When the marathon is washed off… with you in it

When the marathon is washed off… with you in it

“What did I get myself into?,” I muttered to myself on this Friday of April 28, 2023 at about six in the evening.

It was now about 1hr 45min into the run.  It was probably the second time that I was saying this statement.  The last time I said this very statement was hardly forty-minutes ago, almost at the very same place.  I had by then just waded through the worst mud ever!  It was bloody muddy!  The whole section through the University farm was just impossible and impassable.

I had even been forced to grind to a standstill and had to walk a very impassible section of about four hundred metres with that Uni farm.  My shoes were heavy with mud.  Every lifting up a foot usurped double the otherwise amount of energy needed to lift and run.  It was also slippery and careful baby steps were needed in the whole of that section.  I was hardly halfway through that section when I had said loudly, subconsciously, “What did I get myself into?”

My colleague Mathew had already passed by that section.  I believed that he must have also talked to himself when passing through that section.  He had overtaken me earlier on the run, just after we left Lower Kabete road towards Mary Leakey school.  Though I had been leading the run till that time, I had then decided to divert to a different route to tweak my run and add some mileage, sorry kilometer-age.  

But he need not have said anything anyway.  After all, he was to blame for this exact predicament by daring nature when I had proposed otherwise.  I did not mind running through any terrain or difficulty.  If anything, it is him that I had worried about albeit now too late to do anything about the situation….

We had started our run at the Generator ten minutes later than planned.  It had rained the whole day that Friday.  The run had technically been cancelled, only for the weather to change for the better, just at four when the run was to start.  I hurriedly swapped work for sports attire and ran towards the generator.  I was surprised to even see Mat there, since I was not expecting anyone to turnup for the run.  Not in this weather.

Though there was no rain as we started our run at 1610 hours, the dark clouds remained perched on top of the big overhead umbrella.  It was dark.  We left and ran away.  We would just deal with the weather and its children when its brings forth future surprises.

The weather remained calm, despite the dark clouds.  I had initially suggested to Mat that we do ‘marathon route 2’ instead of the usual.  This route-2 is tweaked from the usual route but formulated to keep us confined to the tarmac.  This would however mean doing a U-turn as we hit Lower Kabete road, then coming back to Ndumboini.  There we would take Kanyariri road on the right and run as usual all the way past Uni farm turnoff, to Wangige-Gitaru underpass to do the extreme U-turn back.

“Halafu tupande hiyo mlima yote ya Wangari turudi nayo?,” Mat had asked, as we just started the run and were discussing the route.

“Yes, that is the only way to avoid the Uni farm mud, but if you are upto it, then we do it.  I do not mind.”

He thought about it for a minute.  By the time we got to the gate to start the run proper, he had made up his mind, “Hiyo mlima, hapana, let us just go through the Uni farm.”

I knew the better but kept this knowledge to myself.  We kept running and finally left the comfort of the tarmac at the 7km mark, 8km in my case, and diverted off to the left.  It did not take long to reach the dreaded Uni farm.  The Uni farm was muddy due to the earlier rains that seem to have fallen all the way from Uthiru to that section, some ten kilometres away.  I was ready for this and so waded through successfully.  I am not sure how Mat managed to get by, but I could see his prominent run shoe footprints well defined on the muddy path, mostly on the edges of the road.

We finally got off the mud and joined Kapenguria road tarmac.  We kept running and the weather remained stable.  We even made it to the Gitaru-Wangige underpass and made our ultimate U-turn, with Mat always on the lead as I tweaked around.  Trouble started on the way back, as I got to Kapenguria road after the U-turn at the underpass.  By this time Mat should have been about six-minutes ahead from my calculations.  That means that he was now turning towards the short Uni farm diversion that is part of this route to emerge back on Kapenguria road.  It was at this time that I realized that the sky was darker than usual, and some drizzles had started.

I kept running.  The drizzle remained sparse.  I would probably survive this.  After all, the cool shower spray from above was cooling the body in small measures, just at the right level.  I even increased pace on this section as I reached the Uni farm diversion for a three-minute run, before getting back to Kapenguria road.  However, getting back to the road marked the beginning of trouble…..

I started hearing the sound that accompanies a heavy rain coming from somewhere and getting louder with every step that I took.  I wished that it was not true, but the sound of the rain got louder and louder and louder until it finally busted out loudly on my path as the heaviest, coldest, shock-inducing, unexpected and painful water droplets hit me.  I was just approaching ‘the tank’, which marks the Uni farm turnoff, the very turnoff where earlier on I had almost got stuck due to the mud.  However, this time round I would be sticking to the Kapenguria road tarmac as I head towards the finish.

“What did I get myself into?,” I muttered to myself for a second time.

It was now about one-hour forty-five minutes into the run.  I had another at least thirty minutes of run ahead to cover the remaining six kilometres or so.

The rain increased in intensity.  There was no place to shelter on this fairly deserted road.  I was stuck.  I could not go back and going forward was proving difficult with the pain and cold of the rain.

“This is messed up!,” I shouted to no one in particular.  

I kept running.  The road was hardly visible due to the white sheet of raindrops that had enveloped the air.  I shoved the phone that was doing the timing into the pocket of my shorts.  I kept running.  Soon I was facing the 1km uphill towards Ndumbo market.  The rain did not relent.  It just increased the pain of running uphill.  I was dripping wet by this time.  My run shoes were heavy with the waters.  My clothes were freezing cold and dropping off water in my wake.  I was shivering along as I ran.  I did not stop.  I kept going.

I finally reached Waiyaki way.  It still raining heavily.  I could hardly see the oncoming vehicles.  Some were courteous enough to put on their headlights.  Others decided to remain invisible.  It is only the sound of their engines on approach that signaled their presence.  I somehow crossed one side of the road to the middle island, despite the invisibility caused by the rain.  I had to wipe off the rains from my face many times in the process of waiting and crossing.  I once again finally crossed the other carriage of the road and got to the edge of the Waiyaki way.

It was now time for the final run past Kabete Police station, then do the sharp U-turn towards Kabete Poly.  My run would be over in a moment.  I caught up with Mat at the Uthiru roundabout with less than two hundred metres to go.  It was the best feeling to finally finish the run, just as the rain as subsiding into drizzles.

I stopped my timer at 25.16km, 2.14.15, 5.20 average.

