Louise Damen's Blog by Louise_Damen

Hello folks, I hope everyone is managing to keep warm as I gather it’s a bit on the chilly side in Britain at the moment. I’m sat here with a not so fashionable sunburnt stripe across my stomach, struggling to imagine the ‘Siberian freeze’ at home. I think I’ll be wearing the entire contents of my wardrobe when I return! With just over 11 weeks until my big date with 26.2 miles in London, this week has been a bit of a mixed bag. I started the week feeling as if I was really getting into my stride. With a few good sessions and the hills and skinny air seeming easier to manage, things were looking good. Then I started to cough up green muck and lots of it. Ironically I managed to pick up an upper respiratory infection in the 25 degree heat! Thankfully after a course of antibiotics and several enforced easy days, I am now back on track and raring to go again.

Disruptions to training can be frustrating at the best of times, but being on a leash at a training camp is particularly testing. Still, in the grand scheme of things, I’ve probably done myself a favour as at least I’ve given myself a chance to freshen up before hardcore marathon training starts. With no distractions, set meal times and facilities on tap, it has been easier to get myself into a good routine here than it is at home. My first run of the day begins at 7-7.30am before breakfast, although if I’m doing a session, I’ll eat breakfast first and will go out at around 9.30am. The rest of the morning typically consists of getting physio or massage, catching up on emails or reading. You need longer to recover between training sessions at altitude, so after lunch I will have a short nap or will go for coffee with some of the girls to a local café.

At 5pm it’s time to lace up my trainers again and head out for my second run. This is usually followed by some core stability work and stretching in the gym. By 7pm I’m starving and am always ready for dinner. It’s nice to be able to relax after a good day’s training in the evening and after a game of cards and a few Skype calls back home, I’ll fall into my pit at 9.30pm. Rock ‘n’ roll! This week I took the time to go and watch one of the legendary Kenyan Tuesday morning track sessions. The track itself is cinder and overlooks the Rift Valley. Nobody is quite sure of its exact distance, the latest rumour is that it’s 406m, but it could just as easily be 397m.

Not that it would bother the Kenyans, they just get on with the job in hand! The atmosphere was incredible; three or four groups of 20 Kenyans were circling the track at breakneck speed, kicking up clouds of dust in their wake. It was definitely a sight to behold and the guys that I watched meant business, metronomically clicking off laps for a total of 18 kilometres! No wonder the Kenyans are such a dominant force in the marathon. Anyway until next time. Have a great week.