Our in-house expert and CEO, Alexander, gives us the inside track!
Running is one of the most efficient ways to get in shape! Runners burn 600-900 calories in an hour, which means that it can really “offset” a lot of the calories you eat if you do it regularly. Runners live longer, are happier, it is cheap and you can do it everywhere! What’s not to love? But… most people do not get there. Running is a serious sport, and if you do not take it seriously, it will not be something for you! Here are some of the top tips to make running enjoyable!
Invest in good gear
Starting running on your 12-year-old shoes from high school is a terrible idea! Go to a good shop and get good advice. There are 100s of shoe types and it’s like Harry Potter: you do not select the shoe, the shoe selects you! Running with your phone is so 2018 – a good sports watch that tracks your distance, steps, and heart rate can be very motivating and does not need to be too expensive.
Take. It. Slow.
There is no use in comparing yourself with someone else’s speed. The best advice for any runner is to take it slow. A pace slower than 6:30/km, 7:00/km, or 7:30/km is perfectly normal. Nairobi is at 1800 meter altitude, which makes running a lot more difficult anyways. Taking it slow will make you improve faster because you have less fatigue, which means you will skip fewer pieces of training. It will also reduce the chance of injuries and make it a lot more enjoyable. If you get out of breath during the run (maybe during one of the up-hills in Nairobi?), it’s perfectly normal to start walking. Do not increase your weekly mileage by more than 5 km per week – or you are likely to be in trouble… Your aerobic capabilities (stamina) will increase much faster than your tendons and ligaments can – so if you do not take it slowly, you will be almost guaranteed to get an injury
Use Social Media to motivate yourself (and others)
Sports social networks (I use Strava) have as a benefit that you can track your own progress and get rewards (likes or kudos) for work done well! Strava also tracks your performance on segments that the community has created. You can use Strava to see where other people are running and generate routes based on their popularity.
Run in beautiful places
If you discard the noisy and stinky traffic of Nairobi, there are many great places to run in Nairobi or Kenya in general. Top places in Nairobi include Karura Forest, Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi Arboretum, leafy estates (Karen, Loresho, Lavington, Garden Estate, Nyari for instance), Limuru, or Tigoni.
Make a schedule
Make a small schedule on a piece of paper of your running goals. You can start with 1 or 2 times per week, and build up over a longer period. Not having to think about what you are going to do, makes it easier to plan. If you have pushed yourself, make sure that you take at least a day of rest (you can walk during those days). In general: “when in doubt, leave it out” is a great motto to not get yourself dragging injuries.
Sign up for an event
There are many events that you can sign up for in Kenya, such as the Friends of Karura run or the Lewa marathon – to take your running to the next level. Seeing so many other people run together and make the best out of it is an incredible motivation to do even better next time. Even if you are not sure you can run the full distance, you can still run apart and walk the rest to the finish. The cut-off times are usually very generous.
Run with someone or a group
Some people find running on their own boring, but I have never heard of anyone that finds running with someone else boring. Make sure to take it slow, so that you can have a nice chat together. Also do not be afraid that the person you are running with is faster than you: the person you are running with will be happy to slow down. There are several great running groups at all levels: for example Team Jasho or the Urban Swaras that organize runs and events over the weekend!