This is a run that I would have liked to forget in a hurry.  I did not want to reveal anything that happened on that Friday.  However, the best way to forget about something is to get it out of your system, which I have now done.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, May 10, 2023

November International boycott… when action is louder

November International boycott… when action is louder

The MoE* had communicated the Friday, November 25, 2022 date for the November international marathon as early as October, just after the Stanchart Nairobi International.  I was therefore confident that this scheduled run would attract many runners who had about a month to prepare.  The card was also full of choice – anything from 2km to the big 21km.  There was therefore something for everyone.

*MoE – Marathoners of expert, the committee that organizes marathons

Three weekly reminders later, and the day for the marathon was at hand.  This was the day.  It was a Friday with a good weather, unlike the evening rains that had ‘spoilt’ a few evenings earlier in the week.  A semblance of cloud cover brought about an overcast day in the afternoon, but the rain clouds remained absent.  The sun would force itself out of the clouds by four, and it remained bright thereafter all the way to sunset.

I expected a big turnout, but things would take a turn at about two.  Beryl was the first to make her way into my office, all smiles…

“I come in peace,” she knocked onto the frame of the open door.

“What a good marathon we shall have!,” I responded.  She surely must have been quite serious about the run to make it for the run this early, with two more hours before the start.

“I come with a peace offering,” she exposed a shopping bag and extended it in my direction.

There in lied the catch.  Nobody gives a peace offering when there is no war.  I however let it slip as I had an immediate encounter with Edu, who was just close behind.

“Coach, imagine I have a meeting at four,” he said in a manner of greeting, as Beryl took a seat.  I was now settled back to my seat.  Rummaging through the shopping bag.

I looked up.  He was still filing the door.  I had known that this type of statement would be coming sooner or later.  This is because Edu is usually the most enthusiastic of the runners in the team.  He would already have reminded me at least thrice that we had a marathon and that we shall be running.  He had done no such thing.  He had not contacted me at all since Stanchart.  

If anything, I had even met him on Thursday, just a day to the run.  I was finishing off my lunch hour run on the 17k, while he was walking leisurely with colleagues.  He would normally have even blocked my way and reminded me of the Friday run, lest I forget.  Not this time.  He just waved me along on this Thursday.  Those right there were signs that he was not running this international, but I still hoped otherwise.

Now it was all clear.  Edu was not doing the November international.  Edu would momentarily be gone, as I was now left with the peace offering to savor.

“Imagine I have to see my sis off,” she broke the silence, getting my attention off the bag of fruits.

“You mean!?”

“Yea, my sis is travelling abroad, and this is the day to say our goodbyes.”

Which coach in his right mind can refuse to grant a runner such a request? 

With no other confirmations for this Friday run, I knew that I was surely on my own.

When I started the run at four, I just left and did not look back.  I did not find or see any other runners, nor did I expect to find or see any other runner.  I was doing this on my own, for the team.  I was doing the run for all.  While the first 5k seemed relaxed and comfortable, as I run from Uthiru across Waiyaki way to Ndumboini then Kapenguria road, my real troubles started after the river on Kapenguria road.  My stomach just started paining.  I had not taken any other solid meal apart from tea and bread for breakfast, so this was a pain that I could not explain.  It was not a stitch, it would not be a stitch.  I wished it would go away.  It did not.

I was barely able to run as I traversed the university farm just past the 10k mark.  I was going to have quite an uncomfortable run, but it was now too late.  I would just have to endure to the end.  And the end was still far!  I was hardly halfway through.

Sheer willpower and pain endurance kept me going all the way to the turning point below Gitaru-Wangige overpass, before making my way back on Kanyariri road, to Ndumboini, then back to Waiyaki way and finally to Kabete Poly just 2k from my finishing point.

It was a relief to just somehow finish the run.  I did not care about the time.  I was just glad that I had done it.  The average run turned out to be 5m09s per km on the 24.5km course that took me 2hr 6min.  I was by now too thirsty having been unable to take any water in the course fearing the reaction of my stomach to water in my state of distress.  The thing that kept me going was the thought of the assortment of fruits waiting for me upon completion.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 27, 2022

Sprinters delight lives up to expectations… but wait!

Sprinters delight lives up to expectations… but wait!

The July international marathon of last Friday, July 29, 2022, had been publicized since the June international run.  We knew that it shall come to pass, and come to pass it did on that last Friday.  We were four when we started the 21k of the June run.  We had hoped for a bigger starting lineup in July, but that did not happen.  Even a 15-minute wait beyond the stipulated 1600hrs starting time did not improve the numbers.  Karl, Edu and I remained the only people still standing even at this delayed time.

We just had to start.  The day was cool, just about cold.  The ‘sprinters delight’ has been crafted by the MOE* as the day for runners to sprint away and break records, after the many group runs that have been done since March.  We expected PBs on this day, and we did not keep any secrets about this requirement.  We publicized this encouragement throughout the month of July as we sent email updates and reminders.  And… finally, it was the day to get it done.

*MOE = marathoners of expert, the committee that organizes run events

Unlike a group run whose pace is dictated by the slowest runner, the sprinters run is dictated by the person running.  You ‘close your eyes’ aka ignore every other runner, and just go for it.  Of course, you need to push a little harder than usual during such a run, since you need to break some form of record.  That was our collective mentality as we started our run at 1615hrs.

I was on my own by the first kilometre.  I did not look back and kept going.  The weather was just too cool.  The run seemed easy despite the terrain that is hilly from the start, with just a short reprieve from Ndumbo past Wangari Maathai to the river, on Kapenguria road.  After that river it is a general uphill to the 13km turning point under the Gitaru-Wangige road.  Even after that turning point the terrain remains generally hilly until you get back to the tank on Kanyariri road, ready to do a short kilometre of rundown to the bottom of Ndumboini.  You then face the last major hill that ends at Waiyaki way, then it is generally flat to the finish line.

The terrain did not disappoint.  It remained heavy on the legs, but it was a sprinting day, and so the run continued at a generally faster pace.  I met Karl and Edu on my 14.5km mark.  They still had to do a 1.5km run to the 13km turning point.  We raised our hands through the air in a manner of acknowledging each other and we went our opposite ways.

My run on Kanyariri road back to Ndumbo then to the starting line at Uthiru was as expected.  You just need to survive that 1.5km Ndumbo hill and once on Waiyaki way you are generally done with the run.  I was therefore generally done with the run when I crossed Waiyaki way and just ran past the Kabete Police station towards the turning point at N-junction.  I was soon at the finishing line at 1751hrs.  The data recorded on Runkeeper was 21.27km, 1.41.26, 4:46 average, 408m climb.

