Standard Marathon, 2:25 (Whaaaaat!)

Boy, wasn't it fun!
I have never enjoyed a run like I did the 2009 Standard Chartered half marathon. I kid you not.
The weekend was as confusingly tight as you can imagine. For one, I left the house on Friday at 7am and went back on Saturday at 6am. At 2pm, I was back at the office all the way to 8pm.
So, home at about 9pm, made ugali, sukuma wiki. Wolfed both down, no ceremony there. I had bought this 500ml of milk. I drained it. What next? Oh, water - a litre and more. Then I slept. Uneventful. My knee was not very co-operative but I'd sworn to walk the wholw damn 21km if I had to.
I got up in good time, way before 6am but somehow ended up leaving the house at 6.10am. Assembly time was 6.45am. The breakfast wasn't much. A less-than-filled-to-the-brim mug of black tea and a piece of warmed up ugali which was so tasteless it filled my mouth. I spit it all out, pronto. I was cursing why I didn't buy bread the previous night. Then I remembered I just didn't have any money on me. I got to town at 6.45am and had to jog the kilometre or so to Nyayo Stadium. I even broke a little sweat.
Unlike the previous race, I didn't carry any luggage. Just fare, a measly 100 bob, my job ID, handkerchief and gum. This saved me so much time; and, worry.
I settled down easily - had some guy help me pin the 3442 on my tshirt, fastened the chip onto my shoes and was ready. Looked around, traced Jack then Kariuki, then Sikuku then Gachanja.
Team? Check.
Watch? Check.
Toilet? Check (I can't stand those mobile loos!).
Psyche? Check.
Tension? Check.
Weather? Check, at least for the moment - sunny, some wind and all.
Check.
Check.
Check.
Everything as it supposedly should be. Ok, the knee was playing up from a distance. And my tights had just ripped that morning where it mattered - my family jewels were at risk. So had to wear something inside before the tights then the track pants. Too 'dressed' for a race.
Not the best of places to meet new, important people, really, but that is where I met Jack's wife, Mary. I felt such a phony as we shook hands. It was just not the best of times! But am sure she will understand.
Catching up here and there, Jack's advise (the first kilometere should be the slowest etc etc), Kariuki and why he didn't come for Ndakaini, Kamau was missing...
7.32am sharp, and we were released onto the road, the 21km ahead of us.
We started off with Kariuki. Jack and Sikuku just flew off like they were shot from a cannonor something. Me and Kariuki agreed to take it easy. And boy, didn't we take it easy!
Off Nyayo, Uhuru Highway, Uhuru Park, back to Uhuru Highway... the pace was light, easy, friendly. It was almost a jog. But a number of people were walking, already! Anyway, Kariuki had started disappering behind me. I couldn't see him in his blue track pants and all. Just sooooo many Stanchart tshirts ...
Uhuru Highway all the way to the University turning point you could see more people slow down and some more people walk. Poor souls, we had not even done 5km and they were already walking?
Uhuru Highway, up Kenyatta avenue. First setback. My runnning inspiration, the guy who even got to me to commit to running before I totally got hooked, the one and only Jack, was ahead, but walking. Damn! That hit me bad. He had an injury. But ever a sportsman, he urged me on. 'You run on and finish.'
Just after Jack, a few minutes, the 42km crew came by, police, motorbike, Mahindra escort and all. They sped past as if they were high or crazy. Sometimes the line between the two is so thin that it is not there anymore. When it comes to running, it is one and the same thing. They are high on something or crazy for the prize etc. Ah, doesn't matter.
Anyway, got back and pushed on. The knee was playing up but so mildly. That I could take but I could not run as fast as I would have loved so I just maintained the pace, slightly above a jog.
Uhuru Highway to Harambee Avenue back to Uhuru Highway then to Haile Selassie back to Uhuru Highway, roundabout on to Mombasa Road. By then Kariuki was nowhere in sight nor in mind. Instead,there was this Indian I was following. He was as 'heavy' as me, with a friendly pace to match. There were also these two girls, average of build, one with hair reaching her waist... their pace? I could live with it or is it I could keep up? Make it both.
