Monday, September 26, 2016

Week 5 - Pushing Begins

S - 33K in 3:15
I started too fast and then I had problems with a stitch and then my abdominal muscles were cramping.
Note: Increase core exercises, start slowly and maintain an even pace and consider speed runs.
My Garmin lost GPS connection at 26.69Kms
M AM 8k - Garmin died at 4.5Kms PM: 10k slow-recovery
T AM 23K.PM 10k recovery with pickups
W AM 18K easy
T AM 6K (stop the scheduled 25K when knees threaten to blow up)

Total 107K

Friday, September 23, 2016

Week Four - StepDown Week

This has been a stepdown week. Low energy levels, crazy work schedule, muscular pains, screaming shins, strange and unexpected injuries, ravenous appetite, too much tarmac and concrete and no dusty trails and general fuckery that's not good for a runner preparing for a full.
God damn!
No matter. I will take it. Next week we start pushing.
S 30
M 8+12 (world of pain)
T 8+ strange injury walk 7k (hungry)
W 7k (tired and hungry)
T 22k
Total 94k
Onwards and upwards.
5 weeks of training remaining.

Cheers

Friday, September 16, 2016

Week 3 - Egerton

Done for the week
After the 31k on Sunday my left calf was acting up but with massage and foam roller (I improvised with a round water bottle) its now okay. I will give more attention to my knee because its also sending some signals. I have already started lunges, clam shells and side leg raises.
I pushed a little in the 17k on Tuesday but I still need one more easy week before I start upping the intensity. Slowly.
Without further ado, this was my week. Most of it around Egerton University.
SUN___AM__31__PM___Off_
MON___AM__15_PM__7__
TUE___AM__17__PM__8__
WED___AM__15_PM__10__
THU___AM__12__PM__Off_
FRI____Off
SAT___Off
Total__115k
115k for the week. I will take it. Onwards and upwards folks! Keep grinding. Every mile counts.

Friday, September 9, 2016

NOW, ABOUT THOSE FARTS...

When you run, you will fart, or toot, or pass gas - take your pick.
You will. It’s that simple. Just like when you are in love, you will get hurt. Not necessarily heartbreak hurt, but hurt nonetheless.
Farts, like other calls of nature, are a fact of life. Runners, especially, will fart even more. Hence this discussion.

Everybody farts. Ok? So let’s just get that out of the way. Even you, dear reader. Yes. You there.

Today we shall discuss the nature of farts, kinds of farts and how to handle farts.

Of course, if you eat foods that cause flatulence, you will fart even more. Some fart blasts last a full 15 seconds and can be heard from dozens of meters away. And their blast wave can envelop people within a 20 meters radius.

The sound of farts, though embarrassing, is often not the problem but the smell of farts. From boiled eggs to dead rabbits, the spectrum of fart smells is rich beyond imagination. Many farts have marked beginnings of lifelong friendships and no friendship has ever ended because of a fart. But I digress.

Farting can be embarrassing. Ever run into those silent but deadly fart clouds left by the runner ahead while running? And when you pass you assess their behinds then their faces in holier-than-thou disgust?

When you try to hold the fart in, due to the jarring nature of running, the fart may end up escaping as a SQUEAK - a squeak sounds like a door squeaking open. But the sound is still unmistakably farty.

Or sometimes it escapes as a BRRRR or VUVUZELA fart - a brr sounds like high pressure gas escaping from a narrow, vibrating space.

Now what can you do when you toot in a run?

1. Pretend it never happened. Feign ignorance like an ostrich with its head deep in the sand. Say hi to your victim(s), smile sweetly and remark about the great weather. It may distract them from the near death experience.
2. Make similar sounds like the fart sound with your mouth, armpits or feet or any available body part that can produce a similar sound. This can work very well when your gas is odorless.
3. Blame any rookie nearby, or the city council for not keeping the city clean.
4. Ask, "Is there a dead animal nearby?" and wear a mask of disgust and complete terror.
5. Own up, roll your eyes in exasperation and blame the cabbages and beans you ate. Call them terrible and apologize.
6. Own up and laugh uncontrollably at yourself in embarrassment. Chuckle, cover your eyes with your hands so that your victims feel you are the victim of huge embarrassment that you can’t hide from. They will reach out and tell you it’s okay, we all fart.

