Running with the Kenyans

I read Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn (hereafter known as Finn) a few years ago. Great book and one I would recommend not just for keen runners like myself. Post read I started to follow him (non stalker way) on Twitter and occasionally would tweet him results from my races. He was kind enough to often reply. In virtual land it could be considered we were runner friends.

In November 2015 he tweeted me saying he was going to be doing a two week training camp along the theme of Running with the Kenyans and would I consider joining? I clicked on the link and loved the sound of the camp. It was to be in June 2016 which was when I had made rough plans to spend mid-summer in Sweden partially for my birthday and partially because I just love Sweden. I spoke to Steven about it and he confirmed what I was thinking. Sweden would still be there and celebrating mid-summer in 2017. When else will you get the chance to train in Kenya? Not often. So I signed up.

Day one (9 June 2016)

The week leading up to the trip I was excited and nervous. I would say about 80% excited and 20% nervous. As the days went by it gradually changed to be about 90% excited on the day of my departure.

I was purely nervous as the following questions went through my mind. What would the other runners be like? Would they all be super serious? Would they be nice? Would I start to feel that 2.5 weeks away alone would be too long?

All of these questions nearly all disappeared when I realised that British Airways had kindly upgraded me to premium economy for the 8.5 hour journey to Nairobi. Bonus.

I sat in my seat and exchanged pleasantries with the lady next me. Her name was Carrie. She reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw. She ordered more champagne for us pretty much as soon as we got our first glass and told me that her chauffeur had told her on the way to the airport she had dressed on theme for going to Kenya. Perhaps she was Carrie Bradshaw? I had gotten an Uber to the airport which I couldn’t really class as my chauffeur and whilst he was nice and we chatted about the EU referendum (as all strangers are at the moment) I wasn’t really impersonating a Sex and the City character. Especially given that my luggage was mainly packed with running gear and tracksuits. The shame. Before take-off Carrie had already told me about her Botox doctor in L.A. I liked her honesty and was tempted to ask for his name for she looked positively younger than her 51 years. We bonded a lot before lift-off it seems as I share this incredible amount of detail about someone I had only known for about 30 minutes.

The flight went well with the only hiccup being the inflight entertainment went off about 3 hours before the end. The air hostess said maybe a wire had been knocked and cut it out. She happened to say this just as I had read an article in the paper saying that a stray monkey had knocked out Kenya’s electricity on Tuesday as it climbed on wires of one of the main power plants. Funny story and perhaps the monkey was on the run aboard my plane and had done the same thing twice in one week.

Arriving in Nairobi I was excited. It had been nice to sit next to Carrie and she had (unbeknownst to her) made a lot of my nerves disappear. My bag eventually arrived on the conveyor belt (after it kept cutting out.) Perhaps the monkey was at work again?

I spent the night in a hotel. Only when I am in hotel rooms do I watch CNN. That’s what I did that night.

Day two (10 June 2016)

I woke up and did some floor exercise. I went for breakfast and enjoyed a strong Kenyan coffee. I checked out of my room and sat by the pool for an hour or so waiting for my transfer to the airport.

The domestic terminal in Nairobi does not really have anything to do. I was worried how the next two hours would go. I spotted a lounge which was $15 entry for unlimited drinks and wifi. I was sold and before you know it I had sunk three bottles of water & a coke and my flight was ready for boarding.

We were bussed to the little propeller plane belonging to Fly 540 airlines. It was called The Beatles. A little secret nod to my parental heritage which I enjoyed.

A few sky bumps and 50 minutes later we arrived in Eldoret. I couldn’t believe I was here. I met two of my fellow camp runners. Daniel from Taiwan who edits a running website & Shayamal from Mumbai who owns his own athletic company. Yikes. How would they feel hearing that their fellow runner worked in affiliate marketing? Would they panic that the camp was going to be full of amateurs?

So off we set in the van towards Iten. The town of champion marathon runners. The first song to come on the radio was Roxette’s It Must Have Been Love. Oh Em Gee! One of my faves. Shayamal turned it up and said he hadn’t heard it for 20 years. WTF? It was only about 20 minutes since I last listened to it. I would keep my Roxette fetish a secret for now. Better save some gems for later in the camp eh?

We picked up Godfrey who used to be a top Kenyan athlete and features a lot in Finn’s journey in Running with the Kenyans. He was a super nice chap and pointed out top runners as we passed them in the street.

We passed along the busy road that was lined with shops, stalls and people. The buildings had beautifully bright painted signs and some bore names like New York shop, Dubai Hardware, Kokwet, Joy Cafe and the Butchery Hotel. Perhaps the latter being inspiration for the name of the hotel in the next volume of The Shining?

We arrived at the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten. Ahhhh! Yikes! The rest of the group were already there (including Finn) in their running gear. I said hello to Jane & Dino (from Scotland), Filsan (from Toronto but born in Somalia), and Isabelle (from Germany but living in Dubai) and of course immediately forgot their names. I knew we all would so I wasn’t embarrassed about asking again. They said they were going for a run if we wanted to join? We had 10 minutes to check in and get changed.

I wasn’t expecting that but it worked out well as it meant I had no time to build up nerves. I changed and we were off. We did about a 6km loop (pretty slowly given this was everyone’s first run at altitude) with Finn leading the way and us all chatting as we went on. It was fairly dusty at times along the track (which incidentally Godfrey mentioned was created purely by runners as they ran along the side of the street) and it was super cute that every group of small children we ran passed waved and shouted “hello, how are you?” Some even ran a few hundred metres alongside us. It was great. We passed Mary Katani’s house (two time winner of the NYC marathon) which made me feel like we were on a star’s homes tour in Beverly Hills.

I was already settled in and I liked all of the group. I was feeling relaxed and I loved the camp surroundings. My room was basic but comfortable. The shower turned out to be stone cold. Was this par of the course that in order to run like a Kenyan I needed to endure cold showers too? Maybe it was secret of theirs? Turns out it wasn’t. Just my shower not heating up. We had dinner amongst some amazing athletes (Japhet who was third in the Edinburgh marathon the previous week, a lady called Nary from Cambodia who was hoping to make the Rio Olympics) and we got to try Ugali which is maize, water and flour the Kenyan runners swear by it. So after one short run and dinner maybe I won’t recognise myself when we go for our 6:30am run tomorrow morning?

Day three (11 June 2016)

6am the alarm went off. I had already had a few panic starts thinking I had slept in at 3:14 and 4:44 so it was a relief to finally be able to legitimately get up. I am sure that feeling may change as the weeks go on.

Quick brush of the teeth, clothes on and I met the group at 6:30am. We were going to run for approximately 40 minutes and we would have three Kenyan pacemakers with us. One at the front. One in the middle. One at the back. Simple.

I hadn’t quite decided where I would run. I thought I would just take it as I felt and see where I ended up. We all started together and were making our way along the dirt roads through some lush areas. 

Alice had joined our group late last night and this was my first chance to talk with her. She was also from England and was a keen sportsperson all round but with a particular love of running. She was studying geography at the University of Warwick and was planning to do her final year dissertation on how elite athletes use their winnings from races for local projects. Splendid idea and I was sure she would get even more out of this camp than just the training. Interestingly it seemed a lot of the top runners either invested their winnings in petrol stations, schools or hotel resorts but always in the local area. I liked that they were giving back to the community that helped build them. She asked me if I had been to Kenya before? Yes. 20 years ago on a family holiday I said. Oh. A long time ago then she replied. Yikes. I better call Carrie's botox doctor now as I clearly look old.

As we continued to run the group separated a little and I was surprised to find myself in the front pack. It did feel strange to be running slower than my normal pace but I knew that if I pushed it at this stage the altitude would definitely get to me. After all; Godfrey had told me the night before that for the first three days we would be breathing like a donkey until we acclimatised. I’ll take his word for it and take it easy then. Donkey impressions have never really been my strong point.

The scenery was stunning. We passed by a small lake and with the morning sun reflecting off the water it just looked amazing. I wished I had brought my camera with me. I will do from now on.

