25 on 25

25 on 25

It was not my intention to run on the day when the Christian faith was in a birthday party, but it just turned out to be.  After all, it is very long since I did a run, as ‘very long’ as nine days.  The last run was the December international marathon aka ‘the boycott version 2’.  On this date of December 16, my running team, once again, boycotted the run, after doing the same in November.  I knew that this would happen since the three regular runners had said or had done everything that they could to ensure that they missed this run…. and they did give it to me the best way that they thought fit.

Let me start with Karl.  He had peeped through my door on Thursday, a day to the run, at about 12.30pm.

“I feel like I can go a ka-tooo kooo run, maybe to tarmac.  Can we go?”

I would usually have said yes, since the tarmac run route just goes from Uthiru, through Kapenguria road all the way to the Lower Kabete road, where you do a U-turn and back.  The run is anything from ten to thirteen kilometres, depending on the tweaks that you add to it.

“But why would you be running when we have the big run tomorrow?,” I asked him even as he kept holding the door ajar.

“Kesho siko, naenda shags, Mwingi, I have something to do.”

So that is how I got the first regret over the attendance of the Friday run.  Of course I did not join him for the Thursday run.  I was not messing the international.

The second semblance of an apology came from Edu.  He had been on a daily run on this month of December for whatever reason.  Marathoners do things that are sometimes not understandable to the rest of us, marathoners and even non-marathoners.  I had met him one week prior, as we were preparing for this run.  This was during the staff party that was meant to mark the end of the year, the first such party since 2019.  Corona had put a break to gatherings and mass events since that time.  The very corona that is now technically eradicated or a live-with disease, or did I hear that it has had a resurgent from where it first started in China?  

The corona that causes COVID-19 disease, which has now infected 661.7M people globally with 6.68M deaths, hence 1% deaths of the confirmed infections.  Kenyan numbers now stand at 342,470 and 5,688 respectively.  Of course, deaths from road accidents in Kenya this year has surpassed this number.  That is why I believe that corona ended and other things took over, but let me get back to the story.

That on December ninth.  It was the end year party, when the dress code was ‘the 70s’, and Edu was adorned with an Afro wig, a waist high pair of trousers with suspenders, with others in similar for guys and girls with short short-skirts.  On this day of the end year party, when I was in a grey suit and tie – which was surely a theme dress.  If anything, I had overdone it since I was even in a pre-70s attire anyway.  I did meet Edu and we talked briefly as we picked the food and drink stamps.  He had mentioned that he would be travelling out of the city from the next week.  He did not mention anything about the marathon.  I was left to add the one-plus-one on this.  For information, that suit was in readiness of a major award, more on this upon enquiry.

Lastly, it was Beryl who did a number on me.  We had had a Wednesday evening run, just two day prior, with compulsion coming from my side, since it was my run day and she had to follow suit.  She had confirmed that she would participate in the Friday run, but not the full distance.  I had my doubts.  She has not participated in any international since the corona pandemic.  I was doubtful that she would be doing a second run, albeit even shorter, two days after this run.  I did not say as much.  It was therefore no surprise when I got a WhatsApp message on the Friday of the run that was brief and to the point, “Have a good run, we shall speak after the run.”

It was therefore a second time in less than three weeks that I was facing an international run alone and lonely.  The things that I do for the team!  The run was the usual.  From Uthiru through Kapenguria road to Lower Kabete road for a brief run, then turn to the Uni farm past Mary Leakey school, then join Kanyariri road to Kanyariri centre for the right turn all the way to the underpass on Wangige road and back straight to Uthiru.  The weather remained warm and a bit sunny.  I cleared the 24.45k in an average of 5min 00sec per km in a 1796-1935m elevation range.

I subsequently vowed not to do nothing for the team.  And took the end of year leave to prove the point.  I was relaxing and enjoying the good holiday, doing nothing, when the run bug bit me on Saturday night.  I therefore woke up early, at eight-thirty, on this Sunday and just left for the run.  I was doing this run at the home of champions, though I did not expect meet any champion on this morning.  After all, it was Christmas day, and most people were preoccupied with the day’s festivities, be it in church or in the hood.  I met lots of singing from the churches along the route.  I hardly met people on the road, even the motorbikes were relatively few on this day.

