Marathon You Can Do It

2009 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. I finished in a time of 2:57:29, one minute slower than 2008…..a rather disappointing race.

Pre Race

I travelled from Embu to Nairobi on Saturday. When I arrived in the city I realised I had forgotten my racing short back home and I had to buy a new short. Luckily I had arrived early and I had time to go shopping and buy a new Reebok short.

A friend of mine was working at the marathon secretariat and he invited me to the offices. The lifts at the building were not working and I was forced to walk up nine floors.(what a waste of my energy)

Instead of staying in a hotel I stayed at the home of my childhood friend Alex who lives a walking distance from Nyayo Stadium, the start and finish area of the marathon. Alex and his girlfriend Miriam were running the half marathon.

The Race

The first kilometres were fast. I had trained to run at a pace of 4 minutes a Kilometre. I had hoped to see a 5K mark and calculate whether I was within my pace but I never saw any markings of distance. In the runners guide it was indicated there would be markings every 5K but this was lacking on the course.  SHAME ON THE ORGANISERS! Without markings I just followed the fast moving crowd and made my own mental estimates.

As usual my breathing was hard at the start but I knew things would get better and easier the longer I kept running. After 1 hour of running my breathing never got easier, I guese I was running faster than my planned pace. After 1 hour 15 minutes we hooked up with the half marathon crowd and the course now got more crowded. I found myself weaving from side to side trying to overtake the half marathon runners.

I got back at Nyayo stadium at 1 hour 35 minutes, at this point the half marathon runners headed towards the finish line while the full marathon runners were supposed to repeat the circuit. After parting with the half marathon crowd, I looked ahead of me and shocked to see an almost empty road, it was clear many of full marathon runners had decided to drop out of the race at that point. The idea of repeating the circuit was too bitter to swallow for many runners!

Doing the second circuit was hard because I was running alone. It is at this point when it started raining and I remember at one time I thought………this sucks am done with marathons!……… Although my legs were feeling fine my chest was having a harder time. Make no mistake, I wanted to go faster…I would look at my watch and say ok legs, lets speeeeedup! and I would think I was going faster, but then I would check the watch a little while later and, nope, no faster!

After 2 hours and 10 minutes of running I got at the final turning point and I was now on the home stretch. At this point I could feel the smell of fresh bread from a bakery on the route. The smell of bread induced a feeling of hunger. I started having this imagination of eat a post race meat pie. I guese I was getting delusional!

As the clock hit 2.40, the finish line was out of sight and it was clear my goal of 2.45 finish was way way out of reach. My target now was to atleast match my PB.At this point I met up with Miriam, my friend’s Girlfriend. The half marathon was proving too hard for her to handle. As I overtook her she tried to run after me begging me to wait for her……….I just couldn’t…nothing personal!

Luckily for me a determined young lady who had an elite badge on her chest caught up with me at this point. I chased her tooth and nail. Although it was physically hard on me she kept me on my toes. She was my white knight, she pulled me to the end. We crossed the finish line together at 2 hours 57 minutes 26 seconds. Uh! what a relief. At least I stayed under 3 hours.

After The race

My recovery has astonished me. Two days after the race and am feeling like I can run another marathon next weekend.

With the 2009 Marathon gone I can’t wait for next year. 2010 I will have another opportunity to get a crack at it. 2.45 is my target.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 15 Minutes, Childhood Friend, Crowd, Embu, Finish Line, Friend Alex, Girlfriend, half marathon, Kilometre, Kilometres, Marathon Results, marathon runners, Miriam, Nairobi, Organisers, Reebok, Running Marathon, Secretariat, Shopping, Stanchart Marathon, Standard Chartered, Walking Distance

All good things must come to an end.

After 5 months of marathon training, I have brought down the curtain on my training and now am looking forward to Sunday? race.

In the last two weeks I have run three 10Ks, the first one was a slow recovery run, followed by a Sunday run which I finished in 43 minutes then yesterday  morning I ran a final 10K run in 40 minutes flat. I feel lucky my legs are in great shape, no injury! I believe I have done enough to run a sub 2.45 marathon.

The only scare was a cold I suffered during the weekend. I made a mistake of going for an afternoon swim and I paid the price. I used alternative medicine to treat the cold before it got worse. A daily diet of soup mixed with hot pepper fixed the cold in 5 days.

With three days to go my plan now is to stay hydrated, eat plenty of carbohydrates, rest and most importantly stay physically fit.

To stay physically fit I will do two speed works on Thursday and Saturday morning. This will be in form of 1K runs around a track. I will also do daily stretching and massaging to maintain muscle flexibility.

I can only wish myself good luck. To everyone who is running 2009 Nairobi Marathon, GOOD LUCK!