We returned after 43 minutes and had covered around 8km. A slower pace than my normal but felt right for my first proper run here. We did some stretching and then it was time for breakfast which I am pleased to say was pancakes. They were marvellous.

I took my shoes off and left them by the front door of my room (as that’s what all the professionals seemed to be doing) and noticed they were already a shade of dusty red after only two runs. It may be their last two weeks of life I feel. Bless them. I hoped they would last the entire two weeks. I had brought two pairs of trainers as it said you need to keep one pair clean for gym work so if my others ran out of life then I would be up shit creek without a paddle. Not like Daniel who had brought 5 pairs of trainers with him. He sounds like me if I were on a normal holiday and had to take various pieces of footwear to match my jackets.

In the afternoon we went for a 3 hour walk around Iten. It’s such a fascinating place with runners everywhere. The local market was on which was packed with clothes, shoes, electronic and food sellers everywhere. It was loud. It felt like a festival (especially with the music playing) and was really colourful. We carried on to see where Finn had lived whilst he was here writing his book and then on to a spectacular view point where we could see the Rift valley below. This was the first time I really got a sense of how high we really were. No wonder they were warning us about altitude sickness; particularly as the valley floor was not even at sea level.

We didn’t have an afternoon run today. I think they are easing us in. Instead we had a core workout session with Ian Kiprono. Ian assists in the coaching of world class athletes such as David Rudisha so he knows his stuff. He met us in the gym at our camp which is huge. One step inside and it’s obvious to see that this place caters for elites (exception being me of course.)

We all set out our mats on the floor and Ian took us through various stretches, crunches, push ups and man-oeuvres that really got the core stomach muscles working. He explained that the core connects the top and the bottom halves of your body and thus the stronger it is, the more ability it gives your legs to move. Makes sense.

Watching Ian was near on unbelievable. His control and flexibility was outstanding and of course made his exercises look simple. When it came to joining in I knew they wouldn’t be but I was surprised to see how well I coped with them. Those floor exercises I do once a day must be paying off.

Post exercise we had a short Q&A with him where he explained that from a young age young Kenyans are exposed to long distances of walking which he believes lay the foundation in their running success. I agree with him and really trust that leading a fundamental training style like a Kenyan (i.e. not focusing on weight, KMs run per week) they are achieving success that we in the West are not. Despite the development of better running shoes, breathable clothes and must have GPS watches we are still not beating the East Africans at their game. We clearly have all the gear and no idea.

After dinner we had a short seminar with Finn where he told us a little about the writing of his book but more around what happened afterwards. It had lead on to his second running book focusing on the running habits of the Japanese and he had a personal quest to help Japhet (who featured heavily in his book) some races outside of Africa. It was a touching story and even nicer having run with Japhet that day. A super nice guy. It was also our first introduction to Sylvia who would also be coaching us throughout the week. Sylvia won the silver medal twice at the World Championships (2009 & 2011) so we were definitely in good hands.  

Day four (12 June 2016)

It seems there was a party going on in a bar near our camp. The music was pumping. I was in bed and being a heavy sleeper wasn’t particularly bothered by the music. As I woke up about 1am, 3am and 5am to pee (as I was drinking a lot to ensure altitude sickness didn’t get to me) I noticed the party was still going. Perhaps I should join? I’m quite a good at parties too.

I didn’t and then was ready to meet the group at 6:30am. A few of them had not slept due to the party. Finn having even tried putting tissue paper in his ears. It didn’t work.

Despite that the group were in good spirits and off we set on our run. We were doing the St. Patrick’s route. It took us through Iten and then past the famous St. Patrick’s school were many elite runners have trained and been educated. A couple of facts Finn told me as we went past:

1)  Peter Foster (Brendan Foster’s brother) used to be head of games there until the mid 1970s.

2)When he left Brother Colm had to take over as nobody else was available to do games

3)  He is now the premiere trainer of junior Kenyans

4)They plant a tree in the grounds for every major medal winning athlete from the school. Seems a forest is on its way.

The scenery was fantastic and being Sunday (which is many Kenyans rest day) it really felt like we were alone at times (bar when a Mercedes sped round a corner towards us.) To my right I noticed a sleeping dog. As I got closer I realised it was actually a dead dog as it didn’t move as we approached its vicinity. It looked peaceful and must have been hit by a car. Not the Merc I hasten to add as I spotted it before my own car encounter. The altitude was not bothering me as we were still going at a fairly slow pace. I made sure to slow down at the hills (as they are fairly frequent here) in order to conserve energy. For the last km or so it was just me and Japhet running together which was really special. Running next to someone who runs a 2h 16m marathon (and keeping up….ok so he was slowing down for me) was my favourite running moment so far.

For lunch the group decided to go to Kerio View Hotel which was about 20 minutes’ walk away. Arriving it was like another world compared to the dusty chaos of Iten town centre. The gardens were stunning and the view over the valley was just beautiful. We were typical tourists in that we opted to sit outside for lunch despite all the locals dining in the equally stunning (and very Kenyan themed) dining room. Brother Colm (a top trainer who recently discovered David Rudisha) was at a table near us (or so Finn pointed out.) Another famous person spot ticked. Finn said it was like spotting the Alex Fergusson of running.

Post lunch I had booked to have a massage with the therapist that was part of the camp. A couple of fellow campers had been in the morning and said it was pretty intense but that if I had regular sports massage (which I do) I would probably be ok.

How wrong that advice was. OMG. I have never felt that much pain since I worked in that S&M bar in Soho. Ok…so that job is a fabrication but it did remind me of the pain when I dislocated my knee in a Soho hotel and was stuck on the bed unable to move until the ambulance fixed my leg to face the correct way around 3 hours later.

I kid you not, the pain of this massage was beyond what I deemed humane. When it started on my calves I thought it was ok but as he scrunched up my shorts to fully expose my glute (i.e. bum cheek) he put pressure on nerves and what felt like electrical wires that have never been touched. Some of the pressure points sent shock waves all the way down my leg that I did actually yelp. If there had been a camera under the face hole of the massage bed my facial expressions would have made me a YouTube sensation I’m sure of it. My hands were sweating. He kept telling me to relax and that it didn’t hurt and he wasn’t going to hurt me and to let him control my body. Perhaps I was in an S&M bar?

Joking aside once he finished it did feel amazing (which he did say at the time it would) but I am still a little scared to go for my second one. He promise that after 2 or 3 massages I wouldn’t feel the pain. I guess time will tell.

Immediately after the run Finn and I went for a run. We went up to the famous dirt track where all the greats (not just Kenyans) have trained. It was splendid to be there and after a few minutes observing runners we made our way through the bushes to the cliff edge to again get a look over the valley. It was the best view by far. Just the two of us sat on the rock (which were on a vertical cliff edge you understand) meant it was silent and we could just enjoy the scenery and few words. It was another great moment and equalled that of my run with Japhet this morning. I considered myself very lucky to have had some 1-2-1 time with both of them. A great day.

Day five (13 June 2016)

Today was an early start. I met the group at 6am and we planned a 45 minute progressive run. The aim was to do the first 20 minutes slowly, the next 20 quicker and the final 5 even quicker.

I found it a little strange setting off in the dark because the roads are quite bumpy and there are rogue rocks so I was a little worried about tripping. A few slips (nothing major) and then the sun began to rise so I was in my usual flow. We did the same route as yesterday albeit slightly longer.

It was superb to see the sun rise. It really is beautiful here.

At one point I heard a stampede behind me and as I stepped aside a group of elite Kenyans (around 20 of them) charged past. They were going at such a speed it really is phenomenal to watch.

We stepped up the pace at 20 minutes but there are hills everywhere in this town and whilst it’s great for training they really do take it out of you. I managed to stay running the entire time but I couldn’t really pick up the pace for the last 5 minutes. The hardest run to date but still hugely enjoyable and certainly set me up for breakfast on my return to camp.

