Running the 4-2 after 4-years
42 is 36
The 42km marathon is won (or lost) on the 36k mark – and that is
exactly how my run was, as I participated in the 4th such run after
a 5-year break. In that break, I had
concentrated on the 21k runs, and now in reflection, these runs do have a
bearing on what happens on the real thing.
I had already done a 36k run during my preparatory runs leading up to
this event. I already knew the feeling
of a 36k mark. I had convinced myself
that after that milestone and I would do anything in my power (walk, crawl,
roll, jog or run) to finish the last 6km.
The strategy worked, only upto to 36.5km, then….
Early morning
I woke up at five. My breakfast
items had already been set the previous night.
I circled the cup of milk chocolate in the microwave for about a minute
and sipped up in readiness for departure from my residence. I walked from the residence to the assembly
point at about 5.30am, where the mini-bus was waiting to carry the runners to
town. The fully loaded bus left at
exactly six, picking other runners along Naivasha and Ngong roads as we headed
for Nyayo stadium.
At six-forty, we found a parking space at Nairobi West and disembarked
ready to face our various runs. A quick
‘groupie’, (not really, someone photographed the group), then we were off to
the starting point of the runs on Mombasa road, next to Nakumatt, on one side
of the stadium.
The start
Somehow the 42km started.
Nothing grand, just a pop of a starting gun, and off we went. This run does not have too many runners,
hence the crowd that set off was not that big, however, it was still a
crowd. This run is a matter of strategy. You set your strategy, etch it on your mind,
and just run by it. It is not a fast run
by any chance. Even the front runners
restrained themselves from running as fast as would otherwise be on say a 21k
event. I had a pace in mind, and my legs
learnt the pace by the 2km mark, which I did in 9min.
The first half
The 42km route has the full 21km circuit through the city and back to
the stadium, followed by a 2-loop run on Mombasa road towards Cabanas, each
loop being about 11km. The first 21km
were a breeze. I found myself back to
Nyayo stadium in about 1hr 35min. At
that pace, I was capable of running the full run in 3hr 10min – but I know for
a fact that that is not a simple doubling act – the pace gets slower and slower
after the 21km mark, and so it was.
Two is better than one
The first loop on Mombasa road is 10.5km. It brings you back to the start of loop on
the 31.5km mark. These are the best 10km
run I have ever done after a 21k run. I
was on good form and my mind was set for a final good run to the finish line. I averaged 50minutes in this loop. I now only had the second and final loop, which
goes 5km to the extreme turnoff at the 36.5km mark, then a final 6km to the
finish line. The only effort I needed
was that of reaching the 36.5km turnoff, then I would ‘somehow’ make it back to
Nyayo.
My eyes started getting heavy as I approved the turnoff. I was finding it difficult to lower my eyes
from looking afar to looking just in front of me. I attributed this to maybe fatigue on the
neck that was making head/eye movements difficult. I was still on good pace and was overtaking a
number of runners who were still on loop one and had just taken to walking.
I remember making the final turn and starting my long run towards
Nairobi and then….
“That on, pull him out,” I thought I heard someone say that.
“Do not let him pass, pull him out,” I thought I heard that too, quite
close to my ears.
The next moment I was feeling some hands grabbing me, pulling me off
the road and pushing onto a mattress on the floor of a tent.
“Lie still, do not move!,” I surely heard.
After a few moments…
“Are you able to sit up?”
I sat.
“Give him that,” he pointed, “Take that!,” he instructed.
I downed a 250ml bottle of some yellowish fluid. It tasted something in between sugary and
salty.
I cleared a second, and just like that, I stood up.
“Do you know where you are?,” a gentleman asked.
“Of course,” I responded, “I was on the second loop turn off, ready to
head to the stadium for the finish”
“He is OK,” he told his colleagues, “You are free to go,” he told me.
The lost 12
From my estimation, I lost about 12 minutes at this first aid tent,
strategically set on the 36km mark.
During my run prep, I had thought of a way of either having someone hand
me some glucose at this mark or carry some for consumption at this point. I did not execute this plan and it was now
haunting me. I also now wonder why the
organizers have never thought of refueling the runners with energy drinks at
this mark, which is universally accepted as the breaking point for most
runners. It took me about 10 minutes to
get back to my regular jogging pace and after that, it was a normal paced run
back to the finish point inside the stadium.
This is a run where I finished while still quite energized and did not
even feel that tired after the run. My
legs were also not aching like previous such runs and I was quite in high
spirits. I stopped the timer at
3.46.43. I know that I lost about 15
minutes due to the pit stop, but that is yet another lesson learnt in readiness
for future runs. Those running as a full time job, such as the men's winner did the run in 2.13.27 while the ladies crown was worn after a 2.34.18 stay on the road. The 21k was taken in 1.02.53 and 1.11.17 in the men's and women's run respectively, while the 10k was done in 29.28 and 33.48 respectively.
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 31, 2016