The only explanation for the fast pace was the ‘sprinters delight’.  I had previously tried to prepare for this run by doing several shorter distances but could not get to under 4.47 average.  Even another test run, after the fact, on a 17k route today did not get me to 4.46.  I was still on 4.47.  With no other sprinters run until Nairobi International Marathon of October 30, I can for sure say that this was the best run in the year.  

However, I have seen the body behave in ways unimaginable.  I had given up on ever running under 5.00 average for most of the year, only for the booster vaccine to kick in and to since be under 5.00 on every run.  That means that you cannot predict what shall happen on the next run.  The impossible can happen.  Just be ready for it.  Enjoy it when it comes.  After all, your best run is on the day that you are running that run… that is when the unexpected can happen.

WWB, the coach, Nairobi, Kenya, August 1, 2022

The virtual half – a Nairobi International marathon with a twist

The virtual half – a Nairobi International marathon with a twist

I was on the road again on this Thursday.  I was taking a trainee runner to the routes to figure out a 10km distance and give her the impetus to keep going.  We started the run at exactly four in the evening.  It was hot, but not as hot.  We left Uthiru towards Kabete Poly, then crossed the Waiyaki way and ran the length of the road towards Ndumbo.  We alternated our runs and walks.  

We talked during the walks.  We even discussed how we were lucky to have decided to run on this Thursday instead of the previous day, when it had rained from about four all the way to late night.  As a consequence, the traffic jam around Kangemi had been impossible, leading to one of our runner, Berly, getting stuck in the traffic jam for over two-hours after her visit to collect a running kit.  We were glad that our ‘foresight’ in choosing the right day for the run was working to our advantage now that it was hot, but not very.

At Ndumbo we generally ran the downhill on Kapenguria road all the way to the river, then walked the uphill for about one kilometre to the Lower Kabete Road junction.

“This is harder that I thought,” Sharon commented as she finally reached the T-junction of Lower Kabete Road where we were to do the U-turn and run back on the same course.

“You must touch the tarmac,” I urged her on.

“I am too tired, I may fall over into the road,” she lamented.

“This is the ritual, you just have to do it”

She reluctantly touched the tarmac of the Lower Kabete Road, even as the vehicles from Westlands sides approached and hooted.

We turned back and walked for about five minutes on the slight uphill towards Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Institute, KAGRI.  We passed by it on our right then took a few photos.  I had already reminded the runners in the group that photos were necessary for the report to the sponsors, to make them feel good and… to also get that next sponsorship in 2022.

We then did a short run to the river and afterwards faced that one-point-five kilometre of uphill that ends at Ndumbo.  We would run-walk that hill to the very end.  By that time Sharon was taking rests every five or so minutes to get some life back to them.  Her legs were aching.  I knew the feeling.  I could feel for her.  We were now however not far from our destination.  Just another two kilometres and we would be done with the run.  The sun was still overhead and hot, but not as hot.  We kept going knowing that the end was near….

It was however quite a different situation two days ago, when I did my own virtual marathon on that Tuesday.  I started the run at about 3.15pm and it was a hot afternoon!  I have never run in such a heat.  I was nonetheless lucky that my body was feeling quite well on this day.  I did not have any aches and I was quite ready to give the international run my best.

I was suffering the disadvantage of having little choice on the route to take to get the 21km done.  All the routes that I formulated would have at least half of the run being done uphill.  There was no way out.  I therefore decided to do my run on the best of the worst options that I had at hand.  I still had to do over 10km of hills on this route even though I would get my 21km alright.

I had taken the same route as the one that I was taking Sharon to.  I however did not ritualize the tarmac with that touching action.  I instead turned left and ran the one kilometre stretch along the tarmac and then diverted once more to my left to the Mary Leakey route.  It was then generally uphill through the University farm all the way to rejoin Kanyariri road.  I would then turn right and run straight on for about two kilometres to Kanyariri ACK church junction for another right turn to run all the way to the Wangige road underpass for my U-turn.

It remained hot.  I was tiring much faster due to lack of hydration or supplementation with drinks and fruits.  I was just glad that I had got to this U-turn, since I now just needed to survive a return journey mostly on Kanyariri road to Ndumbo market, then the last two-kilometres to Uthiru.  I was tired, it was hot, and I still had an international marathon to tackle.

The end was finally near when I crossed Waiyaki way and was passing by Kabete Polytechnic.  That was Tuesday.  And I stopped my timer at 1hr 54min 26sec with the Runkeeper app reading 21.22km.  That was a good run time bearing in mind that hilly terrain and no water or glucose being dished out as would have happened if it was a ‘real’ run at the city centre.  The real run that had now been allocated to only few elites who would be at the stadium on Sunday, October 31.

Well, Sharon and I finally also finished our Thursday run which was still to be posted to the Stanchart international marathon website as a 10km virtual run.  We finished our 11.32km in 2hrs 03min and 24sec.  The run was posted to the website thereafter.  The stats would show that Sharon was so far at position 57 in a time of 1.47.18.  The organizers had prorated the timing to fit the 10km expected of the competition.  I even saw that other young runner, Atieno, under by tutelage with runner number 2020 being positioned as number 66 on that list of 10k women.  

My runner number 2031 had debuted at number 8 on the men’s 21km listing when I posted my own results registered as a time of 1.53.39.  I however knew that neither my nor Sharon’s time would be in the top 1000 list when we finally get the elites doing the real run tomorrow, Sunday.

That does not matter.  It is on record that we hit the leaderboards, and no one can dispute that.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021

It is Freedom Day… I wish it were

It is Freedom Day… I wish it were

The UK celebrated ‘freedom day’ yesterday, July 19.  That is the day when all corona restrictions were lifted, meaning that there would be no more social distancing, face masking or any other restrictions that had been imposed due to the corona virus disease (COVID).  While the global corona infection numbers* now stand at 191,855,140 infections with 4,115,649 deaths and 174,673,792 recoveries, the 19-month-old pandemic seems to have now become ‘too much’.  The reason why the UK decision is noteworthy is because they say that people are fatigued and just want to go back to life as it was in 2019.

While this freedom has not prevented corona virus from spreading, it has at least brought some comfort to the people.  With vaccinations now rolling out in many parts of the world, the end of corona is not far off, despite the debates on issues such as efficacy, variants, booster shots and vaccine hesitancy.  While some may criticize the UK for the ‘live-with-it’ approach of dealing with corona, it would be worthwhile to also appreciate that the corona related restrictions had curtailed the enjoyment of human life as it was meant to be.

