Aliphine Tuliamuk

For recovery after a marathon, I take two weeks off completely and then start running every other day. During my recovery, I do things like take a vacation, visit family and friends, get massages, watch movies, and crochet.
 
Transcript: "That actually is a great question. And it definitely applies to me because I am still recovering from my New York City Marathon from three weeks ago. So for us, we usually take two weeks off completely not running. And I took two weeks of this time around, and then I started running. I ran the first time two days in a row, and then took a day off, and then actually ran every other day. So right now, we are in the middle of week four since I run the New York City Marathon. And I've only ran five times. Now, I will say that typically, it's just a two weeks off and then start running maybe like the whole week, everyday running four miles, or two every other day. And also I try to just do things that are not running related like take a vacation, go visit family and friends, and get massages and try to rest as much as I can. And I mean, resting from a marathon or recovering from marathon is not just physical. It's also mental. So I will try to do things that doesn't attacks me mentally. And I mean, that's a little challenging these days as a mom just because my daughter is always needing me. And so I try my best to recover. But yeah. I think the first couple of days, actually when I got home, I literally didn't even get out of the house. Now, I'm not saying that that's normal. But that's what I decided to do just because I was super tired, and it been like a very intense five weeks of training leading up to New York City Marathon. I also tend to watch a lot of movies during my recovery. And a couple of years ago, I started crocheting. And I didn't really have a lot of time when I was training for my marathon. So I started getting back to crocheting. So I made a few beanies during my recovery, watched a lot of movies. And so it's been just fun to just have a downtime. And I'm actually still having downtime for the rest of this month, I mean, until four weeks just because a marathon takes a lot out of you. And I want to make sure that when I get back to my next marathon, I'm motivated physically. I'm ready to go. Because it's going to be a long build."

For fuel in a marathon, I recommend having breakfast before your big workout, taking electrolytes and fluids every 5K during the training, and taking Gatorade endurance every 5K for the first two stations and a gel from the third station on. On race day I usually take 7 to 9 gels throughout the course of the marathon and use them when I feel like I'm running low on fuel.
 
Transcript: "That's a very good question. How do you recommend fuel in a marathon? So I think like what has worked for me but again you know we are all different is those last eight weeks of a marathon you know training I will make sure that in the morning you know I will have breakfast before my Big Workout. Like for example, you know I will always have two pieces of toast, you know, maybe, you know, with a better spread and then I would have coffee and during the training, I will take fluids. I mean electrolytes and which also includes fluids every 5K because that's what we do during a marathon. Now if you are, someone who was running a three hour marathon, you know, four-hour Marathon. I think that you would still need to, you know, carry your fluids with you and electrolytes with you. You know, your jobs with you because you want to practice in practice, in training what you're going to do during the marathon. And then during the marathon itself, what has worked for me? I can guarantee you, there's no way. For most people, I feel like my body just burns, you know, like calories so fast. And so, like, I would usually take, you know, Gatorade endurance every 5K for the first two stations. And then from the third station through this 7th or 8th station, depending on the marathon, I will take a gel and I'll take a get through it. And you're insane. What I have done in the past that has really worked for me. Is that in 30k? I would have two gels. And I Still have my, you know, my mixed mixed drink in the bottle, which is usually, you know, like a powdered Gatorade and then I'll drink that and then I'll just, you know, take my gel when I feel like I'm getting tired. When I feel like I'm running low on fuel because it worked for my last four marathons and I'm not about to stop that anytime soon. And the reason I did that actually was my first three marathons I bonked really, really bad after 30k and even though I still had like a gel and you know, like a Mixed drink. It wasn't enough for me. So now I take a gel and I will use it until I'm sure that I'm going to be able to make it to my next job station. Then I'll take another one and then I'll just grab the other one and carry it with me and it worked really well, I don't know that it will work for everybody. And so usually on in a marathon I will literally take anywhere from seven to nine gels. I don't think science can even like proof that but it works for me."

Strides depend on the distance you run. For marathon runners, 6-8 strides of 20-30 seconds each is a good sweet spot. Sprinters should do shorter sprints (10-15 seconds) over a 100 meter distance. Doing hill sprints is also recommended.
 
Transcript: "Great question about strides. I am a very big believer or Stripes especially now as a marathon and you know like Stripes is a chance for me to get in you know some ton of her. And so I think that now that I'm a marathon I actually like longer stripes and even then I still do about six to eight of them sometimes 10 but I feel like 10 becomes a little too much. So six to eight is my sweet spot and I do about, you know, 25 to 35 S, I don't actually measure or like I time it but then only like, I stopped when I feel like it's beginning to burn. And so I don't really think that I go say, hey, I'm going to run for 30 seconds. It's just like running Until It's Beginning To Burn, um, but I think that it's different, you know, if you are like say a sprinter, you know, like the other day, I saw Nikki Hills, who is a 1,500-mile runner, doing 10-second, strides like really fast. Like, for me, I don't think that I would have that. like in 10 seconds I wouldn't have even picked up so I would definitely say that if you are sure disk and Runner you know 1500 and below, I think going shorted distance running really fast, is pretty good for marathon and like myself, I will definitely go for you know, twenty Thirty second strides and - lower, you know like anytime I ran a 440 form 20 to 30 seconds is a good day for me just because you know like I'm just tired might slow as a marathon I am and then I would also you know like do Do I think it's also recommended that doing short shorter like a hill Sprints I think that would definitely help you to so yeah I think it depends on the distance. If you are long-distance Runner may be going a little longer, you know. Like I don't know like maybe 68 but if you have short distance Runner, you know, maybe doing 10 seconds, 15 seconds, which is about 100 meters, more of those will be good for you. So good luck and have fun."

I would like to play a role in promoting Kenyan running culture by educating athletes on the importance of running clean and pursuing higher education.
 
