Running in the spirit or is it with a vaccine?

Running in the spirit or is it with a vaccine?

Aki niita...

Mm mm mmm-mm-mm

Aki niita!

Mm mm mmm-mm-mm

Aki niita!

Finally, I just had to burst out loud, “Oh, ntaitika! Nita mm mm mm mmmm….”

I had already cleared three kilometres of run, when my spirit was uplifted yesterday.  I was just circling round the ‘churches circle’, a space almost the size of a football field where many churches, ten or so in my assessment, are all crammed next to each other together with residential houses and all.  All of the structures being covered by iron sheets on all sides.  This circle marks the turnoff from Waiyaki way as you now head towards Kapenguria road, then further to Ndumbo market.  Next to this circle existed a bridge, which has now been demolished as part of the road constructions, but a new replacement bridge seems to be coming up to flyover that road.

It was a Sunday, and the circle did not disappoint.  All manner of church was going on as I made my circling at about one-thirty.  The weather was cloudy and a bit cold.  There was no shred of sunshine from the white cloud blanket overhead.  It is the warmth of the run that was keeping me going.  I would otherwise be shivering in my tee and shorts.  

The drumming was intoxicating, but just for a moment, since it did not take more that five run steps to encounter the next church activity – intense prayers and casting of the evil one…

“Reswa!” I heard the chant from some one voice.

“Reswa!!” I heard a response from the multitude.

It did not take more that five steps to encounter the next church.  The drumming could still be heard.  The casting out was still on in the background.  All these were happening in the circle, to my right, as I kept running.  Finally, that song that got me would manifest itself just as I finished the circle.  However, it was not long before I had completely run past the circle and the church activities were now just a background noise.

I was now going down Kapenguria road and would be at Ndumbo stage in a few steps.  My run was mapped to follow the same proven route that has been my life for most of the year.  I did not take more than fifty steps before reaching the Ndumbo no-stage area, just opposite the gate to the government offices.  The matatus were as usual blocking my sidewalk and the main road.  I would soon be forced to run onto the extreme edge of the road just to pass by the current matatu blocking my way.  Next to its door were two touts.  Each was doing their jig, in response to the loud and ground shaking bass coming from the matatu.

“Halleluya!,” the music commanded.

“God is one…!  Oyeah!,” the touts responded in unison, jig ongoing.

“Halleluya!,” the music commanded once more.

“God is one!  Oh yeah!,” they responded.

“Some call Him..,” the music continued to command, while I did not need to turn back to know that the dance by the two was still ongoing.

I was momentarily gone from the vicinity of the matatus and would have to be facing my world in the solitude of the road as I headed down Kapenguria road.

The rest of the run was generally quiet.  I did not encounter many people or more church activities for some time.  But that would not be for long, since after I had hit the one-hour mark as I emerged at the tank, after Uni farm, to join Kanyariri road, I was once again back to church.  First, I met a group of church goers, evident from their clad, with the guys in white suits, and the ladies in white skirts and blouses.  All were having their white caps.  They were smart and matching along the side of the road.  They were probably going home from church, judging by the time that I met them, just past two-thirty.  They reminded me that they were ‘solders in the army’ by their quick march chants from that group of ten or so.

I momentarily overtook them as I went on towards Kanyariri centre, then took the right turn for the two-kilometre run that would lead me to the Gitaru-Wangige road, where I would do a U-turn.  There would however be one last religious gathering at the small shopping centre just before my turning point.  That gathering was charismatic and forceful.  

I have never seen two people, just aided by a public address system, sing so loudly!  They were engrossed in their song – a shrill soprano from the lady, a mix of baritone and bass from the man.  They were jumping and clapping, each with a mic, with no crowd in the vicinity.  I passed them towards my U-turn.  I passed by them a second time on my way back after the U.  They were still jumping and clapping.  They were still singing.  Their voice was still fully amplified.

I was soon gone as the run took over my legs and I kept me going onwards towards Kanyariri road to then start my run back to Uthiru.  The run back was just great, though I knew from the onset that this run found me on one of the days that I was not on my top form.  I had felt tired from the start of the run, and my stomach had pained me for more than half the run distance.  I was happy to just survive the run and bring it to an end.

Was my feeling low related to that second dose corona vaccine done five days ago?  We had exchanged experiences amongst the group that had volunteered to update the records on the central ministry of health database after the vaccinations.  Having been jabbed on a Tuesday, we had three days to be on those registration tables as we processed the many staff who had turned up for their mostly second, but first fast doses.  We found ourselves, those on the registration tables, talking about our experiences.  I had not felt anything out of the ordinary in my case, apart from that five-minute dry cough attack that I had suffered late night Thursday.  

Others did not report anything adverse either.  At least four of the group of ten confessed to having been hit by a sleeping episode during unexpected times, which they attributed to the vaccine.  One said that he had slept in the staff bus, while on the ride from the workplace to his home in Utawala, where he had to be woken up by the bus crew to alight.  Another confessed to having dropped on the home sofa in the evening after work and slept the night away on the sofa, without realizing what had hit her.

I still believe that my run of yesterday was not affected by that vaccine in any way, even as I posted an average time of 5min 07sec per kilometre over the slightly more than half marathon distance.  This timing was a bit over the less that 5min that I was posting hardly four weeks ago.  However, no two run days are ever the same anyway.  Maybe I should just try the next run and see how it goes, and whether my runs were improving, getting worse and remaining the same.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, July 5, 2021