Third installment of Stevie Stockton’s blog from the UKA/London Marathon High Altitude Training Camp in Iten, Kenya
Tuesday 24 January
Today was a day of sessions for the group here in Kenya. However for me a day of just easy running. I didn’t want to mention in the previous blogs about the few issues that I have been unfortunate to suffer since I came out here to train. It began the night before I flew out, back in a short hotel stop near London Heathrow. I was in a rush and had forgotten to take my anti-malarial tablet so, without a second thought, I swallowed the tablet in bed with a sip of water and off to sleep I went. Two hours later I woke with terrible heart burn and couldn’t get back to sleep because the pain was excruciating. This pain lasted for five days by which time I had demolished a few packs of Gaviscon tablets and was put on some medication until Dr Paul Goozee flew out to join us on camp. He took one look at me and informed me that what I thought was heart burn was in fact an ulceration of the oesophagus. No wonder I had been struggling to eat due to a severe knife to throat pain for ten days!!!
Once the ulcer cleared a new epidemic arose at the centre, with many athletes complaining about a burning sensation on parts of their skin which turned into nasty blisters. I was unfortunate to get this too, right under my left eye. The area was extremely sore but much easier to cope with than the ulcer! The problem was resolved a few days later as Lornah informed us that it was caused by the ‘Nairobi Flys’. They are small ant-like bugs that when you squash them, the chemical they carry inside their bodies causes a reaction on the skin. So more medication and hand gels later we seem to have settled the problem down.
My problems don’t stop there. A few others and I then came down with upset stomachs which, as many people would agree, can wipe you out for a few days. I mentioned that I didn’t complete the session last Saturday and this is the reason why. I felt completely drained and haven’t been able to run much quicker than 7:30min/mile for a few days. My coach and I have taken the wise decision to take each day as it comes until I feel that I can pick up the pace and run sessions again. Today I feel better and my focus is to replenish my energy stores and start feeling good again.
I believe that the track session that most did went very well. The scheduled session was 6 x 5 minutes off 90 seconds recovery. A tough session to do at altitude. My roommate Beth Potter is training well out here, she did 5 x 4 minutes off 2 minutes 30 seconds recovery, but from what I hear she was moving well! Whilst this was taking place I became chief coach and cheerleader for fellow OCWK athlete Laura Weightman. Her first session at altitude was 10 x 1minute hill reps off jog back recovery. It was great to take my mind off not doing a session myself and support a great friend with her training.
Wednesday 25 January
After quite a few easy days I was starting to feel better and slightly more energised and, therefore, the decision was to try a small fartlek out to see how my body responded to running a little bit harder again. After a warm up, I had 2 sets of 3 x 5 minute build ups that increased in pace every rep, getting up to tempo pace. I felt much better than I had done the last few days but still not 100% so I knew I needed to continue topping up my energy stores and run easy again this evening and plan to do so tomorrow! But I am feeling much more positive now I know things are on the up again!
We had a few departures from camp earlier today, including, two OCWK athletes Hannah England and Stacey Smith. I have a little quote from Stacey about her time here in Kenya.
She said: “I've really enjoyed my time out in Kenya. I like the way training and the way of life is so simple out here. It has the perfect training environment and I will definently be going back.”
I was sad to see them go as I get on really well with the two girls and enjoy spending time with them. Hannah is racing in this weekend’s Aviva International in Glasgow over the 1500m, alongside other UK athletes that left for home today including Charlene Thomas, Mo Farah and Helen Clitheroe. Everyone is looking forward to watching the coverage in the lounge on Saturday. I am sure they will produce some great runs as they have all been running very well out here.
Thursday 26 January
Luke Gunn, Lee Merrien, John Beattie and myself all set out to run together this morning. We all needed an easier run, me because of my situation and the boys because they were all still a little tired from running with a large group of Kenyan athletes yesterday! I felt back to myself this morning and was enjoying being able to run through the countryside and really take in its beauty. After the run I like to go into the gym and stretch, which is especially important when you have to contend with the hilly surroundings day in and day out.
In the afternoon I had a physio appointment, but this time with minimal pain. I asked Cat Riley, my physiotherapist, to show me some exercises that would strengthen my ankle and help reduce the amount I roll in at the knee. So we spent a short while in the gym where I was given some thera-band and Bosu Ball work to try out. I’m not going to lie, I was pathetic. My balance is embarrassing and I spent more time trying to get on the Bosu Ball than actually doing the exercise! I am determined to improve my ankle strength though as I would really love to run indoor races but it is too much of a risk when I have poor lower leg stability. I will get there.
