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

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

Suffering injuries is part of the deal of choosing a running lifestyle.

The last week I suffered my first injury as I continue training for 2009 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. I have suffered an Achilles Tendonittis in other words it is an inflammation of the Achilles. For a good description look at the image below.

If I was to take an x-ray of my leg it would look something like that.

Thanks to the injury I had to cancel one day of speed work and I have decided to cancel my weekly long run.

I have this nagging pain on the area, it is not serious and I could still run with the pain but I have decided to take precaution and avoid see it turn into something more serious. After all time is on my side, I started marathon training two months ago and I have made great progress and I still have two more months before the marathon. Start your training early and you will have time to treat inevitable injuries and get back to training.

What caused the Achilles Tendinitis.

I speculate it has something today with the changes in my training. The last two week I have been doing serious speed work and I guese the fast running was more than my body could handle.

Treatment of the Achilles tendinitis

A one week rest,wearing my sports shoes instead of my heavy boots to work, a few calf muscle strength exercise plus applying an anti-inflammation cream should heal the archilles tendonitis.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: achilles tendinitis, Achilles Tendonitis, Achilles Tendons, Archilles, Calf Muscle, Cancel, Heavy Boots, Inflammation, Lifestyle, Marathon Training, Muscle Strength, Nairobi, Precaution, Shoes Boots, Speed work, Speedwork, Sports Shoes, Stanchart Marathon, Standard Chartered, Strength Exercise, Suffering, tendon, Time Is On My Side, X Ray

Waking up at the middle of the night is a problem I have whenever I start training for a marathon. I no longer consider it a sleeping problem but an effect of marathon training.

For the last two months since i started training for October Nairobi Marathon, every night my sleep is interrupted, it is usually a case of a full bladder. After emptying it I get back to bed and get back sleeping within no time.

Waking up at night is a good sign for a runner.

The full bladder that wakes me up at night is because of my hydration. To run properly a runner must drink plenty of water to remain hydrated. I always make sure am drinking a minimum of two litres a day to replace lost fluid during running.

While it is inconveniecing to wake up in the middle of the night, I think it is a small price to pay. The most important thing for me is to run properly and that means staying hydrated.

Waking up at night is a sign my hydration is up to standard.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Cant Sleep, Full Bladder, Hydration, Last Two Months, Marathon Training, Nairobi, sleep, Sleeping Problem

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

Saucony running shoes are not as common as Nike running shoes. But after I have repeatedly seen Saucony shoe adverts on Runners world magazine and I have decided to give the shoes a try.(who said advertising doesn’t work?)

I intend to use them in my training for 2009 Stanchart Nairobi marathon.

Although the sole looked more like that of a trail running shoe I just thought the shoe would be great for tarmac running. According to the manufacturer, the the outsole features XT900 rubber compound in the heel. I dont know what that means but I hope it makes running softer and easier.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Adverts, Marathon Running, Marathon Training, Nairobi, Nike, Nike Running Shoes, nike shoes, Rubber Compound, runners world magazine, Running Marathon, Running Shoe, Running Training, Saucony Hurricane, Saucony Shoes, Sole, Stanchart, Trail Running, Training Running, Training Shoe, Training Shoes

Am starting my training for 2009  Stanchart Nairobi marathon. I have had a seven months rest from serious running. During that time I learn’t how to swim.

My running goal this year is to finish the 2009 stanchart marathon in a time of around 2.45. My personal best is 2.56. I will be a smiling runner if I can be able to shelve 10 more minutes from my PB.

Am confident I can run faster. At the finish line of 2008 Stanchart marathon my legs felt strong, no fatigue & no cramps. I had this feeling that I could still keep running another 10k.

Taking My Running To the Next level

This year I will build on the strength of my three years of marathon running. I believe my body is now physically strong and it can cope  with stress of more weekly miles and faster running.

Advantages of many months of training

To reach to my goal am dedicating 5 months of serious training. More training time means, no over training, more rest and fewer running injuries. If I suffer the unfortunate injury at least I will have enough time to recover.

In the month of June I will focus on cardiovascular fitness. I will do this by  accumulating as many miles I can at a slow pace. I will also assessing my physical condition to see whether I might be carrying a running injury that I might not be aware of.

In July, that is when I will start on speed work. Am yet to decide on my actual mileage and exact tactics so keep reading as I will keep posting my plans and progress.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 5 Months, Amp, Cardiovascular Fitness, Cramps, fatigue, Finish Line, Marathon Running, Mileage, Month Of June, Nairobi, Next Level, Pb, Personal Best, Running Injuries, running injury, Serious Training, Seven Months, Slow Pace, Speed work, Stanchart Marathon