Running Times, Online

August 19, 2009
If anyone has questions about training, life or anything concerning running in Kenya, I would love to try and answer them for you.

Well since my last post I have come down with what appears to be a common cold. Started to get a fever on Saturday night, and it returns every afternoon, along with a cough/sore throat. The roommate had the same thing a few days earlier, so I am not too worried. It is pretty tough to stay calm when you have a fever here in Africa, and keep your mind from jumping to conclusions. I picked up some meds from the pharmacist yesterday and already I feel back on track.
Took today off of training to give myself a chance to recover fully. I don’t think I was doing myself any favors by running yesterday though. Sunday and Monday sure hadn’t shaken the beating from Saturday, my butt hurt so bad that the only that didn’t make me wince was actually going uphill! I have met half of the town and probably 85% of the athletes here, with 75% of them still convinced I am coach/manager, who can give them $$ or a passport to races.
Locals have informed me that the rainy season here is during April, but it has rained every single day that I have been here. When it does we just wait until about 11 AM to run, giving the roads a chance to dry out. Running around here, it’s impossible to find any route devoid of hills. The general format that most the athletes follow on a basic run; shuffle jog 10min, easy pace 10 min, mod pace rest of run and hard pace last 1-2km. Everyone wheres long sleeves and sweatsuits, if not they wear tights. I tried it but feel like a wrestler trying to drop a few pounds. I already stick out, so who cares if I am the only one in short sleeves and shorts?
They eat big portions here, of ugali, rice, lentils and anything else they are serving. We purchase fresh fruits and veggies from the market stand most evenings, for our meals. So the food situation is not bad at all. Although I am relegated to drinking bottled water all the time for precaution.
I have been watching the Olympics, and marvel at international coverage of T&F. They show every event and all participants, with minimal blabbering or sob stories. Roommates and friends were pretty fired up yesterday after Kenya took 2 golds, 1 silver & bronze in Men 3kSC and Wmn 800m.

Hope all is well in USA.

August 16, 2009
I have been getting by pretty well so far training. But today I was served of piping hot plate of Kenyan style training. I am not sure if I have run harder before, but I can guarantee that I have never been so tired.
My travelling buddy was out visiting relatives, and I was left under the guidance of a local friend, who happens to just run on the European track circuit. We meet up and pick up a few 13:30 road racing guys, along the way. After a 40 min warmup(!) rolling through the rural countryside, we came upon a rotten looking hill that dropped down out of sight. Isaac, the group leader, said, ” Ok we will do 15 repeats up this 300m hill which will equal 1 hr of hills. I tried to not show my fear, so I just peed over by a fencepost (which I was informed is acceptable anywhere in Kenya).
We ran it sort of an Indian run style, in a line with each guy taking a turn at the front. The first 6 were at an easy pace, and then it was game time. After #6 on I was told that ‘the pace may increase’, translation just get ready for all the countryside kids to laugh at you, as the pack Kenyans destroy you up this hill. I could manage to hang the first half, but come the last 150m the pitch increased and everytime I was droppped handily.
#10 saw the most talkative guy quit, right in the middle of a repeat. That was the last thing I needed, an excuse, but I remembered why I came here. From there on, they insisted I start when it was my turn, but always halfway in saw 3 wooshing bodies lope past me. My lungs hurt like nothing I have every experienced in my life, and my legs cursed me for the dripfeed of oxygen they received. I picked up the pace on all of them relatively, but still got dropped on each. When we finished, the less fluent in English guys said to Isaac, “This man I do not want to race in 3 months”. It was a nice compliment, but I can’t tell if it was their version of a pity clap.

Sum it up, I have started to train like I expected. Time to buckle tight.

Ed. Note: Neil has been in Kenya for 2 months already. He is bringing us up-to-date on his experience by posting entries from when he first arrived in Kenya. Follow along with us.

