Rain versus runner… the winner is…
Today is March 1, 2018, the very day when the Kenya Met had promised
that the rains shall start. They have
previously been untruthful with their predictions and today shall not be
different, right? But isn’t prediction
of the weather quite easy? If I was to
predict that it would rain the whole year, I am likely to get it right maybe
40%. If I was to forecast a sunshine for
the whole year, chances are that I would be right 60% of the time. So what is our obsession with forecast? It is the easiest science, I mean art ever!.
When I left for today’s lunch hour run it was hot. It was shinny. There were no signs of rain. The only remote signs were the few puddles
along the road after the rains of the previous night. Thursday is not usually a run day for my
team, who do their runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I had also done my 10k on Monday, with Jannet
and James – the day that we kept her guarded.
I remember the ‘fisis’ of Ndumbo, especially around the road to the
university college whispering loud enough for our advantage,
“Cheki huyo manzi manze!
Kasupu! Lakini waseya weme
msandwich, hata tatuwezi make move,” one of the three gents had whispered to his
colleagues.
“Lakini huyo dame anaweza kukulete!
Vile yeye ni athlete!,” the fisi 2 whispered back
“Hatuna bahati, hawa wasee hawawezi tupa chance. Wame mguard all sides. Wanafanana wasee mean sana,” fisi 3
whispered.
By that that we had cleared the ‘Wangari Maathai’ hill and were now
heading to Ndumbo as we head for the 2-km home stretch. That was Monday. Four days ago.
I missed my yesterday’s run due to my foot that has been so-so for the
last two weeks just decided to go on strike.
I could hardly walk without a limp.
The pain on my calf was just unbearable, but I persevered ‘kiume’,
promising to do something about it in the evening. Something, I did, since I dipped the right
foot into a basin of hot water, for purposes of… what was I thinking!?
“EEffff,” I shouted to the still night.
It must have been around mid-night when I decided on this self-massage.
“The heeecchhhh,” I shouted a second time to the empty room, as the pain
of the scold spread up-body.
The water was burning hot.
Scolding is an understatement!
However, I woke up today with the pain gone. I could only feel it somewhere far deep in
the leg.
So the reason why I was on the road on this odd day was due to my
missed run yesterday and my apparent healed foot. I had also had a good morning, characterized
by a trip to that man who regulates air and charges an arm and a leg for
it. The tour was good and I got to enjoy
the outdoors… while it lasted until mid-day.
I had already witnessed a computer being blamed for failing to allow me
pay for my Post Office box rental. I had
already experienced a similar computer accept my 23 dollars for the same post office
box renewal. What a contrast!, but that
was just part of the so far so good day.
I kicked off my run at the compound and zoomed past the gate. I knew that I would be alone on the track
today. There was no chance of another of
my team members running on this odd day.
I was ready to sample, yet again, the 13k route that has basically two
major hills - the Ndumbo hill (Kanyariri route), then a relative flat terrain
through the university farm, then a little tarmac before hitting the usual ‘tarmac’
turning point, then back the familiar Kapenguria road that ends in that famous
hill from river to Wangari, then another adjoining hill from Wangari to
Ndumbo. These two hills back-to-back,
hill-to-hill, that stretch 2km are every runner’s nightmare. We hate them so much that we have to just run
past them as fast as we can… but that is never easy, and usually a beginner
(even professional) will slow it down and may even be on a walk by Wangari,
never to recover the run until reaching Ndumbo after the end of hill. So this is the run that I was doing today…..
Round 1
I set off from my block through the gate, past Kabete Police station,
across the busy Waiyakai way and then to the Vet loop. This was a smooth run. 2km of pure fun. I was on top gear. The sun was good, the shade at Vet loop was
better. I reached Ndumbo stage in very
good time, less than 13 minutes. The
weather was still good, the sun was still hot and there was nothing to worry
about. Of course the matatus were still
noisy and in a hurry to nowhere, outdoing each other, with makangas shouting
themselves hoarse in the name of beckoning passengers.
Round 1 winner – Runner.
Round 2
At Ndumbo I took the Kanyariri route, intending to run down then the up
hill to eventually make the right turn towards UON farm. I had just turned to the left at Ndumbo when a
drop of water hit my hand. I looked
around so see if there was someone with mischief doing a spray game or
what. There was no one. Momentarily, the second and third drop
followed, then the sky just dimmed, it started being windy and the weather
changed… just like that!
“Surely it can’t rain at this hour,” I told myself, more to wish that
were true than a statement of fact. The
statement held. It did not rain, and I
reached the river without much incidence.
If anything the apparent rain was no more – but wait a minute! Just as I started on the uphill I looked back
and saw it behind me – the white formation of the rain was following me
steadily. I could see it on the route
that I had just taken. It was on my
back, and running fast after me.
Unfortunately, I was facing the hill while it was coming downhill. You can guess whom of the two was gaining speed! It just started hitting me as I did that
hill, first just drizzles, nothing much.
I made the turn to the university farm with the drizzle still on my
path. Just drizzles.
Round 2 winner – Runner.
Round 3
When I turned toward the farm to now cross the 2km to the other side of
Kabete, to make my way to Lower Kabete road, that is when I was welcomed to the
fully furry of the rain. I started by
just perceiving the noise caused by the rain on this mainly deserted and
forested section of the road. There was no
one around. As some point a motorbike overtook
me only for me to find it some 100m ahead, stopped, maybe trying to decide
whether it was worthwhile continuing or turning back. It seemed like a lose-lose situation – for him,
for me too.
