Long Run
As the last holiday weekend presented itself, we took the opportunity to travel to Kiev, Ukraine to see some friends just after my brother and his girlfriend departed. As you can imagine, it was a bit colder than in Cyprus, so we had to pack accordingly! Surprisingly, though, it was in the mid 40s so not as frigid as we had expected.
We have some friends in the city, so we spent the weekend hanging out with them, eating delicious ethnic foods, and exploring the city. What I didn’t do much (i.e. any) of, was running. Instead, we played an intense hour-long game of Ultimate Frisbee at one of the nearby International Schools, which had a great astro-turf pitch:
After Frisbee we headed to a diner that served up what they called an “American breakfast”. I had to order it just for the picture:
It includes scrambled eggs, pancakes, one strip of bacon, tomatoes, pickles, french fries, a hamburger patty, and (not pictured) a Pepsi. It was hilarious and a bit sad to realize that this is what the rest of the world thinks we eat on a daily basis. The side of nutella was on me though – it sounded too damn good to pass up.
Anyway, what you may notice about this post is the lack of quality images. Hadn’t noticed? Well, it’s true. I made the unfortunate mistake of leaving my camera behind in an Uber during one of our rides around Kiev, and despite my best efforts in reaching out to the driver, I was unable to retrieve my beloved Sony A6000. I assume it’s currently being pawned on the street for a carton of cigarettes or a years’ supply of borscht.
Although my runningpictures are generally taken using my Sony TX-30, which is slim and waterproof, it doesn’t shoot RAW images which I love. In fact, it doesn’t have most of the customization options I love about the mirrorless/DSLR cameras, which is why I only use it for quick snapshots. The a6000 was a perfect travel companion many ways, and it will be missed.
Weekly Jam
Am I the only one in the world that didn’t realize Eminem had come out with a new album? Man, I’m really behind the times here. I just started binge-listening to Revival and really enjoy this jam. It reminds me of some of his older material where he basically just insults people to a beat. Good stuff.
Summary
It was another low-mileage week here while my brother was still in town. As soon as he took off we jetted to Kiev to see some friends for the weekend and play some ultimate frisbee. Although Ukraine is cheap in general, I paid a high price by leaving my camera behind in a cab which sucked. This upcoming week I have lots of training planned and will get back into my long runs (I promise!).
Until next week!
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Brandon Chase is a writer, endurance athlete, and guide based in Maine. He is a former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and spent nearly a decade overseas serving at embassies in Egypt, Cyprus, and Pakistan.
Along with a 98-day thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, he has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked the West Highland Way, fastpacked in the Himalayas, and trekked around New Zealand and South Africa. He also regularly competes in ultramarathons at the 50k, 50-mile, and 100-mile distances. He is a Lead Guide for Andrew Skurka Adventures and the New England Outdoor Center.