Kazbegi Mountain Marathon. Part 2. Pre Race Day

We got to Kazbegi in the evening and settled into our cozy A-frame. Hungry and excited, we quickly decided to grab some food from a nearby cafe and take it back to our chalet. To eat with the stunning view.

I headed over to the local place called "Gergeti Cafe". When I stepped in, a friendly old fellow greeted me with a warm smile. I ordered some khinkali and a fresh veggie salad to go. He didn't have any fancy takeaway boxes, but he served everything in solid bowls and plates.

He said I can bring back the dishes whenever it works for me. He actually said, 'You can bring 'em back tonight, tomorrow morning, or whenever suits you. You can even take 'em with you!' I can't recall when a stranger trusted me like that before! It felt pretty awesome!

So, I grabbed food, brought it home, and we ate while looking at the majestic mountains. It was a super hearty meal, which was awesome 'cause I had a big trail run the next day!

When we went to the cafe to give back the plates, we saw the old man having a drink with his friend. He said thanks for returning the dishes and offered us a free drink!

Now, I should say, it's not very nice to say no in this situation, but I had a race, what else could I say? I told them that I was very thankful but I had to decline as I had the race on the following day. And drinking strong alcohol before running is a big no-no for me. I was lucky as in the end they seemed not offended by my decline.

We got back home, and I got my equipment ready for the morning. I made some tea and relaxed, watching Twitch streams before going to bed at 11:00 PM.

I set my alarm for 7:00 AM.

Kazbegi Mountain Marathon. Part 1. Road to Kazbegi
In Georgia ?? there's a place called ყაზბეგი (Kazbegi). It's famous for its tall mountains, and Mount Kazbek is the biggest one. This is where I had my trail running race on 03.09.

I live in Tbilisi, and it takes 3-4 hours to get to Kazbegi, this is why I didn't want to travel there on a race day. So I booked an A-frame chalet close to the start, and my wife and I went there on 02.09.

The priciest and the easiest way to get there is by personal transfer ~75$ per car. The cheapest and the most authentic one is to use Marshrutka (minibus) ~5$ per person.

To book a personal transfer you can use gotrip.ge. But let me tell you how we used Marshrutka.

We reached Didube metro station, and as we were leaving, a guy approached us in a rather irritating manner, asking about our destination. He claimed to be the bus terminal manager and offered to guide us to the bus we needed.

We told him our destination was Kazbegi. He then pointed to a minibus and said it would cost $15 per person. I had done my homework earlier, so I knew it was way too much! He was trying to trick us by claiming to be the manager, as it was just some private minibus. So we left.

To navigate further we asked 5 people for directions, as you don't have a pin on Google Maps where minibuses to Kazbegi leave. After a 20-minute search we finally spotted the minibus displaying the Kazbegi sign. And to top it off, the fare was a fantastic deal - $5 per person!

The rest of the journey was quite straightforward. The minibus driver skillfully led us up the winding mountain roads, and we enjoyed some lovely views as we crossed Cross Pass.

In the next part, I'll tell you about what we did the day before the race upon arrival.

Before we get back and finish the book Non-Violent Communication. Let me post what I have created a while ago.

Taking Notes ?

There are two main reasons for taking notes. First and obvious, notes serve as a record of what you've learned, making it easy for you to revisit that information later on. And second, taking notes actually directs your attention towards the material, which enhances your memory. It's like telling your brain: "Hey, remember this!".

Instead of obsessing over capturing every single detail, I've learned to prioritize the core concepts. It's the depth of processing that truly makes a difference. By paying attention to the underlying principles and key ideas, I've found that my performance have skyrocketed.

To organize thoughts effectively, consider the purpose of the knowledge. Anticipate how you will use the knowledge and build mental structures to facilitate recall and application. This will also help to orginize notes in a way that aligns with the structure of the knowledge that is being acquired.

For subjects with simple structures, like learning new vocabulary in a language class, I would create flashcards with pairs of words. But for more complex topics, such as programming, I rely on practice problems and examples to solidify my understanding.

Note-taking is just the first step in the learning process. It's about building a strong foundation – a mental framework that empowers you to retrieve and apply knowledge effortlessly.

Now, go out there and take some epic and mindful notes! ?

#Growth

I know there are a lot of russian brands. But you can change any unknown brand to the word “local” or “russian”. The names are not that important.

My coffee story.
Part 3. NEFT

So, I was always happy with my regular coffee. You know, the usual Starbucks and cheap coffee shops. But one day, during a trip to Kazan, Russia, my wife and I stumbled upon a coffee shop called Neft. Everyone insisted we had to try it, so we did. And boy, was I in for a treat!

There was something on the menu called an "Aeropress", which I had never heard of. They showed me this weird-looking contraption that resembled a syringe. They asked me what kind of beans I wanted and I randomly chose Guatemala. And let me tell you, that was hands-down the best cup of coffee I've ever had. It was sour, sweet, had a rich aroma, and a long sweet aftertaste. It was like a dream come true!

I was so blown away that I immediately ordered an Aeropress device for myself. That's when I realized that the coffee beans I had been using before just weren't cutting it. I switched to Tasty Coffee, an amazing roaster from Izhevsk. But then, I ran into another problem. My Bosch grinder wasn't doing a great job. It was leaving some of the coffee in chunks and grinding the rest into dust. So, I decided to switch to the Timemore Chestnut C2 hand grinder.

And that's not all. I realized that I needed to know the exact temperature of the water I used to brew my coffee. So, I got myself a temperature-controlled kettle with a handy brew spout.

Now, I'm always trying out different brewing methods, different coffee shops, and different beans from around the world. It's amazing how different coffee can taste, depending on where it's from and how it's brewed.

I used to think that all coffee tasted the same and you could only add milk or syrup to change the flavor. But God, was I wrong! I've tasted some amazing coffee that had hints of cherries in them. Who knew coffee could taste that good?

So, that's the end of my coffee bio for now. But, who knows what the future holds? I'm excited to keep exploring and discovering new flavors. Thanks for reading, coffee lovers!

#Story #Coffee

The Dangers of Being an Optimist ?

As I've learned through my own experience, It's easy to get caught up in the optimism of the moment and overlook the potential pitfalls. We need to be aware of the risks and keep a healthy balance between optimism and realism.

Of course, it's important to go into any venture with a sense of hope and confidence that it will work out. But it's equally important to remain grounded in reality and take the time to think critically about the plans. We need to be prepared to collect data on what's working and what's not and to adjust our strategy accordingly. We should never be afraid to admit when we've made a mistake and to pivot in a different direction.

The failures of BlackBerry and Kodak serve as a stark reminder of what can happen when we become too confident in our success, of how arrogance and overconfidence can lead to a company's downfall. We need to stay humble, be open to change, and never take success for granted.

At the end of the day, it's all about finding the right balance between optimism and realism. With the right amount of both, we can set ourselves up for success.

So, let's stay humble and never stop learning.?

#Growth

[Update] I am sowwwwwy?

I hope you are all doing well. I apologize for the delay in posting. Life can be unpredictable, and unexpected events can arise that prevent us from sticking to our usual schedules.

However, I want to assure you that I am back on track now and plan to share a new #Growth post with you all on Thursday.

Life is full of ups and downs, and it can be easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to take a step back to reflect on what really matters. So when you are done reading, take a moment to reflect on your experiences from today and use them to learn and grow.

While I regret the delay, I hope this brief message has given you something to ponder.
I look forward to sharing more with you soon.