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 5 Months, Alternative Medicine, Carbohydrates, Curtain, Diet Soup, Good Luck, Great Shape, Hot Pepper, Legs, Marathon Training, Medicine, Mistake, Muscle Flexibility, Nairobi, Running Marathon, Saturday Morning, Scare, Yesterday Morning

After 5 months of marathon training I finally did my last long run. It was a 37K run that took me over 3 hrs 15 minutes to finish. My initial plan was to do a 34K final run but when I got at the 17K turning point I was having so much fun and my inner voice said ¨Come on you are having so much fun, dont stop now” I guese it all started on Saturday, I spent the afternoon listening to the classic song ‘dont stop me now, am having such a good time’ by Queen

Am even thinking of making the song my official humming song when I run Stanchart marathon in two weeks time. Humming a song as you run can inspire you to run stronger and faster.

I had prepared well for this final run, I made sure I carried a bottle of water to keep me hydrated. Last year I finished my last run, cramping and feeling sore feet. I wasted a whole week without any training, recovering from the after effects.

Two days after the run am not feeling any negative reaction. Instead of the usual two days rest I have given myself an extra day of rest to ensure full rest and recovery.

My tapering plan is to do speed works to maintain (or even improve) my cardiovascular fitness.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 15 Minutes, 5 Months, Cardiovascular Fitness, Day Of Rest, Good Time, Humming Song, Initial Plan, Inner Voice, Marathon Training, Queen, Sore Feet, Stanchart Marathon, Turning Point

Week 19 was supposed to have been the week when I did my final long run (a 34K run) before I start tapering, but I canceled it. I woke on Sunday morning feeling like my legs were cemented on the ground.

The leg fatigue had built up during the week. I did a 28K run on Sunday followed by two 16K runs, on Wednesday and Friday. The two 16K runs were on high tempo. I guess with the 2009 Stanchart Marathon 3 weeks away am getting excited and running very hard and fast.

Although I had been stretching my legs I had not been massaging. Professional massaging isn’t cheap? I decided to give myself a massage. When I squeezed my calf muscles I felt like screaming. All the stress of running had accumulated inside.

When am walking or running I cant feel the pain but i feel the effect of fatigue in form of slowed pace. No matter how had I try to run I only move in a slow pace.

I suspended my Sunday log run and decided to spend two days massaging myself. I have been squeezing my calf and shin muscles and now my legs are feeling lighter.

As I head into the last two weeks of training I will pay more attention to stretching and massaging.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Calf Muscles, Leg Fatigue, Legs, Marathon Training, Massage, Shin Muscles, Slow Pace, Stanchart Marathon, Stress, Stretching, Sunday Morning, Tempo

Last week I made a full recovery from my achilles tendonitis injury. I managed a total of 42K of running for the week. Two midweek trail running, 5k on wednesday and 10K trail run on friday. My original plan was to do a 21K run on Sunday but I ended up running 28K because my achilles felt fine.

The weather has changed Kenya has shifted from a cold season to a hot season. The shining sun is out all day. I could feel the change in the weather because what would have a routine non stop 28K long run, I had to stop once, around the 21K mark to drink water.

Am now entering the final stage of my marathon training and the biggest challenge will be overcoming the unfriendly weather. Training for a marathon when it is hot and sunny is never easy and I will require to ensure am well hydrated.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Achilles Tendonitis, Change In The Weather, Cold Season, Hot Season, Kenya, Marathon Training, Midweek, Nairobi, Running, Shining Sun, Training For A Marathon, Weather Training

The last two weeks have been frustrating, a nagging achilles tendonitis had refused to heal.

It started as a small pain, I swiftly applied heat but it got bad then I tried an anti-inflammation cream, after one week the Achilles got worse, I was limping! I stopped the medication and tried Ice, although I knew I might be late, most experts think it is useless to use ice after 48 hours.

But the ice seemed to work because the pain started to go away. After two weeks of no running I got back to my love. Last week I did three days of running. On Wednesday, a 5 k run around a grass track, followed the next day by a 2K trail run inside a private ranch. I had hoped running on those soft surfaces would give me a soft landing but I was wrong. After the trail run I felt a bad reaction, my Achilles felt painful. I took a pain killer and took two days rest.

On Sunday everything felt fine, so I did a 16 K run on road. I ran most of the distance comfortably but I could feel a slight pain near the end. I finished the run without any serious reaction and am confident but hopeful the injury is behind me.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Achilles Tendonitis, Grass Track, Inflammation, Love, Marathon Training, Medication, Nairobi, Pain Killer, Private Ranch, Soft Surfaces, Stanchart

Last week was a rest week.I took a one week rest from running. I had been running for four weeks non-stop and my last 28 K long run had been difficult than usually. I had struggle for breath during the last miles and I thought I needed to give my body a rest.

Sometimes you need to take a step backward to make two steps forward.

Rest and getting stronger

Taking a period of time out during a training program is good for your running. The rest period will give your body extra time to recover from the stress of running. Joint muscles are in constant action during running and the impact of road running leads to small tissue tears. A prolonged rest period will allow complete rest of joint muscles and total healing of the tissue tears. Once the body recovers you will be a stronger runner.

Best time to take an extra rest from running.

When you feel your run times are getting slower. Another indicator is if you feel your legs are getting heavier or you are struggling to breath, which is a sign of tired lungs.

