2013 in the Books!

2013 was a long way from my highest mileage year, but overall it was pretty good.  The challenges of travel, heat, humidity, and life made the first three months tough, but I definitely turned a corner in April. 

My mileage as of Saturday was 1,791.59.  I forgot how close I was when I ran yesterday.  After I got home, I realized I was just 1.11 miles shy of 1,800!  I couldn't let that happen.  I could have taken a walk yesterday afternoon or sometime today, but decided to put an exclamation point at the end of 2013.  I ran 3.11 miles (5K) in 29:28, 9:29 pace!  I think it's easier to run a fast pace on a longer run because you can warm up in your first mile then make up time as you go, but 5K is short for that kind of pace.

Favorite running locations:
Diamond Head
Tantalus Mountain
Ala Moana Park

Monthly Distances:
January - 105.96
February - 132.66
March - 111.02
April - 171.31
May - 169.69
June - 164.13
July - 156.13
August - 180.92
September - 167.45
October - 147.49
November - 148.67
December -146.57
Total - 1,802

I have several ideas that I want to implement in 2014.  It's a big year for me - I'll be turning 50!  I'm still trying to lose some of the weight I gained this year - 2 pounds up, 1 pound down, 1 pound up, 2 pounds down.  But I won't give up!  We will be "moving" back to California for good on February 7th.  Once we are home, I plan to start mountain biking again, too.

I'm also going to start following my marathon training plan again starting next week.  Since my marathon isn't until next December (unless I find a Spring one!) I'm going to try a new way.  I will repeat a week until I hit my pace goals.  In other words, if I'm suppose to run 4 miles at 10:05 and run it at 10:45, I'll repeat that week until I can hit 10:05.  I don't want to add speed and distance at the same time - that's a recipe for injury, so I won't go to week two until I can nail the times for week one.  I'll still run hills and not worry about pace on those days.  I'm thinking 2-3 days of pace work is plenty.

Goodbye 2013, it's been quite a year!

Weekly Review

I had a very unusual week.  I only ran three times, but each of those were awesome!  We did quite a bit of exploring on Christmas day and again yesterday.  So while my miles were down, I was very active.

Sunday - Ran 5.02 miles in 52:14, 10:25 pace
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel - I was flat the day before.  I ended up feeling great!  I earned two PRs on a very short run.

Monday - Rested

Tuesday - Ran 8.03 miles in 1:23:12, 10:22 pace
This was an amazing run!  I have been running to and around Diamond Head for almost a year.  It is two miles from our condo to the base of the crater.  Two very flat and boring miles.  I decided to drive to Kapiolani Park (at the base of the crater) and run around Diamond Head twice.  The first time I went around counterclockwise in 41:56, 10:29 pace.  The second time I went around clockwise in 41:14, 10:15 pace.  I was really proud of that negative split! I also earned three PRs. I'll be doing this run again!

Wednesday - Hiked 1.48 miles in 1:25:23
Les and I had an adventurous Christmas day.  We hiked up Koko Head Crater (all pictures on this post are from that hike.)  The only way I can describe it is UP, UP, UP, then DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!  I've read there are approximately 1,000 railroad ties.  That is equivalent to 1,000 lunges going up and another 1,000 lunges going down!  Oh my aching legs and knees!!  It was a strenuous hike with incredible views at the top.

Thursday - Walked 2 miles
My legs were SO sore!

Friday - No recorded miles
Les had a floating holiday he needed to burn, so we were out exploring once again.  We visited the Battleship Missouri Memorial.  We took the Heart of the Missouri Tour, which is a private tour that goes beyond the norm.  It is advertised as 75 minutes, but ours ended up being 2 hours.  That's 2 hours of walking, climbing ladders, stepping over obstacles and navigating narrow doorways.  It was so interesting!  I have no idea how much we walked, but it was a lot.  We were both still sore from Koko Head, and this was probably the perfect activity to get our muscles moving again.

 

Saturday - Ran 4.1 miles in 42:29, 10:22 pace
My legs were still a little sore this morning (yes that's three days post Koko Head!) but I wanted to get out.  I started running and my legs started warming up and feeling better!  I had my second  best time on the two segments that I PR'd on Sunday.  I think some days you just have to get out of bed, ignore the soreness and just run!

Totals
Running 17.15
Walking  3.48
Total 20.63 miles 

Yippee!!!

I checked the Honolulu Marathon website yesterday and saw they had a special going for "locals."

$26.20 Registration fee for Hawaii locals!

We have lived in Hawaii for almost a year, so I called myself a local and registered!  $1 per mile was too good to pass up!

