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.