For the rest of the day we took a trip into the town of Eldoret. Our first stop was a workshop called Imani which makes gifts, jewellery and bags. All of their produce is hand made by people who are living with HIV. Our guide told us that these people had been ostracized by their families when they found out about their HIV status so it was good to see a place that could help them stay in work. It’s sad to see that HIV still has such a stigma attached to it. Their goods were excellently made and I purchased a giraffe bag for my niece Jessica. I’m sure she’ll love it. If not, then I will use it for work.

At this point we had two new joiners to our group. Celine and Manu from Paris. They were very friendly and had big ambitions. Manu was planning to run 200km in the 10 days he was going to be here. Wowsers.

After the workshop we wandered around the markets of Eldoret which was very busy. As a group we clearly stood out, particularly to a crowd of around 20 children (aged 5 – 14 I would say) who followed us for 20 minutes asking for money. The saddest thing for me to see was that they were all sniffing glue. How are they ever going to get out of that situation when they are in it at such a young age with no clear help? Godfrey told me that the new mayor of Eldoret had gathered up all the street children and moved them to the Ugandan border in order to move them on. Naturally with nowhere to go they returned to Eldoret hence the prominence of the terrible situation now. Godfrey said he asked the kids why they wanted money from us. They said they wanted to by glue to help them feel better. A very sad but real situation. I only hope that one day something can be done to help them.

We had lunch in an Indian restaurant which felt a bit weird given what we had just witnessed outside. We were pretty quiet for a while but post meal perked up when Kenyan National hero Kip Keino (Olympic medallist) came to join as at our table for 10 minutes. Very nice to meet him although I have to be honest that I didn’t really have questions for him as I didn’t know enough about his running history and I didn’t want to risk asking him something basic. This week though we certainly had been celebrity spotting (well celebrity runners at least.)

We had our afternoon run at 5pm which was really enjoyable. Again we passed many kids on the street who all shout “Mzungu” (which means “white person”) followed by “how are you?” They are all so cute and again one ran with us for about 50 meters. I find it funny that if a child did that in England (i.e. shouting “black person”) it somehow wouldn’t come across as friendly!

To continue that theme after dinner we had a seminar with Syliva and Godfrey. They told us about how they got into running and what they thought of the current state of Kenyan running. No matter which runner we speak to there are the following recurring themes:

-          People get into running as they see it as a way out of poverty.

-          There is no real Government support for runners (pre or post career) so runners need to start their career off their own back.

-          70% of the runners currently training in Iten won’t make it to the big International stage

-          Many don’t have a full education and have trained themselves (often sometimes being the best like Dennis Kimetto) who came from extreme poverty and has never had a coach yet he is the world record holder for the marathon.

-          Once athletes have won prize money they frequently put it back into the community by either creating a hotel (bringing money and creating jobs), paying for water systems for their village or for the education of family members. Great to see them doing this and not just indulging themselves. Premiership footballers please take note.

Sylvia and Godfrey gave their advice for future runners who want to represent Kenya:

-          You have to really want it

-          You have to apply yourself as nothing comes easy

I liked that final point. I can’t call myself an athlete but I get a bit hacked off when people say to me “oh, running a 10km for you is easy.” As they said, nothing is ever easy. End of small rant.

Day six (14 June 2016)

Today we started again at 6am. We were doing the same route as yesterday but the other way around. 

Yesterday we remembered finishing on a hill so this was music to most of the group’s ears. We thought we would have it easy as naturally we would be running down that hill.

As I quickly have learnt in this town what goes down must also come back up in order to reach camp. To add a degree of difficulty to this we were also going to be doing 6 sets of strides (of about 15-30 seconds each) throughout the run to push ourselves.

The group separated again after about 5 minutes and I was with my usual crowd (Finn, Alice, Dino, & Isabelle) led by Japhet. I was pacing ok and we then did our first stride about 20 minutes in. It was tough but I recovered fairly quickly (keeping in mind we had to keep running the entire time even during recovery.)

Set two was a little more difficult and was over just before a long hill up to St. Patrick’s School. The hill went on for quite a while. We then had one more (mammoth) hill to climb back up to camp. I got my arms moving to help when Finn suggested we do another stride whilst going up the hill. I thought he was kidding until his countdown started for us to speed up. He was being serious. I tried. I made it about 15 meters before slowing down. My aim was now to make it up the hill without stopping (Finn and Alice had the same goal.) We made it.

To make up for the 3 other strides we should have done we did them on the road outside camp with the rest of the group. The hardest run to date but a good one.

After breakfast we made our way to Kamriny Stadium which is a dirt track that was actually opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 (incidentally the tour she was on when she found out her father had died and thus she would be returning to the UK as Queen.)

We were just at the track to watch the Kenyans famous “track Tuesdays” which was unbelievable. They were so fast and just looked so sleek and all of them had the perfect running form. I think one day we will also run on the track but perhaps when it’s less busy and we don’t embarrass ourselves!

The track currently is undergoing some renovations whereby they are building a large gated entrance. 

Currently it is free to enter the track and so runners of any means frequent it. I can’t help but think this will change and sadly it will become an elite field only as they will be the only ones able to afford it. The gate is being built by local workers. As we left a man in this 30s approached us as he was carried a machete. He had been on the source let’s say and wasn’t making much sense and his eyes were glazed over. He was telling us he wanted to change his life and was going to ask the builders if he could work for the day. I have a feeling his offer would be rebuffed given his state but I had to say I was a little intimidated by the machete. After we left though I was embarrassed that I thought he would have used it in any kind of malicious way. Shame on me for judging him.

On the walk home we stopped at a traditional Kenyan running camp. More celebrities were in force in the shape of:

-          1 man who had won the Brazil marathon 3 times

-          Flomena Daniel who had won the Commonwealth Gold for the marathon in 2014, Paris marathon winner, 6^th place in the Boston marathon this year and 2^nd in Amsterdam last year. Quite a CV indeed.

24 athletes lived in the camp which was really basic conditions. Made me a little embarrassed that we thought of our camp as basic yet we had our own rooms, a gym and a swimming pool.  Talking with them they had yet more of the same advice we heard from Sylvia the night before but they had one point to add. Listen to your body when you are training. I like that. Sometimes I do wake up and think I’m too tired to do what’s on my training schedule so I adapt it and I am glad the Kenyans approve that I do.

One group member asked Flomena (who’s PB in the marathon is 2h 22m 24s) do you think one day you will break the world record (currently held by Paula Radcliffe in a time of 2h 15m 25s) since nobody has come close to it and it was set over 13 years ago? Yes. She said she thought someone would in the next couple of years.

Celine (the one in our group and not Dion) lost a few friendship points from me when she said “yes, but was Paula not on drugs when she set the record?” Hold on. Step back Celine. I admire the Kenyans as much as you do and consider myself lucky to be amongst running royalty at this moment in time but don’t mess with my Paula. I totally stand up for Paula and applaud her for what she achieved. Just because she smashed the record doesn’t mean it wasn’t done genuinely. Luckily Celine is from Belgium (thus also supporting the same team as me in the Euros) otherwise she may have been phased out after a comment like that. It could have been worse I suppose. She could have insulted Kate Winslet and then she would have been in real trouble. On that note, I checked out the magazine selection in a local supermarket in Eldoret and noticed Kate Winslet was on the cover of one. Good to see Kenya has good taste in actresses as well as sports.

Post afternoon run and dinner we had another seminar with a local runner. I had thought that it would be someone who was just starting out but his CV boasted winning the Bucharest marathon. That’s elite by far. After gaining entry into some European races he had improved his time from 2h 15m down 2h 12m which is phenomenal. It’s hard to believe that in Kenya that still counts as a medium runner. Any other country (bar Ethiopia) her would be a local hero already.

I hadn’t realised how difficult it was for Kenyans to enter races until now. In order to get a visa to travel they have to be officially invited by a race. In his case because there are others that can run quicker than him it means his is down the list of athletes races want to invite. Finn gave an example that a race recently rang him and asked if he knew any runners that could run under 2h 15m for a marathon as they wanted to invite and elite field. Caveat was they couldn’t be Kenyan or Ethiopian as they already had runners form those countries coming and they wanted to be awarded Gold IAAF status which means they have to have a variation of participating nations. Finn’s list of runners to give them was blank.

