Day 16 – Limuru to Runda, Nairobi

I woke early, packed everything and strapped my leg up before heading down to have breakfast. Rory had very kindly offered to get someone to drive me back to my spot from yesterday. I had 42 km to get to Runda. I was going to try and run a bit to see how the leg feels. I got going and started with the walking poles before I got to the top of the escarpment in the uplands and could see out over the valley. It was quite a view, I stretched and then carried on breaking into runs when I saw a down hill, it was still agony. As I was heading through a very kind aspiring actor called David walked with me for a bit telling me of his new play, ‘Jesus in the 21st Century’ I smell a sitcom!! He had to run to class, don’t think the trip to Nairobi was his cup of tea. I stopped under a tree after Limuru town for lunch, head in my hands exhausted and completely demoralised. How was I going to the coast like this?

I knew I just had to get to Nairobi then I could plan how I was going to approach the next stage. Nairobi was my half way point and psychologically a huge benchmark. I reached Runda by the late evening. I walked in and Neel’s flatmate who I had met 3 weeks earlier didn’t even recognise me, with my beard and slightly more skinny frame!! I got showered and made the mistake of stepping onto the scales in the bathroom, didn’t make good reading, I had lost 5 kg in the last 4 days, no wonder I was tired and down. We went out for supper at a Japanese restaurant and my word was it good, ate till I couldn’t eat anymore and I felt so much better after that. I was falling asleep in the car so went straight to bed when we got back.