Take Kenya for example, where the confirmed infections* are 193,189, with 3,783 deaths and 182,921 recoveries.  Do you know how much life has changed and continues to change in these last nineteen months?  Nightlife ended, and may never come back, with curfews imposed in most of the country to the ten o’clock limit, while it starts at seven in the western region.  Social gatherings came to end, with funerals, weddings, birthdays, parties, you name it having been abolished or scaled down to a handful of attendees for the fewest of minutes, under strict supervision and restrictive guidelines.  Some businesses had to close down, due to restrictions or lack of customers.

*source: worldometers website

Even sporting events somehow came to an end!  There was no major marathon event held in Kenya for the whole of last year.  Even this year has already seen the cancellation of the Mater Heart run that was to have been held in May, while the Stanchart Nairobi marathon has new restrictive rules for the first time in eighteen years, after having been cancelled last year.  This year’s Stanchart event that is scheduled for Sunday, October 31 has gone virtual – yes – it is a virtual run for the first time in history.  However, before you call the organizers names, they have allowed a limited number of about 2,500 to attend the physical event on a new route out of the city, unlike the ‘within the city’ tour that we were used to.  Those ‘limited’ numbers are reserved for the marathon elites – those who can run the 42k in under 2hr 30min.  That restriction has put off most of us, leaving us with the option to either participating in the virtual one or skipping the run altogether.

I was pondering over all these new-look Stanchart 2021 during my Sunday run, two days ago.  Would I be receptive to a virtual run?  The organizers expect you to craft your own route, meet your own medical emergency preparedness, have your own way of water and nourishment support, as you run and record your own time, not forgetting the issue of managing the traffic and road perils on your own.  A physical run would have all these issues resolved, with the runner only showing up for the run.  These virtual run requirements being put on the self seem to be a bit too much, not forgetting that the run must be done within the Oct. 25-31 window.  It is still little comfort, despite the participation fee having been reduced from the usual $25 and $10.  Modalities of getting the run T-shirt and medal for a virtual event are not that clear-cut.

I did that Sunday run with other issues to think about.  I had been down with a common cold for three days by that Sunday, when it metamorphosed into a flu.  It is usually difficult for an ailment to pin me down, but this one had virtually won over me by that Friday.  I could hardly walk around as I felt the lethargy, sore throat, cough and running nose that comes with such attacks.  No home remedy in the name of hot water and hot tea would improve my situation.  I do not even know how I was convinced by Edu to do that Friday evening run on the 19k course, since I was for sure out of running strength.  I survived it and probably that marked the beginning of my recovery.

I did the Sunday run feeling a bit better, but my run energy was at probably the lowest that it has been in the month.  I could feel it as the run progressed.  I could see myself slowing down with each passing minute as I tackled the usual Uthiru-Kapenguria-Mary Leakey-Kanyariri-and-back route.  I was doing the U-turn on the 15k mark at Gitaru-Wangige road with so little run energy that I doubted whether I would make it back through the 9k that was waiting for me.  Somehow, I made it back, with forced run steps along Kanyariri road back to Ndumboini then Uthiru.  I managed a 2hr 8min run, for a route that I have previously conquered in under two hours just two months ago.  Nonetheless, I was just glad to have survived the run.

It is now a Tuesday.  I am fully rested from that Sunday run.  It would have been a busy Tuesday, but it is the Eid ul Adha holiday, and businesses are closed.  I have just walked the streets of Uthiru and observed that I was probably the only person with a face mask in the whole of that 2km walking stretch, that was generally full of passers-by and roadside traders.

As I head for full recovery from the flu, I wonder whether I should hibernate and forget about any more runs until I am one-hundred percent back to health, or adopt the ‘learn to live with it’ approach and just keep doing what I have to do.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, July 20, 2021

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

Of corona vaccines and a public kiss

Of corona vaccines and a public kiss

I had almost forgotten about this second shot Astra Zeneca vaccine, codename AZD1222 or locally called as Covishield.  The initial shot in the left arm on April 6 was a big deal.  A new vaccine had been realized in record time, hardly one year after the pandemic had hit humanity.  It was that same record time that had led to lots of vaccine hesitancy and doubts on its efficacy.  The second dose did not even seem possible after the scheduled eight-weeks interval period came and passed.  There was even talk that our bodies would ‘reset’ to not-vaccinated status if we missed the second shot after the eight weeks.  We must have therefore reset to ‘not-vaccinated’ as we prepared for the second shot that was coming forth on the twelfth week after the first one.

The announcement for the shot was sent late night as usual.  The reason why they give little or no notice when these shots are scheduled remains unknown to me.  Maybe be the body needs a ‘surprise’ for the vaccine to be effective?  I was on late night work on this Sunday night, when that email notification popped up.  It was just past one in the morning.  It indicated that staff should report for their second dose vaccination on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

I was out for my long run on Monday, just a day to the shots.  I have never been this tired during a run.  My lethargy was evident hardly five minutes into the run.  My paining stomach did not make things any better.  I knew that it was not my run day.  Maybe the first dose vaccine had already cleared from my system and the body was complaining that it was due for the booster shot.  What it was, I do not know – but I was so tired during this run that my own assessment was that I would probably do an average of six-minutes per kilometre.  That would be twenty-percent slower.  I did not care about the time.  I had decided that I would take the run, and I was taking the run.

Using the same usually run route had its advantages.  My legs knew how and where to lead me without much persuasion.  I somehow made it to Ndumbo and was soon on the downhill on Kapenguria road towards Wangari Maathai institute.  Even my autopilot mode managed to stumble on the five new speed bumps that had been added to the half kilometre road section all the way to the institute.  That was new.  They were not there during my last run on Friday, just three days ago.

I kept running and kept going.  I was emerging from the university farm at the tank, to join Kanyariri road after about an hour of run.  I kept struggling with the run, but I was now past the half way mark and I just needed endurance to keep me going.  I was on the road for hardly another five minutes after this turnoff when I approached a white vehicle parked on the right edge of the road, on the same edge that I was running on.  Part of the vehicle’s right side was almost touching the edge of the road, since the roadside did not have so much space anyway.  Though the road is not usually busy with vehicular or human traffic, it still did not look right for a vehicle to be abandoned there.