So this local runner in order to get races had signed up as a pacemaker. Some races don’t allow pacemakers to finish and even if they do (and place highly) it doesn’t count and prize money would not be awarded to them. I didn’t realise that before tonight. He was a pacemaker at a European race (pacing the 3h 3m runners) and at the point where they told him he could stop he carried on and finished in 2h 15m placing him 5^th. Incredible. Luckily this race did award him the place and he got prize money for it. Phew.

He had an agent (who takes 15% of his winnings) and organises races when he can. He had gotten him a race I Casablanca but upon arrival at the airport it seemed he didn’t have the correct visa. He was kept in the airport with little food and only the floor to sleep on for 2 days before everything was sorted. He left the airport on race morning and still did the marathon in 2h 15m. An amazing performance but it meant he placed 9^th (I think) meaning he returned with no prize money. A real shame and all because his manager hadn’t sorted things correctly for him. I couldn’t help but think if that were an elite UK runner they would be getting a new manager / agent the next day but it’s not the same for Kenyans it seems.

His typical day was:

6am: Up and train

Post training: Breakfast

Post breakfast: Sleep for 2 hours

Post sleep: Chores

21:30: Bed

Intense for an everyday training schedule. Especially as Kenyan runners need to be ready at any time to race a marathon. For Europeans they tend to enter a race and know months in advance they need to be ready and by when. Kenyans need to be marathon ready all the time as they may only get two weeks’ notice that they are heading to a race somewhere.

It was early to bed for me as the alarm was set for 3:30am for our day off training and on safari. Songkok said that he promised they would be on time to pick us up and not consider the 4am meet as Kenyan time (i.e. late!) He said the only three things Kenyans are on time for are running, safari and catching a flight.

Day seven (15 June 2016)

Today we went on safari.

It was an awesome day. We made the long 4 hour drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. It was my first time back there since our family holiday to Kenya 20 years ago.

I loved it. We saw:

-          Lionesses

-          Buffalo

-          White rhino

-          Warthogs

-          Impala

-          Gazelle

-          Giraffes

-          An ostrich

-          Blue starlings (which we also have at the camp and are stunning when the light catches them)

-          Monkeys

-          A dik dik

-          Flamingos

-          Baboons

I loved them all except the baboons. I have never really been that fond of them whenever I have seen them in zoos or the day they terrorised me when I walked up the rock of Gibraltar. I think those may have been apes but I will judge them the same as they form part of the same group. I think.

Early on in our safari we saw a baboon jump into a fellow van and take a girl’s bag. She laughed a lot. I thought that I wouldn’t be laughing if it were me. Roll forward a few hours and we came across another pack (is that the correct term?) of baboons. I was just eating some nuts and a roll and thus stuffed them into my mouth quickly so as not to have food around when we approached the pack. I looked like a stuffed hamster. They were massive baboons. At this point Joseph (our driver and guide started to tease them with the food we had in the van. Needless to say they jumped on the bonnet and up the side of the van to try and grab things before he shut the window. I didn’t like it for two reasons:

1)      I don’t think it’s fair to tease them like that

2)      It was scaring me shitless (not kidding)

We had the roof open so that we could stand when we had spotted animals and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they tried to get in. Low and behold one went up over the windscreen and was on the roof. I knew in a few seconds it would be jumping into the van and scrambling for food. Luckily Dino was much braver than I and stood up scaring the creature away. Thank fuck. Everyone at camp said it was a funny story when I regaled it (only a few of us were on safari from the group) yet genuinely I was pretty scared but I do appreciate the comedic value of the story now.  

Aside from that it was a great safari drive. This country and its inhabitants (people and wildlife alike) are just so wonderful.

We stopped for lunch in a restaurant in Nakuru town and it was nice to have a sort break from the ugali we are eating daily back at camp. On towards home we went stopping briefly at the equator for a photo stop. It reminded me of when I stopped there last with Mum, Dad, and Natalie back in August 1996. I had a little nostalgic moment to myself remembering those times and then we were on our way back to Iten. Another superb day.

Day eight (16 June 2016)

An early start for our 6am run. We did what was now becoming the usual St. Patrick’s run (this time starting out the “easier way”) but taking a short diversion towards the end so that we again came back up the horrendous hill out of Iten to camp. This time though we didn’t attempt strides whilst on the hill so the run felt simpler.

It was the first time that I had actually become separated from everyone in the group. The 3 leaders were about 100m ahead and the next 2 were about 200m behind me. I am enjoying running with the group but it was nice to have 10 minutes where I felt totally alone in the Kenyan countryside. It was a beautiful pink sunrise so it was one of my favourite runs to date (feels like I say that each day now!)

The Kenyans do their fartlek (speed training) on a Thursday at 9am. They do 1 min fast and 1 min slow for about 50 minutes (along the hilly outdoor routes we had been gently running each day.) Intense.

Finn said the slow minute was about a 3m per km pace and the fast was about 2m per km. Holy moly. No wonder we were there just to watch. It was fantastic to see them. True athletes. Finn suggested we join in next week once we have acclimatized further just for the experience (keeping in mind we would probably only make the first rep before dropping out.) Let’s see what happens eh?!

Afternoon run was just a gentle 5km. Tomorrow we have the famous Flouspar run in the morning. That's a 20km run uphill. All the greats do it apparently. I'll aim to just finish it I think. 

There was a big rumour around camp that tonight is pizza night for dinner. Fingers crossed.

Day nine (17 June 2016)

It was pizza night last night (obviously served with a side of ugali.) I had 5 slices of pizza. Greedy but I was stocking up for the run in the morning.

It was an early start as we had a 2 hour drive to the bottom of the hill and we wanted to start at 7am. The drive went pretty quickly and it was obvious we were descending the entire way. It was a little daunting knowing that we would have to be running up this height in a few hours time. 

The scenery on the way was stunning. The mountains were beautiful and so green - I really hadn't expected that. We got ready to run and had a bread roll and a banana each. We had two support cars that would be following us up the hill in order to hand us water (which definitely would be needed.)

We had a group photo and then we started. This was the only run I had done since arriving where I would be timing it and tracking the distance on my watch. Primary reason being that I wanted to know how much further I had to go.

I knew that Finn had done the run before in 1h 58m so I thought I would try and aim for around 2h in total. That meant running at roughly 10m per mile. I thought I cold maintain that. 

Starting off four of us almost immediately broke away from the rest of the group and after a few turns it was just Dino, Manu, Finn and I together. Dino was on fire and sped away from us quite soon into the climb. I couldn't even contemplate staying with him so I stuck with Finn and Manu. At about 4 miles Manu decided to hold back a little and it was Finn and I next to each other for a couple of miles. There was no talking today. We merely were concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.

At 6 miles Finn told me to pull ahead. Not wanting to disobey the commander I did as he said. For the rest of the run I was completely on my own which was both weird and wonderful at the same time. I occasionally would see Godfrey when he would drive past and hand me a fresh bottle of water. His words of encouragement were very welcome as were the "how are yous" that were still present from the local children, although there were fewer people around than in town.

The views over the valley below were absolutely superb. You could really feel yourself getting higher and despite some of the miles taking longer than I expected I was enjoying it. I couldn't believe that I was in the Kenyan wilderness (for want of a better word) running by myself. It felt like a real treat.

I ran non stop up to 10.5 miles (pretty much sticking to my planned pace) and then I took the Kenyans advice of listening to my body and stopped for a short walk of around 30 seconds. I just felt if I pushed too hard I would ruin the rest of the trip. I then made a goal to run for 1 mile and then walk again. I did this and it felt good. I tried to do the same but had to stop after around half a mile. Starting again still felt good and I could see that the hill couldn't get any higher so I thought I was near the end (particularly as the road went flat which it had not done at all during the run.) Sadly I turned another corner and it was a hill. Bollocks. That's all I could say. 

I walked a little and then I could see Dino stood ahead of me meaning that he must have finished. I ran the last few hundred meters and made it to the top. Yay!

