You were springing like a young gazelle
Kenya Update 6
Haraka Haraka: Faster!
Once again I met up for one of the famous Iten fartlek sessions which goes down each Thursday morning at 9am. I leave the camp at 8:30 and follow the masses heading over to the start 5km away. As usual there are over 200 runners conglomerating at the meeting point getting ready for the session. A guy gets up on top of rock to give the day’s instructions. When he begins to talk there are hisses from the crowd to tell other people to be quiet, it’s their way of ”shushing.” The instructions are in Swahili which goes right over my head excpet for “two and one, twenty times” which is all I need to know. That means we go hard for two minutes, easy for one minute and repeat twenty times.
The leader then counts down from 10 so everyone can sync their watches. At zero everyone starts their watch and begins to jog very slow, we start with one minutes slow to get everyone in order. This is the most competitive slow jog you’ll ever see as everyone wants good position which is hard to get on a road that can barely accomodate two cars side-by-side.
At the end of that first minute I hit ‘start’ on my watch and let it run for the remainder of the workout. There are enough watches around me beeping to alert me when to slow-down and speed-up.
After three intervals we’re heading slightly downhill and I can see about 150 runners in front of me. After the 6th or 7th interval about a quarter of the runners peel off as there is a side road that leads back into town. On that rest the runners around me don’t slow down too much because we’re filling in the gaps to bunch up as a group before the next interval begins. On each interval after that there are guys peeling off left and right, dropping out of the workout.
It’s so dusty in the pack that every so often I have to wipe my watch clean just to read the numbers. I can’t wipe my face on my sleeve after a while because it’s just as dirty. I start spitting brown and hope that my lungs aren’t getting dusty. I tell myself that all the dust (very dry) sticks to mucus in my mouth and throat and it doesdn’t get too far down my windpipe.
On each rest interval guys are passing me to get ahead of me but I keep passing them on the hard part. I can tell these guys don’t want to be behind the mzungu.
After 15 intervals we have a decent sized group, around 45-50 guys, and it’s much easier to run in the pack. Once the 20th interval is done the whole group starts to walk and it feels good to take it easy, we just covered 16.75km in 59 minutes (40 hard, 19 easy). Everyone is clearing their throats and spitting out dirt. The guys around me say something about “mzungu” and
everyone looks at me and then the one guy says that they can’t believe I finished the workout. It’s not like there aren’t fast white dudes here, heck I see Victor Rothlin (2:07, 3rd at worlds in 2007) around, and there are a bunch of other guys doing some very impressive training. However, I don’t think many throw themselves into such a big group.
I did a 2km cool-down loop and as I was finishing it up I caught up to a big pack of guys who had fallen off the lead-group. I figured they were going to think that I also peeled off (maybe hid in the bushes somewhere) and was just catching up to them now. But I guess the one pale guy sticks out in the group and they knew I was with the leaders because as I passed them they gave me an applause and said I was ready for a 2:05. I’ll take 2:05 as a 41km split, haha.
Fundraising for www.guelphtrackproject.ca is coming along http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/article/661464–athletes-past-and-present-rush-in-to-help-guelph-track-cause
Check out this video from an Iten fartlek session last June. http://youtu.be/shsKtA9yMuk
Miles from nowhere, I guess I’ll take my time
I was finally able to watch this video in its entirety on my BB here in Kenya. It’s little documentary on the Gryphons 2011 championship XC season with a little Speed River stuff as well, well done.
Speaking of the Gryphons, while I was on my long run Sunday I saw a kid, of about 10 years old, wearing a Guelph Gryphons Track and Field shirt. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I stopped and said something like “no way dude, you’re wearing a Guelph shirt, that’s where I went to school!” He obviously didn’t understand what I just said and looked a little scared and backed away from me. I then said “shati mzuri” which means “nice shirt” in Swahili. He then was comfortable enough to ask me for my watch. I wish I had something on me to give him but I wasn’t about to give up my GPS watch right then.
Training has been going well, I ran a lot of kilometers last week. I had a nice little tempo yesterday and a group fartlek lined up tomorrow morning. I’m going to bring down the mileage a bit and hit the workouts a little harder in the next couple of weeks.
Big things are brewing up in Guelph with plans to build a kick-ass 8 lane track. Check out www.guelphtrackproject.ca to find out more details and how you can help out.
I wish I’d stayed asleep today
Kenya update #4
http://www.reidcoolsaet.tumblr.com/
Right now I’m in the middle (actually two thirds through) of a triple run day. It kind of happened by accident and it’s actually a little annoying.
On Friday there is usually a large group which does a progression run of about an hour. The first 20 minutes are fairly easy, the pace then increases for 20 minutes and by then it’s quite fast for the last 20 minutes. In the last 20-30 minutes the pack thins right out as people get dropped.