I was about ten metres to the vehicle when I observed clearly through the windscreen some silhouette of two people.  It took me five steps to clearly see a man and a woman seated on the front seats, guy on the driver’s seat, while the lady sat on the front passenger’s seat next to him.  I was just passing them in another five steps when I observed them with tightly locked lips, as they sat and embraced on the small front section of the car.  I was tempted to turn back and reconfirm, since I had made my observations a bit too abruptly to even register what was really going on.  I recall having passed by some three or so school going children, of the primary school level, whom I had overtaken about twenty metres before that car.  Those three boys would soon encounter that vehicle with its movie through that clear windscreen in a few moments.

I kept going and resisted to turn back.  The school boys can start learning their lessons in life as they pass by that car.  A movie or two would not hurt.  I was already just struggling to keep on the run with all the tiredness and I did not have any more physical or mental energy to think about this issue at the moment.  However, I lied.  That scene of those two on the front seat kissing around left me analyzing the situation with many what-ifs and whys.  Why would two grown-ups want to display their affection in the light of day in ‘the public of the road’?  What happened to good old public decency and respect to one’s self, and the public?

Let me disclaim that I have nothing against anybody doing anything.  Kiss until your mouth gets sore if you want.  Its your mouth!  (not mine!).  For that matter, do it where you want to do it – it is your choice (not mine).  My only gripe is turning ’public’ roads into ‘private’ rooms.  There is an acceptable level of decency expected in public spaces.  I did not make the rules.  The citizens of this country made the rules.  I may not like the rules but rules are rules.  Let public affairs be kept to the public and so should private.  But do not just take my word for it.  A UK government minister had to resign just yesterday for having kissed a woman in private, so how serious can such in public be?

I kept imagining how that scene came to be.  Could the gal have been the wife of the guy?  But why would they decide to romance beside the road in that case?  Could it had been a ‘plan’?  Isn’t ‘mpango’ a ‘plan’ in the English language?  Even if it was a ‘plan’, if you can afford a car, then you can surely afford better privacy.  I must have been running thoughts on my mind for long, since I do not even remember how I did the U-turn on the Gitaru-Wangige road, as I found myself back to that very car hardly thirty minutes later on my way back.  I passed by it and had a chance to glance back momentarily to confirm if I had even seen right the first time.  This time, the two were decently seated on their respective seats looking straight ahead through the windscreen with straight faces.  If you had not been around there before this time, then you could not even have even known that there had been no innocence on that front seat.

I was energized to pass by that vehicle and run away towards ‘the tank’, and straight on towards Ndumbo.  That last hill towards Ndumbo shopping centre was something that I was waiting for, with all the dread it deserves.  It is a one-kilometre section of pure leg pain, made worse by the way I was feeling on this Monday.  I somehow managed to clear it and would soon just join Waiyaki way, then cross the road at Kabete Poly and be back to my starting point, which would be my finishing point.  I was even surprised that I had missed that six-minutes average that I had feared.  I had in fact done this run in an average of 5min 3sec.

I was glad that the run was finally done with, and there would be no more runs until after the second shot vaccination.  It was hardly twelve hours later that I would get that shot.  That second shot was even more painless than the first.  The registration on the government system after the vaccination was a simple one question affair, unlike the initial interview done during vaccination 1.  It is just about twelve-hours since that second shot in the arm and I am still feeling no effects, if there should be any.  I cannot evaluate the effect of ‘full vaccination’ on my runs until the next run on Friday.  The global corona infections* may be 182,403,071 with 3,949,423 deaths, but this pandemic shall soon be defeated if we continue to have and accept such vaccination initiatives.  Our Kenya numbers may be 183.603 and 3,621 respectively, but we as a country are also doing something about it, despite the few doses that have come our way.

*source: worldometers website

The last two days have taught me two lessons – be blind to the going ons if you are a marathoner running on the public roads, and let us all respect our public spaces.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, June 29, 2021

Running two marathons in the name of MA+RA+TH+ON

Running two marathons in the name of MA+RA+TH+ON

Yesterday was a Sunday.  Sunday the twenty-third of May.  I know that date so well because I went to bed smiling, slept well, had sweet dreams and woke up today Monday still smiling.  This elation is unique.  It hardly happens.  And when it does, I usually know about it, and yesterday was one of such few days.  I knew that I was on top of the planet.

My marathon relay team of four had just conquered the world.  By random selection of team members by our NMMT organizer, we had somehow bonded, blended and beat the other teams in the NMMT formations.  It was something worth celebrating.  A conquest is a conquest, a victory is a victory.  Enjoy it.

The MA+RA+TH+ON event is a relay marathon formed by teams of four runners, each contributing 10.5km to sum-up the distance of the 42km full marathon.  The run is done by the individuals, at their own time, on their own routes, provided they do so within the 2-day weekend window.  For 2021, this run had to be done by the relay team members from zero hours Saturday, May 22 to midnight Sunday, May 23.

The problem with holding a run in two days is that each person runs on their own day and there is no stopping the early braggers from running their mouths after running their feet.  It is like facing one exam and being allowed to do it on different days, with those doing it first shouting about how they have passed!  Subjecting those who are yet to do that exam to so much pressure!

I had decided to contribute my 10.5km by running on a Saturday.  I did not want to risk it for Sunday and face all that pressure of running on the last day of the event.  I was already on maximum discouragement from seeing performance of others, even as I started the run at three.  By this time the early starters had already done their runs and posted their times.  They added injury to our legs by posting photos of their celebrations with nyama choma and chips, taken after their runs.  The run times already posted were just amazing.  Under 5s was all we could see on the WhatsApp postings.

I was doing this run for the team.  One of the few times in a marathoner’s life that you actually worry about someone else – three other people in this case.  A marathoner usually runs alone, for self-gratification and self-glory.  This NN-Maurten Running Team event was the only one that I know of, that had global following for organizing a marathon relay.  Our own marathoner Kipchoge was one of the promoters that was prominently shown on the NN-M frontpage of their website.  You cannot go wrong in a run with Kipchoge, can you?

I had already mapped my route during that mock run of Tuesday.  It was now just a matter of repeating the feat, without gadget failure, hopefully.  Talking about gadget failure brings me back to where I left off during that mock run (details here).  On that Tuesday the Strava app had failed and shutdown, not allowing me to know how much time, distance and average pace I had done for the mock.  I had seen a glimpse, but I would not have the opportunity to digest the details due to that app failure.

