In a bid to gain some base fitness I have decided to live and train the Kenyan way, so I have left my home comforts in Loughborough and headed for Iten in the Rift Valley, Kenya. The red dirt roads of Iten are the training ground for the best endurance athletes in the world and it is easy to see why. The Kenyans have such depth in talent and a relentless determination to achieve their very best. It is not difficult to feel inspired every time you head out for a run and I believe we can all take something from their attitude. The Kenyans are more than happy to share their secret to success: perseverance,
determination and hard work.
I am attempting to embrace the Kenyan mentality towards training as well as sample the typical diet, so far I can recommend Kenyan chia (milky tea) Ugali, beans and maize. The only down side so far is the cold showers and lack of chocolate but these are small sacrifices to make.
Although the hilly terrain and altitude make training more challenging I am enjoying every training session and my fitness is progressing well. I have also been very lucky to join in some workouts with the UKA group out here training which include Paula (Radcliffe), Helen (Clitheroe) and Louise (Damen) to name a few.
Our first workout was a brutal hill session. After a 6mile drive down the winding roads into the valley our aim was to climb back up in a series of short repetitions. With the amazing Rift Valley back drop and local support en-route it was very satisfying to make it to the top. I know I still have a lot of hard work to do before I am back but I am definitely climbing back up…