If you do have to fart, first assess the wind direction. If the wind is blowing towards a crowd, you may want to consider whether farting is a good idea, of whether you can hold it and wait for a better time.

  1. If there is no wind that can give you away, check your left hand side and behind you
  2. If the coast is clear, check your right hand side and behind you.
  3. If the coast is clear again, prepare to let go. Ensure it’s not haja kubwa masquerading as a fart because if you make the mistake, even I can’t advise you out of that mess of mistaken identity.
  4. Now,…ready?
  5. Let go.
  6. Enjoy the ensuing relief, quietly thank God for the genius of inventing farts and continue with your run.
We shall next talk about blocked noses while recovering from colds and how you can safely convert your nasal contents into projectiles that won’t hurt anyone as you run.
Happy running!

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Week 2: Testing My Limits



This was an interesting week. I only had four days to log in the mileage of the week amidst a busy work schedule.
On Monday I had toilet drama and I had to go at 10K – and I used the roadside bushes to great relief - the person who invented roadside bushes is a mf genius!
And then I stumbled in the dark on a rocky, torturous route for 8K like a complete idiot. On Wednesday I bit more than I could chew, ended up with an empty tank and had to resort to run-walk in order to complete the workout.
Amateurish crap! Can you believe that shit? Dis-gusting. Nkt!
But like I keep saying, the beginning of wisdom is the ability to laugh at yourself.
The greatest thing is that I didn’t get an injury (and that’s my number one priority). And I am so glad the training days for the week are over! I can’t wait to sleep up to 6:20AM for the next two days! Yay! The other great thing is that I completed the workout as scheduled and I am also sure I am achieving my second goal of weight loss. I shall now begin my long slow runs next week while maintaining relatively the same weekly mileage. I only pray or patience to keep it slow and easy for the next three weeks then we can start injecting some speed once we know we have strong legs.
I need to remind myself about the basic principles: It ALL counts. Run the mile you are in. Long Slow Runs. Build Mileage First, speed later. 
Without further ado, here are the workouts.

Monday_____8+22
Tuesday_____16+14
Wednesday__22+5
Thursday____15+5
TOTAL_____107K
Next week, we start long runs. Onwards and Upwards!

Friday, September 2, 2016

Coming Back

This is my comeback week. I registered for 42K so there is no time for pussy footing and half assing. Of course, while observing reasonable care.
Because two of the injuries I got this year were both obtained when I was trying to produce fast tempo runs, I have decided to be humble and set speed aside.
I just want to run.
Because I know my cardio is fine, I also know I can cover long distances, the only problem is that my body is not ready so I have to take it slowly.
But I also learnt that I need to shed 12Kgs to get to my race weight.
To strengthen my legs while also burning lots of fat, what I need is high mileage. I started slowly but traveled to Kigali on Monday. Kigali is hilly and so my knees said No to going slowly on the downhills and so I increased speed a little and was running much faster from wednesday.
This week is 96K. Hell yeah. I will take it.
I now rest for two days and hope to hit 100K next week.
Keep rolling folks!
Sunday          15   
Monday        16   
Tuesday        12+6
Wednesday   16   
Thursday      18   
Friday          13   
TOTAL        96.3   

Friday, July 29, 2016

Training for the Full Begins NOW!!!!!

In Maanzoni. I am trying to neutralize tight hammies and a painful lower back and knee. So far so good. This week 58K. I aim for 65K next week with a 18K long run. Upwards and Onwards!
M - 4k
T - 11k
W - 15k
T - 11k
F - 16k


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

I am Back

Yeah.
I shouldo discovered the frog pose earlier.