I also picked out this lady, No. 5900 whose pace was constant but friendly. I never lost sight of her until just before the stadium.
Past Nyayo Stadium and now more people were dropping by the wayside to walk. As we talk the final bay hill to Zain's turning point, Gachanja overtook me. I lost him somehow and never saw him again.
So far so good. Two, three water points. I took none.
As we approoached Zain offices, a few drops of rain, nothing more but it was definitely going to rain some more. Not to worry. We needed the showers, not as badly as we did at Ndakaini. The rain was more than welcome. It didn't come until way after the turning point. Jack had warned us never to shy away from poor weather as we could not tell how it would be on the day of the race.
There were quite a number of distractions. Actually that is one of my favourite pastime when am running. There were all these 'I survived this-and-that 2009 marathon;' 'Great Body Gym marathon team.' But what took the cake was 'Ja Walk-a-thon' neatly done and balanced an this girl's t-shirt. the two/three times I saw this particular girl, she was walking!
And the people were of all shapes. The shapes did not get in the way of running, not all. hats off to the ladies. They were so many and they really gave their all. Well done ladies.
Mombasa road after Zain and we turned back. My energy was up - I right away thought back at the bread that I failed to eat in the morning - so I slowed down to walk hoping to resume running at the next water point. Wapi! It was a first aid stop. I walked over to have my knee attended but when Isaw some guy on his back, ice all over his knee, I opted for a quick fix and had some liquid sprayed over my singing knee. I couldn't imagine taking 10-15 minutes getting the knee sorted out. No way.
'Would you be having any water?'
'No son, right ahead.' She actually called me son and I was dying? How comforting.
Anyway, from there it was walk run, walk run. I even adopted a silly style of running: I'd lean forward and run as if I was about to drop ... somehow it worked for I was able to take on the stretching baby hill ahead. Oh, it also rained for a few minutes. All this while, girl no. 5900 was right ahead, doing her easy pace thing. My two track 'girlfriends' were ever near - ahead or behind. They seemed to have a lot to catch on. All the times I overtook them they were talking. When they overtook me, they were talking. sad I didn't cram their numbers - I'd have recruited them into my running team.
On and off, on and off ...
Two or so kilometres to the Stadium, I had this muscle pull creep up on me. No way I was going to let it invite the ambulance over, I told myself. I mean, what was the need of doing 19/20km only to be carried off in astretcher or ambulance? No way. So, I just walked. It wouldn't let up. It kept coming back. I'd come to do a sub 2hrs, I'd already lost that one. I wasn't going to lose it all by not finishing. So I just babysat the leg. At that time my thighs were afire - those tights must have been fakes - next time, it's Nairobi Sports House or none! I was bruised like hell. Walking just made it worse. Anyway, I invited myself so no one to blame, au vipi?
I limped all the way but managed to throw in a run or three after I got to the Stadium but the muscle kept me in check...
Crossed the line with the beep beep of the chip's info being fed ino the organisers machine.
I'd done it. I'd cleared the most unlikely of half marathons in 2:25. So much had happened to my disadvantage. First, the guys we run with had goten a coach and 'defected' to a real club. Then I got a back problem and was off running for about a week. A little later, my knee developed a mind of its own - never mind that I forced to do the 21km hilly Ndakaini; worse, my Saturdays are no longer what they used to be: I'm most likely to get home in the wee hours of the morning from work. There is gotta be a better way, really.
This time, Stanchart were much sharper. No more long queues. After you handed in your champion chip, you were givena medal and this flyer that directed you on how to get your certificate online. How nice.
Looking back, the Ndakaini race - the 3hrs of it - gave me some confidence that the Stanchart course could not dent.
The most important lessons I came away with from the race were: a) Practise, practise, practise. b) You must first be willing to go all the way before even the body can accept. c) I just didn't push myself as hard as I should have.
Now, a week or two off for the kneeto heal then I get back to running.
A year to go befre another Stanchart, tukiwa wazima.
For 2010, I will enrol for all the walks and runs I can. If money comes my way, i will do Lewa too. But Ndakaini is a must.

PS:
Pictures will follow shortly.