I was second in the group home (not that I was treating it as a race) and my time was 2h 5m which I was pleased with. I had kept a average pace of 9m 59s per mile so I had stuck to my goal. Apparently the record on the course is 1h 16m. How that's possible I do not know.

I had covered over 20km and ascended over 4,000 feet (with no descending at all) which I think highlights how brutal a course this was. It was definitely the hardest run I have ever done.

At the top the rest of the group came home which was great to see that everyone had done it. I think Manu actually deserved some extra recognition as he ran an extra kilometer. Approaching the last corner everyone thought they should stop by where we were stood; however officially you are meant to go 100m more to where the hill meets the main road. Dino and I shouted that to Manu but as we did it in English and he only speaks French he misunderstood and carried on until the road started to descend and he realised it wasn't right. Poor guy! He did see the funny side of it thankfully.

We all recovered with a Stoney (local ginger beer but is owned by Coca Cola as every soft drink is) from a shop at the top of the hill and then made our way back to camp stopping briefly at Global Sports training camp where we met marathon champ (and Rio 2016 favourite) Eliud Kipchoge which was another surreal moment.

I would go as far as saying the shower I had on my return was one of the best I have ever had. 

I won't be training the rest of today - I plan to eat (despite only burning just under 1,500 calories on the run according to my watch...I thought it would have been more), have a Coke and recover in order to be running ready again for tomorrow.   

We had a seminar with Hugo van den Broek in the evening about training. He was a successful European marathon runner and has been living in Iten for many years training athletes. He gave some good advice on how we should structure training and I am looking forward to my 1-2-1 with him next week.

Day ten (18 June 2016)

It was raining all night. My alarm went off and I went to turn on the light. No electricity. Was it the monkey again? This time I could confidently say it was probably due to the rain. 

Finn had said that when it rains Kenyans don't run as they don't like the mud (as it ruins their trainers and often they only have one or two pairs to use) so I wondered if our 6am session would go ahead. I run in the rain back home so why wouldn't I try here? Plus if the three pacers (Japhet, David and Peter) were turning up and nobody was there to run with them it would be a poor show on our part. 

I dressed and made my way to our usual meeting point at the main gate. Dino and Jayne were ready to go and we were soon joined by Manu and Daniel too. We waited a while for it to get lighter since the road wouldn't be lit and then set off in the light rain. It had sounded worse on the roof than it actually was.

We had a great 10km which was progressive which I really noticed for the last 1.5km or so. The main reason being that I had decided to wear my rain jacket and whilst that is normal for all the Kenyans at this time of year I was massively overheating by the end of our run. At least I had been kept dry, well apart from the extra layer of sweat it had caused. I made it back to camp feeling a little like Rambo and was ready for breakfast. 

We had a fairly free afternoon so I had a wander into Iten with some of the group and I stopped by Olympics Corner in order to buy some treats for those back home. 

In the afternoon we went to visit top athlete Edwin Kipyeno at his home not far from our camp. He was so welcoming, humble, and brought us all into his house and made us all a cup of chai tea. His living room walls were littered with race numbers, medals and trophies from his running career. Given his tender age of 25 I think he will definitely need a bigger room for more bling as he has even more success in the future. I spotted one medal from the Run to the beat half marathon in London as I have exactly the same one. In my head I could therefore pretend we were of the same level (although the truth being his 59m half marathon PB vs. my 79m PB puts us far apart.) I hadn't actually realised that the top places in races actually got the same medal as all participants (but they do get a trophy on top.)

Edwin explained that despite people telling him he should look at becoming a track athlete as he is so quick, he prefers to stay as a road runner for now because the prize money is greater. 

Songok was his usual humorous self and told us how a lot of Kenyan athletes don't know how old they are as records are a bit sketchy. He said he roughly worked out his birth year and when he first registered for a passport chose 23rd August as his birth date. Finn said that if you look on IAAF's site for profiles of Kenyan runners a lot are born on 1st January implying that they have done the same. Edwin said that's not the case now and he does know exactly when he was born as well as his son who was 1 month and 1 day when we were there at his house. 

After the visit we went for our afternoon training which was one of the fastest consistent yet and we covered 11.8km in 58 minutes which was good going on the terrain and at altitude. That also included the horrendous hills from the reverse St. Patrick's route we did a few days ago.

I must be getting fitter.

Day eleven (19th June 2016)

It was my birthday today and I got to have a lie in. The alarm was set to 7am. In normal world that's an early start but given the previous 10 days I think you'll agree this was positively paradise having an extra snooze. 

The reason we got a long lie (as the Scots call it) was because we were planning to do a long run in Singore Forest at about 10am. I was looking forward to this session and even though it was described as long I thought it would be a pretty environment to run in and given we had the afternoon off I could enjoy the rest of my birthday. So the day was starting well. It was made even better by the fact that it was pancake day for breakfast meaning I had three. It was after all my birthday and we were about to go for a long run so I could afford the extra calories. 

So some of those assumptions I made above were true. The forest was stunning and I hadn't expected it to be so lush and green. It really was a beautiful place to run and very different from any of my usual training sessions back home. It's also true that we got the afternoon off and we went back to Kerio View for chocolate pancakes (taking my total to 5 for the day) and a couple of Tusker beers. What a rebel I was drinking during a training camp but as I said it was my birthday.

What didn't turn out to be true was that the run through the forest was easy. It was certainly long (about 1h 20m which at altitude is really long) but it was unexpectedly very hilly. As I have mentioned before Iten itself is full of hills which was what I was expecting from the forest but there were two hills early on that can only be described as total bastards. During the first one I was running next to Celine and I commented that the hill was going on for ever. She agreed and said she thought she had one too many pancakes at breakfast because she didn't feel too well. As I carried on (after a tiny bit of respite from hills) the second one was before us. It was so steep and went on for an eternity. I had to give in a walk for a few seconds before carrying on and getting to the top. I was sweating (more so than during the painful massage of the first week.)

Thankfully we were stopping at the top of the hill to re-group so as not to lose anyone thus I got to have a break. Without it I genuinely don't think I could have carried on. 

The rest of the group were reaching the top too and it became quite a scary reality of how hard the hill had been when Celine arrived at the top feeling weak, with blurry vision and tears in her eyes. She sat down under a tree otherwise I am sure she would have collapsed. She was really upset and seemed quite panicked by her dizzinness and difficulty breathing. It was a stark reminder that altitude training is no joke. 

After a few minutes she started to feel ok and wanted to carry on but decided to stick with the back of the group so as not to over excerpt herself. A wise decision.

The rest of the forest run was hilly (but nothing like what it had started like) and I really enjoyed it. Sadly Daniel hadn't been able to join us as his work had contacted him the night before asking him to join conference calls all day. Technology is a wonderful thing as it allows us to keep in touch with friends and family more easily, we can share pictures online, and even write blogs. But sometimes in this digital world (of which I am a product) it does mean we are too connected and sometimes we must learn to unplug. This is a lesson I say for myself as I am more guilty than most for always being available. I felt sorry for Daniel as he looked shattered by the end of the day and hadn't been able to enjoy what was meant to be his holiday.  

In the afternoon and evening we just relaxed around camp and Manu sang happy birthday to me about another 5 times. It was very funny that he kept doing it throughout the day and I am sure had I filmed it he would have more hits on YouTube than Marilyn singing to JFK, just maybe. 

I spoke with Jessica, Natalie, Steven, and Laura which was a real treat. It made me smile to talk with them. I adjourned to bed early as I wanted to still get quite a few hours after my beers (perhaps a hangover at altitude would be on the cards?) plus I wanted to have some time to think about my Dad alone.

It was Father's Day and it had been 4 years to the day since Dad died. I miss him. He took a great interest in my running and I am sad that I was only at the start of my running "career" when he passed away because I am sure he would have been proud of my results and would love to have heard all about this camp. I still text him the results to all my races (hopefully nobody has his old number!) so I am sure he knows anyway.

It was a lovely day.

Day twelve (20th June 2016)

I was hangover free from my indulgence of two Tuskers yesterday so the 5:30am alarm was an ok sound to hear.

