Biked

I biked today. It was better than the previous times. I did it for 50mins and burnt 480 calories. I dont know whether that is good or bad but I had a good workout. And its a great break for my sore legs. I ordered for my garmin yesterday and Tim Noakes' lore of running.

Meanwhile Meb beat Lel in 2011 San Diego Half marathon. Here is a pic.

Cheers.
A

2 Hour Run - Done with Groups

My weight seems to have increased last week so I was not going to miss my long run for anything. I have been having a cold and a cough so I wasn't feeling too great when I woke up. I woke up at about 6:20 because I planned to join the so-called Nike running group at Galerria Mall at 7:00am sharp.
I was tired of running on the tarmac and was eager to discover softer routes with a group even though I was concerned that 7:00am was a tad late.

At any rate, after parking I found a group of guys engaged in stretching and warm up. There were two kids aged about 5 or six years and I wondered if they could handle the distance I had in mind. Anyways, we started warming up and I was observing my buddies shapes and I could see that these were very heavy guys whose bodies are not accustomed to intensive exercise and I wondered...Plus, we were doing all these on the tarmac and I came here because I wanted nothing to do with the tarmac...

After running about a little some guys joined us and I heard some guys saying those were Hash Harriers. They joined us and we started warming up. After about 7 minutes, another group joined us. The guy who is in the best shape introduced himself and said he wanted us to get warmed up for about 20 minutes then we would work on our abs, calves etc.

20 whole minutes?!!! I screamed inside. I looked at the guys around me and two of the heavyset types were sweating profusely. Then it dawned on me!
I was with the wrong group. These were fitness enthusiasts, not runners. Where was the Nike running group? I looked around desperately.

Okay, I decided. 20 minutes already wasted. I won't waste a minute more. I have 25K to cover.
So I just told the nearest guy that I will be back and I ran off. I didnt care to find out. Even if they are the Nike or Puma running group, anyone who wants to waste my 30 mins on warming up cant work with me.

I decided to run to Karen shopping center and come back. So off I went. But after about 20 minutes I was feeling weak and my legs were heavy. Fine, I wasn't feeling so well but was it this bad? I struggled on. I resolved that since I had money in my pocket, if I got overwhelmed I would take a mat. So I soldiered on, past Hillcrest, past Karen Hospital and thats when I realized there is quite a distance between Galleria and Karen shopping center, and a bend and some inclines to cover before reaching Karen shopping center. But I wasnt so strong. Do I make a U turn after 45mins?
I wasnt going to return a half assed 1:30mins run on a Sunday morning so I soldiered on and I reached Karen Shopping Center after 45mins. I decided to go right past it to the other world. And I passed some small hills and school kids and Defense Academy until I reached some lane called Mudodo lane at 1:00:42 and I turned round.
My energy rose and fell intermittently on my way back till I reached Galleria after 2 hours then I stretched and did the other strengthening exercises.

I made a few decisions:
No more group runs for me. I will run alone. I may join groups for races, but not for exercises. I know my goals, I know my problems, I know my times, my schedule, my priorities, I know my desires, I know my weaknesses and I know my strengths and I know what to do. I dont need a group so thats the end of my dalliance with groups. We will meet at the races.

I will do slow hill runs on Sundays on a dirt pavement (for 2 hours) and do 2 hour long runs every fortnight.
This way, I will get everything I need until I am faster.

Lets see what this week brings. I did an easy 50 mins recovery run today. Here is Clay Guida after defeating Pettis in UFC 131.

Cheers guys,

50 mins - I have a cold

I did my last 50mins for this week today. It was a slow one but it felt great because I have managed to get out there and do it four times in a row. And getting out there every day is what is needed. They say champions are made when nobody is watching so I am content with where I am. My shins are happier even though my knees are acting up. But I have upped my lunges so I expect the knees to cool down.
I have been having a cold for three days now and yesterday I had to go to hospital to get something for my cough and to clear my nostrils. So against my wife's insistence that I take a rest, I have banked my 200mins this week. My weight is not doing very well but then again, traveling always pushes it off its course.
Tomorrow I rest. Sunday I am thinking of joining the Nike running group at Galeria and hope to do 25K. If I can get dusty routes, that would be excellent.
Here is Jeter. What, you dont know her? You should.

