Saturday night (25th Oct) and I cant sleep quite well because of the Nairobi Standard Marathon, anxiety and butterflies are driving me nuts considering its the first time am taking part in any race and I have just made running my kind of thing the last 3 weeks.
5.15 the cab driver picks me up and by 5.55 we are leaving work with my colleagues, enough stop over’s as we pick more colleagues along the way and by 6.30 we are at nyayo stadium.
There is already a mammoth crowd at that time and more n more people are still trickling in, I finally meet my gal friend who we are supposed to running together at about 7.30. Some warm up exercises before the race begins in about 15mins and five, four, three, two, one and at 7.50 we are flagged off.
It becomes crazy to run the first few meters because of the lots and lots and lots of people along the way but the gals are determined to set the pace and go ahead of the crowd where they can run in peace, Hardly had I run for 5mins than I got a stitch but I wasn't going to let it get in the way... endurance is the name of the game. I stick to my pace and by the time we get to the railway club turning our pace begins to differ, my stitch is gone and no water for me at that point. I leave my running mate behind as am determined to stick to my pace all the way.
30mins down and I estimate that I have covered about 5kms.. I can feel the strain of the race but I tell myself am not here to have fun n walk along the way A RACE IS A RACE and I have to run and finish in style. Am past uhuru highway round about its time to go uphill and back to the stadium I meet people walking along the way but I resist that temptation knowing that my legs will feel heavier once I drop my momentum. I can now see the finish line and with my last energy I run to the finish line in 1hr10mins I have comfortably done the 10km race.
No medal for us but just a certificate and quite some energy left, I purpose not to miss this kind of race and again. God willing I will be back next year to do the 21km race.
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