It had been raining heavily overnight which had been a lovely sound to hear (nothing quite beats the sound of a storm when you're warm inside) so I knew the roads would be muddy and it would be unlikely to be packed with local runners.

We set out on the all weather road (i.e. the one that doesn't seem to get waterlogged) and were going along it for 20 minutes before turning back on ourselves for a 20 minute return journey. It was a good run and Alice was keeping me at a good pace. The roads weren't packed with runners but we did see one group of elites coming towards us as we neared camp and it turned out to be Kipyeno whom we had visited a few days before. He had a beaming smile on his face and gave us a huge wave when he went passed. He's a lovely guy. 

Later on I had a 1-2-1 with Hugo van den Boek who is one of the top coaches here. I told him my overall goal of getting a sub 3 hour marathon and took him through my training plan YTD. He was impressed with my progress (in terms of times) and was confident I could get under 3 hours next year which was a real boost. His overall comment had been that my training was a little too intense and I should spread out the harder sessions more in order to reach race day fresh. If I did this he thought I would be able to maintain my speed and not lose it in the last 5km of the marathon (like I did in London back in April.) He agreed that aiming for both Boston and Berlin next year would be a good plan and asked to be kept up to date with my progress. A great guy and I will certainly adapt my training to take this in (along with everything else I have learnt on this trip.)

In the afternoon we were set to do our fartlek session. Everyone seemed pretty nervous about it but I planned to just try and do as much of it as I could. If I needed to ease off the pace then I would. 

We had a mini bus (or matatu as they are known in Kenya) pick us up at camp and drive us through Iten town center and dropped us off at St. Patrick's School. We rode the bus Kenyan style (i.e. we crammed 11 people into a vehicle meant for 9.) Lucky we are all friends now. We then ran 3km (I think) as a warm up to where the Thursday fartlek session starts that the elites do and which is where the our real training session kicked off.

Clearly worried about the speed that lay ahead we all went for a pee in the bushes. That done and we lined up. We would be doing 1 minute fast followed by 1 minute slow for 12 reps. We had the three usual pacemakers and Godfrey told us to listen to our bodies and follow whichever we could keep up with.

We set off. First minute was slow. Then we hit the 1 minute timer and we were off. Manu, Finn, Dino and Japhet lead the way into the sunset and I stuck with Alice, with Peter and Celine just behind. The fast minutes seemed to go quite quickly and before I knew it we had already done 3 reps. Godfrey and Songok went past us in the van. Godfrey's words of encouragement were so nice. We had the usual children supporting us along the way and Alice was proving to be the perfect speed training partner for me. She was just ahead of me meaning I was pushing myself a little for us to stay together.

The course was hilly, which sometimes was to our benefit as the fast minutes fell on a downhill but naturally our luck didn't always last and some of the fasts were uphill.

Never the less we made it. 24 minutes of speed training. Woo hoo!

A good way to finish the day and work up an appetite for dinner. I reckon it's ugali, kale and chicken tonight. I am starting to know the kitchen's pattern.

After dinner we adjourned to the Iten club as usual and were lucky enough to have a chat with Abel Kirui who won silver at the London 2012 Olympics for the marathon. The man can not only run but he can talk too. He was much more animated than the other "stars" we have met this week. Lovely chap.

Day thirteen (21st June 2016)

I got yesterday's dinner prediction wrong. It was beef with ugali and kale. Only one third wrong. 

We had another huge thunder storm last night which was fun to listen to once I had retrieved all my washing from the line outside. At least the rain up here is very fresh so it was kind of like my clothes had a second wash. 

Up for a 6am run and the rain had stopped but left the roads very muddy. We did similar to yesterday in that we ran 25 minutes along the all weather road and then back. It was nice and woke me up suitably for breakfast on my return.

After breakfast we went down to the track to again watch the famous track Tuesday. Today though it was pretty empty because of the weather. Those that were there were avoiding the track itself (as it was too muddy) and doing figures of eight across the field within the track itself. They were flying (as expected.)

We sat by the cliff edge overlooking the valley. The clouds surrounded us which was amazing. In front of our eyes the clouds then cleared to reveal the valley floor below. It was beautiful.

In the afternoon we went to visit Kolol school which is further down the valley and was setup 6 years ago with the help of many people including Hugo (the coach from yesterday) and his wife Hilda. As soon as our van pulled into the car park the kids were all running out of the classrooms waving with beaming smiles on their faces. They were so excited. It was so lovely to see.

We were shown around by the headmaster and then got to visit one of the classes. The kids all stood up when we entered the room. Very respectful and polite. The teacher explained who we were and we got to introduce ourselves. The children clapped after each person spoke. My favourite moment was when Filsan introduced herself. She spoke in Swahili to them explaining that she grew up in Kenya and remembered learning about Canada at school so she worked hard in order to be able to move there. They all were very impressed and promised to study hard at school.

On the way to sign the visitors book the class teacher, Margaret, explained that she was grateful we had visited as the children don't get to meet white people hence their excitement. I am glad we had the chance to visit them, it wasn't any effort on our part but was clearly a big thing for the school and the children.

It was a wonderful school with lovely pupils. In the van on the way back it really made me think about how happy these children were to see us and how different our expectations and wants are in Western Europe.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing. I decided not to go for the afternoon run and merely just relax and maybe do some floor exercises.

After all; all athletes need a break sometimes right?

Day fourteen (22nd June 2016)

It was another lie in which meant 7am. Woo hoo. 

Stuffed on the usual pancakes, bread and jam we were gearing up for a track session (hence the late start.) Some of the group had opted for the usual morning run instead of the track so it was just Finn, Manu, Celine, Alice, and I that were making the 3km jog (along with our trusty pacers Peter, Jpahet and David) to Lornha Kiplagat's track. 

As residents of Lornah's camp we were able to use the track for free. Ordinarily it costs 1,000 Kenyan Shillings for foreigners to use the track for the day and 500 Shillings for locals. To put this in perspective for a local that equates to a month's rent. Therefore, not many locals frequent it. It was in fact going to be the first time that both Japhet and Peter had ever run on a track which was just as exciting for me as it was for them.

Arriving at the track it wasn't very busy but within a few minutes Songok had pointed out at least two Olympic medal holders that were training. Nerves were building and I needed to pee. With the pee situation sorted I was still a little nervous as we decided on our session.

Finn said we would be aiming to do 6 x 1,000m with a 400m jog in between each set. We would do it the Kenyan way which meant all of our group in single file. As Celine and I both have a race this weekend he suggested we do no more than 4 sets in order to save our legs.

We made our way onto the track and Japhet touched it with his hands. Peter removed his shoes and was going to run barefoot. It was so lovely to see their excited faces at what lay ahead.

We were then off. Finn lead the way. Godfrey was on the sidelines doing the timing. The pace was ok for me and we sped up for the last 200m. It was fun. The altitude didn't seem to be affecting me as much any more and the 400m jog recovery before we started again was fine. I did 4 reps and my splits were progressively better:

Rep 1 = 3m 50s
Rep 2 = 3m 46s
Rep 3 = 3m 45s
Rep 4 = 3m 37s

I was pleased with these and it must mean my training for the past 10 days has paid off. It was a highly enjoyable session and the elites did not at all make us feel unwelcome or that we were in their way. True sportsmen and meant that the nervous pee when I arrived had not been necessary.

Post lunch we wandered through Iten to visit St. Patrick's School. It's a secondary boarding school for boys which boasts an impressive alumni of superb Olympic, World Champions, and World Record Holders for middle and long distance runners. Brother Colm (whom we had spied at Kerio View last week) was once the Head Master from 1986 - 1993 and his coaching has become renowned within the athletics world with his latest prodigy being the 800m World Record holder David Rudisha.

Interestingly he actually mentioned (when we met him later in the day) that he was no longer training Mr. Rudisha and hadn't seen him for months. He seemed quite perplexed when he told us this news saying he just stopped turning up to training and wasn't responding to texts. I felt like we were getting the inside scoop and immediately called the National Enquirer. 

