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Couch to Kenyan in five months

Not everyone was born to run. I stumbled into running in my late 20s. And OK, I’m slow - but I like running and I’m tired of seeing more bums than bibs. So, here’s my goal - run the Ottawa marathon in 4:20, almost 30 minutes faster than my PB.

Things I have in common with a Kenyan:

  1. I am 5 foot 5
  2. See point one
  3. I like to run

Not everyone was born to run. I stumbled into running in my late 20s after a lifetime of awkward athletic endeavours. I’ve punched my way through two marathons and a fistful of smaller races. And OK, I’m slow – and slightly less Kenyan than Margaret Atwood. And maybe comparing myself to a Kenyan is unfair to us all (especially Margaret). But I like running and I’m tired of seeing more bums than bibs as I chug along at the back.

So, here’s my goal – run the Ottawa Marathon this May in 4 hours 20 minutes. OK, so that may not seem very impressive to you Paul Tergat and Kip Keino, but my PB to date is 4:47 and you can take your altitude training and genetic predisposition and stow it in my Mum-taxi as I train three metres below sea level on the challenging flats of Oakville, Ontario.

How to get there? For me this is going to be tough. That PB was six years and two babies ago.

The trained journalist in me sent me to ask an expert. And who better than writer and multi-marathon freak, Haruki Murakami.  His uptight book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, damns anyone running less than 58K a week as not a “serious runner.”  Serious? Is this guy serious?  Last year I ran 30K in my best week.

Still, maybe crazy Haruki’s right … I probably do have to increase my milage. Taking Haruki’s criteria into consideration,  a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests I must cover 1,102K before my May 28, 2010 deadline.

So, if you’re a wanna-be Kenyan like me, I welcome you to follow my progress as I strap on my Asics, slop on the Bodyglide, slip into my sub-zero Sugois and slink out into the great white suburbs – hopefully at slightly more than a snail’s pace.

Please come along for the ride. I welcome all comments except the ones I don’t like.

If you like my blog, drop me a line and I’ll add you to my mailing list to let you know when updates are on the site. Don’t worry, your e-mail address will be safe with me and my best Nigerian banker friends.

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