Владимир Рябушкин - How the Iron was tempered

Cross-country running in the morning with us wearing only breeches and boots, then the midday march in so-called full service marching order, namely: fully clothed, complete with a cap, with backpack, assault rifle, ammo, OZK (chemical protective gear) and, nearly forgot to mention, the entrenching tool.

The last one is a pain. No matter how reliably you fasten it, the tool starts hitting you in between your legs after a ten steps. There could be another cross-country running in the evening, if the outpost commander was in a bad mood.

When the outpost commander was in a very bad mood, we had to wear OZK protective gear during the entire midday march.

For someone who doesn’t know it, it’s a rubber hazmat suit that covers you from head to toe, plus a gas mask.

It feels like you’re running in a steam bath. There have been times when some guys have passed out for a while.

This was in summer, and it was the same in winter, but on skis. The skis, though, were not of the modern types what we are used to see now, with boots, fastenings, etc.

It was wooden planks with front ends bending upwards and bindings for winter felt boots.

So, that’s how we had our fun and games. And since I gained a lot of weight, judging by my face, running was not that hard, but just unbearable, and each time I was feeling like throwing out.

I realized that I was close to breaking down. I had to take it seriously.

I started getting up at 5:00 in the morning and went to a run. In the evening, or rather, at night, I went to work out.

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