Cycle to the Sun 2017

Three weeks ago we flew to Hawaii.  Instead of our usual Hawaiian Airlines flight #1 to Honolulu, we flew to Maui.  It's been a while since we went to one of the other islands and had some down time.  Of course for us it's never just Rest and Relaxation, there's always some Recreation involved, too.  While I did a little bit of running, the biggie this time was for Les - Cycle to the Sun:

The legendary Cycle to the Sun is one of the most difficult bike climbs in the world.

The ride climbs 10,000 feet over 36 miles and reaches gradients up to 18%. As a comparison, the famed Mont Ventou in the Tour de France is only a 5,336 foot climb over 13.6 miles. It starts in Pa’ia at sea level and finishes up on top of the Haleakala Volcano at just above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).

If you've ever been to Maui, you've seen ads for riding down Haleakala.  Les has ridden up Haleakala three other times but never raced it. We arrived on Wednesday and took Thursday and Friday as full on R & R.  Les got his bike ready and went for a short ride and I went for a short run, but there was a lot of relaxing involved, too.

Lanai island

We had an early start on Saturday morning to get to the race on time.  We both knew quite a few of the riders (the race is capped at 200.)

After an Hawaiian blessing, they were off!

I knew I would have plenty of time to wait, so I headed to the nearest coffee shop.  I ended up spending two hours with a lady whose husband was also in the race.  We shared stories about family and adventures.  My plan was to drive to the summit and hopefully see Les a few times along the way.

I stopped at the Visitor Center and watched Les go through.  Then I drove a few more miles to see him again.  I cheered for every rider who came by.  I was disappointed in most of the other friends and family members who were at the lookout.  They just stood there and only cheered when their rider came through.  I had fun with it, even asked "are you questioning your sanity right now?"  One rider said, "No, that was 10 miles ago!"  It's a grueling race and I know even a few words of encouragement can mean a lot. 

Riding strong enough to flash the "I love you" sign!

I was at the summit when Les came across the finish line.  The friends and family there were a lot more active - cheering for each rider.

He had been sick for about 3 weeks leading up to the race.  This is no easy ride at 100%, so I was happy to see him finish with a smile!  This was Les' fourth attempt and fourth successful finish on this ride.  His fueling was right on and Dramamine on Friday night/Saturday morning kept altitude sickness at bay.

It was a very clear day at the top.  In the distance are Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii...

Since the race I have heard Les say about a dozen times, "I want to ride Haleakala again!"

Have you ever been to Maui and tried the downhill? 
We rode it on our first visit to Maui in 1996.  I hadn't been on a bike since about 6th grade so it was pretty scary to me.  I'd love to do it again but don't plan on riding up!

1,000 Miles

I hit the 1,000 mile mark for the year this morning!  It's always exciting to see that number.  The breakdown by month:

January: 189.44
February: 156.30
March: 118.12
April: 162.06
May: 165.54
June: 170.64
Partial July: 44.36

Total: 1,006.46

Breakdown by activity:

Running:  405.27
Walking:  101.04
Cycling:  500.15

Almost identical numbers on my feet vs. on my bike!

I had an amazing run this morning.  We are still on Oahu so I headed up Tantalus.  I ended up running my third fastest on the entire 10 mile loop and my second fastest on the second half which is all downhill.  Strava also gave me my third best 5k!  It's funny - I'm not training for anything but I'm running strong these days.  Pressure free running = getting the joy back.

We're just past halfway, how is 2017 treating you?


Quick edit:  If you are a Strava user, check out Relive.  The site has been providing 3D videos of rides for quite some time but now they're also doing runs.  Here is my run from this morning: https://www.relive.cc/view/1075721591

Tantalus Sunday! (Week 15/52)

Happy Marathon Monday!  We are six hours behind Boston here in Hawaii, so I woke up to news of Marcel Hug winning the wheelchair competition by ONE second and setting a new world record.  Congrats to the winners and way to go USA runners for grabbing two of the top four spots in both the men's and women's divisions.  Huge kudos to the amazing Katherine Switzer on her return at age 70!

I had another solid week of running with lots of walking in the mix.  I pushed my long run to Sunday.  With only 10 miles on the schedule I wanted to hit up Tantalus.  No trip to Oahu is complete until I've run the mountain.  I stopped several times for pictures so I knew I wouldn't get any PRs but I finished really strong.

The real test of any Tantalus run for me is mile 6.  After climbing almost 1,500' there is finally some downhill.  The road drops about 200' then cruelly reverses for the next half mile.  I was able to push through and run the mile in 9:11.  My final four miles just got faster: 8:45, 8:44, 8:28 and 7:57!  I was determined to finish fast and had to really concentrate to finish my last mile in under 8:00.