Problems with Shipping from Amazon

I did 50 mins today and yesterday. And I will do another 50mins tomorrow. Now I want to buy a Garmin from Amazon but they all say against the products: "This item cannot be shipped to the address you selected. (Learn more.) You may either change the shipping address or remove the item by clicking Delete."

I don't know what to do now.
Damn.

Beginning of 50min runs

I started 50 mins runs today. I found a field near the hotel we are staying. Apparently, Mombasa has a problem with homeless families who have turned part of the field into a toilet, bedroom, bathroom, dining table and playing field. And what that means is that approaching that part of the field incurred one with a nauseating smell. Its a smell of the mixture of recycled human sweat, spiced grime, dust and unwashed human dead cells, human faeces and the smell of unwashed clothes that has gathered food particles and human waste.
What that meant was that I restricted myself to one end of the field.
That is done anyways. Gotta keep it up now.

24K Run

I did a 24K run on Sunday on hills. I was faster and I felt strong throughout even though I took about 2:22. Today I have rested coz that tarmac is killing me and my shins were painful and there is a gnawing ache in my knee which is a signal that I should ensure my quads are stronger. Tomorrow I resume. I am in Mombasa but I have carefully strolled about the place looking for a soft landing and I saw a small field I can use. I was lucky enough to have errands to run and walk around so tomorrow I expect to wake up with my legs feeling much much better. No matter, this week, no more frenzied speed runs on tarmac. I start 50mins runs tomorrow. I intend to shed more weight, faster and much more steadily.
Rampage beat Hamill to a decision in UFC 130.

Cheers

43 mins

Did that. On the field. It went well. I want to concentrate on Volume for the month of June. Volume Volume, Volume. Speed will do about 5-10% of my workouts.
I will start waking up at 4:30 and bringing in 12K per day by end of June. Its time to get insane.
Tomorrow, I want to strap my legs on the bike and ride it until I burst into flames. Then Sunday, 26K.
Looking forward to UFC 130 tomorrow. Rampage vs Hamill.

Changing the Training Approach

I think I am too focused on speed and I have ended up suffering and not getting faster as I desire. Its because I am impatient, I have no base, I am lazy and I am looking for a shortcut. I need to focus on mileage first then speed can come later when I can rake 70Kms per week.
So the first thing is, no more weekly speed/tempo runs. I will do speed only during the last 10 mins of my runs. And all these runs will be on the field, not on tarmac or concrete.
I will bike on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Biking will be for anaerobic/speed purposes.
I will start 50 mins running per day next week. Then one hour the week after that.
I will continue adding mileage in my long runs until the 30Kms mark.
I am buying a garmin (see below). This should help me lots. In more ways than you can imagine.
I will only taste the tarmacs on Sundays.
I ran today for 43 mins. My shins are aching. Damn. Its yesterdays speed run on tarmac.
This is a Garmin Forerunner 310XT.

They say that this baby can do the following:

• Waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim
• Tracks bike and run data and sends it wirelessly to your computer
• Track your position, distance, pace, heart rate (with bundled monitor), add accessories to measure power data and more
• 20 hours of battery life
• One-year limited warranty

Cheers.
A

Tempo Run

I did a 40 mins tempo run today. Not much seems to have changed speedwise. My weight has upped a little.
Yesterday I discovered someone who is 47 and having the same goals as me: to become the fastest I can be before I grow old.
Swamped with work.
Cheers.
A

22K LSR

I did a 22K LSR today, crossing the 20K barrier for the first time this year. I intend to keep it that way for the rest of the year most sundays if not all.