I was going to give Strava a second try despite that Tuesday letdown.  It was while starting the app in readiness for the Saturday real run that things happened.  The app started by showing a message that it was ‘recovering data’.  And… and sure enough, four days later, and Strava recovered the details of that Tuesday run, including time and map!  What a way to start a real run!?  

I however would be relying on it to do the right thing immediately by recording and saving the run on this Saturday.  Any stoppage and then recovering the run four-days later would not help, when I only had a two-day window to run and post the results with NN-M.  I did not even have much time to appreciate the stats of that mock run that turned out to be 13.12km at a 4.43km pace.  It was already time for the run.

I was readying myself for the real thing.  The mock did not count.  This Saturday’s run was all that mattered.  I was ready to give the team my very best contribution.  Same route, probably same effort, and maybe same or better average.  It is the average pace that would be posted online.  Additionally, the relay team’s performance would be based on the average of all their individual average speeds.  Did I not tell you that you cannot go wrong with Kipchoge?  When you have to do an average of the average?  What other way can one ever hope to have to be fair to all the teammates in this relay, other than this average of average?

The weather was just as good as it was on Tuesday, on this Saturday as I did the real run.  It was a bit sunny, despite the forecast having been cloudy.  I was already too deep in the run to even worry about the weather.  This was it!  I had to make it count.  Of course, I could have the opportunity to re-run the next day, in case something went wrong this Saturday, but I was not wishing for any repeat.  This was the run – the only run that would go to NN-M webpage.

The route had already been mapped on Tuesday.  I was just going on remote control, following the same paces, feeling the same runner fatigue and facing the same uphill and downhills.  From Uthiru to Ndumbo was a warmup phase.  I eventually started my Strava app just as I passed by Ndumbo market for the short downhill on Kanyariri road, before I would be encountering the long uphill that would generally take me all the way to Wangige road tarmac junction.  I was ready for this 5km uphill stretch.  It was the only one that I had to survive.  I would be OK after that, since it would then be smooth all the way down after that U-turn on Wangige tarmac.

I kept running without noticing much on the run route.  I finally got to the end of the loop.  It was the best U-turn that I ever did.  I was elated that I was now going back on a generally downhill all the way to the finish line for the NN-M event that was to hive off 10.5km from the longer route.  I was so relaxed on the way down Kanyariri road and would soon get to the junction to University farm where I was to turn left at this junction that we famously call ‘the tank’, due to… you guessed it, the tank that is prominently installed on the elevated metallic structure at this junction as you head to the Uni farm.

From my mock of Tuesday, I knew that the 10.5k point would be somewhere before reaching Mary Leakey school.  I powered the dimmed screen of the phone when I was at Kabete High School and glanced at the Strava app.  It was now showing 9.98km.  Perfect timing.  I now had just five-hundred metres to finish my marathon relay contribution.  I kept going towards the river that is at the lower turn of the road, where I once again looked at the information on the phone.  

It was now 10.45km.  Mary Leakey was just ahead to my right after a gentle uphill.  I had the liberty of stopping the timer in about fifty footsteps, which would be exactly on the 10.5km mark.  I instead decided to prolong the finish to just next to Mary Leakey School turnoff point.  I kept running even as I stopped Strava and saved the run.  It accepted to save without a problem as I kept running.

The MA+RA+TH+ON run had been done.  I however still have my usual run to do.  I was now going through the small Kabete shopping centre in readiness to join the Lower Kabete road for a run of about five minutes, before I get to Kapenguria road and turn right.  If Uthiru was nearer, then I would have reduced pace and probably walked home and started the celebrations for a run well done.  However, Uthiru was still over five kilometres away.  I just had to make the rest of the run still count, after all, my other timer in the name of Runkeeper was still active and timing.  This had not been stopped and it also expected me to record a good time on the longer 24km route that I was now doing.

Oh, that hill from the river, past Wangari Maathai institute to Ndumbo!  That almost 2km hill is a bad feature on that road!  I still had to face it despite the marathon relay conquest.  I could not wait for it to be finished, and finished it did after it had kept me sweating on it for over seven minutes!  Reaching Ndumbo was a relief, since Uthiru was now just on the other side of Waiyaki way right ahead.  I was however not doing any shortcuts and still had to prolong the run all the way to N-junction and Kabete Poly, before heading to the finish line.  

With the run done, I had to reflect on how the day had gone.  The 10.5km marathon relay, which was actually 10.8km had been a sweet run.  Strava had given me 49min 35s on that route, hence an average pace of 4:36/km was going to be posted on my team’s page on NN-M event webpage.  I had done my bit and I was happy with my input.  The full run over the 24km had been done in just under 2hours, with Runkeeper giving me a 4.48/km as the average pace.  Both runs went quite well.  Two marathons on the same day was unprecedented but nonetheless enjoyable.

While the Strava app automatically uploaded the results to my relay team page on the NN-M website, I did not post any ‘brag’ data on the social media circles.  I wanted all the team members to first do their runs by Sunday midnight before we could compare notes.  Two members of the team managed to run on Saturday, posting 4.36 and 5.16.  Our average was already 4.56/km by midnight of day 1.  We now just hoped that the other two would bring the run home for us.  I had monitored the social pages and the other teams were really struggling, after all, you cannot control the pace of your relay team members.  They just run their runs and you accept their results.

Then it came Sunday night and for sure all runs were now done in Kenya – at least the day time type.  With runs done, it was now time to confirm how the average paces were for all the various relay teams within our NMMT running group.  We also had to finally unveil our own performance for our ‘Team C’.  

It was Beryl of the now inactive B-and-B team who broke the news.

“Have you seen our performance?,” she sent a message on Signal, matter of fact, no greetings, no nothing.

“Hi there yourself,” I started, “I am waiting for one more team member to post his results”

“Coaches you can’t be serious!  All results are in.  We did it!”

I was taken aback.  I was for sure still waiting for Henry to post his results, after Charles, our other team member domiciled in TZ, had just posted his results.

“Let me check,” I responded on the Signal app and switched to the NN-M website and straight to the team page, which was permanently open on one tab of the browser.  I did not even refresh.  There it was – 

Your team: NMMT_TEAM_C_2021

Time: 5.07min/km average pace, 3.34.35 total time

Ranking: 813 worldwide overall, 396 in the category

Runners: (list of four)

With over 7,000 runners from 170 countries, we had surely outdone ourselves and made Kenya (and TZ) proud, considering that these were randomly assigned team members, each with their own paces.  3,900 teams participated in the event and the athletes covered 520,000km as per stats published on the same NN-M website.