This morning I went to meet with the masses at 6:10. When I got there I chatted to the small group I typically run with. When the masses started running my little group stayed put because they didn’t want to run with such a massive group. Their plan was to run 8km slow and then reconvene at 9:30 to run a tempo. When we started running I was tempted to run ahead to the massive group and do my original plan but I felt I should stick with these guys who have welcomed me into their training group. On top of that their tempo run also fit into my training plan and I wouldn’t have to eat as much dust with 9 guys compared to 60.
Back to why this triple run thing is annoying. I typically wake up at 5:50 and I’m out the door just after 6:00 and I walk to the meeting point for 6:10 and run at 6:20. On days where I have a fast session I’ll wake up at 5:35 to get a little more food into my belly. Also, I like to get the bulk of my mileage done by 8am so I can eat a big breakfast. Lastly, I like to take a nap before lunch, I fall asleep faster at night if my nap is earlier in the day.
Today I woke up early for an easy 8km, ate a measly breakfast and can’t nap until after lunch. I realize these points are all petty and should be posted on whitewhine.com.
However the real reason why it sucked that I didn’t go with the big group was because the guys I ran with never picked up the pace for proper tempo. We ran our first 4km just under 4:00/km, and then 4km at 3:40/km. At that point I was getting myself ready to rock the last 10km, however we never went any faster and actually slowed down. This was a run that was tough but not a workout. I’m going to take this as a blessing in disguise because I’m pretty tired and towards the end of my biggest mileage week ever (seeing that I complete it). They said this was going to be a moderate tempo even though the average pace was slower than their “slow” long-run this past Saturday, go figure?
Another 9km this evening with some strides. At least I won’t be dead tired for these strides like I would have been if I cranked out a workout this morning.
Tuesday was Paul’s last day here in Iten. I did a track workout that morning by myself with over 100 other runners working out. He got some more good footage so once again I’ll levae that workout for the doc.
37km in Iten
Kenya update #3
Still posting pics at reidcoolsaet.tumblr.com (for some reason with the slow internet it’s the only place I can post pics)
On Thursday I did a fartlek session of 25 X 1′ with over 200 Kenyans. It was just plain crazy and I could write a ton about it but Paul was there filming (the footage is amazing) so I’ll just save those details for the documentary. For those of you not aware of the documentary it’s about my training for the Olympics and should come out sometime in July. Paul has also been on the other side of the camera http://youtu.be/3Khd7sAYrh4
I’ve been eating my meals with Paul, three Slovenians and Toby Tanser. Every night at dinner I’m absolutely fascinated by the stories Toby has of Kenya. He’s been coming here for a long time and knows so many runners here.
This morning I showed up at 6:10 for a 35km run with 200 shillings in my pocket for some drinks along the way.
RK “We’re going for 38km”
Me “I may need to stop and buy some drinks at 30km”
RK “You cannot stop, you will be left behind. But don’t worry, we are running slow”
With that news I felt confident I could handle the run just fine. There were about 15 runners who started off, by 25km there were only 8 of us left. Around 28km I started to hurt but I never looked at my watch because I feared we were running faster than I planned and at that point I had to stick with the group to make sure I found my home. At 30km a car who had picked up a couple of stragglers pulled up beside me and gave me a water bottle, I was hoping for some sort of energy drink but was fortunate enough to get a couple swigs of water. At 33km I was 300m off the pack of 6 and slowing down, I decided to look at my watch, I had averaged 3:54/km for those 33km. By then I knew where I was again and I ran it in at my own pace. I took a little short-cut because I got back in 37km having averaged 3:56/km. The front guys must of run about 3:50/km, which I wouldn’t consider a “slow” run, haha.
I have two recovery days before I hit the track on Tuesday morning. Once again it should be a good session and Paul will film it before he flies out that evening.
I’ll spend the rest of the day recovering and then getting some updates from the US trials. I’m also looking forward to following Bairu’s race in Houston, coverage by Canadian Running Magazine.
A Final Warning
Kenya 2012 update 2
Pics at http://reidcoolsaet.tumblr.com/
Pole Pole (pol-lay pol-lay): slow
On Sunday I went to get a massage from a local massage therapist. I was warned that it was going to be deep and painful however I was not prepared for what actually went down. Once inside Kanda stripped down to his shorts and got the olive oil out. He started with my calf and I was already yelling, squirming, holding my breath and sweating. Paul was trying to film this
but the lighting was too dark so he just got some audio. I’m not sure he’ll be able to use much if he wants to keep the documentary PG. I then had off my shirt so I could have something to bite. For my hamstrings Kanda got to his knees on the table and then to his feet to strip my IT band. If Kanda didn’t work on many of the top Kenyans I wouldn’t have put trust in what he was doing but when in Rome…
After the torture session I drank a litre of water and turned my 10km run to 6km and went pole pole, which was a good idea because the next morning I was planning my first tempo run.