My shins feel better. I did a 40mins run today. I would like to drop to 84Kgs by the end of this week.

Speed runs and mo miles, here I come.

I got a stationery bike yesterday so there is no stopping now. My baby at 21 weeks and the mother, my sweet wife.

 

Ana 40 mins - Tired

I did ana 40 mins then iced my feet. Yes, the dirt is good for my legs. I am tired and it has "overtraining" written all over it.

A

40 Mins Easy - on Pitch

On Sunday, having cleaned my clock, GK remarked that the dusty patch of earth near where I live is ideal for running because it is, well, dusty and therefore cushioning for the feet. He said he wished he had something like that near where he stays.

Today I decided to divert from my normal route and try that dusty patch that is normally packed with dozens of kids playing football every evening. Its normally a frenzy of dusty, sweat streaked football activities. About four matches at a time spanning various age groups. But the fields are not connected and have stones and gulleys between them so I picked the widest and the most even one.

At 5:30 am the lights from Kibera and nearby buildings are like moonlight on that patch and so I started running round it with that not-so-good visibility. By about 5:40am a footballer arrived and was doing some exercises in the middle of the field. I ran on as he busied himself with his ball.

I ran for 40 mins and it was good. Even my feet felt happy to take a break away from the concrete and tarmac. This is probably my ticket out of the quagmire of the splintered shins that has been killing me every fuckin day.

Of course, the thing about it is that its a relatively flat surface and also because its not that well lit so I cant risk running too fast. What I can do is  take the next two weeks as healing weeks and just run and see how my shins handle it.

I am starting to run 5X a week this week and I plan to buy a stationery bike over the weekend for cross training. If my shins heal I will be doing speed-work twice a week: once on the field and once on the hill and then on Sunday, Long Distance Runs.

It is time to add mileage and to grow faster and stronger and leaner. I am all over this shit. Believe me when I tell ya. War on the guys that handed me my ass on a platter.
Todays eye candy is a moment during this year's Boston Marathon.

A

40 Mins Tempo Intervals

It was supposed to be a run with 5mins tempo intervals but I was going too fast and ended up doing 3mins ones. Which is not very helpful.
 At any rate, I will be focusing on speed and mileage in the next several months. And yes, weight loss.
RIP Samuel Wanjiru.

Handed my Ass

Those who didn't turn up, I am happy for you because it was a fast, gruelling race. I don't know how you would have fared but considering I was back-pedalling in the 15k run in order not to leave the team too far behind, it would have been something akin to gazelles running with Buffaloes. At any rate, my weaknesses showed and I didn't fare very well even though that is the best run I have had this year because it pushed me. I was tested immediately the run started. And before halfway, it was clear I had fallen short of the glory I thought I deserved.

Gachanja was at the assembly area early, kitu 5:30am. GK arrived at about 5:50am. We stretched and chatted a little. Gachanja was saying we shouldn't leave him behind because he has not been training for a while and I was thinking baby-sitting is not what we want to do today but I told him he is the one who will probably leave us behind. Of course I didnt mean this. This was my route. I had ran that distance twice. I owned this route.

At any rate, at about 6am, we were off. We hung on together for about 800 metres then GK started floating away with his feather touch gait that I usually see in elite runners. I didn't want to push too hard, lest poor Gacho gasses out so we stuck together behind GK and let him be the pacemaker. I sped up a little and Gach hang on with me. By 2.5K it was clear GK was not going to babysit us and Gach could hold his own quite well. So I sped up and Gach sped up. The gloves were off and GK was within sight but going and going and not looking back to check on how his babies were faring. Between 4 and 6Kms, we sped up and kept GK within sight. I tried using a fast tempo and couldn't shake Gach off so I used surges. I was not closing the distance between GK and myself and Gach was now ahead. I had been systematically dragged out from my comfort zone and now I was in a strange territory and I didn't know what would happened next. Would my lungs and throat overheat? Would lactic acid accumulate in my muscles faster than my body could clear them?