Friday 27 January
Rest day came around so quickly this week. I usually live for them but after such an easy week of training this week I didn’t particularly feel the need for one. But I did. I believe them to be a crucial aspect of training as a huge amount of adaptation can occur when resting. It is so easy to get carried away with running but this, I believe, is where many people go wrong. They don’t give their bodies enough time to recover. Recovery is training too and I know most elite athletes will take them! In Kenya the majority of athletes will not run on a Sunday because it is the day they chose to devote to church and consider it as a day of rest. If we’re going to follow some of their attitudes towards their training, then we should consider their rest day too.
Anyway, less of the ranting. What did I do with my day? The truth… nothing. It was bliss. I didn’t go shopping , I didn’t sunbath, I didn’t do much at all. Though, strangely, it was incredibly enjoyable. Laura Weightman and Beth Potter were also on their rest days and together we sat around, talking and joking about stories. It is great to be able to bring up happenings of the past and laugh about doing silly things! It is now bedtime here and in a sadistic way, I am looking forward to taking on this beast of a hill once again tomorrow morning.
Saturday 28 January
Today’s session was 6 sets of, 3 minute, 1 minute hills with 90 seconds recovery throughout. We had a nice sized group this morning including John Beattie, Derek Hawkins, Freya Murray, Beth Potter, Paula Radcliffe, Sonia Samuels, Gareth Turnbull and Laura Weightman. The drive down to the start of the reps was just as daunting as the week before but the breathtaking scenery helps calm the pre-session nerves for us all. After the usual warm-up we set off to run over 5 miles up hill...
For most the session went very well. I was particularly happy to get a strong session under my belt after the past week’s events and many were pleased to get through such a tough session. It has to be the hardest session out here in Kenya but also the most satisfying to complete. Laura Weightman trained brilliantly too. It was a tough ask for a 1500m girl but not even her asthma was going to stop her from producing a great session! She was kindly pushed on by Paula Radcliffe in the van, which she admits is a great inspiration.
After forcing down some lunch all I wanted to do was sleep. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but just forty minutes later I woke up feeling worse than before and feeling like it was the middle of the night. Wow, those hills really did take it out of me! Once I regained some sort of feeling back in my legs it was time for a post-session shake out. As a group we all decided to do this early so that we could get back, shower and relax in front of the TV to watch our friends compete in Glasgow for the Aviva GB & NI Team or Commonwealth Select. The lounge was flooded with what started a, anticipation, then excitement, then cheers as Mo Farah pipped Kipchoge on the line! It was great fun cheering at the TV for Mo as some Kenyan athletes, also watching, were shouting on Kipchoge. Lucky for us Mo won and we could celebrate throughout dinner that evening. It was great to see that all those who competed after coming down from altitude training in Kenya, run so well. Hannah England, with her incredibly fast last 600m and Helen Clitheroe’s 8:47 in the 3000m were very exciting and equally inspiring!
Sunday 29 January
The third Sunday is here already! It seems to have come around so quickly! I decided that this morning I wasn’t going to go down past the giraffe park, but instead do a new route that Luke Gunn had found on a previous morning run, which has turned out to be one of my favourites! We found ourselves running through small villages and paths that were lined with tall trees and small bushes. There was plenty to keep us occupied, with what seemed like a school of children running alongside us for three-quarters of a mile up one of the many long hilly drags and a fair few more friendly locals in the villages we ran through.
This afternoon, Laura Weightman and I decided to take a stroll up to a place called Kerrio View to meet the other girls for a spot of cake and/or an ice cold glass of coke. It is the one place in Iten where we can escape the camp and do something slightly more Western. Not that the place looks remotely like home but it’s the closest we have. It is a place where you can sit, relax and take in the stunning views of the Rift Valley. This time of the year seems a popular time for paragliders to take to the cliff edge and fly across the valley, so it is quite cool to watch them glide along in the blue sky, even if it does make me go a little queasy watching them! It is a crazy hobby if you ask me but they probably say that about running! After a solid weekend of training we were ready for bed at 8:30pm.
Monday 30 January
I have had a strange but wonderful day today. After such a tough session on Saturday and a long run on Sunday I expected my legs to be feeling a little battered and unwilling to cooperate. But lucky for me it was the opposite. The two runs, drills session and gym session felt so comfortable and I, like many runners who experience this once in a while, was loving having that feeling of invincibility when I was running. It was a case of holding myself back on the runs, just so that I didn’t overdo it before the big track session in the morning! If I could feel like this everyday life would be a much happier place!
The day was filled with training and physio treatment so not much else really happened. I did however, watch a film called ‘The Tourist’ which I highly recommend if any of you reading this want a good watch or have time to kill, like we do here.
