Day 3: Training for 42km - Tuesday 2nd October, 2012:  Weight myself - 73kgs! that's a shocker although I am fully dressed in official clothes, shoes, phone and even with a novel but that ain't right. This is disturbing with only a few 3wks to go i gotta dump 3kgs in the next two weeks!

21km in 1:48 - I can feel my weight - The road is too crowded with all types of pedestrians - I have to keep dodging, nudging, shoving, pushing, squeezing to find my way through. The fumes from vehicles make breathing continuously uncomfortable coupled with the relentless wind blowing against me. The pain on my upper right thigh isn't making things any better but i gotta push on.

Day 2: Training for 42 Km - Sunday 30th September, 2012
Leave early at 5:40am: 4kms - 19mins, 7kms - 33mins, 10kms - 47mins, 12kms - 58mims (The upper hill climb takes a toll on me I guess its coz I didnt do much running during the week and gained some extra weight in the process.
15kms - 1:13, 21kms - 1:41, 27kms - 2:09 - Struggle to have a repeat of my personal best time on this route.So my P.B. still stands at 2:09:51.
Vow to have two 21km runs during the week so as to improve my agility on this route and come up with a better time. Develop an injury on my right upper thigh -I strained myself in the last two kms. So far so good.

After Ndakaini...Stanchart is next!

 

After the damaging hills of Ndakaini, I decided to take a break and psychologically analyze my situation and think through on how to handle the sub 1:40 quest that has been a national anthem within our ranks since last year. I am planning to have a new anthem after Stanchart marathon thats for sure i.e. a sub 1:30 or something better which speaks volumes and leaves an ordinary person turning mental cartwheels and handsprings....something like being a contender in the next Stanchart marathon  lineup for 42km - now that's a mouthful.

Ndakaini - 15th September, 2012 - 21kms in 1:49

With that in mind I psyched myself up yesterday and hit the road to test the state of my legs (tendons in particular). My aching tendons were back to normal and I surely did an easy 21km in 1:45 despite the dust and human traffic in outer ring road. The break has done more good than I had anticipated - I have developed new motivation and energy to handle the next impending task ahead. Mombasa road had less human traffic but I had to contend with a merciless wind blowing incessantly against me and slowing down my pace every time I pick up speed. I know this is good for building up stamina and endurance since i am looking foward to participating in the ultimate race in the next four weeks, so i take it with a smile.

I have been challenged by my arch rival (the 1:38 guy not the Ndakaini guy coz his performance was mediocre and shambolic) - he claims he will do a 90 minute run in 21 kilometers in Stan chart but Jack cant wait to get a piece of him and has already taken a bring it on kinda attitude. Phew! I am thinking this is tough and for the first time in years, I shiver at this thought - i am already stuck between a rock and a hard surface. I gotta weasel ma way outta this one - pop! goes the weasel. Its possible, its very possible.This is good for my mental state - let the games begin!