Running in installments during the April International Marathon
I left for this run not very sure of my run route. One thing was for sure – I needed to register at least 10.5km on this Tuesday, so that I can wrap it up with another 10.5km the next day to make the 21km half marathon. This came to be since the MOE* allowed the April international marathon to be run in two installments, equal or unequal, but installment run was allowed for the first time in the history of the event. This exemption came about due to the severity of the ongoing rains. It had been raining daily and at all times, that getting a run time window, let alone a long run time, was virtually impossible. Breaking the marathon into two offered a real possibility to be out for a shorter time, and still achieve the longer run.
*MOE - marathoners of expert, the committee that plans our runs
I left at 12.35pm on this Tuesday. I knew that I had at least 10.5km to do in this day 1, with a repeat the next day, if this was to be so. Those of you who have done daily runs know that it is not an easy thing. I was already dreading the mere thought of doing two consecutive runs. And do not take my word for it. I tried doing the 5-runs-in-5-days just two weeks ago and failed for the first time in the history of these challenges. I could only make it for three-runs on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. I skipped two consecutive runs on 17th and 18th – but with good reason. I was booked for an internal meeting on one of the days, and external on the other day – both at the lunch hour run time. But even the three were not easy on my legs.
The monthly April international marathon was scheduled for the last Friday of April, being April 26. But it was a month of firsts, since for the first time in the history of the monthly international runs, we had to cancel the marathon due to the unrelenting rains, that were especially prevalent in the evenings. We were all happy with the cancellations, glad that finally the MOE had given us a break. We even went for the rainy weekend in high spirits. A first month without a marathon. We were looking forward to a new week with the schools back in session and a new month beckoning soon after, where May 1, a Wednesday, would be a holiday break. What a great week ahead!
That was not to be. Things took a turn on Sunday night. It was just past midnight, repeat, midnight, when the national government announced that schools were not to reopen due to the effects of the rain. They granted one week extension to the school holidays. I came to learn about this later in the day, Monday, after I saw comments online about the chaotic situation on our roads and schools, with some students already travelled to school since they were not aware of the postponement.
There were to be new surprises, when later in the day the MOE sent a notification that the April marathon had after all not been cancelled. It has just been postponed and would in fact be held in that week of April 29. They sweetened the deal by indicating that the run would be done in installments over the two-day period that was remaining in the month of April. Runners were encouraged to pick their run distance, divide it into two, and do the first bit of the run on the Monday, with a commitment to finalize the remaining bit the next day.
I have never faced an installment run before, where the distance is split into two. That is why I was not very sure of the run route as I left for the Monday run on April 29. A 10.5km is a direct run from Uthiru to Lower Kabete road through Kapenguria road and back. However, that is only possible if the river just after Wangari Maathai institute is not flooded. It has been flooded of later, and was impassible hardly ten days prior, when flood waters overwhelmed the support structures and filled up the whole valley including the road passage on top of the drainage culverts underneath.
My plan A was to get through to Lower Kabete road, and get as much distance as possible on day one, maybe even stretch it to 15k, then wrap up the balance 6k on day 2. That depended on the river section not being flooded to enable me cross over. If it was, then anything goes, and this has in fact happened before and not long ago.
Take that April 12 run as an example. I had encountered exactly this challenge. I was set for a long undefined distance run, that was to at least get to Lower Kabete road. It was not to be. I reached that river crossing and found it flooded. I saw some people wadding through the completely submerged tarmac road, dirty brown water reaching almost knee high as they struggled through the five or so metre crossing.
I had screeched to a halt.
“Oh emm gee!,” I shouted subconsciously.
I found other stranded people contemplating whether to cross or stay put.
I stopped and assessed the situation. I could see a flooded plain on the left side of the road. The flood waters had formed a big lake on the once lush green agricultural land that had some banana stems, maize plants, and arrow roots. They were all mostly submerged. Only the upper half of the banana stems were visible. The flood had thereafter formed a river on top of the tarmac road, as it flooded towards the left edge of the road, all across to the right side and onto a valley.
This stoppage interrupted my run rhythm on a day that I was having one of the best run paces in the year. I was already at an average of 4.40min per km, which was quite something. I am usually over 5min per km by this point on the run. I had to go to plan B. I made a U-turn and decided to tweak my way back.
Running back the Kapenguria road hill early in the run was not fun, when my last 2km had been a smooth downhill. I persevered and reached Ndumboini. I then turned right and went to a run on Kanyariri road all the way to the Northern by-pass near Gitaru and back, registering a 25k in the process. That was 17-days before this Monday run. I was not planning for another U-turn at the river, but with the rains being as unrelenting as they have been, this dreaded U-turn and a new plan B was still a reality.