I was doing my usual circuits on one side of the Sosiani river, with Eldy town rising to its fullness on the other side of the river.  The circuit is just over 5km.  It is mostly hilly, but it is so far the only route that I could formulate, that avoids the vehicular traffic as much as possible.  Avoiding a competition with motor vehicles is one of the things that you want to do with your runs when you have an option.  I did four full loops and a conclusion run on the fifth one that did not go all the way.  I finished the run just before eleven, having covered 25.69k at an average of 5min 11sec per km.  The elevation of the run ranging from 2054m to 2104m.  I just hope that the run bug spares me and allows me to take a rest until I resume the runs officially in January week 2.

Merry Christmas!

WWB, Eldoret, Kenya, Sunday, December 25, 2022

Streak 23 – Time for divine intervention

Streak 23 – Time for divine intervention

I stopped looking at COVID19 stats two weeks ago.  I said, “That is it,” at that time, since this TT thing is here to stay and there is no need to let it get into our way of business.  Just put on your mask while in the crowds a.k.a public places, wash your hands regularly or sanitize, to keep any potential germs from the possibility of getting to the respiratory track, and…. and hope for the best.  

Should you get it, just self-quarantine for two weeks, take lots of fluids, keep your temperature controlled and you should be OK, even without medication.  Of course, seek medication if the symptoms become too much to bear.  

But do not take my work for it, the ‘stay at home if you have it’, even after confirming that you have it is the official position from the employer, so let us do our best to avoid getting TT, but there is still life with TT, and life after TT.  

I am also encouraged that life is getting back to normal where the TT started.  China is back.  Germany is back.  France is back.  Spain is back!  England is back!!  Life shall be back to normal – TT or TT.

So, there it is, TT is done with.  

Now back to the runs.  I have been on the road three times a week since early March.  Initially it was a duel with TT.  Now that compe with TT is gone.  I run for myself.  I run because I want to run.  I just finished streak number 23 today.  

I am forced to retain these streak numbers for purposes of maintain a coherent story over time, otherwise, TT can easily take credit for having started this streak numbering system, but I am not letting it take that credit.  I count these numbers because I want to count from some starting date, being March 20, which because streak no. 1.  From that time it is three runs in a week, with each run being numbered.  TT, sorry, I am not giving you the honors of being responsible for this numbering.

The route that I was taking for this Monday’s run was the same old Mary Leakey route.  I have taken to having this route as my default run route, since it is ‘just at the backyard’ but it can give you as many kilometres as you want it to give.  Just add those Vet loops and you can even get 42k if you want to.

Let me not keep repeating the route profile that crosses the Waiyaki way at Kabete Poly, for the Vet loop across the road, on the other side.  These are the loops that can extend run to infinity.  After the loop or loops, you get to Ndumboini and down Wangari Maathai institute to Lower Kabete road.  From there a short uphill before you ‘disappear’ to the left to face the Mary Leakey route to be ‘abandoned’ at the university farm, before finally emerging at ‘the tank’ on Kanyariri tarmac to get you back to Ndumbo.  That is it, no need to repeat describing that route.

The route and what I encounter on it has remained usual, and I shall not bother repeat the usual.  I shall henceforth just be pointing out anything that gets out of the ordinary.  To start with, a lot more people are now putting on their masks, which is quite unlike hardly four weeks ago, when very few had them.  Even yours truly now runs with a mask – repeat – with a mask, not necessarily putting on a mask.  

The consequences of not having a mask ‘with you’ are dire.  A friend was arrested while walking around Westlands three weeks ago, since she was not having a mask on.  She however, got away with a forced 14-day quarantine confinement in a Government facility, read, some secondary school.  

She did this ‘getting away’ by telling the men-in-blue that she was two-months pregnant, hence was continually nauseated.  She was lucky that she had the mask in her bag, and showed it as evidence.  That incident reinforces the lesson – just have the mask with you, wearing it should be ideal, but having it is the bare minimum when using a public road – running, walking or crawling.

So, I was ‘on the run’, on the same old ML route.  Observing the many people now having their masks mainly fully covering their noses and mouths, few just having it hang on the neck.  I would soon be on the downhill run from Ndumboini heading towards Wangari Maathai institute.  

The downhill is easy to run, but you need good brakes, since you may over-accelerate to your fall.  I was on a steady pace – which would usually give me a 4min per k, when I heard some loud running footsteps, more of foot-thumping, from behind.  

