John Okumu
Member
John Okumu
Achievement
Chicago Marathon
Member Since
2024
About John
John Okumu is a passionate runner and an inspiring example of grit, discipline, and determination. His running journey began on a dare, but quickly grew into a committed lifestyle marked by impressive achievements, like completing the Berlin Marathon and recently, the prestigious Chicago Marathon. Despite facing challenges, including injuries and grueling training routines, John’s commitment to pushing his limits has only deepened his love for running. Notably, he completed a daring ultramarathon from Nairobi to Machakos, proving to himself and others the incredible power of the human spirit.
How did I get started? Funny enough, I started running on a dare. A colleague who used to run (but doesn’t run anymore) challenged me to run a full marathon with him. The challenge was accepted! So I did a 3-month couch-to-marathon programme and completed my first ever marathon in sub-4 hours!
The health benefits and seeing myself improving and reaching new heights. A mildly “snatched” body also doesn’t hurt.
The mental discipline. Running has instilled a sense of discipline in me when pursuing a goal. It has also taught me a lot about strategy— as we all know, marathon running is not only about training to run 42km, but also about executing a well-thought-out plan to make sure you survive on race day. Beyond discipline, running has greatly contributed to my mental resilience. People who know me know that I rarely give up on anything I set my mind to, no matter how challenging it may be—10 km time trials are a perfect example! 😉 And then there’s the emotional well-being. I've found that having a supportive community and trusted individuals to talk to has been incredibly beneficial.
Definitely my first ultramarathon. It wasn’t an official race. Just a bunch of us decided to run from Nairobi to Machakos.
In the short term, breaking the very elusive “sub-3hr marathon” barrier as well as completing the Majors! In the long term, I want to move into triathlons and to eventually do a full Ironman
Injuries. Back to my very first marathon, I knew nothing about gels and race day fuelling and did the entire marathon on water and soda with one food stop at 32km
I’m still figuring it out, but I just listen to my body and have incorporated strength training. For recovery, hydrating, eating well, and getting adequate rest.
When training for a marathon, I schedule 4-5 days for running and 3-4 days for the gym/strength training a week. Often, they will overlap. The runs are a combination of easy runs (short and long) and speed runs. When not training, I typically just do easy runs for maintenance, say 3 times a week.
I’m a big lad and I’ve been trying to get leaner so as to improve my times and general running performance. I’ve been trying intermittent fasting which seems to work. If only I could give up alcohol!
With great difficulty! But in short, I wake up at 4am 😅
The end goal. It really helps registering for races, training towards a goal, and then the training as part of a group. The “community” aspect really helps on those tough days. That being said, I also am a big fan of listening to your body. If it refuses, it refuses. Kesho pia ni siku (a Kenyan proverb) 😂
How about during races, what do you say to yourself to keep going?
: I think about the first beer after the run 😂. For the economists in the house…the marginal utility of that first beer is directly proportional to the distance and intensity of the run! In layman’s language, a 42km beer tastes infinitely better than a 21km beer and so forth. For the non-drinkers in the house, I think about the milestones I achieved during training and how a marathon is just a collection/repetition/culmination of these. For example, when I get to 35km, and my body is thinking of giving up, I remind myself that there are only 7kms to go, and I’ve done hundreds of 7kms in my life! Itaisha tu (another Kenyan proverb).
A friend mentioned that there’s a group that runs in my area, which immediately piqued my interest as I’ve been looking for people to run with around my hood. I came out for one run (back when we were perhaps 10-15 runners at most), and the rest is history
Oh yeah! It’s been great meeting so many new people and sharing running tips and experiences. Some of my strongest friendships started within the running community. The support in the running community in Kenya is phenomenal. So many experienced runners are willing to share tips both on running and on life in general. So yeah, the growth has been phenomenal, and the runs are always a good vibe. The banter on WhatsApp is also good fun.
I’ve got lots! 1) Comparison is the thief of joy. Do not compare yourself to others, Your journey is different. 2) Never forget your ‘Why’ – this will keep you grounded and focused on you. The aim should be to be better than the ‘you’ from yesterday. 3) Celebrate all the small wins – be it your first ever run, first 5k, anything, celebrate it. 4) Improve gradually. For a practical example, if you did the 6k WRN last weekend, try and do the 8km the next weekend and the 10km the weekend after that.
There are these little things called gels and yeah, they’re pretty important in a marathon.
Load up! Increase your weekly mileage. Variate your runs. Don’t skip speed workouts. And do NOT neglect strength work.
I don’t have an ultimate finish line per se. I hope to remain physically active for a long time. The nature of this will evolve of course e.g. moving into triathlons etc, but will never stop. The goal is to remain fit and fine
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