Rest can be a stimulant

That one week of rest stimulated my appetite for running. I kept longing for the next run and feeling confident about it.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Appetite, Best Time, Extra Time, Legs, lungs, Marathon Training, muscles, Period Of Time, Rest Period, Running, Stanchart Marathon, Stimulant, Stress, Struggle, Time Out, Two Steps

Last week I had a minor set back. I suffered a slight back problem, a little pain on my back. It happened while I was drinking water. I normaly drink water from a bottle and I guese I overdid things because I pushed my mouth up and head backwards. The head moved far back pushing the spine down hard. Overstretching the spine!

I wasnt feeling the pain most of the time I only felt a slight pain whenever  I swallowed air.

I managed to do the two midweek speed runs without any problem. Yesterday I managed to run a 30 K run and everything went well.Today morning I decided to treat my body to a thermal massage to remove any physical stress that has accumulated in my body.

This year am trying to focus in finding a perfect running technique.

Leg movement

Am trying to ensure my leg swing starts from the hip downward that way I use all my leg muscles. Another area is the foot strike. I want to perfect the technique of pushing foward using the front of the foot. Using the front of the foot is the way to stronger and faster running.

See you next week.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Drinking Water, Foot Strike, Freak Accident, Leg Movement, Leg Muscles, Marathon Training, Massage, Midweek, Physical Stress, Spine, Stanchart Marathon, Swing

After two months of training for 2009 stanchart marathon am feeling good. The last two Sundays I have run two 28K long runs, the first one turned horrible when I suffered a blurred vision near the end. Yesterday I had a strong 28K, I finished the run feeling strong.

Long run marathon training to build fitness.

Until now my training was focused on building physical and cardiovascular fitness by running a long run once per week at a slow pace. Mission accomplished!

Shifting to speed.

My goal this year is to finish the 2009 Stanchart marathon on a New PB of 2.44. I want to now start focusing my marathon training on speed work.

I am now increasing the number of training days by two days. I will be doing two midweek speed works, on Wednesday and Friday.

The speed work will be around a running track. 10 repeats of 2 x 1. That is two fast paced laps followed by a slow recovery run.The follow this with a Sunday long run.

To run like Kenyan runners you have to train like them.

The long run will no longer be a slow paced run, I plan to step up my game by increasing the pace to near my race pace. Kenyan runners are great runners because they do their long run at a race pace.

Staying Injury during training.

My biggest achievement so far has been able to stay injury free. I believe am benefiting from three years of consistent marathon training. When you run consistently over the years all that pounding tends to make your leg, ankle & heel muscles and bones strong.

I hope I can keep it going.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Amp, Blurred Vision, Cardiovascular Fitness, Game, Kenyan Runners, Laps, Marathon Training, Muscles And Bones, Nairobi, Pb, Race Pace, Running Track, Slow Pace, Speed work, Stanchart, Stanchart Marathon, Tens

Am in my 8th week of training for 2009 Stanchart Nairobi Marathon. I had horrible experience yesterday during my weekend long run. I suffered a blurred vision while running, something that I have never experienced in my 3 years of marathon running.

The distance for the long run was 28 Ks and the blurred vision struck at around 22 K. I couldnt see properly beyond 20 metres, reading road signs and billboard advertisement 20 – 30 metres away was a problem. The only thing that kept me going was that I could see colours of cars coming my direction.

I suspected something was wrong at 20K mark when I touched my face and it felt dry and full of white particles. That was a sign of dehydration! A normal runner should be sweating water.

When the blurred vision struck I thought of stopping but with 5K to go I just kept running. The angel in my head was telling me stop but the demon in my heart was telling me keep going, what the hell the finish line is near. My body was feeling good, the leg muscles were fine. I jogged to the end.

When I got back to the house I drunk fluids, water and orange juice. Licked salt pallets. These made me feel 10% better. I rested for two hours and woke up feeling a headache. I tried to eat and found myself eating uncontrollably. It was after stuffing myself with food that I started feeling good again.

Sarkozy wasn’t so lucky

When I sat down to watch the evening news I heard French president Nikolas Sarkozy had collapsed while out jogging. That is when I realised how lucky I was.

I have been checking for information about what happened and I can confirm the blurred vision was a case of dehydration. I had not hydrated properly before the run and the weather was sunny and hot.I  was also wearing new Saucony running shoes and these gave me an incentive to run at a fast pace.

Dehydration increases the risk of heart attack because it increases heart rate. When you are dehydrated your blood thickens and the heart has to beat faster and harder to pump the blood. Blurred vision occurs when you reach heart beats of between 140 – 157 per minute.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Angel In My Head, Billboard Advertisement, Blurred Vision, Collapses, Dehydration, Finish Line, French President, heart attack, heart rate, Horrible Experience, Leg Muscles, Marathon Running, Nikolas Sarkozy, Orange Juice, Reading Road, Risk Of Heart Attack, Road Signs, Saucony Running Shoes, Saucony Shoes, Stanchart