That last bit is of course a lie but it seems they have parted ways and I was among the first to hear it. Privileged indeed. 

Brother Colm still lives on site at St. Patrick's school and trains in the area but does not necessarily just focus on boys that attend St. Patrick's. 

We arrived at the school at lunch time so it was pretty hectic with 1,000 boys having just had lunch and burning off energy before afternoon classes. They all seemed happy (as everyone does in Kenya) and were slightly intrigued by a group of strangers just wandering around their school. Am pretty sure in Europe you couldn't just wander into school grounds to take a look.

We saw the many trees that have been planted in the school grounds by previous athletic heroes. There are a lot of them. There is also a museum on site which only opened last month hosting many trophies, photos, and memorabilia from previous pupil's success. It was amazing that one school (which outside of true athletic fans) is pretty much unheard of.

We missed Brother Colm at the school but were lucky enough for him to visit us for a drink at the Iten club (our nightly hangout) for a drink post dinner. I'm not sure what I was expecting but he was certainly a character. He was so chatty and we really didn't even ask him any questions but he talked for over an hour about the history of running in Iten, his involvement with the school (having arrived in Kenya almost 40 years ago knowing nothing about athletics) and what he does in terms of coaching now.

He was fascinating to listen to and here were my key takeaways from what he said:

1) "Train hard, win easy"

2) If you are always "on" then you will perform as average all the time. A consistent performer. However; if you are able to switch "on" for certain important things after having has some "off" time then you will excel.

That second point really resonated with me. Not only in terms of running but regarding business life too. I am always worried about not being connected to work emails and being available for my team but perhaps if I just unplugged for a while (as I probably should on holiday) and didn't feel the need to respond to everything within a few hours I would actually raise my performance and give more quality to my work.

It's certainly food for thought.

Day fifteen (23rd June 2016)

Today is the EU referendum in the UK. Steven is going to do my vote by proxy. I hope the country votes for us to remain. Let's see what the next 24 hours brings.

We were up for our last 6am run. We did the shorter St. Patrick's loop (which I think is about 10km.) It was a little muddy after more overnight rain but was fun. At the end of it I couldn't believe that was our last run as a group. When I think back to the first one we did it does seem like a long time ago but it feels like my time here in camp has flown by.

After another pancake breakfast (a custom I may have to adopt at home) most of the group left to head home. It was sad saying goodbye but I know we will stay in touch. We have made a deal that whichever country wins Euro 2016 will be where we have a reunion race next year. I am looking forward to it already. I secretly hope it's in Iceland as I think it would be fun to race there (even though I have actually placed a bet on Belgium winning.)

Alice and I had decided we would head down to the Thursday fartlek session that we watched last week and join in. Since we had done our morning run we planned on only doing the first rep just to get a feel for what speed the Kenyans actually run at. Yesterday Alice had been approached by a team that represented a new sportswear clothing line who were here to do a photoshoot and asked if she would be in it. I can see why. She's an attractive girl. Plus Andy (an American guy training here and helping this team put the photoshoot together) has a crush on Alice. I think she may have a crush on him too. Don't deny it when you read this Alice :-)

During our afternoon coffee break though, Andy asked Jayne and I if we would also do it. We hesitated a little and he then said "ok, I'll at least put you on the reserve list." So we would be models too. Sadly our career was short lived as he then came back and asked for Alice only (in front of us.) Harsh. Jayne and I adjourned to the Iten Club for a cup of tea whilst Alice did her modelling. She wasn't the only one living the dream.

Having said that though, when they got wind that both Alice and I would attempt the fartlek they asked if we would wear their gear as they would be taking photos there too. I was back in the game. At breakfast they gave us our tops to wear. The two other men where wearing nice running vests with the logo on. Alice was given a running vest too. I was given a long sleeved cotton top with the logo in tiny print on the back. Somehow I was modelling the winter gear. How did that happen? Putting the top on it was clear from the aroma that I was not the first athlete to wear it. It definitely had a funky sport smell. The sleeves were a little short for me. This modelling career is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Alice and I jumped in a matatu to the start line and were told to line up at the front so the photographer could get a picture of us in the tops with all the Kenyans behind us. Photo done we quickly changed to the back of the pack. 

The countdown happened and we were off. A nice slow jog. 1 minute passed and all the watches had timers going meaning it was time for the first fast minute. The Kenyans were off like a bullet out of a gun. Alice and I raced at full pelt and yet they were still all passing us. The group ahead were becoming smaller by the second. As we completed the fast minute we pulled to the side and the entire group was then out of sight. Phenomenal speed. To think they were going to keep that up for almost an hour was unbelievable. 

We were pleased to have taken part and started the 6km jog home. About 800m later we spotted a motor cycle and hitched a ride with him back to the camp. We had run 10km in the morning after all.

So the camp is now over. I am truly sad that it is. 

I had never expected to enjoy it this much and I can honestly say I have loved every second of it. I have met some amazing people who are now friends. I have run up one of the toughest hills in Kenya. I have become used to training at altitude. I have met world class athletes. I have enjoyed being back in Kenya.

Day sixteen (24th June 2016)

Last night I flew back to Nairobi and spent the night in the fabulous Norfolk hotel. I wish I had known I had been booked into such a nice hotel and I may have flown back earlier in order to have longer there. It is part of the Fairmont group which I have only had the chance to enjoy once before (entirely because I was travelling with my parents to Toronto and they picked up the bill.) I would like to say I will only stay in Fairmont hotels in the future but alas my salary will not support that kind of lifestyle. I enjoyed room service and watched Pitch Perfect 2. Don't tell me how to be rock n roll in a hotel room. Clearly I already know how to do it. 

When I was last in Kenya on a family holiday in August 1996 (how did 20 years go by?) we went to the fantastic Carnivore restaurant whilst we were in Nairobi. I would have liked to have gone again but time wasn't on my side and perhaps some things are best left to nostalgia? 

I woke up in the morning to find the UK had voted to leave the EU. WTF? I hadn't expected that. I was worried about what lay ahead for our future.

Checking out of the hotel I met Martina. She was also heading to Lewa for the marathon and we would be sharing a car together to the tiny Wilson airport for our flight to Lewa. Martina was not going to be running the race but was here to support her boyfriend Stefan who would be running the full marathon (unlike my half attempt.) What was amazing was that she had come all the way from Zurich as a surprise to support him. What a girlfriend. He will have his work cut out for him to re-pay that treat. 

Inevitably we spoke about the Brexit result and she made me see a different perspective. After all, her and Stefan were from Switzerland which is not in the EU and their country works just fine. It made me feel a little more relaxed (if I can say that) about the result and got me onto the track of thinking that it has happened now, nothing I can do will change the result and we must move forward together and make the UK work without being in the EU. 

Politics aside I was really excited about heading to Lewa. At the airport we met Stefan and I can firmly say that I enjoyed both his and Martina's company instantly. I felt relaxed in the knowledge that I at least had some friends for the last part of my trip.

We boarded the tiny 9 seater plane and flew through the clouds to Lewa. We landed at the dirt air strip in the middle of the national park and when we got out of the plane we spotted an elephant in the distance. Amazing. That just doesn't happen at Heathrow. Well unless you are unloading a cargo plane I guess.

Our trucks took us to register for the race which was super organised and efficient. As well as a race number, timing chip, t-shirt, and cap we were also given a card certifying that we had cover to be treated by the flying doctors. I've never had one of those before and I hadn't realised we had purchased it as part of our entry. I had two thoughts. One: all I could hear in my head was "victor charlie charlie" and "mike sierra foxtrot" in an Aussie accent. Two: the likelihood of someone needing major medical treatment was clearly high. 

Registration done we then made our way to Maridadi Camp where we would be staying. The camp was a temporary one and had been erected in the middle of the park. We passed through an arch that had electrical wires hanging down (which somewhat reminded me of the last obstacle in Tough Mudder) and upon check in our host told us that a lioness and her two cubs were living in the area so we mustn't go outside of the camp by ourselves, particularly at night. Yikes. We were definitely staying in a wild area.