We fly home mid-week and my long run for the weekend is 18 miles.  Last year the thought of running that distance filled me with dread.  Although I know it will be tough, I'm ready to take on the challenge.  I'm especially looking forward to cooler temps and lower humidity.

Totals for the week:
Running: 23.95
Walking: 8.56
Total: 32.51

Of PRs and Long Runs, but Not PRs on Long Runs (Week 14/52)

This was week seven of marathon training and I really mixed things up by flying to Hawaii on Tuesday.

Sunday - Rode 13.02 miles
This was an uneventful ride, but I knew it would be my last time on the bike for a few weeks.

Monday - Rested
I had good intentions but I spent Thursday through Sunday participating in a music workshop at our church.  Long days and nights finally caught up with me.

Tuesday - Travel Day

Wednesday - Walked 3.6 miles

Thursday - Ran 9.28 miles
This was my best run of the week!  I ran to and around Diamond Head.  I also went up the road that leads into the crater.  There is a short segment called the "Pokapahu Climb."  It is 0.2 of a mile with 234 feet of elevation gain.  My PR on this, from 2013, is 2:56.  I ran it in 2:57 on Thursday!  For some silly reason this accomplishment did not show up in Strava even though it is clearly recorded in the file.  I also had two PRs on the run - "Downhill Chicken Suey" - that I have run 38 times and a big one "Diamond Head Cliff Westbound" 1.4 miles with 108 feet of elevation gain.  I have run this 34 times, including during the Honolulu Marathon.
Also walked 2 miles

Friday - Walked 4.93 miles

Saturday - LSD Ran 13.44 miles
My training plan called for 16 miles and that's what I had intended to do.  My legs were dead.  I kept saying, "never trust the first mile."  I kept saying it through the first three miles and knew it was gonna be a long morning.  I almost turned around at mile 5.  I had nothing.  I paid for those Thursday PRs big time.  I finally got my first wind around mile 6 and kept a good pace for about 2 1/2 miles.  Then it was back to Bonksville.  I crawled home and was happy to be off my feet.  A day later I'm not feeling too bad about it.  I know I pushed hard on Thursday, which I normally wouldn't do.  I am also not at all acclimated to the weather.  But the scenery makes even a bonk beautiful!

Total:
Running:  22.72
Walking: 10.53
Cycling: 13.02
Total:  46.27

When it comes to bonking, it's a coin toss to keep going or turn around.  What do you do when you bonk?

CA Riding, HI Running (Week 7/52)

Sunday - Rode 9.40 miles
I knew I would be off the bike for the rest of February so I decided to go for back to back rides.

Monday - Rode 12.20 miles
I'm glad I did not have back to back crashes!

Tuesday - Travel day
I was excited to learn that I won a free entry to the Utah Valley Marathon.

Wednesday - Walked 1.20 miles

Thursday - Ran 4.81 miles +0 elevation
The weather when we arrived on the island was pretty unpleasant.  Kona Winds bring a stillness that is hard to describe, the air feels heavy and there is just no movement.
Also walked 3.35 miles

Friday - Ran 8.91 miles +345' elevation
I ran the Diamond Head loop with extra credit by running up Pokapahu, the road the leads into the crater. I really suffered through this run.  In spite of drinking plenty of water and taking Endurolytes, my left calf kept cramping.

Saturday - Walked 3.3 miles
I had big plans for Sunday so I took it easy on Saturday.

February Run Climbing Challenge Progress:  998 meters/3,274 feet - 49% complete
This number changed drastically this morning - I ran Tantalus for an additional 1,557 feet bringing my progress up to 74%, but that's for next week's recap!

Total
Running 13.72
Walking 7.85
Cycling  21.60
Total  43.17

Although we aren't in California, it continues to rain.  The total for our city is now 18.5 inches for the season, just a little less than the past two seasons combined!  We haven't received a drop of rain since we've been in Hawaii, which is due to the Kona winds.  That is suppose to be changing in the next couple days with a "cold front" bringing lows in the 60s.  Pretty sure that would be heat wave in Montana!

How was your week?  What's the weather like?

What a Week! And It's Only Wednesday...

Me and my Valentine

This is turning out to be an interesting week!  Sunday was our typical up early so Les could prepare a Sunday school lesson while I went for an easy spin.

Monday morning we hopped on the mountain bikes and hit the trail.  My legs were like lead and I couldn't seem to get warmed up.  Once we got to the trail I told Les to go for it and I'd meet him at the turn around.  After about a mile on the trail my legs finally loosened up.  Then it was pedal to the medal and I got my 3rd best time, only 8 seconds slower than my PR!