Now you know why I went to bed on Sunday night with a smile that could not leave my face even when the new day started.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, May 24, 2021

Better be ready – of MA+RA+TH+ON preparation and gadgets that failed

Better be ready – of MA+RA+TH+ON preparation and gadgets that failed

There was nothing to celebrate during yesterday, Tuesday’s run, with corona infections having hit a new high of 164,994,625 and 3,421,329 deaths globally, and Kenyan numbers being 166,006 and 3,021 respectively.  I did not even feel like having this evening run in the first place.  What with the world and the country all gloomy with this COVID19 monster that was not being tamed anything soon?.  

Positive developments were nonetheless taking place.  Vaccines were starting to trickle through the world, though even our own second shot was now in doubt.  This was caused by the withholding of vaccine exports by India, the main manufacturer of vaccines that go to WHO’s COVAX (COVID19 Vaccines Global Access) scheme.  

India was having a surge in infections at their local level and were now prioritizing supplies to themselves first.  That second shot of the Covishield vaccine from Astra Zeneca was now being delayed from 8-weeks to 12-weeks since the first shot.  The certainty of even getting it in 12-weeks’ time was also in doubt.  With all these uncertainties, it was not a Tuesday that you would want to get out there and do your run…. but evening came and it was run time.

I was still feeling the pains of the last run of Sunday, hardly two days before, even as I setup to change into the run gear.  Nonetheless, a major international marathon relay in the name of MA+RA+TH+ON, was coming up.  This is a four-member team relay where each person contributes 10.5km to the team, to ultimately tally the total of 42km marathon distance.  I was already in a team and the event was beckoning.  The dates had already been cast in stone, being the weekend of May 22-23.  It was now a matter of making it count.

I would be using this Tuesday run as the last run before the weekend relay, while I also wanted to take advantage of the run to formulate a 10.5km route for the relay.  The challenge with our run routes from Uthiru is that none of them provides a flat terrain.  You are likely to encounter a hilly terrain anytime you run for over 1km in any direction from Uthiru.  Some hills are however worse, and you would want to avoid them when mapping an international competitive run on a 10.5km distance.  I was doing my mental calcs, but each span of 10.5km still ended up with over 3km of uphill somewhere along the route.

I had to accept the reality that I would have to run through some hills, and hence be forced into a reduced pace with would reduce my average speed, the very metric that really counted for the event.  I still wanted to scout the best of the existing bad options of run routes.  I then needed to take the five-day break after knowing my route, to then take a rest to enable me be at my peak strength come the weekend.  This Tuesday run was therefore a compulsory run, both to know a final route for the weekend and also to do a final run before the weekend.

I started the run at four, and carried with me one gadget with two timing apps – the Runkeeper that had now become the default since the collapse of Endomondo, and a second Strava app, being the official app for use during the weekend relay event.  I wanted to test Strava app in advance and confirm that it worked well and would be up to the task come the weekend.  You can imagine the frustration of trying an app that fails during an international event, where a team of another three rely on your contribution to relay and shall make the marathon successful.  It can be a disaster.

My plan was to start off on Runkeeper and have it time and map the whole run, from start to finish.  It always worked well and has hardly let me down (apart from the occasional incorrect starting point, which can easily be fixed by a simple editing of the saved map).  Then, I would start the Strava at some point on the route, for timing through the 10.5km section, then stop it after that section was recorded.  While Runkeeper is a faithful servant, Strava on the other hand is unforgiving in terms of mapping.  Unless you have the professional subscription version, you are stuck with a wrong map that cannot be edited.

I did not expect much in terms of differences on this run compared to my Sunday run.  I was still tired but my day’s run was mainly concerned about the 10.5km section that I had mapped in my mind.  Unfortunately, that 10.5km section meant that I had to still do the long run, and carve out a section of that long run.  I had to carefully figure out a section that was not as bad of the rest of the route, in terms of few hilly terrains.

I eventually started the Strava at Ndumbo, after having ran from Uthiru, crossing Waiyaki way and then running the length of the tarmac to Ndumbo market.  Instead of going down Kapenguria road as I would usually do, I decided to turn left onto Kanyariri road and kind of do a reverse of the usual run.  I usually avoid this reverse loop due to the Wangari Maathai hill that a runner has to face on their way back, when they are tired, as they climb it towards Ndumbo.  I would have to just face my avoidance on this Tuesday.

I started my Strava as I went down the hill after Ndumbo market.  I already knew that this downhill would soon come to an end, and I would then face the uphill section that first gets you to the ‘the tank’, then the mild uphill that goes as far as Kanyariri road shall take me.  Being psychologically prepared helped me out as I faced the hills.  The weather was a bit sunny, but not hot.  The road was fairly deserted, with the occasional one vehicle every kilometre or so.

I kept running and the pace felt comfortable enough.  Nothing out of the ordinary, just another evening run.  My plan was to try and avoid the sudden hill near ACK Kanyariri church as you head to the market.  Instead, I planned to turn right, and use this alternative road that eventually gets to Wangige road.  The last time I used this road must have been during the Divas International Marathon of early 2019.  I could hardly remember its ‘hilliness’, but I thought that it was a bit easier that the usual straight Kanyariri road to the Gitaru market.

My Strava was still on, so was Runkeeper, though I usually do not check on the gadgets when I run.  I use the gadgets to time my run.  I do not run to ‘please’ the gadgets.  I know of a colleague who worships his gadgets and control his every run.  He can even come to a stop if the gadgets say so.  Not me.  I already knew that they were working on the background of the phone that I carried with me, and I did not bother look at them at all.  The time to look at them would come, especially for the Strava timer that was on a mission for a specific distance.

My plan was to turn to the right at that junction, then go for about 5minutes, to any turning point, then start the run back.  And that is what I did.  I turned right and started running on that road.  It was also fairly deserted.  I was not looking at the gadgets, and my five-minute run was to be based on instinct.  I kept running, waiting for instinct to raise the alarm on the five minutes point.  I got to some shopping centre and felt shame-on-myself to just doing a U-turn in the crowds, and so I kept going and passed the crowd.  I just kept going waiting for an opportune time to do the U, but it never came.