I am now registered for Marathon #3!!

20 + 13

We are in the final 10 days of 2013.  Strava has one final challenge for the year - 20 + 13 - run 33 miles in 10 days.  It starts today and ends on December 31st.  I'm off to a good start - I ran 5 miles this morning.

Here's to finishing 2013 strong!

Week in Review

Happy first day of Winter!  Christmas is upon us and 2014 is just around the corner.  I'm doing my best to finish this year strong.

Sunday - Rested
I took a complete rest day.  It poured most of the morning, so it was easy to do.

Monday - Ran 6.91 miles in 1:16:01, 11:00 pace
Nothing spectacular about this run, a little sluggish, but I did it.
Also met Les for lunch - walked 2.3 miles.  I noticed one of my sandals felt funny, when I got home I saw why!  Yes, I have done quite a bit of walking this year!

Tuesday - Ran 4.6 miles in 57:25, 12:29 pace
I had total lead legs, but the full moon was awesome!

Also walked 3.5 miles

Wednesday - Walked 2 miles
This was my rest day

Thursday - Ran 10.01 miles in 1:53:08, 11:18 pace
Took another trip up Tantalus!  This is such a hard run, but so rewarding.  I had a little bit of everything on this run - calm, dry, windy, wet, full moon, and sun rise!  And strong legs!

Friday - Walked 6.2 miles
I was pleasantly surprised that my legs didn't hurt after yesterday's run.  I spent the morning at the Honolulu Zoo, then meandered home by way of Waikiki and the International Marketplace.  I asked this guy what he thinks about running...

Saturday - Ran 8.69 miles in 1:44:06, 11:59 pace
First day of winter in Hawaii = 68 degrees with 94% humidity.

Totals
Running 30.21 - I'm liking this number a lot better than the last couple of weeks!
Walking 13.5
Total 43.71 miles
Pilates 2 times, too.

And the Winner is...

I had a total of three entries for my giveaway.  I decided to go "low tech" with  my selection.  While Les was getting ready for work, I wrote the three names...

Folded them up and placed all three in a cup...

Les drew the winner...

Congratulations, Caroline!

Please contact me with your mailing address and I'll get your Bani Band to you. Thanks for participating, ladies!

Weekly Review

It's been a better week.  I think my hamstring is at about 95%.  I really babied it for the first half of the week - I didn't even attempt running until Wednesday!  I'm also pleased to say that I did Pilates three times this week as planned.  It's definitely getting easier.

Sunday - Walked 8.01 miles
Spectating a marathon is a lot of work!  I was at the start and finish lines and enjoyed the day so much!

Monday - Walked 4.5 miles

Tuesday - Walked 3.5 miles

Wednesday - Ran 6.74 miles in 1:28:30, 13:08 pace
Hamstring still wasn't feeling great.  My IT band was also a little cranky, I'm guessing my stride was off from the hamstring and was causing IT trouble.  It's a slippery slope...

Thursday - Walked 4 miles

Friday - Ran 8.01 miles in 1:38:45, 12:20 pace
I decided to head up to Tantalus.  I knew I would be slow, and I was, but even walking up Tantalus is a tough workout.  I managed to run down at a pretty good pace.  I wore my compression calves sleeves while out running, I usually just wear them for recovery.  I didn't notice much difference, but I did hear a cyclist say, "Nice socks."

Good morning, Diamond Head!

Also walked 6 miles
Saturday - Ran 5.25 miles in 54:33, 10:24 pace
Today was going to be an active recovery run.  My quads are really sore from yesterday's run.  But once I started running, my legs felt better than they had in about two weeks!  I decided to run fast as long as I could.  That ended up being the entire time!  Must have been my special headband...

Totals
Running 20
Walking 26.01
Total 46.01 miles

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! 

Product Review - Bani Bands

I am always looking for a way to keep my hair controlled while I'm out running.  Wind is the biggest culprit.  I've never been a hat wearer and the few times in Simi when I have worn a hat on a windy day, it's been pulled off by gusts.  I started using thin elastic bands, but they can slip and sometimes they are too tight.  Goldilocks has got nothing on me!  Too tight, too loose, never just right ;)

Enter the Honolulu Marathon Expo and Bani Bands.  I met the owner and designer, Renee Hanson.  Renee also struggled with finding headbands that would stay on.  Her sister, Bonnie, started sewing custom headbands that we big enough for her and Bani Bands was born.   Their website says this:

Wondering where our headbands are sewn?
We make some in China and some in the US. All of them are made by home-sewers though! Our China crew is manned by a friend there whose relatives sew the bands. Our US crew is headed up by our sister Bonnie and assisted by our mom- aka 'Grandma Julie'. We have a whole network of home sewers who are stay-at-home moms, veterans, college students and grandmas who make our Bani Bands. You are supporting a true cottage industry and helping moms stay home with their kids, grandmas earn a little more on an otherwise fixed income, and students eat more than Ramen noodles.

