First Quarter Wrap Up

Last week before our ride - with the full moon over our shoulders

I am loving my new bike.  I've now "commuted" with Les three times in the past two weeks.  Twice last week I went with him on the Kalanianaole Highway.  It's 13 miles round trip.

The Diamond Head Overlook - lots of surfers were out

Yesterday I kept going with him until we got the Diamond Head Overlook.  I was at 9.5 miles when I headed towards home and decided I would add some in our neighborhood to get it up to 20.  I averaged 14.1 mph.  This is such a change from mountain biking!  The highway here is flat - I rarely change gears.  I tuck in behind Les, catch his draft, and we hammer the whole way with no coasting.

On the mountain bike, it's up, up, up, shifting into granny gear.  Then it's turn around and flying back down the trail.  I might average 10 mph on a good day but there's a lot of variety in my speed.  I'll also have over 1,000' of climbing verses about 400'.  What this translates to is a lot more fatigue in my legs.  I'm not complaining, I just notice the difference when I try to run the next day.

My commuter with his backpack

On Sunday I ran a new to me route that took me to Sandy Beach.  To get there, I had to run up what the cyclists around here called "Heartbreak Hill."   I had a great run until my GI started protesting about 2 miles from home.  Isn't that how it goes?

Les and I are both racing this weekend.  I'm running the Ford Island Bridge 10k on Saturday and Les is racing the Tantalus Time Trial on Sunday.  Packet pickup for my race was last weekend.  I got my t-shirt and the back is so cool...

But the FRONT!!  What?!  Oh well, it's just cotton, so it's not like I would wear it running!

Sorry, we used all the ink and color for the back...

I don't have a plan for this race.  It's my first 10k and I'm just hoping my legs feel fresh.  I'd like to finish in under an hour, but I have no idea if I will.  There were almost 2,000 finishers last year, so that means a crowded start.  I'm sure getting up the bridge will spread everyone out.

Clever business name! #seenonmyrun

My mileage is just slightly below last year's at this point.  362.49 this year vs. 379.01 last year.  Now that I'm upping the cycling miles I expect to catch up and pass last year.  My running numbers will ramp up in the Fall for my December marathon.

Miles as of 3/31/16:

Running:  176.80
Walking:  62.43
Cycling: 121.53
Kayaking:  1.73
Total  362.49

Do you track your distances each year?  Are you on track this year?

When It's Pouring Rain

This quote was in my email box today:

When it’s pouring rain and you’re bowling along through the wet, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t.

~ Peter Snell 

I have run in the rain many times here on Oahu, but the most memorable was with over 20,000 others during the 2014 Honolulu Marathon!  A quote from that post, "For the record - running in the rain is fun for about 2 miles."

What's the longest rain run you have ever done?

Since We Last Talked...

Warning:  very photo heavy post!  It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here the past 10 days or so... 

Les and his 83 year old dad

On Sunday, March 13th, we were up at 4:00 a.m. to get to the North Shore.  Les raced in the Pineapple Hill Sprint Road Race and I worked the registration.  He got second in his age group!

Sunday night Les' day arrived from Guam.  Bill was stationed on Guam in the 1950s during the Korean War and wanted to go back for a visit.  We convinced him to extend his trip a few days and stay with us.  Lots of people say they're going to come see us, but he was our first guest so we played tourist Monday through Wednesday.  We visited the Polynesian Cultural Center on Monday:

I got up early and went for a run on Tuesday morning.  My IT band is feeling so much better!  I signed up for the Ford Island Bridge 10k on April 2nd, so I was glad to be able to run again.  We then rented kayaks and headed out to the bay.  I don't have a waterproof phone case, so it stayed in the car.

We woke to a short rain storm on Wednesday morning, followed by a spectacular rainbow.

Les and Bill went for a short hike (I had laundry to do that couldn't wait.)

We then drove Bill to Tantalus, showing him our running/cycling playground with its amazing views.

One more stop took us to Pearl Harbor and a tour of the USS Bowfin Submarine.

We dropped Bill off at the Honolulu airport and then it was time for me to pack!  I spent Thursday through Saturday on the Big Island, attending a Ladies Conference through our church organization.  Our theme was "Be" and our Thursday night banquet was filled with black and yellow and lots of laughter!

Cheeks for days...