There was definitely a runner behind me – but this runner liked the runner’s footsteps loud!  Usually we step on the road in such a way that the footsteps are not that loud.  These were loud, believe me.  I kept my steady pace.

“That must surely hurt,” I imaged the pressure hitting the soles of the feet, as I awaited the approach.

I would soon see this guy pass by and continue running downhill Infront of my path.  We were both on the left edge of the road.  

“Wow!,” I thought loudly, “That is fast!”

But there was something with that run that did not seem right.  The loud steps.  The ‘on-your-face’ type of overtaking.  The evident ‘dare-you’ attitude that he displayed as he passed me.  There were all things wrong with this fast run.  I was not however falling for this ‘children’ behaviour.  I have run many ks to be tricked into a dare.  I run my own run.  

And his tricks would soon be evident, as the apparent runner would slow down hardly twenty metres ahead and come towards a walk, then a stop.  He started walking as my approach become very evident.  I would soon be almost overtaking his walking frame, when he again started running besides me.  

I kept my pace, even slowed a bit, to give him time to just overtake and be gone on his own, but he seemed glad to also reduce his pace, so that he could continue to somehow now just run alongside.  I tried to get back to pace, and he also started accelerating.  He kept alongside for about twenty metres.

“Just run your pace and leave me alone!,” I thought of yelling at him!

A runner does not like company, unless the company is solicited, welcomed and encouraged.  You do not force yourself onto some other runner’s run path and routine!  That is a cardinal rule for crying out loud!  No wonder I really doubted the authenticity of this colleague of mine, or maybe that is just how he was brought up – to outrun runners and dare them to an unsolicited duel.

I would force myself to slow down again to let him go his way.  I believe that he got the message even as he now tried his best to increase the pace of his tired body to a left turn towards Wangari Maathai institute.  I would soon observe him come to a stop at the gate, with his both hands on his knees.  I knew that he was suffering a burnout.  I could only imagine the fire burning on his chest as he maintained that stoop.  I continued my downhill to the river and then faced the uphill to Lower Kabete road.  

The weather was great for this lunch hour run and the usually muddy paths along the university farm were not that slippery, if anything they were drying up and starting to be easily passable.  I am so used to the paths being slippery and muddy that the ease by which I passed by still amazed me.  That road condition would also mean that it has not rained heavily, or at all, in the last two days – and it is true.  

I was now enjoying the run on this very isolated section of the road, where you run about two kilometres completely on your own, without meeting a soul, in the middle of the jungle – probably one of the very few isolated green spaces in Nairobi at the moment.  The quiet and tranquility was equal to none, it even felt a bit frightening.  But a runner is never frightened by any situation.  You adopt then adapt.  

That stillness would soon be broken when I saw something like a silhouette of a person in the thickets about two hundred metres to my right.  Soon I would surely perceive a real person somewhere in the thickets, somewhere under the shades of the giant trees that provided a shelter from the two o’clock sunshine that was now brightening my footpath.

That person took me aback.  I had to slow down to feed my eyes onto his every move.  I saw him make short walks, of about five steps to one end, then turnback and make about the same five steps to his starting point.  He was just oscillating on a small area in the thicket.  I was still wondering what could be gwan.  

I nonetheless kept running, one look forward, two looks to my right to peer into the knee-high thicket to observe the man.  The mystery would soon be over when I caught the very faint, but distinct chant of a prayer.

Now…. what else could need divine intervention, at the most tranquil of places, if not the TT, whose stats, as per JHU site now stood at 4,159,377 total cases on planet earth, 284,883 fatalities, out of which Kenya had a round figure of 700 cases and 33 fatalities?  The very TT that I have now given up on?  It can run its stats, while I run my run, just as I did today, at my backyard, over a 21.6km distance in a time of 1hr 45m 51s.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, May 11, 2020

Running with the Belgian PM - quite a secure experience

Running with the Belgian PM - quite a secure experience

“This is the highest ranking European visitor since Kenyan elections 2013,” the organizer of the event, Ally Khan Sachu declared, as he welcomed Didier Reynders, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, who also doubles as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.  To be politically correct, his other docket is ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs’.  Ally has a way to ensuring that a statement sinks.  I tend to think that he was so excited being next to such a dignitary that he even forgot to introduce the sessions with the usual, “Welcome to today’s session of Mindspeak”.  But who cares, we were holding our breath waiting for the main address.  I was looking forward to a presentation like none before.  I was already fixing my eyes on the big projector screens.