We bombed our way back down but because of the rain there is a barrier that we can't ride over. We had to get off the bikes for a few steps.  When we got back on the street it's downhill for about a mile with a stop sign about a third of the way down.  We were just rolling from the stop sign when Les realized he was in the wrong gear and almost came to a complete stop.  I didn't realize until it was too late and my front tire clipped his back tire.  I was on the ground before I had a chance to process what was happening.  My right knee is bruised and slightly scraped but no major damage thanks to good tights and full finger gloves.

We were up a little after 4:00 yesterday morning for our 7:45 flight to Honolulu.  After picking up our car at Les' office, we headed to the Ilikai where we'll be staying this time.  I opened my emails and saw this:

A free entry to the Utah Valley Marathon!  I may have shrieked a little in the car!!  I never win anything.  I am so excited to have a won!  The Utah Valley Marathon claims "its gentle downhill course not only enhances your speed but won’t beat up your legs."  The course elevation looks like this:

And before you think I'm crazy for running downhill, let me remind you of my most recent marathon, the Revel Canyon City Marathon:

It looks like the Utah Valley Marathon is going to be much more gentle!

So what happens now?  I pulled up TrainingPeaks to reapply my marathon training plan and guess when my 16 week training starts?  Next week!  The timing couldn't be better. Thank you, Wendy, for hosting this giveaway!!  I am so excited to have this race on my calendar.  Once again I'll be posting my training schedule each week followed by a weekly recap.

When is your next race?  Downhill running - yay or nay?
Anyone running the Utah Valley Marathon?  Have you run it in the past?  Any advice?

2016: A Tale of Two Years

2016 feels like two different years to me.  The first half I was going strong.  Six weeks into the year I did a reality check and I was consistently faster than I had been 12 months earlier.  I was getting Strava PRs like crazy.  We were living mostly in Hawaii, but I seemed to adjust pretty quickly to the heat and humidity.

In March I got my Hawaiian bike, Vita.  She and I spent many miles together.

Things continued going great into the Spring.  I ran the Ford Island Bridge 10k in April and the Bill Beauchamp 10k in May where I got 2nd in my age group.

We spent the last 2 weeks of May in Europe, which included mountain biking Mt. Etna and tons of walking and carbo loading.

Sometime during the summer I felt like someone drained all the energy out of my body.  In August I started training for the Honolulu Marathon.  I never ran more than 10 miles in the approximately 8 weeks that I "trained" for it.  Things were just off.  I had some knee pain, but I think I let it get to me more than it really was.  I limped along and probably could have recovered, but mentally I wasn't there.  I finally decided not to run the marathon and the relief I felt told me it was the right decision.

I had my annual physical this month and all my labs came back normal.  While this is good news, it's a little disheartening knowing the only thing wrong with me is that I am a 52 year old woman (ha!)  I have had some heart palpitations (no pain or dizziness, just extremely fast beating,) but my EKG showed no heart damage or previous heart attack.  My doctor felt this is hormone related (add it to the list.)  I'm doing my best to keep track of when these happen (which include during a bike ride, sitting at dinner, and during church.) 

My total miles for the year are lower than they have been in about a decade.  I am officially closing the book on 2016.  Tomorrow everything resets.  When I wake up I will have zero miles, the same as every January 1st.

Are you ready for a new start?  I sure am!

A Trail Ride that Summed Up 2016

Les and I are back on Oahu for our eighth and final trip of 2016.  We are staying in Waikiki since we moved out of our Hawaii Kai rental at the end of October.  I love being in the heart of this city for a few weeks but I wouldn't want to live here full time.  The Honolulu Marathon is Sunday and I'll have a full post after the marathon once I've processed how I feel about not running it.

We wanted to go for a mountain bike ride on our final morning at home.  We headed out and were on the trail after about a mile.  About a mile up the trail things started to feel a little off.  I could barely get up a short climb.  I told Les to stop for a minute and...

Yep, a flat tire!  Les is great at changing flats so I figured we'd be on our way in no time.  Except the pump that belongs in my bike bag was in Hawaii...

Once we realized that I wouldn't be riding anymore, Les said he would ride home to get the car.  I started walking my bike to the trail head to wait for him.

Les drove up and we loaded my bike in the car.  This is when things went really south.  Our car would not start.  After several minutes, Les decided he would run home to get our other car since I was still in cycling shoes.  When he got back, we tried getting our car to start, still with no luck.  We finally called our insurance for a tow (free up to 25 miles.)  I was ready to drive our drive-able car home when Les tried to get our car to start one more time and it finally did!

Running at Ala Moana park - he kills me on the bike, but I get revenge on the run!

We still have no idea what was wrong with the car.  We drove it again later in the day with no problems.  That's how I've been lately - some days I get up and have a great run, while other days I can't seem to get started.  I'm hoping 2017 will be better.