Arne Gabius warned me that Monday morning tempos start fast from the gun, but once again I was not prepared for what actually went down. In anticipation of a fast start I did a 7 minute slow jog to the meeting point which I normally walk to because it’s pretty dark at 6am.
The group consisted of Arne, myself and about 50 Kenyans. When the group started to move towards the path Arne got in good position and I lackadaisically wandered in the direction and then all of a sudden it was on like Donkey Kong! My first 4.3km I averaged 3:12/km and was well behind the leaders but caught most of the group who got a jump on me. After 4.3km we hit some serious hills and I started to take splits to map the change in pace. On one steep 730 metre hill I was passing a couple of Kenyans and killing myself only to average 4:57/km. After 12km I was about to stop the suffering and jog it in but I think I stuck it out to prove my worth to the Kenyans.
When we came back to the start I had run 18.25km in 1:05:56 (3:36/km). At sea level on a flat course I suspect that effort would have translated to 21.5 km in the same time. I probably went a little too hard this early in my training camp but the experience was well worth it (I suppose I could of got the same experience next monday) and in the end I did surpise many of the Kenyans that a mzungu kept up as well as I did.
I was pretty much useless the rest of the morning. I dipped my legs in the pool (which is quite cold first thing in the morning), ate some breakfast and then lied in bed for an hour and a half.
People often ask if Kenyans run three times per day? From what I gathered last year most run twice per day but this year I started to ask guys about this. Duncan (who is visiting from Ngong and trains with Patrick Makau) told me that some guys just starting out will run 3 times a day if they need to lose weight. The established runners typically do most of their running in the morning and then an easy 10km every afternoon and many Kenyans take Sunday off.
How you like me now
Mzungu: White person
Today is my fourth day in Kenya. My first day was spent walking around Nairobi for a few hours and then hitting up the treadmill in the hotel because the streets there are busy and polluted. I was glad to fly to Eldoret and make my way to the HATC (High Altitude Training Camp) in Iten.
There are about 70 people staying here at the HATC and another 30 runners staying at Kerio View (just over 1km away), it seems like there are a lot more Mzungu’s here this year than last. There are some fast Brits staying here too, Paula Radcliffe, Mo Farah, Hanna England, Helen Clitheroe to name a few. Paul is also here with me for 2 weeks doing some filming, so far he has some good footage.
Today I met up with about 50 Kenyans and a few other Europeans for an hour and 10 minute run. We met at 6am when it was still dark but by 6:15 it was light out and we started our run. The first 2km was really easy at 5:00/km, followed by 2km around 4:00/km and then it got pretty serious after that. By 7km all the other Mzungus excpet Arne (13:26 5000m) and myself were gone, so were the Kenyan women and about 15 other guys. After 7km there were about 25 of us running about 3:30km over hills at 7800 feet.
In one section the road was flooded and we had to make our way around in single file, I was towards the back and once I got around the water the leaders were way ahead and I didn’t feel like runnig any faster to catch them. I kept running around 3:30/km and passing all the guys falling off the pace. Finally I reached a group of 5 guys (there were still a handful 400m ahead) and I ran in the last 5km with them around 3:50/km. These guys were really surprised when they saw me catch back up to them, like they saw a ghost, haha.
I had a big breakfast, now it’s time to sleep, eat some more, run some more, eat some more and then sleep some more. Run, eat, sleep, you get the picture.
Take the world
I was going to write some sort of running-year-in-review for 2011 because I was pleased with how the year went but what I’m really excited about is 2012. The next few months look really cool… a training camp in Kenya, a 10km XC race in Luxembourg, my first Around the Bay 30km, a training camp with the Speed River crew in Flagstaff and another Toronto Yonge Street 10km. Then, in May, it will be time to start the marathon build-up for London (that is if my time holds up in the top 3). I’m also really looking forward to the US Olympic trials as well as Simon, Dylan and Rob in their marathons.
I just got done reading a Chuck Klosterman book and I thought I’d come up with my own hypothetical question.
Look at these two runners over a 4 year span.
Runner A: Seasonal 10km bests: 28:40, 28:30, 28:20, 28:10. Runs about 12 races each year. Finishes between 3-5 at Nationals on the track and XC each year. Goes to World XC twice, year 1 and 3. Runs pain-free all four years.
