Running, or Dying, In Nairobi

As I’ve mentioned in my blog before, Kenya has had a certain… effect on my body. I’ve had to buy all new pants. I don’t have a four-pack anymore. Which is alright with me for the most part, but being healthy is still important. I want to be able to climb Mt. Kenya at some point, or hike for miles and miles with a backpack on. I don’t want to be physically unable to do things. For this reason I got the crazy idea to start running in Nairobi.

First, I needed shoes. I have some hiking shoes that could double as running shoes but they really aren’t that comfortable unless you’re doing vigorous hiking. So I searched around second hand markets, but being white really got in my way. A pair of running shoes should be 1000Ksh (~$14), maybe 1500Ksh at the most. But no one would get lower than 2800 or 2500, even though they were just used Asics or Nikes. Finally, I convinced a friend of mine, Allan, to take me to a giant second hand market called Gikomba.

Have I mentioned that it’s giant? This is where all the second-hand clothes in Kenya come into the country. These are giant bags, the size of cars that are filled with the clothes you gave to Goodwill and Salvation Army. Have you ever wondered where all those clothes go? I know, there’s NO way all those clothes are really at Goodwill, and they’re not, they are sent to Africa. Here I have found Gap, Target, Limited, Nike, Asics, Adidas, and Levis, all in American sizes. Even bras, TONS of bras are in this country second hand and all worn out. Finding new clothes is actually very difficult here.

Anyway, Allan and I went to the source. It was scary. In Nairobi I’ve adjusted to hanging out in places with a mixed crowd, lately Rwandan, Burundian, those other white folks… So going to the market was a bit of a shock for me. Bargaining here was difficult too, because Allan was well dressed and well, I GLOW. But after walking away from two other pairs of shoes, we got a pair of grey and purple Asics for 1400Ksh (<$20).

I was outfitted for my new endeavor. Mind you this adventure took two weeks, searching for shoes that I could run in. Finally, I set a date to run with Steph. She kept swearing she wasn’t in that good of shape, but she lied. We started running and I was quickly out of breath.

Before I go any farther (in my writing and in my running) let me tell you about Nairobi air. First of all, the altitude here is high. I’m not sure specifically how high, but it hit me when I arrived here even in walking around. On top of that, Nairobi is terribly polluted. There are way too many cars for the small space, with constant “jams” as they call them.

Now that we’ve established the air quality… So it’s about a quarter of a mile, a couple city blocks, and I’m winded. My muscles are alright. I run a bit more and realize I Really Cannot Go On. Steph is bouncing around and running in circles while I blow my nose. I beckon her to go on. She bounces on and my head is throbbing. For some weird reason the running has kicked off some serious cramps (of the uterus!). I walk back home, clutching my stomach and trying to catch my breath.

As soon as I get home, I cough until I gag. I run the next day anyway, and limp home that time. Welcome to running in Nairobi.