Behold!  It came as a surprise when I started making out the new Wangige road flying over just ahead, about two-hundred metres from where I was!  This was not the plan.  I had not intended to hit this point.  I should have turned back before reaching this point.  It was not too late!  I just had to be ‘polite’ to go all the way to near the highway and do a U-turn at that point.  Why I had failed to get my initially intended U-turn point earlier on the run remains a mystery.  Sometimes instinct can go to sleep, just believe me.

This alternative right-turn road turned out not to be as mild as I thought.  It was still hilly, though the hilly sections were shorter.  The U-turn at the highway was quite a relief, since I now knew that I was on my way back home.  My timers were assumedly still working, and I did not make a check at them anyway.  I started running back on the hills and downhills until I rejoined Kanyariri road at the new centre at the crossroad, where we now have nyama choma fumes that knocks out even the most resilient of runners.  I quickly passed by the smoky roadside and started my way down Kanyariri road.

The relative downhill was smooth and I enjoyed this part of the run.  I would eventually get to ‘the tank’, where I had to turn left and join the route through the university farm.  It was also relatively downwards all the way.  My mental route calculation had convinced me that I would hit the 10.5km around the Kabete Children’s home on Kapenguria road once I turn right from Lower Kabete road.  I would by then be through with the uni farm and passed Mary Leakey school to emerge at Lower Kabete road.  However, with that extra distance that I had gone after missing my initially intended U-turn, I believed that the 10.5km mark should have been somewhere on the Lower Kabete road section, give or take.

I was therefore checking my Strava as I joined Lower Kabete road, expecting to see something like ten-point-something kilometres, when I saw an 11.5km.

“No way!,” I said loudly, reducing my pace in the process, as the evening business traffic saw lots of vehicles zoom on both directions of Lower Kabete road.  

It would surely be too soon to hit such a distance, in my view, but maybe my body clock was already improperly tuned on this day anyway!  I was however still convinced that Strava must have failed me for some reason.  I was nonetheless not waiting to find out what was going on.  I still had a run to finish, and that finish was still over 7km away.

I kept running and finally stopped the Strava timer at the river, past Kabete Children’s home.  That was the place I thought the 10.5km should have ended, based on initial calculations, disregarding that extra run past the initially intended U-turn.  I momentarily saw a distance of about 12.5km with an average pace of 4min 45sec per km.  I put Strava on stop mode and continued the uphill run on Kanyariri road, to eventually pass Wangari Maathai institute and then get back to Ndumbo.

From there I could see the end in sight, just on the other side of Waiyaki way.  And for sure the run would come to an end soon.  I was relatively well energized even after the run.  The Runkeeper kept a record of 24.5km, but the average pace is what I was not expecting – 4.59min per km.  That was the first under five that I was recording on this or any other route in over three months.  This run that I had done with a laissez-faire attitude is the one that actually turned out to be a record-breaking run.  I now really wished that the MA+RA+TH+ON was happening on this Tuesday!

I learnt the lesson that in running there was probably no ideal day.  You shall break records on the least expected of days.  Preparation remains key, but you never know for sure when you shall shatter your own ceiling.  Keep running with an open mind, knowing that anything was possible.  Talking of anything being possible, that Strava app would later in the day give me the dreaded ‘app has stopped working’ error with the only option being to close the app.  That closure of the app took with it my MA+RA+TH+ON mock time and distance.  I would never know for sure what Strava had in store for me.  Now I was happy that the MA+RA+TH+ON was not happening on this Tuesday!

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, May 19, 2021

Easter? Which Easter?

Easter? Which Easter?

It was a Monday, April 5.  A Monday is usually a run day and so I was out for the run at three.  With curfew hours starting early, I really wanted to be done with the run in good time – as ‘good time’ as six, so that I can start walking home around seven.

My weekly runs have remained the same, on the same old proven route from Uthiru via Kapenguria road to Lower Kebete road, then a run through the Uni farm after Mary Leakey school, and finally a run on Kanyariri road to Gitaru and back.  The run would however prove to be not so old, since I started feeling the running pains hardly 12km into the run, just as I emerged at ‘the tank’ to then join Kanyariri road to start the journey to Gitaru.  

I could feel the pain on my legs, the type of pain that wants to force you to just stop running.  Each step became forced and painful.  I really thought about stopping and turning back, but this was not an option, being over ten kilometres from the finish line.  A walk over a ten-kilometre stretch would surely take forever!  I had no option on this one.  I just kept running as planned, and absorbed the pain on each step.

It was music when I finally did the U-turn on the Gitaru-Wangige road to now start my run back, mainly on Kanyariri road all the way to Ndumbo market, then just cross Waiyaki way and I am home.  That lessened the mental pain, but the physical pain continued.

I just had to collapse on the 28.63km mark.  The spirit was telling me to go those extra 400m to make it a well-rounded 29k, but there was no way for that to happen.  My body was completely gone.  My legs could hardly move.  I even wondered how I managed to do the run the return leg of the run from that U-turn to the finish line.  The legs were the most painful and resistant to movement for the first time in a long time.  It was a real struggle doing this 2.33.24 run.  However, no two runs are ever the same, and this turned out to be one of those runs.

It was after walking home to beat the eight o’clock curfew, albeit with a slight limp due to my compromised left foot, and tuning in to the local news, that I found out that it was a holiday!  It was actually Easter Monday!  I was even surprised that there was a holiday period of several days!  Life has been the same old ‘new normal’ that holidays are no longer a big deal.  With no congregations and no gatherings, the 4-day Easter holiday went unnoticed.  It could as well have been any other day.

But bad news did not end with the end of Easter as we know it.  Humanity still had to contend with this thing called Corona virus.  The virus that causes this COVID19 disease.  The disease that has been on an infection rampage and has led to disruption of life as we know it… including the eight PM curfew, and the lockdown of the red zone of Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado, where there is no getting in or out of ‘the zone’.

But do not even take my word for it.  Just look at the grim stats* of today – 132,235,128 total confirmed infections globally, with 2,869,803 deaths.  The Kenya numbers are 139,448 and 2,244 respectively.  These are the numbers that represent the reality of the situation.  However, it is not all grim - we have vaccines already being administered, which lessen the burden of the disease even if one gets infected after vaccination.  

Despite vaccines, we already have the proven control measures of social distancing, masking and hand washing, which lessen the chances of transmission and infection in the first place.  We are inconvenienced, yes, but there is hope... and soon.  And that vaccine thing is the next subject of the blog story, with a live experience.

*worldometers website

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