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Alright! I have now landed in my final destination of Kapsabet, Kenya. I would have posted earlier, but Internet was running at about 1 bit/min the last two days, and I am taking a day trip today to Eldoret. Since I last posted I have experienced some of the most wild/jarring transportation ever in my life. Basic point A-B transport is done by matatu, which is a van with room for about 10-15 people judging on how tight you pack them. The drivers do laps from one point to the other and ferry people along the way. They are beyond reckless in their pursuit to increase efficiency. I just try and sit in the back now and avoid looking ahead, which would just stress me out even more.

Driving in Nairobi was like a snow globe of cars just endlessly being shaken. The road out to the country was smooth for about 3 hrs and then switched to the bumpiest ride I have ever had on a “road”. It is amazing that buses and big rigs take these severely pot-holed roads. We finally arrived in Kapsabet, and some of my training partner’s friends met us at the bus stop and helped with our bags to the house 400yds away.

For the standards that I had viewed out the window and running around since, we are not living badly. We have electricity and 4 rooms: 2 bedrooms, a sitting room and a kitchen room. The kitchen houses a kerosene camp stove where all our meals our cooked. Besides my training partner and myself, two other guys live there. They are runners as well, but do not seem to be as serious.

Compared to Nairobi, Kapsabet people are unbelievable. Every single person (after getting over the shock of my skin color) is bend-over-backwards nice and everyone has invited us over for tea. The countryside is beautiful, and the hills roll everywhere. I would guess this town has maybe roughly 10,000 people surrounding and no lie, I think 1,000 are elite if not world class runners. I have never seen so many runners flying around in groups training. The town track is a bees nest of activity.

I have been reading a bunch, and finished all my novels already. I read the bible everyday, and if I want a headache, I open a computer programming book my boss, David, gave me. My roommates listen to Kenny Rogers and N’Sync on full blast at all hours, which doesn’t really bother me because it could be way worse. I just never expected to hear ‘The Gambler’ at 6:15 am in Kenya!

Training:

For our runs we rise at before dawn and shuffle outside, for anywhere from 45-90 min run. This week is supposed to be a just get acclimated week, but we have run some of the hardest routes already. Thankfully I have been able to keep up, and the few extra days in Nairobi seems to have helped a lot.

This morning I met with Martin Lel before he went out to run with his group of 30 runners in tow. It was amazing to meet a Beijing gold medal hopeful, up close and we had a nice conversation. It is amazing how welcoming he was. People yell at me from their homes ‘Welcome to Kenya” or ‘Karibu!’. Thankfully I have picked up a little bit of Swahili and can thank people and greet them.

I am feeling pretty good training but naps afterward are a must to recover. I am going to have to adjust to eating less, and drinking copious amounts of Kenyan tea (roughly 10 cups a day!).

I hope all is well state side.

Neil

Hello Running Times Blog community. My name is Neil McDonagh, and I live in Charleston, SC. More importantly, I will actually be living in rural Kenya, for three months between August and October 2008.

A little background information about myself. I ran Track and XC, at Georgia Tech, from 2000-2005. I found my place as a 1500m runner, notching a personal best of 3:46. Due to the success of the American running scene, I was left in a gray area for post-collegiate competition. I have since moved over to the world of road racing, and enjoyed the variety it has offered.

During a road race in early ‘08, I befriended a Kenyan competitor. He had just out kicked me to the line during a 5k race. The young man and I struck up a conversation afterwards. He suggested that I travel back to Kenya, to train and in his words, “Then you will become strong.” I initially laughed off the idea, and told him I had a wife and a job to be concerned with in the States.

Upon further consideration though, I realized this was a one-time shot. Things played out in my favor, and everyone important (wife and work) supported me in traveling to Kenya. I know that I am not Bob Kennedy or Ryan Hall, or for that matter the talent level of the other bloggers on RT. Although, I did feel confident that for the most part, I would be able to hang with the training in Kenya.

This is not a commercial trip, with cooks and massage therapists, that you might find in the back of a travel magazine. I am living with aspiring runners, in Kapsabet, Kenya. Kapsabet, is a rural town outside of Eldoret, and home to many of the world’s best runners. I can only hope to give you some insight into the training and lifestyle, of the many runners striving to make a splash on the international scene.