26.2

A few weeks before this issue went to press, I completed my first marathon. Now, I don’t state this to boast (my snail’s-pace time was nothing to brag about), but because training for and running a marathon teaches you a lot about what it takes to do something beyond the ordinary. Like, say, publishing a magazine on Russia.

Publishing Russian Life over the past 10 years has had plenty of hills and glides, and plenty of very steep learning curves. And, while publishing and running are very solitary activities when you are “doing the work,” both are punctuated with moments of exhilaration when the work goes public.

About mile 15 of the marathon, as we were readying to climb the most brutal hill on the course (named Battery Hill, since it is where the shore battlements were placed to fire on passing British ships), I noticed that a fellow running just in front of me was getting tons of encouragement from the crowds: “Way to go, Chuck!”... “You’re looking awesome, Chuck!” 

I was more than a little envious that Chuck was getting so much help from the crowd. “Probably a local politician,” I scoffed. “Or maybe he has a lot of family here today,” I thought, less cynically.

But then, a few blocks later, as we were halfway up Battery Hill, I came on Chuck again, and, sure enough, the crowd was still going wild, cheering Chuck on. “Wow,” I said, turning to Chuck, “you sure have a big fan club out here today!” Chuck didn’t say anything, but just grinned and turned my way. Damned if his name wasn’t written across his chest in big, black letters. 

A vivid demonstration of the power of publishing. 

Clearly, Chuck had done this before and knew how valuable the crowd’s shouts would be to helping him finish. It is great when you are struggling along and someone yells out, “Way to go, runner 4025!” But hearing your name is so much more powerful when you are trying to eek out the final miles..

I get a similar jolt of encouragement whenever I take a call from someone wanting to speak to the editor. Whether they are calling to criticize or to laud our work, it feels good. Sure, praise is always easier to take, but constructive criticism is probably more useful. Either way, it is encouraging to know that what we publish is valued enough by a reader that they take the time to call and tell us what they think.

Therefore: As we approach this magazine’s 50th anniversary (to be celebrated with our coming, Sept/Oct 2006 issue), I would like to throw out a reader feedback challenge: Send us an email, fax or U.S. Mail letter with a story idea – something you would like to see written about in Russian Life. If we select your idea, we’ll send you a free Russian Life Taste of Russia tshirt! (To better your odds, check our online index of stories since 1995, to make sure we have not already done a story on this theme, person or locale.) It’s not that we lack for story ideas – by no means! We just want to check in and hear what you would like to read about.

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Speaking of Taste of Russia (recently renamed The RussiaFest)... Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will not be holding our festival this September. Instead, we will skip a year and present a bigger festival in 2007, connected with the 200th anniversary of U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations.

As always, enjoy the issue!

Paul Richardson