And I was clearly running faster than I have ever run this year. Much much faster. I watched the trees and buildings rush past. I let my feet go.

Yet Gach was ahead and GK was disappearing from sight. Is this for real?

But then I thought, well, slow down. This is 19K, not 10K and not 15K. We still have a distance to battle it out. So I relaxed and these guys slowly drifted out of sight and I ran after them. I sped up after TMall and by the time I reached HighRise, we were 10 mins faster than we were at the speed we did the 15K run. I took the High Rise hill slowly and just after I had cleared it, while approaching the Mbagathi junction flyover, I saw GK and Gach at the opposite side of the road coming back!

And I was like 1Kms from the turning point!

Okay, so then it dawned on me that I was the underdog and these guys were handing me my ass. Royally and without ceremony. On a bright Sunday morning. Clear as daylight. And there was no card I could pull from any hat to alter this outcome.
So I slowed down and adopted my slow pace. I reached the turning point at the bridge in Ngumo at 55 mins, which is ten mins faster than my training pace.

I wished I had a stitch or an injury to use as an excuse for being outclassed. No. In fact, I was feeling strong. I was just a slow runner. And, yes, heavy. And Gachanja had successfully pulled what Nderitu tried to pull on me and Sikuku in 2007. Nderitu of course, failed. In retrospect, when Gach said he had been off training for a while, he probably meant off for two days.

Gachanja's tank was empty after about 15Kms but I was too far behind to catch up so, even though he walked and I didn't, he still cleared 10 mins ahead. So GK cleared in 1:37, Gach in 1:45 and I in 1:55.
And that was that. We stretched, swapped stories, did a post-moterm of the race and had breakfast.

That was a fabulous run and it has made me a better runner. I consider myself tested. I am more motivated to work harder and to improve my speed. I learnt quite a bit from GK. Thanks Gach and GK. Now we need to plan for the next run. 12th June 2011. Any proposals for other routes? Joram? Gachanja? Sikuku unahama ama auhami?
Cheers.
A

Ana 48 mins run

Yesterday and today I also ran. I dont know whether its because I am wearing sports shoes the whole day but the tarmac seems to be kinder to my legs. Shins still ache but its manageable. Today I went back to the Tuesday hill after doing a not-that-hilly route yesterday. And Rwanda is kind to me. Yesterday and today, it started raining just after I had come from my run.
At any rate, I am faster, stronger and better. my position has improved. Lets see how today rolls. Cheers.

46Mins on Hilly town

I went for an easy run today. Easy because this place, Kigali, is concrete on the pavement and I dont want to kill my feet. But man, oh man, hills! There are hills here. I have not been disciplined dietwise in the past 2 days but from kesho I need to watch it. Below, I am taking it easy. As much as a guy in a shirt and shoes can. Cheers.

19K LSR

I went for a 19K LSR on Sunday. I made it faster than last weeks LSR. It has been raining so I didnt run in the dirt paths as much as I would have liked to but oh well, runners find ways. Right? So I did. Man, cant wait to see the 3mins long highrise hill kill my running buddies. It took me 2:06mins.
It went well. I am learning to touch the ground swiftly and softly with my feet and also learning to concentrate on faster strides, quicker steps as opposed to longer strides for speed.
The position of my shins is ambiguous but I think it is better. I just hope it heals by end of May coz I am raring to speed up.
I am in Rwanda now and tomorrow I will go for a morning run. Hilly place here. I just measured my resting heart rate It is 58 bpm and topend spots rates this as the heart rate found in athletes. Great!

