New Friends and Old

This is my second go at this post. I didn't listen when the teachers said to 'save your work'. You'll have to believe me when I say, before it crashed, I had the greatest post in the world. In the words of Tenacious D 'this is just a tribute'!

It's hard to believe that next week I will be packing up to head home. I'll be taking the scenic route, however, rather than the usual quick flight between Eldoret and Nairobi. I've heard great things about lake naivasha and am determined to see at least one of the big 5! If all else fails I'll have one last chance in Nairobi - the rather incongruous national park in the city is apparently one of the most accessible in the country. 

I've had some amazing experiences here, but one of the best and perhaps most unexpected is the friendships formed and cemented so quickly. I've been lucky to have had such a diverse group of people to train with, the common thread of running being a great leveller. These last two weeks I've been running with a great Swedish/Dutch couple. Sarah, 12th at Rio (31:30 10km) and jasper (28:00 10km) have loads of tips and advice - I was even given use of their ghostbuster outfit/ leg massager: 

It would be wrong not to acknowledge some of the negatives. The food, while wholesome and generally good, has become repetitive. I've been struggling now with Ugali for a month and still can't extract any taste. Similarly, If you pick up an injury, and I had sore shins for a few days, it can be a frustrating place to be. Luckily social media makes these days easier to bear, and I've been interested to see and hear what's been going on at home. 

It was nice to see pictures of an old schoolmate, Phil Hicks, over from Canada where he's now emigrated to. Phil's adventure, although a lot bigger in scale than mine, acted as a source of inspiration when writing my blog. He met with my housemate Jamie, who started his woodwork business (zennormade) this year, and wrote a nice piece about their meeting (see Phils blog here). I admire their tenacity in following their ambitions as neither is an easy route to take.

While it's often a chore to think and know what to write on a blog or social media, I'm genuinely interested to see people's plans take shape. Whether it's going to the Olympics - like my new friends, starting a new business, or starting life in a new country I think it's a great thing in the modern world. 

Finally, training is going really well. I'm averaging about 150kms a week and the speed sessions, although purposely not too intense, are becoming easier. Hopefully it can be continued when I'm back!