Runner B: Season 10km bests: 28:40, 28:00, injured, injured. Runs a few races in year one, 12 races in year two, no races in last two years because of injuries. 3rd at Nats year one, wins nationals in year two. One World XC in year 1 and Commonwealth Games 10 000m in year 2. Lots of x-trianing in year 3 and 4 with sporadic weeks of running here and there.
Which career would you choose? A ‘slower’ runner with consistency or a better top-end with more frustration. For those of you who chose runner A, does your answer stay the same if Runner B went to the Olympics in year 2 instead of CWG?
If I had to pick my favourite song of 2011 it would be “Take the World” by She Wants Revenge, although that changes all the time. Favourite albums, “5 Easy Pieces” by the Sheepdogs and “It’s All True” by the Junior Boys. My favourite 2011 book was “The Sisters Brothers” by Patrick DeWitt. I’d add “Unbroken” by Laura Hildebrand although technically it came out last year. I can’t pick any movie because I haven’t even seen three of the movies I really want to see (Moneyball, Sherlock Holmes and the Inbetweeners).
Next up Toronto Midnite New Year’s 5km!
Thanks for reading and have Happy and Healthy New Year!
It makes no sense, no, it makes no sense, but I’ll take it free any time
The annual Athletics Canada award nominees were released a few days ago (winners are announced Dec 21st). When I saw this I opened the page hoping to see my name under the Fred Begley trophy (off-track award) but as I scrolled down I first saw my name under the Jack W Davies trophy (overall athlete). I had to take a double look to believe it as it never even crossed my mind that I would have been up for such an award. I’m 100% sure that I won’t win the overall award (Dylan Armstrong is ranked 1st in the world) but just to be nominated is an honour in and of itself. Christian Brennan, the teenage sprint phenom, is also nominated which is cool because that’s two athletes from Hamilton. I’m up against two race walkers for the Fred Begley Trophy. Speed River is also represented by Kyle Boorsma for the University athlete award and Dave Scott-Thomas for coach of the year. There is a typo though, it says 3-time Canadian Champion for the year even though I won 4. However, it’s not like that’s a deal breaker.
It’s December 19th and there is still no snow accumulation in Hamilton/Guelph. This has been great for running in the trails although it would be nice to see some snow for Christmas. I could deal with a week of the white stuff before 6 weeks of the red stuff…
Just the mentioning of
I took my little point and shoot camera to the track yesterday to watch the Eggnog run go down knowing that there would be some funny ass footage. I actually missed most of the good stuff because guys were pulling up about 200m into a lap and I was too far away. James got a lot of good footage following the race on a bike so maybe I’ll make a complete video or I’ll send him my clips and he can make a complete vid. Anywho, here’s some of the stuff I got. Enjoy.
I was overwhelmed, and I’m sure of that one
This year I had my best North American ranking ever, with a 3rd in the marathon (Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi are ahead of me). I thought maybe it was a weaker year because most marathoners didn’t race this fall in anticipation of the US Olympic Trials Jan 14th. However my 2:10:55 would rank anywhere from 2nd-4th in N.A. in any of the past four years. Needless to say I’m very happy about how my races (and training) went this year. In a similar theme to Vankayak’s recent blog, I’m overwhelmed with the all of the media attention that I and the marathon in general are getting in Canada. It’s great to have Canadian marathoners getting ready for the Olympics once again and that people are excited about us.
On the other hand I have been underwhelmed (if that’s a word, I know it’s not ’cause I looked it up) by the coverage from the Hamilton Spectator. I even Tweeted about it last week “2011 articles mentioning me: Globe and Mail 12. Guelph Mercury 18. Hamtilton Spectator 2 (one written by Guelph Mercury). @TheSpec”. In the past I would never have wanted to ruffle any feathers over at the Spec because I wouldn’t want them writing even less (if that’s possible). But it’s been so many years of omissions and so many other outlets are genuinely interested about marathoning in Canada I can’t be bothered to waste any energy caring about what the Spec wants to write about in their sports section (I really like the rest of the paper and former track and field athlete Cecelia Carter-Smith although she is pretty much retired from the Spec). I get it when there is absolutely no coverage of a race, that typically means a result is not newsworthy, and that is fair enough. But when national papers and other city papers are covering my races and my local paper is not, well then, I’ll poke fun at the Spec via Twitter, haha.
Gillis and I had an interview and photo shoot with Sportsnet Magazine yesterday in Guelph, look for the article on shelves in the coming months. Sounds like they’ll be covering a lot of Olympic athletes/sports in the build-up to London, should be interesting. The reporter stuck around to watch our workout on the XC course in Guelph and interview Dave. It was fun to get back with the main group and roll some faster intervals and get my ass kicked a bit. Which I guess isn’t anything to be ashamed of when it’s by a 3:36 1500m runner and an 8:19 steeplechaser!