40 mins Hard - better

Today I woke up with my mind in mint condition. Instead of attacking the first hills with blind fury and fighting through the first 1.8K and getting gassed out early, I decided to be tentative and tactful. So I started slowly and picked the pace after about 600m. And I concentrated on leg turnover as opposed to stride length.
At any rate, I was faster and I am now approaching 8K for 40mins. So my position has improved.
 As I build my mileage, cut weight and improve technique, I know I will get faster. I am traveling to Rwanda next week. While there, I will ease up on speed a little and concentrate on mileage. Then after 16th May, I revert to working on speed. Here is US sprinter Alyson Felix.

A

Easy 40 Mins

Yeah. Tadey. Shins aching so al prolly rest tomorrow.

2:04 Mins LSR

I did a 18K LSR on hills on Sunday. It went quite well and I took about two hours, two mins. I avoided the tarmac as much as I could and added another tough hill on my path. I decided to take it slow and easy since I was doing that route for the first time. It went quite well and today I returned with a hard 40 mins. My speed has improved and I will keep pushing.
Is my position worse or improved? My position is improved because my shins are aching less and I am increasing my mileage.
Here is Mark Hominick's face afterv the fight with Jose Aldo in UFC 129 on Saturday.

 For the record, I haven't seen anything YET to convince me Osama is dead.
Cheers.
A

40 Mins - Hard

After taking the day off yesterday, and patiently icing my shins as I ruminated on this nagging shin injury, I decided to go for a hard tempo run today. I am exercising so there is no problem in experimenting with starting hard, or so I thought. If I burn out, it doesnt matter: its just this week's me racing against last week's me. I carefully warmed up my calves and shin muscles (my problem areas) and sedately ensured my back, waist and knees are warmed up and stretched. All this while, as I did this, I started a fire in my head and stoked it with every warm up move. Then I blew this flame into a conflagration that seeped into my entire system. I was fired up baby!

By the time I stepped out of the house at about 5:30 in the AM, there was Dante's raging inferno in my eyes and my heart was tightly coiled, ready to explode. Mortals were lucky not to be prowling around at that time because making eye-contact with the red hot embers that were my eyes would have resulted in instant death for any unlucky mortal too slow to avert their curious eyes. After surveying the next dozen yards and seeing no obstacle in my path, I tapped my watch and exploded from the house like a canon aiming for cataclysmic destruction at a distant object.

Both gates were open and I flew past them into the chilly dawn. I decided to stay active and attack the hills like someone in a fight. Fight through each second no autopilot drifting. And so I went, air rushing in a loud torrent in and out of my lungs through my nostrils like a bull pulling a plough. By the time 9 minutes had elapsed, I knew I would go farther than I have ever gone in 20 minutes this year. And I did. In fact, I was so satisfied, I turned back after 19:33.

It started raining after 27 Minutes and I got pretty well rained on by the time it was 40 mins. I had to skip lunges and one session of heel-toe walksbecause of the rain.
Tomorrow I rest. Sunday I go for a Two hour long slow run then next week I work myself up into an insane rage and attack the hills again like something from hell.

Btw, we have UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields this weekend. I fucking simply can't wait.

Here is Devila Desiree of USA, she was second in Boston this year. Kara was 5th or something. Quietly note her concentration, focus and composure as she plays pacesetter to the raging gazelles surging and lurching behind her.

A

40 Mins Easy

I did an easy 40 mins today. Shins ached so I iced them. Will see how I fare in the course of the day and decide how to handle tomorrow. Here is Hall again, having fun while setting the pace in Boston. This guy is getting to be quite good if he can gleefully volunteer to set the pace for giants he is competing with. The fear is gone. Beyond fear, the sky is the limit. Its time he kicked some black Kenyan ass.

A

15k group run and ana 40 mins

On Sunday, as planned, we went for a group run. Kirer woke me up at five-twenty-something even before my 5:30 alarm time. There was five of us. We were to start at 6 in the AM but delayed while waiting for Masinde. We further delayed because after running about 800 metres, we met Borura and had to go back, have him park his car and then start again. By then, it must have been about 6:20am.