But strange things happen, and the first was this other guy standing with a Mac laptop on the aisle, just about 7 metres from the podium.  He was standing to the left of my sitting position, two rows from the podium, almost at the centre of the big room.  The guy with the Mac just stood there, laptop open, laptop screen facing the speaker and... just standing.  I could not make out what this was all about.  Could it be that this is one of those high level protocol things?  How can they just punish this poor guy by having him hold the 5kg of laptop in mid-air for that long?  A few faces in the room turned, followed by whispers.

Amid all the uncertainties, some answers started trickling in, when he finally, after about 10 minutes, moved with his laptop to the back of the room, whether the audio visual mixing table was located.  I glanced back, and could see a video display on the laptop screen.  He must have been capturing a video of the podium using the inbuilt laptop camera… but why would he do that?  Why would he have to hold the laptop?  Could he not get a laptop stand?  Could they not use better video capturing equipment or technology?  But there were already expensive looking camcorders, located at the front and back of the room - was this not enough, I have never been so confused.

Speech
A second oddity was the fact that the DPM did not have any presentation or notes.  He just stood up, walked to the podium and started talking.  I believe that being a diplomat must have enabled him to just have a speech within his system.  In fact, during Q&A, one member of the audience deliberately congratulated him on being “the only speaker without a speech”.  Lack of a written speech or presentation meant that he also could not speak for long, unless this was part of the script.  He was on the podium for a record 25 minutes.  All speakers during previous sessions ensured they utilized the one hour time slot allocated between 10.00am and 11.00am.  A Q&A session would ordinarily take the next hour.  Finishing early however gave the audience over one and a half hours of questions in this particular occasion.

And the audience did not disappoint, as they asked about anything they thought was worthy of a diplomatic redress.  The DPM did not disappoint either.  Most questions were on the role of Belgium in the DRC, one of the counties that they colonized in Africa, though an almost equal number was about the relationship between the EU and China.
“What is your view on China?”, someone asks bluntly.

University
The topic on the lack of skilled manpower generated some debate, with the CEO of Safaricom, Bob Collymore diving in and stating that, “Universities are getting out of date”.  While the audience was about to give a sigh of discontent, he added that, “Last year’s technology is not relevant this year”.  To ensure he remains the talk in town, he finalized, “… That is why not everybody should go to the university”

On democracy, the diplomat said that democracy should not only be stated, but must also be seen.  He drove this home by comparing the elections in the US where two candidates were vying for the top seat and those in China where there was one contestant.  However, by mentioning ‘China’ more than twenty times during his speech and answers, it was evident that this was a country worth paying close attention to.

Just around mid-day, the session came to an end and the podium once again was taken over by the men-in-black.  As we milled out of the five star hotel, we had a few moments to reflect on the events of the day, and how high level diplomats operate. 

Reflection… when I arrived, I noticed some smartly dressed gentlemen strategically positioned near each of the doors.  Of course, the promised breakfast was not available by 9.00am when I arrived.  Piled up cutlery alluded to a sumptuous breakfast earlier, but who could have benefited, if by nine there was nothing?  For a meeting whose reporting time was nine?  Could it be that our fellow stocks investors now come to these meetings at 8.00am?

Chicken
Reflections... In the meeting room, it was business unusual.  Ten minutes to ten, while the wiring of the audio-visual system was being finalized, three smartly dressed Kenyans moved to the podium and almost literally ripped the carpet apart, looking underneath for... for what?  As two of them crouched near the wires, to scrutinize them, a protrusion could clearly be seen forcing itself towards their backs from under their coats, just above the waist line.  That was the easiest “chicken leg” that one could ever notice.  It was that evident.  The observable trio also tested and looked through all doors and emergency exits.  With such a treat, it was apparent that this was high level function, even as the guests arrived about five minutes to ten.  The smartly dressed guys had surely every reason to be armed.

Back to the street, I mingled with the masses and soon was running into a matatu to carry me back to Central.  “Kwaheri, rudi tena,” the signboard read, as I lighted from the matatu and walked to my residence.  It was just another Saturday in mid-August and life was full of its usual Kenyan hustle.

WWB, Nairobi, Kenya, August 17, 2013