The Making of Joshua Cheptegei and Training Insights of the Ugandan Team (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part 1 – The Making of Joshua Cheptegei and Training Insights of the Ugandan Team
Cheptegei’s Kapchorwa Training Base, in more detail
Located on the eastern side of Uganda at an altitude of 1900m, Kapchorwa is home to the Ugandan NN Running Team. 12 athletes are based at the training camp (10 males including Cheptegei & 2 females including Chesang). The remaining athletes live externally but join them for the runs. The numbers total 50-60 each session.
They are coached by Dutchman Addy Ruiter, the mastermind behind their daily training sessions and race day tactics. He visits the Ugandan athletes several times each year. To Cheptegei, Ruiter is not only a coach, but a “mentor”, “like a parent” and provides continual “guidance” and “counselling” to the young athlete.
Like Kaptagat in Kenya, Kapchorwa is abundant with hilly terrain. The team mainly runs on dirt trails for long runs (which comprises the majority of their mileage). The surface is usually hard-packed, but can become muddy during rainy seasons, or extremely dusty during dry periods. As in Kenya, this is inevitable and the runners are reasonably flexible with their schedule (taking another route, for example).
The trails enable the runners to develop lower leg and feet strength. Also, the softness facilitates running longer mileages while keeping the risk of volume-induced injury low. Track sessions occur at a local school’s grass track. For tempo runs, the athletes will head down to an altitude of 1400m.
Broadly speaking, the runners share similar training schedules unless it’s during a lead-up to a specific distance event in which the speed sessions will be catered for their specific needs.
A typical day consists as follows:
5-5.30am: Wake up and get ready
6am: First easy run 60mins & stretches OR speed session. These are performed on an empty stomach (only water). Mornings are often cold and thus require longer warm-up times.
7.15am: Breakfast (usually bread, chapatti, milk, tea, bananas, eggs, etc.). The meals are prepared by cooks at the training camp.
8.30am: Rest & recovery (1-2 hours’ sleep)
10.30am: Leisure (board games & listening to Ugandan music). May include a mid-morning jog.
1pm: Lunch (usually rice, beef, chicken, beans and vegetables, fruits, lots of water). Overall a light meal, compared to elite athletes in other sports. “We eat light,” says Stephen Kiprotich. He insists that what matters is quality not quantity.
2-4pm: Household tasks (including shopping for food and other necessities) or personal work
4.30pm: Second easy run (much lighter, may only be 4-5km). 40mins.
5pm: Snack (usually porridge)
5.30pm: Rest & recovery (evening tea, television, radio and catching up with family, friends, relatives over phone). In the weeks leading up to a race, the runners talk about strategies and team tactics, nutrition & hydration plan, etc. Lots of problem solving and resolving any issues.
8pm: Dinner (usually eaten together for sake of comradery; ugali, meat, vegetables and beans. Drink milk)
9pm: Bedtime.
Sundays are reserved for church and camp work (e.g. cooking, cleaning, mopping)
The speed session that makes Cheptegei wince
6km at 3min/km pace, short rest, then 5km at 2:55mins/km pace, short rest, then 4km at 2:50min/km pace.
“I prefer to complete the session without resting,” “It is harder to re-start again (having stopped). It disturbs the mind.”
Take-home:
Watch out for Cheptegei in his push to dominate the 10k global stage as he continues to build on his training and experience in the next few years.