Transcript: "What role do you see for yourself in preserving and promoting Kenyan running culture? That's a very interesting question. And it would be like, what is a Kenyan running culture? When I think about that question, I think about the fact that Kenyans have been winning, you know, longer distance events for a really, really long time. They've been running really well in cross country. And I would definitely like to continue to see that happen. However, recently we've seen a lot of doping cases come out of Kenya. And you know, it's almost getting to a point where if somebody wins a race and they're from Kenya, you question if they're clean or not. And so I would really like to get to a point where we didn't have to question that, where we could actually celebrate performances. And so then my role would be, I would love to, you know, I would love opportunities to educate my fellow Kenyans on, you know, running clean and not taking anything that your friend gives you, saying that this is a supplement. You should question, where did that come from? And I mean, you shouldn't really take a supplement that somebody gives you just because they give it to you, because you should be the one buying it for yourself and knowing what that supplement contains in it. And I think a lot of Kenyan athletes, you know, we, our culture in general, we really believe in people. We don't think that somebody would have a bad intention. And so if somebody offers you something, you would simply take it. And so I would really like to educate them on not doing that, because I think a lot of these athletes are just being busted out of ignorance. Like they took something without even knowing, or maybe their, you know, their friends and their coaches recommended it to them and then they took it. Or maybe they also believe that everybody's doping. And so it's like we need to teach ourselves that there are athletes who are racing clean and that you don't have to dope to race well. And then the other thing that I would really like to play a role in would be encouraging Kenyan athletes to go to college, you know, to pursue higher education. Just because you're a really good athlete doesn't mean that you can skip going to school so you can make money. You do need to learn how to manage that money and how to learn how to manage that money, you know, means that you have to get a good education. So I would really like to see more Kenyan athletes, you know, pursue an education as well as running."

Marathoners may have run Barefoot in the past, but nowadays it is not recommended as it can be dangerous to run on roads with all its debris. Shoes offer cushioning and protection for the feet that Barefoot running does not provide.
 
Transcript: "What do marathon has think of barefoot Runners? Wow, super interesting question. I grew up in rural Kenya. I didn't have shoes, you know, until I was in fourth grade when that's when I started running. And even my first few runs were actually on foot and that was fine because that was all I knew, you know. And we've also seen, you know, a lot of Runners, especially cross country Runners from like third, world countries. Go to International competition, say, like a world cross country championships and run Barefoot, and it's works fine. You know, when that's all, you know, I rest a lot of my first races Barefoot, you know, because I just wasn't used to shoes. And I think, even at one of the greatest Ethiopian marathoner, you know, like rest Barefoot. Now, today, I don't think I could run Barefoot, my feet. I've gotten so spoiled and they will never be. I would get blisters all over them. So I think that If that's what you used to, if that's what you're comfortable with you, probably could get away with it. But if it's a long race to, I'm not sure how you could run a marathon Barefoot, I really don't know that. You can handle the pounding on the road, you know, all of the cracks, all of the, you know, gravel that is there barefoot, I will not recommend it. And also, you know, like these days, you know, we have this super shoes that will help you, you know, run faster, you know, help with your recovery. And you know did Lay fatigue and so like I don't know that I will choose to run Barefoot unless they were some super, you know, science proving evidence to help you. With at this point I have not actually I have not read anything about it, maybe they have benefits but I don't know that I would recommend it but hey, you know, to each their own. If it works for you great, but I definitely will take the advantage of having the shoes, you know, for cushioning and you know, for delaying You know, for delay fatigue, and also for making sure that you're not stepping on a glass because you're running on the road. It's not, it's not clear, you know, there's a lot of stuff on the road. Anyways, yeah, that's what I will do."

I enjoy being part of a group and the camaraderie that comes from it. It's nice to be able to learn from people with different life experiences, like mothers and entrepreneurs. It's nice to be able to provide guidance and support to newbies who have just graduated from college. Additionally, I appreciate the relationship we have with our coaches and how they prioritize the person over results.
 
Transcript: "That's a really good question. So I have always loved being part of a group and I especially enjoyed our build-up of 2020 leading up to the trials with Kelly and Stephanie and I because the camaraderie was just amazing and I was training with two, amazing women who are also moms and since I was inspiring, you know, aspiring to be a mom, it was really nice to see what they were doing. It was really nice to see them, Jacqueline, you know. Motherhood and being professional athletes and being wives. And so it was really good for me to see that. And also, you know, like somebody like Stephanie for example, she also has other businesses and as an athlete, you know, like you always think about, you know, life after running and it was nice to see Stephanie, juggle, all these aspects of her life and see the outcome of that. So I really like that. And now, you know, I think I really like the fact that we have Different ages in the group, we have those newbies who just graduated from college. It's really nice to see myself, like see who I was or what I was like when I came out of college in this young kids, and how far I have come, you know, in the last hour, gosh, I do not like 78 years since I graduated from college. Um, so it is nice to have those Commodities and it's nice to be able to be a leader now and show them the way. And hopefully, you know, share some of the mistakes that we met So that they don't have to make it but at the same time also, you know, Live Life Through The Eyes too because they're excited, they don't have a lot of responsibilities. Or if they want to do is run eat and sleep for us, you know? Like, we are wives, we are moms, we have more things to do, and it's like, all right, you have a home to take care of. So it's not just all about running, you have other things to do and so it's kind of exciting to see how they live live now and you still try to kind of add live life, the way they do too. And I in general, you know, Oh, I love the relationship that we are talking energy lead half with our coaches. You know it's a business relationship but we also care about each other as a person. I definitely feel like our coaches care about us as a person. First before an athlete then I think that's a really good thing especially in this day and age where results like some people or some groups just value results. It's nice to see that our group values the person first."