PinnedMy journey to a sub-3-hour marathonA friend told me that breaking the 3-hour marathon mark can be underwhelming. It’s just a number, he said and once you get there, it’s possible to feel empty. Bullshit! Yesterday, at 41 years of age, I ran a 2.57.04 marathon in Southern California and it felt like an achievement…Running8 min read
PinnedA decade ago I had the biggest standoff I’ve ever had with my wife. She demanded we leave Russia.I spent most of my teen years away from Russia but Moscow was my home. I was studying abroad — first in the US, then England — but would be back In Moscow for every school break. I missed Moscow during my boarding school years and missed it even more…Life5 min read
9 hours agoWhat Russia could have beenA world-famous tourist destination where visitors could enjoy a short weekend getaway to eclectic and forever-buzzing Moscow or beautiful Saint Petersburg or spend weeks traveling across the country’s nine time zones, visiting what could have been the world’s most famous system of National Parks (think of National Parks in the…Russia3 min read
1 day agoMy main fitness ruleI ran a 2.49 marathon a couple of months ago but this story, for once, is not a running-bragging story. Well, I do love running! For the last two years, I’ve been running 50–70 miles a week. I’m not running this week. It finally happened, the inevitable — I’m injured…Fitness2 min read
2 days agoA mediocre day but my youngest kid had the best day of his life!I was finishing my zoom call when I heard a scream outside. I was worried for a fraction of a second but I could tell there was no pain in the scream. The sound was that of surprise and excitement. It came from Tim, my youngest son. Tim of one…Fishing3 min read
3 days agoThis is the hardest thing about most undertakings in lifeExercise and weight loss Relationships Career Entrepreneurship Parenting Writing or side hustles Overcoming struggles A few months ago I wrote this story about my weight loss journey and it’s exactly about this challenge. Consider parenting. I have four kids. The older ones are two teenage boys. They have complicated characters…Self Improvement3 min read
5 days agoLast night my wife went to bed nakedIt’s not like it’s something super rare. But after almost twenty-three years together it’s not something trivial either. On most days we go to bed tired and dressed up, at least partially. We often go to bed at different times. We sleep on the opposite sides of our king-size bed…Love2 min read
6 days agoContinuing to write about Russia is meaninglessIt’s like becoming an expert on North Korea or writing stories about doing laundry. It’s tempting. I made good money on Medium writing about Russia. I didn’t write to make money. I don’t write on Medium to make money. I write because I write. I run because I run. …News3 min read
Jun 19I’m happier this week and in life because Steph Curry, because the Warriors are everything great there is about AmericaWe came to America in 2013 and spent the first five years in the Bay area. You could not live in the Bay area and not fall in love with the Warriors, no matter where you had emigrated from. Call us bandwagon fans, so what? We watched the birth and…Sports3 min read
Jun 16A few weeks ago my 15-year-old son decided to invest in securities…He had a couple of hundred dollars of his own savings and we added another hundred to support his curiosity and excitement. Valentin bought shares of a few companies and also put some money in bitcoin and ethereum. One of his stocks was up by more than 200% in the…Entrepreneurship2 min read
