I
felt so bad after the run that I doubted whether I would even write a report
about it but realized one can never have only good runs but will also have to
contend with some bad runs. Victory cant be as sweet without a few strings of
failure.
The
day finally came, the dreaded day. I have been looking forward to this day but
I wasn’t in high spirits the way I always do on the eve of a marathon. My ankle
injury was still there, fresh as ever and this had already put my morale
squarely under my feet since I had not trained the whole week. Either way I still had to go to Ndakaini.
I
had already made a plan B. Incase the pain killers didnt work then I will just
stroll to the 16th kilometer mark and film the elites taking on that
hill. On meeting the crew at Kenya Cinema, I realized I wasn’t the only
casualty. Jack’s pal Jemmo also had a groin injury similar to the one I
suffered a few weeks ago. I shared my pain killers with him. Abo came on board
as Ogutu went MIA and mteja!
The
gun went off and it was all systems go. I regretted why I took a back seat coz
the road was full of slow flabby people who didn’t seem keen on making any
impact. Shoving and dodging became the order of the day and the first kilometer
really drained me. Upon getting a clear road, I couldn’t see Jack’s red cap
despite being able to see quite a distance. I decided to just do what I can
with my situation and shut out the world around me.
I
increased my tempo on the first descent but on leaving the tarmac, the first
sharp bend toward the first hill I felt the pain again. I slowed down a bit and
I could see Jack taking the hill. The hill really stretched my ankle muscle, I
took a walk briefly for about 5 seconds and resumed running. I noticed a white chick up ahead in black
gear and another guy running quite well. I set my eyes on them but in a
conservative manner. Upon clearing the first descent, I realized the pain had
subsided despite the landing impact. I decided to give chase – Jack was now way
ahead together with the white chick together with another guy. I hardly noticed
anybody else thereafter.
My
psychological strength was thwarted immediately I saw hills that I had not
envisioned emerging at every turn. I was in limbo of acute discomfort and too
hazy in the head to do anything about it. The same feeling I had when I
approached the last hill during our group run came flooding over me just after
the eleventh kilometer. I decided to hang on to dear life, my feet were heavy
but in the distance I could see Jack, the white chick and another guy taking
those hills.
For
a moment I saw Jack rush past the white chick and I made a vow that no one else
is gonna pass me and I will maintain the gap between me and that leading pack.
I passed everybody else that fell behind Jack and after the 16th
kilometer final climb I increased the tempo but it was too late to chase the
1:40 record. I later realized that it’s not only about physical strength but
also mental. I played safe, self preservation and thereby had a poor outcome. I
walked away with my energy still in reserve, a damn shame but glad that my
injury didn’t worsen. After dipping my foot on ice, I quickly wished for a
replay of that run. I stuck to my comfort zone, avoided the hills in several
instances but all in all a worthy experience. Back to my world and its time to
focus on two group runs and a new Stanchart record. Here we go!
Upon
reaching the stopping point, I realized my garmin had clocked 1:42:23 in
20.94kms. I must have walked at the commencement of the run without activating
my garmin. I was really unsure about the race, skittish, very skittish. This is
how bad I was damaged by the hills…
1
|
4:18
|
4'18"/km
|
2
|
8:22
|
4'04"/km
|
3
|
12:19
|
3'57"/km
|
4
|
16:41
|
4'22"/km
|
5
|
22:07
|
5'26"/km
|
6
|
27:15:00
|
5'08"/km
|
7
|
32:04:00
|
4'49"/km
|
8
|
37:07:00
|
5'03"/km
|
9
|
41:26:00
|
4'19"/km
|
10
|
47:44:00
|
6'18"/km
|
*Fastest
|
51:31:00
|
3'47"/km
|
12
|
57:15:00
|
5'44"/km
|
13
|
1:02:19
|
5'04"/km
|
14
|
1:07:04
|
4'45"/km
|
15
|
1:12:09
|
5'05"/km
|
16
|
1:18:17
|
6'08"/km
|
17
|
1:24:59
|
6'42"/km
|
18
|
1:29:02
|
4'03"/km
|
19
|
1:33:45
|
4'43"/km
|
20
|
1:38:10
|
4'25"/km
|
2 comments:
Thanks for the report. Its very interesting. I think that probably ur injury was the least of the negative factors that undermined ur performance. I would think that the biggest issues were (1) mental - lack of confidence in being able to execute, lack of warrior mentality hence being 'beaten' by the hills and (2) lack of sharpness - dullness coming from not running throughout the week. This lack of sharpness is what forced u to give less than 100% and stop fighting when the goin got tough but I suspect you gave more than 95% coz u didnt do that badly and u improved ur PR! I am sure you cant wait to hammer them hills in 12 months time and make a statement! Thank the race for that: injecting u with hunger. Like we say, there is no failure. There is only.... Anyways, congrats. Be proud of what u did. Coz u did the best u could at the time and that is all that matters. You can imagine what our guy would have to tell u if he met you at the end of the race: you ran superbly! And u were injured!
Very very true...I cant agree more!
Post a Comment