Round 3 winner – Rain.
Round 4
Just within the ‘nowhere’ of uni farm, the white material started
falling before my feet. I was now
completely soaked. My shoes were now
full of water, but that the least of worries, since the rain and hailstorm had
now finally came down with fury. I have
never seen such much water and white pebbles in a long time. I was terrified for a moment that the worst
may happen. I could hardly run. The road was slippery, the rain was heavy, I
could hardly see. Then, a piece of hail,
the size of a lollipop hit me square on the skull. I just felt the pain on my leg. It was the most painful bump on the
head. My bald head. After that, the small ones did not even feel
like anything. My attempt to cover the
head with my left hand helped not, but maybe it did since my left pinky felt
the brunt of another lollipop that would otherwise have crushed my skull. The finger was paralyzed for a moment. The pain.
If this continues then the worst was surely going to happen. There was hardly any shelter at this desolate
route.
Round 4 winner – Rain.
Round 5
I made the turn from the isolated road and joined the route that passes
next to the secondary school, beside where I saw a shelter, the locked shopfront
that hardly covered my size, but it seemed like the only place that shelter was
remotely possible. So…. I took it and
got my shelter. My running clothes were
dripping. As I took the rest, 29 minutes
into my run, I saw the full wrath of the rain.
It rained and rained, heavy and heavier.
The hail kept falling down. The
makeshift kiosk next to my shelter had already collected a try full of white
pebbles. It just kept raining until I
wondered whether I would be stuck there forever, six kilometers if I were to
turn back or seven kilometers ahead, if I was to continue going.
Round 5 winner – Rain.
Round 6
I kept my timer going. Jannet usually
tells me that the timer should be stopped when the run stops, even momentarily. I don’t believe that lie. A timer helps you measure your full run, not
your convenient run episodes! I left my
shelter at the 00.39.49 timer time and just joined the rain. It had by now subsided greatly. The hail had stopped coming down. The road was wet, muddy and slippery, but
manageable. I started enjoying my run
after that 10-minute break. I knew that
I would soon hit Lower Kabete road for the half kilometer run to ‘the tarmac’
then turn to the muddy Kapenguria road.
That is what I did exactly, even as the rain come to an end by the time
I was making the turn at Kapenguria.
Surely, the winner of this round – Runner.
Round 7
The run off to Kapenguria road was wet and slippery. The road is currently under repair and the
work done so far made the road a bit bearable.
It was not as flooded as it would have otherwise been. Believe me, I know this road, and would have
been worse. By the time I passed by KAGRI,
the drizzles had started once more. The
drizzles remained mild and I could handle it even as I headed to the river.
Round 7 winner – Runner.
Round 8
The river is currently undergoing major works. The road is already closed and the river
crossing is completely dug out. There is
no through road and one has to divert to a temporary foot bridge at the river
crossing. I had hardly diverted to the
side path of my right when the rain started again. I resumed by run on the road under repair
when the rain was already on a war path.
I have never been beaten this badly.
Another hill, another beating – and remember this is the 2km hill, with
the first temporary reprieve at Wangari, then another kilometer of hill from there
to Ndumbo.
“This is just great,” I shouted to the rain and I continued to struggle
with the uphill. The slippery road
reduced my pace further, but I just kept going, all the way to Ndumbo. I have never been beaten this badly.
Round 8 winner – you guessed right – Rain.
Round 9
From Ndumbo back to Uthiru is a 2km stretch using the same route that I
took on my first leg of the run. The
rain had subsided substantially, and a run on this part of the route was quite enjoyable. The weather was cool and I could afford to
accelerate while benefiting from natural cooling. I was on top of my game as I passed the
Ministry of Livestock inlet gate and headed to ‘the wall’. From the wall, one just crosses the Waiyaki
way and then when on the other side of the road at the Police station, the run
is technically done, since that last one km to my starting point is nothing to
worry about. I reached the wall in quite
high spirit. Happy that I had conquered the
rain.
Goes without saying, Round 9 winner – Runner.
Round 10
Believe whoever says ‘it is never over until it’s over’. I say this because the moment I passed the
wall and prepared to cross Waiyaki is the very moment that the rains came back
in full force. I suffered the
humiliation of being rained on for over 2 minutes as the file of vehicles
dominated the road. After crossing one
side of the road, I had a similar dose of rain on the other side as I awaiting
the vehicles to fly past by hardly visible form as I waited for the road to
clear. After crossing over, I had no
choice but to run in the rain once more back to my starting point. What a run day – and surprisingly in good
time - a 1.17.29 run. If I was to remove
the 10-minutes that I took the shelter, then I would be looking at a 1.07 run,
which is probably faster than on occasions where there is no rain. But make no mistake about it, the 10th
round surely goes to Rain. It taught me
a lesson from Wall to Gate.
So how comes we have a draw between Rain and Runner? Marathons do not have winners drawing! Someone wins, someone else runs up after the
winner (runners up). This draw is not
acceptable, that just means a tie breaker – either another duel between the two
or…. One of them handing back the win on one of the sections. I do not see the latter happening. Gentlemen, ladies, we have a duel on our
hands – we have a rerun!!! Watch this
space!!!!
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, March 1, 2018
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