Late nights and long runs

I’m feeling sorry for myself and its all self inflicted.  My legs ache, my stomach aches, my head did ache although its now ok and my back aches. Any why all this aching? I did the marathon relay in the Kigali peace marathon yesterday, after staying out til 1am seeing a live band. Yes a live band! I didn’t really think they existed in Kigali and they were quite good so one thing led to another and we danced the night away. They had a very cool name ‘black muzungu’ and they played all sorts of things from Shania Twain, jazz, and guns and roses, quite an eclectic mix!

Now the marathon was an interesting experience. The day began with us trying to get away from a brawl which happened between two young men in a crowd (at a PEACE marathon, I mean, I ask you!) and one of our number being too ill to run so we bullied one of the fun runners into doing it. So in the marathon relay there were 4 of us vsos . You have to wait for the first person to run one of the four laps of the full marathon course. That person then hands over the timing chip and the next person runs until all four people have run. I ended up going last. Poor Isy who went before me was directed the wrong way round part of the course so had to run really far so it was the blazing midday sun by the time my turn came. Not to mention the good people of Kigali decided they wanted their city back and so the roads were opened up again and the stewards had obviously all gone home for lunch.

So I was all alone on my run. I had to dodge buses and motorbikes and children and run on the treacherous Kigali pavements. I had to keep stopping to ask policemen, passers by and other runners (not that there were hardly any by this point!) for directions as it really was confusing in some places. And there was no one to cheer me on around the course L. But we made it! I must admit I often had to walk or risk being run over/falling down a hole so it wasn’t my best time but still its all about getting to the end. After all ‘sport is life’ as the commentator kept telling us...I can’t help but wonder what on earth that really means. I can understand ‘food is life’ or water is life’ but running marathons is not necessary for life. Many people live without doing it! Today I’m feeling life would have been easier if it wasn’t for sport. The moto ride back to the village totally did me in with my aching bones...but you can’t beat the feeling of passing that finishing line J. I know I’ll do it again, mad fool that I am!

Cheering on the other relay runners in the grandstand of stadium amahoro where the race starts and finishes

Hmm...the starting gate looks a bit wobbly!

Another vso snapped me coming back to the stadium

The last vso (and quite possibly the last runner of all!) crosses the finishing line.

Posing with the medal in sole e luna afterwards. Big pizzas all round.