21-o-21 – the third half
Good start
I had started this run session by warning our runners not to call this
run ‘21-oh!-21’ or ‘21-oooo-21’, but just as it should have been called…
21-o-21. We are running the third
international 21km run on Friday September 21.
By this third edition we, the IC, were already seasoned on this route
and it was just going to be ‘another run’.
Only Janet and Isaac was first timers.
The rest had either participated in one or both of the past international
halfs. And ‘IC’ means ‘Inner Circle’ for
those who are new to the 21.
Our troop this time round had a total of seven athletes, two ladies and
five gents. All were in high spirits and
only two were strangers on this route.
The run that was to have started at 4.15pm actually started at
4.45pm. We had already split into two
groups by the cross-of-highway at Kabete police, with Edward and the boys
sprinting it ahead, while ‘coach’ and the ladies were cautiously pacing at the
back. The weather was good, with the
usual evening sun cooled down by the impeding dusk.
End before start
The three of us were now at the 3k mark at Wangari Maathai institute of
peace and environment with a time check of 21minutes. And that is when it happened….
All of a sudden, Beryl stopped and stooped, bringing the three of us to
a labored halt. Though the stretch
towards 4k was a downhill, this incident was quite unexpected as the run was
starting to gain momentum.
“I feel pain on my stomach”
“Like a stitch?,” I wondered.
“Yes, like a stitch but sharp,” she added.
I instructed Janet to keep going while I walked slowly with Beryl, my
mind racing on what the options were in such a situation. I have had runs and run incidences before,
but this was still unprecedented. By
this time the quadruple of guys was surely past ‘the tarmac’. That would also mean that Janet would have to
tread it alone in the middle of the pack.
“You may have to call off the run,” I told the evidently pained Beryl,
“You cannot expect to run in pain for 19km nor walk through such a distance.”
“Nothing is stopping me from my second international,” she said
painfully.
“It is your health that matters…. And it now seems to have the upper
hand,” I said encouragingly.
“Let us gauge the status at the tarmac,” was our collective agreement.
Overtaking is not allowed
We started walking the 1km down the river, then the next kilometre up
to the tarmac. It is while heading up
hill that we were surprised to see Ralph running towards us.
“But…, but you people were way ahead of us?,” we both asked almost
simultaneously, “Are we seeing double?”
“Not really,” Ralph slowed down upon catching up, “We decided to do the
Kanyariri to the river and back, just to give you people time to catch up”
“Is this 21-o-21 or 24-o-21?,” I wondered questioningly. By them diverting at Ndumbo to the river and
back, they were adding 3km to their bill.
Did I say ‘their bill’? Yes I
did. Did I say ‘our bill’? – No I didn’t.
By the time we hit the tarmac, walking, the rest of the guys – Edward
and Roger – were just behind us ready to overtake. And that is when Beryl recovered and started
the run up Lower Kabete road, to head to the 9k mark on Wangige-Gitaru
junction. Though the guys eventually
passed us, we also gave them a run for their money. It is only the discomfort of my colleague
that caused us to walk for longer intervals.
It is also on this 5-to-9 stretch that Isaac also joined us and the trio
of us did our run-walk all the way.
No water no run
I did not say that I had the ‘misfortune’ of carrying three water
bottles through the 21. It happened just
when we were flagged off when I offered to carry the water bottles
‘briefly’. With Janet already gone since
the 3k, and never to be found, I had to endure the ‘pain’ of treading along
with 1.5kg package and the discomfort of balancing three bottles on two hands…
but for the team… I shall do anything for the team. I also reminded my duo that I had landed in
hospital for running without water, hence my attachment to water.
“I value water so much since I ended up in hospital for three days for
running without water,” I told them the story.
Of how I was doing one of my long runs in a morning and how I lost
consciousness on the stretch of road from tarmac to Ndumbo. How I somehow operated between consciousness
and unconsciousness for the whole 3km until my final collapse at Ndumbo where a
good Samaritan picked me up and how I spent three days admitted.
“Since then, I am not running without water for any distance over
15km.. Never,” I concluded.
“And you survived to run again?”
“What else would I be doing?,” I asked them, resignedly.
Running geographically
Hitting Kanyariri road was quite a relief and we even managed to run
most of the downhill from 13k to 18k at the river. It was while nearing the river, with the
environment now pitch dark that I wondered yet again why, “It is getting dark
so early, it is hardly seven, despite this being the very Equinox day”
“Equi-what?,” asked Beryl.
“Equinox, the date when the earth’s equator is aligned to the sun. When we should be having longer daylight
hours”
I continued to explain, “It happens March 20 and September 22”
“How did you know all these?”
“Primary school geography,” I started, and seeing her perplexing look,
continued, “They used to punish us in primo whenever any pupil got the
geo-facts wrong. The punishment was
running around the 8-classroom block”
“And…,” she prodded.
“And… it is no secret, I used to hate running. I just had to know the facts. I started running in my adult life when I
joined the international marathon team.”
Just then…
“Cause Reggae is strong!,” Isaac blatted out.
And we simultaneously joined in, “Nobody can stop reggae.”
This happened as we now hit 18k at the river. By this time it was completely dark. We had stopped running and we were not going
to run anymore in this condition, on a busy road.
Our singing was inspired by a tune in the background, from a motorbike
that had blared opposite us with that hit pouring out of the evidently big
stereo affixed to this two-wheeled machine.
“I did not know that she can do reggae,” I commented to Isaac, who was
evidently good in this genre, he even had locks, “I consider her dot-com,” I
finished off.
“Hey guys, don’t speak about me like I am not around!,” she complained,
“I bet that I probably know more about ‘music with a message’ than the rest of
you pretenders.”
“I have a test for you,” I tempted her, “why did you give Bob so much
trouble until he sang no woman no cry?”
“You can’t even interpret such a simple song?,” she shot back.
We just walked on and chatted through the last three kilometers back to
our finishing point.
Though we finished the run walking, with a time of 2.58.27, the real
fun of this run was the small talk over the big distance. I finished the run feeling nothing.
Though we thought that the international-halfs had ended this this one,
Edward just reminded us by email after the run that ‘Ndakaini is back on Oct.
6’ and that we need a ‘final international’ to prep for Nairobi marathon…. and even
named it ‘21-o-12’ scheduled for October 12, while confirming their run time of
2.33.53 over a 23.26k course. For the forthcoming
runs… I know nothing for now…. whether I shall participate in either of these
runs…. only time will tell. However, the
‘fourth half’ sounds quite exciting – can’t wait.
WWB the coach, Nairobi, Kenya, Sep. 21, 2018