Our tents were super. The entire camp was put together beautifully and I really felt like I was on safari in Africa. After lunch we enjoyed a game drive through the park. I don't know how to describe it other than stunning. The area is just beautiful and I can see why it is now registered as a UNESCO world heritage site. We saw giraffe, buffalo, rhino (including the elusive black rhino) as well as numerous impala and zebra. I have to say I was just as taken with the scenery though as well as the animals. I can safely say it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Our driver was superb spotting animals from a distance although one did perplex me. He said he could see some coreyfocker behind a tree. What's that? Who know's? I couldn't understand his explanation (nor see anything by the tree.) Numerous Google attempts has still left me in the dark. Before being on safari I would have assumed it were a website purely with the intention of taking down both Corey Haim and Feldman. 

After the game drive we had the race briefing. It was as per any normal pre-race talk except this time it did mention that we shouldn't stray from the course for obvious reasons. Given what happened to me in Nakuru last week I was praying I wouldn't come across a group of baboons, especially as Dino was not here to save me this time. 

I spotted Eliud Kipchoge in the crowd (I knew he was registered to run) and was half tempted to go and say something but I was too embarrassed. Even though a few people were asking for photos with him (which he happily obliged) I didn't feel confident that he would remember me from when we visited his camp last week. We adjourned to the camp and had a marvellous dinner. Ugali wasn't on the menu. How crazy that I ate it for a full two weeks and then the night before a race I didn't have it. I'm not complaining as I was a bit ugalied out to be honest. I went to bed in my tent quite early as the alarm was set for 5am. Walking to my tent I couldn't stop looking at the stars. They were so bright and there were hundreds. Spectacular. 

Day seventeen (25 June 2016)

Race day was here. I was excited. I dressed, slapped on the sun cream and made my way to breakfast. They gave us pancakes. I have to say that I will feel sorely disappointed when I have to return to porridge or cereal when I get back to the UK.

Getting to the start area I bumped into Filsan from the training camp which was great. I hadn't had great reception on my phone (ironic given the race is sponsored by the largest mobile phone provider in Kenya) so I was pleased we saw each other. We chatted and then out of the blue Kipchoge came past and shook both of our hands. He remembered us. Such a nice man. I also secretly felt slightly smug that others in the crowd had seen him do it and were wondering who we must be (or at least who Filsan was as she is much more striking than I.) We had a quick selfie with him and then were into the start pen. 

The race started about 15 minutes late because of a rhino blocking the course (that doesn't happen at the Reading half marathon) and at 7:30am they did a 5 second count down. We were off. 

The road went very narrow quickly and it was quite crowded. I wasn't aiming for a PB (I think it would be impossible at altitude) and so I was just enjoying being part of the crowd and dust that surrounded us from everyone's heavy footsteps.

I dived in an out of a few people and quickly was at the 1km marker and into a comfortable stride. The setup of the race was to be highly commended. All the water stations, kilometer markers and arrows to direct the way were all made of subtle metal and blended well within the park surroundings. 

I was finding my pace ok to maintain as the kilometers went by and my breathing was in control. Anyone would have thought I had been at a high altitude training camp to get ready for this? At 3km I spotted a group of zebra in the distance. I couldn't believe I was running in a national park in Kenya with wild animals. What a dream come true. 

I spotted Martina and Mary-Jane (from Tusk which is the official charity of the event and had given me a place in the run) and they gave me some very welcomed encouragement at the 5km water stop. The event is superbly setup for spectators so that they can drive around the course and see runners at various points. If I had know this I would have brought Steven with me. He supports me in places like Rio, London, Bermuda, San Francisco and Cardiff (!) so the least I could do is treat him to this. He would have loved being here. Next time I will definitely pack him in my luggage. 

As I carried on throughout the route I caught up with two non Kenyans. At the briefing the night before they had warned us not to keep up with the locals so it seemed we were taking on board their advice. As we rounded a corner there was a family supporting runners and they shouted "three mzungo together!" It made me laugh and I thought back to the kids in Iten who had shouted that at us for the past two weeks. 

The course was hilly and I can't say that it wasn't brutal. The undulating course between 5km to 10km certainly made the runners spread out and I was pretty much running on my own. I was determined to make it through the course without stopping. After all, I had made it up Flourspar last week (albeit with a few breaks) but still. One of the three mzungo was then actually next to me. He was called Ben and was from England but lived in Kenya. It was his 6th time at the race. He said we were on pace for a 1h 30m finished which I would be chuffed with. He also told me we had three more short and sharp hills to go before the stretch to the finish. Good tips. 

I didn't see any more wildlife during the run but just being in the open in this superb part of the world was enough to take my breath away, or was that the altitude? We then reached what seemed like the top of the valley and the view of the country below was stunning. I actually said "wow" when looking at it. I can't describe how amazing it was. 

As we descended in to the valley it was a welcome break from the tough hills. We were then on the valley floor with 4km or so to go. It felt like a long 4km but it was on the flat so I was grateful for that. Ben hadn't been lying. I approached the last water stop and made my way through the misting station. The cold water felt good. I then took a cup of lucozade and took one sip before realising it just tasted wrong. I threw it (pretty much full) into the bin which afterwards had me worried as I was the only person in sight and the entire volunteer crew must have thought I was so ungrateful just throwing away the drink after one sip. However; back at camp it seemed the foul tasting lucozade was a talking point of the evening so I hadn't been alone. 

As I reached the 500m to go sign I glanced at my watch to see 1h 28m. Could I make it to the end for the 1h 30m that Ben had predicted? A few hundred meters later I thought I would have to settle for 1h 31m but as I saw the finish line I gave one last push and crossed the line. The result? 1h 30m 57s. Phew! That still counts as 1h 30m right? It placed me 82nd out of a starting group of 1,400 (although I believe about 150 of those were full marathon runners.) Still a great result. 

I was chuffed to bits. It's by no means my fastest half marathon but with the altitude, terrain and hills I don't doubt that without my two week training with the Kenyans I would have been more in the 1h 40m zone at least.

It is the most beautiful half marathon I have ever done and one day I would love to return. I watched Filsan finish the race (in a sprint no less) and we enjoyed a sweaty hug and yet another selfie together. Can you tell we live in the Instagram age?

Now I don't usually rate my showers but the one back at camp was one of the best I have ever had. Each tent had a little shower tent behind our actual tent. It had a bag of water above it which could then be used as a shower. You could ask for warm water to be put into the bag but getting back I just wanted to wash the salt and dust from my skin so I went for it straight away. It was amazing. Standing naked being able to see out into the plains and game reserve (people couldn't see into the shower I should add) enjoying the cold water was superb. I felt refreshed, clean and I didn't have dust sock marks on my ankles anymore.  

So that was the Lewa half marathon. I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in camp with a few Tuskers and good conversation with other runners (but my favourites still being Matina and Stefan!)

P.S. I don't know how any of the runners continued to do a second lap of the course in order to complete the full marathon. Stefan did though and came home in a time of 4h 20m. A hero in my eyes. 

Day eighteen (26th June 2016)

I can't believe this is my last day. I got up at 7am and enjoyed my last cold alfresco shower. Post breakfast Martina, Stefan and I had a couple of hours on a game drive which again was wonderful. We didn't spot any lions or elephants but we took comfort in the fact we saw the elephant on arrival. 

We made our way to the air strip and watched an aborted landing as a rhino was crossing the runway. I love this place. Sadly though it was then our turn to board the tiny plane to head back to Nairobi. As we took off I spotted another elephant. That makes two. Well possibly one I suppose as it could have been the same one from two days ago?

As I arrived back in Nairobi I had a lot of time to kill before my flight back to London so I made my way to the Eka Hotel where I had stayed on my first night 2.5 weeks ago. I thought I could use the wifi and have some drinks rather than sitting on the floor in the airport. 

So as I sit there now in the spot where this journey all began I cannot begin to say how great it has been. The trip has far outweighed my expectations and renewed my love for Kenya.

I won't be leaving it 20 years before I come back again.