Back to this Monday run. The weather was quite good, being just a bit sunny but with a cloud cover that was preventing the sun from its aggression. I was to get to Lower Kabete road first, then decide on what to do next. The aim was a 10.5km, the ambition as a 15km, the reality was yet to be determined. All was well until I got to Ndumboini and did a loop towards UON Upper Kabete gate. I was just turning back from the gate when I heard something like a drumming or a humming noise. I had already met a big group of students, and thought that maybe there was a congregation of sort making these noises on this apparent opening day.
A careful listening and a reaction from the student crowd would soon give me the answer. There was a rain approaching from Ndumboini stage coming towards the University gate. That was the drumming that I had heard. I would soon see the crowd of students, whom I had earlier run against, scamper in two directions. One group ran towards the shopping centre where the rain was coming from. The other group were now running back towards me, intending to shelter back at the Uni. I was running away from the gate to rejoin Kapenguria road. However, I was now not sure what to do – either turn back to the Uni gate and take shelter or run ahead to the shopping centre and take shelter.
There was no time to even think, since I would soon be hit by those cold outburst of a heavy rain that seemed to have come from nowhere.
“This is messed,” I said loudly, as I kept running, completely unsure of what to do.
“Why did I even decide to run today?,” I questioned loudly, “When everybody else is enjoying their lunch!?”
The waters were just too cold and I was already soaked wet by the time I got to Kapenguria road still in indecision.
“What a day!,” I muttered, as I got to Kapenguria road, already soaked. It is only the running shoes that were still pretending to be dry, but that would not last long with this intensity of rain.
“This is messed,” I found myself repeating.
Anyway, I was already rained on, and taking a shelter was not going to help me at this condition. I therefore saw myself turn right and run down Kapenguria road toward Wangari Maathai institute. Visibility was quite low with the heavy rain. I kept going, muttering curses as I went along. I soon got to the river crossing, the one that was uncrossable just two weeks prior.
I found a big group of workers, struggling to take shelter on the trees next to the riverbank. The rain was subsiding. The workers seemed to be doing something on that river crossing, since I could observe a big pile of stones beside the road. I guessed that they wanted to deal with the drainage issue.
The river waters had not yet risen to the level of the road. The muddy waters were still forcefully permeating through the culverts below the road. I could hear the rumble of the force of the pressure as the waters emerged on the right side of the road. It would just be a matter of time before the waters overwhelm the culverts and start spilling onto the top of the road. However, the road was clear and crossable for now.
I decided to cross over and keep running towards Lower Kabete road. I already knew that it would take just another 1 hour of rains and the return journey would surely come to an end on this river crossing since it would surely be a submerged road. The rains had reduced by this time as I crossed over, and I therefore hoped that I would have the opportunity to cross back when without being stuck when I came back at some point.
I reached Lower Kabete road with my clothes dripping water. It was still raining, though it seemed to subside. I decided to turn right, instead of doing a return U-turn. That now meant that I was going for the big 21, since once you make that right turn, there is usually no turning back until you get to the natural turning point at Red hill road. I kept running, and by some bad coincidence, it started raining and it kept raining. I cursed along, wondering why I kept going instead of turning back when I got to Lower Kabete road.
Anyway, I kept going and decided that I would have to turn back soon. I could not survive running in the rain. I promised myself to do a U-turn as early as Farasi lane, but that did not happen. It rained and I kept running. I promised to do a U-turn at Ngecha road, but I crossed and kept going. The rain continued. I was to do a U at Zen gardens, but I did not, I kept going. That meant that I surely reached Red Hill road and finally did the U-turn for my way back.
To my credit, it did shine for about 1 minute while going past Zen garden on my way back, and another one-minute of sun at Kenya School of Government, just before UON Lower Kabete campus. After that, it was back to some drizzles as I tackled the Kapenguria road on my way back. I was lucky that the river was not yet swollen as I crossed over. The group of workers was still there, with their building stones piled up on one side of the road.
There was no rain as I finished the run just before 3pm. If anything, it seemed like it would even shine if the clouds could delay their advances in covering the sun. A hot shower finally ended my misery on this Monday, as the timer recorded a 2:21:36 for 26.53km. Would I do this again? Of course not! Running in the rain is a bad idea. I should have done a U-turn at that first sign of rain at Ndumboini and saved myself from this misery, but then again, runners have a mind of their own – or lack of.
WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, May 3, 2024
