Well since my last post I have come down with what appears to be a common cold. Started to get a fever on Saturday night, and returns every afternoon, along with a cough/sore throat. The roommate had the same thing a few days earlier, so I am not too worried. It is pretty tough to stay calm when you have a fever here in Africa, and keep your mind from jumping to conclusions. I picked up some meds from the pharmacist yesterday and already I feel back on track.
Took today off of training to give myself a chance to recover fully. I don't think I was doing myself any favor by running yesterday though. Sunday and Monday sure hadn't shaken the beating from Saturday, my butt hurt so bad that the only that didn't make me wince was actually going uphill! I have met half of the town and probably 85% of the athletes here, with 75% of them still convinced I am coach/manager who can give them $$ or a passport to races.
Locals have informed me that the rainy season here is during April, but it has rained every single day that I have been here. When it does we just wait until about 11 AM to run, giving the roads a chance to dry out. Running around here it's impossible to find any route devoid of hills. The general format that most the athletes follow on a basic run; shuffle jog 10min, easy pace 10 min, mod pace rest of run and hard pace last 1-2km. Everyone wheres long sleeves and sweatsuits, if not they wear tights. I tried it but feel like a wrestler trying to drop a few pounds. I already stick out, so who cares if I am the only one in short sleeves and shorts?
They eat big portions here of ugali, rice, lentils and anything else they are serving. We purchase fresh fruits and veggies from the market stand most evenings, for our meals. So the food situation is not bad at all. Although I relegated to drinking bottled water all the time for precaution.
I have been watching the Olympics, and marvel at international coverage of T&F. They show every event and all participants, with minimal blabbering or sob stories. Roommates and friends were pretty fired up yesterday after Kenya took 2 golds, 1 silver & bronze in Men 3kSC and Wmn 800m.
If anyone has any questions about what it's like out here I would love to answer them.
Hope all is well in USA.
A journal to follow my travels through Kenya. Hopefully a window into the training methods of some of the best runners in the world.
6 comments:
I would be interested to know about fueling and hydration during training runs. What do they eat or drink?
Adam
Hey Neil,
Whats the youngest runner you have seen over there? How do these people get so "good", besides the training, is it in their blood, just what you do over there, no c ars so you just learn to walk/run everywhere you go? We love following your journey!
Thanks for all the scoop, Neil - it's great to keep up with you on your blog. I hope your cold goes away quickly. (maybe you SHOULD wear tights and long-sleeves!) Don't catch any other Kenyan germs!
Mer
Hi Neil, Hope you are feeling better., and your training is going well.
Joe
Hi Neil, got your blog address at the store today. glad you arrived safely and your training is going well.
Joe
Adam,
Fueling? Try butter on wheat bread with about 2-4 cups of milky sugar laden tea after a run. Nothing during, I make sure to hydrate before as best as I can.
Gotbeters,
Youngest runner? Well there are High school runners, but age is relative here. If I told you the truth about the real age of the "18 & 19 yr olds" on the world level, it would shock you (think way older).
Mer,
Unfortunately I think I caught that nast AMERICAN version of the common cold, from my Kenyan buddy. He had it when he got off the plane four days after I arrived. Plus they were tights and jackets in 75 degree weather, a crime as far as I am concerned.
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