RLOPCUkraineBlog

Житомир and Beyond

(Adventures in Running)

The great thing about running is you can take it with you anywhere. Although I have retired (for now) from racing and despite the fact that I'm not as quite fleet of foot as I was in previous years, I continue to jog every week. Not only has this kept me relatively healthy (and thin?) but it has allowed me to learn about my new city. Whenever I feel complacent I lace up my sneakers and head out in a different direction looking for new sites or random graffiti, etc.

On last week's run, I headed out of Zhytomyr on the road to Vinnytsya. After running by the pack of wild dogs (one of many such houndish groups) I dipped down the road, crossed the river, and started ascending the Vinnytsya road. About two and a half miles out of town there is an old fashioned concrete sign spelling out the name of Житомир. It as been refurbished from the Soviet days with a patriotic splash of blue and yellow paint along with a sputnik on the upper left (see picture below). Besides this sign, the highway is filled with nothing but forest. It's another reminder of how provincial much of Ukraine remains.

I eventually turned back towards Zhytomyr before taking a left towards the village of Зарічанни. I followed this country road and ran over muddy sidewalks and unevenly paved roads. The puddles from the recent rains and the melting ice have yet to evaporate. As I continued down the road, I saw small houses with gardens and livestock, mainly chicken. Yes there are lots of chickens to be found off the beaten path in Ukraine. There were also many roadside crosses from (possibly) time immemorial. While this would cause people to lose their minds in America, it is actually a comforting connection to times past. It also shows the continued spirituality of the Ukrainian people.

I then made a hard right down an even dustier country road. I passed a beautiful church, a city hall, and a post office. As I ascended the road, the street became rockier. At the top of the hill there was a church and a cemetery. The quiet of the town mixed with the spirituality of the cemetery created a powerful impression. This was one of the moments that felt familiar yet very far removed from my life in America. And with this feeling in mind, I continued on the path, through the woods, and eventually back to civilization.