I had great plans to run.  I mean, our hotel was literally steps from the finish line of the run portion of the Ironman World Championship.  But time was against me - our sessions started early in the morning and finished late at night.

There was also some great eating at various restaurants (and not so great eating of meals provided by the hotel!)  Spicy Shrimp Egg Rolls from Bubba Gump.  With this view...

Saturday afternoon I flew back to Honolulu and went straight to our church for music practice, preparing for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  Then it was home and another early wake up yesterday morning because Les had another race!  This time it was a 40k time trial - something he's never done before.  Our friend, Bill, won the whole thing.  This was Les' before picture.  I forgot to take an after - he was dripping with sweat!  40k (24.8 miles) in 1:13:08, average speed 20.4 mph in very windy conditions.

Riders going out every 30 seconds

And here we are ~ another Monday!  Les rode his bike to work and I decided to join him for part of it.  We rode the Kalanianaole Highway until it ended then I turned around and rode home while he rode the crowded streets of Waikiki to get to his office.  Just a little over 13 miles in under an hour.

We've had a lot of fun, but I am very ready to get back to my normal routine!

What's new in your world?  Do you ever play tourist in your own town/state?

Mia Bella Vita

Venice, 2011

When I realized that we would be spending a lot of time on Oahu this year, one concern I had was not having a bike.  Cross training on my mountain bike has worked great for me over the past couple of years.  So, without further delay, I'd like to introduce Vita!

This is a Specialized fitness/hybrid bike called the Vita Sport.  The tires are smaller than my mountain bike's but bigger than a road bike.  Hawaiian roads are not always in the best condition, so Les thought this would be a perfect fit.  From Specialized's website: "With its lightweight frame and efficient gearing, you’ll become a speedy, hill-climbing machine, while vibration-damping Zertz take the edge off any rough roads."  I'm going to have to become a hill-climbing machine just to get back to our house!  This is the last little climb, but anytime the road changes from asphalt to concrete that means it is super steep!  This one gets up to about 15%.

I took her for a short spin this morning and felt like I was flying.  So much lighter than my mountain bike.  I didn't go far, I noticed my seat was a little too low which was putting pressure on my knees.  I don't need to mess those up!  I know it's an easy fix, but I want Les to help me get it right.

The first of many pictures of Vita with Diamond Head in the background

Mia Bella Vita is Italian for My Beautiful Life.  I have to say that is a perfect description!  I don't have a perfect life, but it is beautiful.  I'm looking forward to many beautiful miles on my new ride.  And since we're going to Italy (and Greece and Turkey) in May, I now have an Italian phrase to use!

How often do you cross train and what do you do?

ITB Update ~ Maybe It's the Shoes

I took several days off from running because of my IT Band.  I rode my bike on Saturday, took a walk on Sunday, rode my bike again on Monday and used the foam roller daily.  We flew back to Oahu on Tuesday.  I got up Wednesday and was ready for a run.  I was in pain in the first quarter of a mile.  I stopped and stretched, walked, ran, lather, rinse, repeat.

I had an appointment to take our car in on Thursday, so I didn't run.  I got up yesterday and ran 4 miles at 9:38 pace.  I stopped a couple of times to stretch, but the pain was barely noticeable.  I got up this morning, really wanting a long run.  I was in pain again in the first quarter of a mile.

It was not sore muscle type pain, but IT band and a strange pain in my right foot.  I turned my run into an exploration of the neighborhood and contemplated what was going on.

 

I am currently running in Saucony's Ride 8.  I have 2 pairs that I bought at the same time.  I wore the blue ones last week at home.  I wore them again on Wednesday and today.  I wore my purple ones yesterday.  Both pairs have less than 150 miles on them.

Could it be the blue shoes?  Or did I irritate my IT band yesterday?

I'll keep testing my theory.  If pain continues with the blue pair, they'll become my walking shoes.  Or frog chasing shoes.

We've also been looking at bikes for me.  I know my running goes much better when I throw in some cycling.

This week I took to heart a post I read on Run to the Finish "Are You An Active Couch Potato?"  I've been hearing "sitting is the new smoking" lately and her post was just the push I needed to be more mindful of how much I sit.  When I sit down at my desk or on the couch, I set an alarm for one hour.  I make sure I get up and do some kind of movement each hour.  I don't have a fitness tracker, so I don't know if I even come close to 1,000 steps a day, much less 10,000!

Do you have a fitness tracker?  Any IT band tricks?