The winning feature is the adjustable strap.  No "One Size Fits All" - they know not all heads are shaped the same.

I ended up buying three.  I've now worn them all while running and they are comfortable and stay in place.

My favorite!  26.2 Finisher band!

This was yesterday, after six miles.

And now, just in time for Christmas, I'm giving away a Bani Band of the winner's choice.  Leave a comment and tell me which one you like.  The entire collection is here.  Winner will be randomly selected on Monday, December 16th.  I can't promise delivery by Christmas, but it will get there!

Honolulu Marathon

I posted this same post on my other blog, but definitely wanted it here too!

Sunday, December 8th, was the 41st Honolulu Marathon.  Last week I visited the Marathon Expo and was really sad that I wasn't going to be running on Sunday.  I definitely am not trained for that distance and currently have an injured hamstring, so there was no way - even though I could have registered as late as Saturday. I enjoyed seeing a marathon from a different viewpoint - that of a spectator.

Les was also involved in the marathon - as part of the cycling wheelchair escort team.  The "wheelers" go out at 4:55 a.m. - five minutes before the runners.  It is very dark and since they sit low to the ground, they could easily get hit or hit pedestrians.  Roads are blocked, but pedestrians are everywhere.

The cycling crew wore official "Course Marshall" badges, with reflective vests and whistles.  They also had at least two lights in the front and two in the back of their bikes to help the wheelers see.  Their role is important and they all take it very seriously.

Les left the condo at 4:00 to meet up with the team and I wasn't far behind him.  The start line was one mile from our condo and I walked with hundreds of runners as they were making their way to the start.  Over 30,000 were registered and more than 22,000 runners finished the 26.2 mile course.

I got to the start line just as the national anthem was sung and I heard "The wheelers are off!"  After an impressive display of fireworks at 5:00 a.m. the runners were off.

 

There is also a "Race Day Walk" that starts just after all the runners are on the course.   It is a 10K.  I couldn't find any numbers on it, but it looked like several thousand were participating in this event as well.

The course did a four mile loop away from Waikiki before heading towards Diamond Head.  I hurried to the point where they would loop back around and just as I did I heard whistles.  The first of the wheelers were there and so was Les!  They were gone in a fast blur!

 

I stayed at that location for a while and saw the elite runners go by.  I knew I needed to get to the finish line before long - the wheel chair champion completed the course in just over 90 minutes last year.   The support of the race is amazing.  Volunteers are everywhere.  Honolulu Police were also on hand.  They are very protective of the runners - they don't want anyone to get in the way as the runners are coming through.

As I was making my way to Waikiki, there were some areas where spectators were sparse.  At about mile five I took this video.  The important part is the sound - that of hundreds of pounding feet.  I wanted to jump in the group and run with them!!

The main strip of Waikiki was thumping!!  Crowds were cheering loudly.  So exciting for the runners.  A bag piper was playing "Amazing Grace."  And volunteers were handing out water.

I got the finish line about 10 minutes before the champion wheeler came in at 1:31:14!

The cyclists were to leave the course at the Kapiolani Park fountain, allowing the wheelers to cross the finish line alone.  I got down there about 5 minutes before Les came in with his wheeler, the third place finisher.  The cyclists were pumped!  They loved participating in this way.  Our friend Ray said it best, "I just wish we didn't have to wait another year to do this again."

We didn't have long to wait for the winner to come in at 2:18:47 - averaging 5 minutes and 18 seconds a mile!

Placing 13th overall was the top female finisher. She came in at 2:36:02.  The ladies had a very tight finish with second coming in at 2:36:10 and third at 2:36:13!

The sun finally slipped over Diamond Head.

I watched as more runners came in, then decided it was time to head home for breakfast.  Runners were still making their way towards Diamond Head.  They had gone seven miles with many more ahead of them.  I saw these two fire fighters in full gear, including their air tanks.  Yes, they told me, they were running/walking the entire course - proving once again that first responders are top notch!

If you've ever considered running, walking, or riding in an organized event - go see one!  Check out a local 5K or a full marathon. You will be so inspired!  There are people of every shape and size, super fast to very slow, but they are all making their way to the finish line and that makes them winners.

Honolulu Marathon - December 14, 2014  - Anyone want to join me??