothing compared to the suffering that those people who we are doing this for endure day after day just to remain alive.

Only another three weeks remaining in Russia.