Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

23rd day, 4.17 pm On last lap, Grahak passed the race midpoint - 1550 miles. He is the second runner who has passed this mark. Ashprihanal did this several days ago. So we’ve run half a race. As Ashprihanal says, the race goes downhill now, although the other runners have to still run and run to their midpoint, but the race quickly progresses. Both Ashprihanal and Grahak have shown their best time. Yesterday I did my 66 miles and the day before yesterday I had 65 miles. So I am running quite smoothly. The weather indulges us – the average temperature is 27-28 degrees above zero, sunny, and dry. Life is beautiful!

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Day 21, 7.20 pm, July, the 4th Today is the US Independence Day and Parvati’s group sang special songs dedicated to the USA written y Sri Chinmoy. I like these sngs very much and I even joined the group and sang “America the Beautiful”.

Ashprihanal long ago had an idea to congratulate Suprabha as the only  American at the race on her national holiday. He decided to sing some songs for her. We learned two songs. One is with her name and the other is a well-known “This Land is Your Land” Ashprihanal wanted to make it like a costume performance – he wanted to put on a high bowler hat, to make himself look like president Lincoln, and to give others wigs and to sing songs to Suprabha while running. There was not much we could do about stage props. You can see it on pictures. Truly, we were looking not like presidents, but more like pirates. Suprabha liked it, we all laughed. It was fun. Then surprises began. Smarana came, the Austrian national record-holder at 3,100-mile Self-transcendence race. He came for several weeks to help at the race and cheer us up. Smarana gave all of us a very delicious drink. Then I saw Jayasalini, who had dreamt a lot to visit the 3100-mile Self-transcendence race. She came here also to encourage us. She has the best result on the 10-day race among Russian women. Shilpa Taru, who is very close to finishing Sri Chinmoy’s sculpture, sent some pictures from…

Archived – click Post Title to view all. Day 20 3.24 pm I want to share some of my observations. I think our perception of the outer world and feelings become sharper. For example, the sky is neverthe same. Open space is everywhere here. Because of private two-storeyed houses we can clearly see sky. I like it very much,especially here, on the course. Such whimsical clouds and sunsets.Beauty is perceived more keenly. There also are a lot of trees along the course and I feel like sitting in their shadows and contemplatingto feel their peace, patience, care, and compassion. Everything is experienced more intensively as well. If you hear a funny joke, you just cannot stop laughing – such a positive outburst. If youread an aphorism which touches you, then you run for a long time underits impression. Here is an example: The pride of the earthly race And the joy of the heavenly race Have the same goal: Self-transcendence. The same is true for songs. Yesterday, I heard a new song of Purushottama Grebenshchikov “The most wonderful day”. I can not express how this song pierced into me. It suits my mood so much! All day long Iwas listening to this only song. It is interesting, but today I can hardly remember its lyrics (though there are only five lines) and music. So, I am ready to listen to it all day long again. This way we accept everything more intensively and deeply and, on the other hand, more peacefully. If there is any unpleasant news or disturbances, we take them calmly. “Come what may”…