At, any rate, the psyche was high. With Kirer and Borura, we joined Mutwiri about 1Km ahead. The route we chose has an incline for the first 1.8Kms. Then it flattens for about 900 metres then downhill for about 4Kms and another flat for 800 metres. So we took it easy for the first 1.8K and at the flat area, picked up the pace. We were setting the pace with Kirer and we got it going quite well and caught up with Masinde after 4K and we cruised untill the 5th K mark (Rafikis) where we slowed down and regrouped at Sunshine (6K) then we went down with Mutwiri beset with stitches till Highrise and we turned back. At turning back, Kirer and Masinde decided to let Borura to set the pace and I followed and we picked quite well past TMall and Thomas Barbnados. Then at Wilson, pacesetter hit the wall and did what people who hit the wall often do. So I encouraged him and backpedalled and we moved on until we lost sight of the rest of the team. We cleared with Borura after about 93 minutes and the rest came after about 102 minutes.

We stretched a little (I noticed this team was not very keen on stretching, which speaks volumes about their experience - they just wanted to get their breath back, rest and soak in the self-torture they had just put themselves through).

Then we walked down and had a serious breakfast. Guys were in such a big hurry they didn't eat much but they ate kiasi. It simply proved they had not done much (15.4Ks is very little). I remember after clearing 27K, we used to fagia anything Sikuku placed in front of us, uji, chai, soda, mkate, maji, mandazi, ndizi...anything.  We gave new meaning to the term "clearing and forwarding". Hawa walikuwa wanaringaringa na chakula kama wasichana. Anyways...

Lessons learnt.

1. Make sure you have everyone's CORRECT number, especially the organizers number before race day.

2. Confirm or disconfirm your participation. Only GK, Kirer and Mutwiri did this. I had to follow the rest.

3. Register. Damnit. Commit yourself so that your self-doubt and fear dont take over. Even Phantom injuries will creep up on you and convince you not to go for the run. Kirer knows this now.

4. We are too slow and we are too nice to ourselves. We need to push ourselves hard. There is nothing as pleasurable as aching muscles and feeling dead-tired after a tough run. If we want to feel nice, we should pick something else, like choir practice or watching EPL football matches for fun, not running. Remember, running can't kill you because before you die, you will pass out. Plus, hard work doesn't kill people. People die of worrying na shida za maisha, not running.

5. Due to 4, and due to large public demand and the absence of Sikuku, GK and Gach, we will do the same route again but add 4K to it, making it 18K on 15th May 2011 we will call it Exodus because with it, we are leaving the land of Amateurs behind and getting serious. After this, we must do a 22K on June 5th hosted by Sikuku. That we shall call Destruction. It will destroy any weakness or fear of the distance still lingering. From then on, the sky is the limit.

Au sio?


Today I did a 40mins run. I am faster. And glad. The splintered shin is still peeping at me from around the corner. Here is Ryan Hall, a veritable Pacemaker at this year's Boston M.

A

Ouch!

I tried some "new shoes" today. I took it easy and did just about 5K then stretched thoroughly, did lunges, heel-toe-walks, pushups, planks, crunches, toe raises, calf raises and iced my right leg which was in sub-zero temperatures as I took breakfast. My shins are killing me.
I have decided to take it easy tomorrow then run again on Friday. Gotta be kind to my suffering legs.
Here is Hall. He served as a good pacemaker in Boston this year.

40 Mins, Boston Destruction

I did 40 mins. The usual. I am trying to improve my form and speed. Gotta get these shins sorted out man.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest marathon in history to win the 115th Boston Marathon men's title on Monday while compatriot Caroline Kilel took the women's crown.
Mutai won in an official time of two hours, three minutes and two seconds to defeat countryman Moses Mosop by four seconds and beat the marathon world-record time of 2:03:59 run in 2008 at Berlin by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.
Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai had fans screaming on Boyleston Street as he won a two-man sprint by four seconds over Marathon debutant and compatriot Moses Mosop in the unlikely time of 2:03:02, fully 57 seconds under Haile Gebrselassie's World record of 2:03:59.  Mutai, 29, who makes his own training programs and is self-coached, won't be credited with a new World record, however.  Even without the tail wind, the Boston course has more than three times the elevation drop permitted for record-setting, and the start and finish have too great a separation.

Nonetheless, that a man could average 2:55 per kilometre (4:42 per mile), over the full Marathon distance of 42.195 km (26 miles, 385 yards) under any circumstances is astounding.

 "It was at our back," Mutai said matter of factly about the wind.  "But it wasn't such a big wind."

Instead, Mutai partially credited American Ryan Hall for his fast performance today.  Hall, the USA Half-Marathon record holder, was the prime mover in the early kilometres and reinvigorated the pace nearly every time the race slowed on the hilly course from Hopkinton to Boston.  Hall saw the lead pack through 5 km in 14:47, then 10 km in 29:05.  By that time, the men had already banked a full minute against the 30:08 10-K split by course record holder Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, the defending champion.

Cheers.
A

104 Minutes LSR

Ok, it wasn't really a LSR coz there are places I sped up a little. I covered about 16K with hills. My body feels kinda wrecked. The good thing is its not just one part: back, shoulders, shins and ankles. It went well though and all indications are that my shins may soon leave me the F alone so that I can run without worrying about them.
I have a feeling this will be a fast week.

Meanwhile, in yesterday's London Marathon, Kenyans destroyed the field with Mutai taking the first place in 2:04. Iaaf says, "Mutai smashed the course record with a dominating performance that left the defending champion Tsegaye Kebede floundering in his wake, while Keitany won the women’s race in a time only World record holder Paula Radcliffe has ever beaten on the London course...Kebede had looked superbly confident early on, grinning and waving to the crowd at the start line. He tucked in behind the pacemakers as the runners set off in near perfect conditions – 10 degrees, light clouds and virtually no wind.

A line of pacemakers took them through mile one in 4:50. The leaders had asked for 2:04 pace, so this was a steady start. A 10-strong bunch soon opened a slight gap on the rest and the race began to take shape. Among them were five Kenyans – Mutai, Lel, Makau, James Kwambai, and World champion Abel Kirui, plus Moroccan Abderrahim Bouramdane and two-times New York winner Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil.

The pace picked up through mile three and then they passed 5km in 14:34, six seconds quicker than at this stage in 2010, but still a tad down on their target; 10km in 29:25; and 15k in 44:27.

By the time they passed 10 miles, in 47:42, Mo Trafeh had paid for his early enthusiasm and disappeared off the back. They strode over the river at Tower Bridge and through half way in 1:02:45, now outside the World record target but still on course for Wanjiru’s 2:05:10 mark.

The last pacemaker fell away at 30k and Kebede began to make a move as they wound through Docklands and under Canary Wharf. By the time they emerged the group was down to six, Kebede shadowed by Mutai, Lel, Kwambai and Makau.

Last year only Kirui had stayed with the Ethiopian and he paid for his lone assault. This time Mutai and Lel unleashed a two-pronged attack and the reigning champion felt his crown begin to slip.

Mutai unleashed a 4:29 mile, the quickest of the race so far, and immediately opened a 100m lead, leaving Makau and Lel to fight for the lesser spoils. Now in bright sun, he forged on alone, recording a 5k split from 30 to 35km of 14:16.

He strode out along the Embankment without a single opponent in sight and by the time he rounded the final bend in front of Buckingham Palace he had time to enjoy the welcoming crowd. Mutai sprinted for the line to become the ninth man in history to break 2:05."

And today, we are attacking Boston. Cant wait.
A

Soldiering On

I have run 4X this week and I am still doing 7K for 40 mins. Room for improvement is huge as hell which is good coz I have about 4 more Kms to cram into that time. My weight is dropping well and I feel good. Today speed came to me and I opened the door for it in form of fartleks.
My position is better. But my right shin is still painful. I have had to revert back to my old mantra: pain is weakness leaving the body, plus, so long as my knees are kosher, every other muscle or bodypart can suck it.
So tomorrow I rest and Sunday I go for 110mins LSR.
Meanwhile the London Marathon is up for grabs this Sunday and the strong runner Kebede (pictured below) will be seeking to break the WR in it. IAAF says: ....the men’s race features three of the top five from the Beijing Olympics and all three medallists from the 2009 Berlin World Championships; the three 2010 European Championships medallists; the fastest man in the world last year; the third and fourth fastest men of all time; and no fewer than seven athletes who have run 26.2 miles quicker than two hours six minutes.

Throw into the mix eight of the top 10 finishers from London last year, and an intriguing return from injury for Martin Lel, the three-times London winner who’s been out of action for two years, and you have quite a race. Indeed, the only name missing from Sunday’s line-up will be that of the Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru, who withdrew three weeks ago with a knee injury.

Enjoy.

40 Mins Better - Almost Free

I am almost free from the shin splint problem. I was up early and I wrapped bandages around my shins. The left shin is healed and did not really need the shin support but then again it doesn't hurt. Since I wasn't encumbered by the pain from the injury, I decided to improve my distance within 40 minutes. I made it a hard tempo run. I decided to employ Shaq O'Neal's mantra GO HARD OR GO HOME. So I pushed and pushed and struggled uphill and allowed myself to cruise downhill without applying breaks because I knew my shins could take it. And I improved my distance by about one minute from Tuesday's distance. Now, for those who dont know, one minute is huge. I am still pretty slow but once I am free of injury, I plan to push myself and fight every second for 40 minutes until I can cram about 10K in the 40 minutes. I will just be fighting, attacking hills, sprinting downhill and speeding up in flat areas, muscles taut, teeth grating, jaws clenched, everything full blast. Just fight, dig deep, stay active, search for speed until I burn up more fat, and muscle and get leaner and faster. The plan is to be very strong. My knees are already strong and my shins are following then my ankles and my torso (back and abs).
The good news is that my left shin is healed 100%. Right one is about 80%. Tomorrow I give it another push then I rest for 4 days and let it recover in peace. Next week I will ramp it up to 5X a week with more need for speed. War Jack! War!
Today, eye candy is Hulk's face, his pure anger manifested sometimes fuels me to dig deep and to attack my boundaries and shatter them as I explode into new frontiers. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

 Or sometimes I let it explode in a scream. Never underestimate the power of a fictional creature to fire up a man. After all, most people use God.

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Ana 40 mins - Better

I have a cold so I took some NSAIDs and some Cetrizet last night so the pain wasn't so bad though I wasn't exactly sparkling and sharp. At any rate, I went further in my first 20 mins and I pushed. I will continue pushing as we proceed. I am better.
I have two funerals to attend this weekend and I may have to travel out of town so this puts the group run in jeopardy. Here is Eddie Alvarez (white trunks) vs. Pat Curran

96Mins LSR

I did 96 mins LSR yesterday. It was rather easy and I did 96 as opposed to 100mins because by the time I had done 45mins and was approaching my u-turn point, I decided it was enough of an increase in mileage compared to last week.
Shins are better. Has my position improved or worsened?
My position has improved. But I have some sort of cold.
No matter. The war continues tomorrow.
Meanwhile, iaaf says that in Brunssum, The Netherlands - Micah Kogo of Kenya and Irina Mikitenko of Germany were the winners of the Parelloop (Pearl Run) 10Km in the southern Dutch town of Brunssum on Sunday.

Kogo stopped the clock in 27:15, the fastest in the world this year. He was eleven seconds ahead of compatriot Mike Kigen, who finished second.

Cheers.
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