Cycling There, Running Here

I knew we were heading west on Tuesday, so I decided to give my knee a couple more days rest and ride my bike before hitting the beach again!

Sunrise over the Ali Wai this morning

I've added a new walking route - Don Quijote is the local supermarket.  I guess you'd call it an Hawaiian Wal-Mart.  The prices are much better than any other market I've been to on the island.  It is just over 2 miles round trip.  Since we don't have a car, I have been going almost everyday because I come back with just what I can carry.  This is turning in to a great workout for my arms. I've also been rained on each time I've gone.  Living the Island Life!

Sunday - Rode 8.73 miles on the road in 47:08, 11.1 mph
Tested my knee this morning and found little pain in my right knee, while my left knee decided to complain!  Maybe it's working its way out of my body!

Monday - Rode 10.21 miles on the trail in 1:11:47, 8.5 mph
I decided to ride my bike one more time before we left the mainland!  My knees weren't too bad.

Tuesday - Sat on an airplane for 5 1/2 hours
After we got settled in to our condo, I made my first trip to Don Q's, not to be confused with DQ (Dairy Queen!).  I bought WAY more than I could carry, so I took a taxi back.
Walked 1 mile

Wednesday - Walked 3 miles
This included a trip to Don Q's and Ala Moana Center

Diamond Head in the distance

Thursday - Ran 1.95 miles in the sand
Took another trip to Don Q's.  I kinda feel European, purchasing food everyday!  Walked 2 miles.

Friday - Rested
I was tired of walking to Don Q's!  We went out to dinner for the first time since we've been here this time.  It was a nice treat now that we're not doing it every night!

Saturday - Ran 5.79 miles in 1:07:48, 11:43 pace
This run started off great, the first two miles were in the 10s.  The heat and humidity slowly started getting to me and I got slower and slower, with my walk breaks becoming longer and more frequent.  I really need to remember to take my Endurolytes, they work but only if I take them!
We have a bunch of errands to "run" today, so I'll be adding a few more walking miles.
5:45 p.m. update:  I walked to the Ala Moana Farmers Market (AMFM) - 2 miles round trip.  Then Les and I walked to Wal-Mart, from there we went to Don Q's and stocked up - another 1.6 miles.  We took a taxi home with all our purchases!

Rainbow on my way home this morning

 Totals:

Running - 7.74
Walking - 9.60
Cycling - 18.94
Total - 36.28

Back in the Sand

We were up early this morning.  Les headed out for a bike ride.  I was still getting ready when he came back in - about 10 minutes later.  It was raining.  Rain + road bike = not a good idea!  We headed out for another run in the sand.  We didn't go far, but I felt like I got a really good work out in!  I'm also happy to report no knee pain!

I pushed the Lap button on my Garmin when we hit the sand, when we turned around and when we got back on the sidewalk.  Here's how it went:

Warmup - 0.36 in 4:39, 12:56 pace
Sand part 1 - 0.53 in 6:41, 12:33 pace
Sand part 2 - 0.58 in 7:43, 13:14 pace
Cool down - 0.45 in 5:19, 11:47 pace

Our cool down was the fastest segment!  It definitely felt different.  Our shoes felt heavy after running barefoot on the sand.

Total 1.95 miles in 24:23, 12:30 pace
Ave HR 140
Max HR 158
Calories burned 180
Elevation gained 0 feet!

Whew! A Week at Home!

I have been so busy this week!  I don't know if it will be like this every time we come home, but this week has flown.  I crossed the final thing off my to do list late yesterday and we're getting ready to fly back to Hawaii on Tuesday morning!

I had plans for a big week while I was home.  It started off with a bang and ended with a whimper.  I don't know how or when, but I have done something to my right knee.  I have pain on the inside, just below my kneecap (a tendon or ligament, maybe?)  If I've learned anything in 16 years of running, it's that small injuries can turn into big ones.  I have not learned this from personal experience, but I've read of many runners who refuse to take a day or two off, then end up injured and unable to run for months.  I don't think I've ever taken more than a week off due to injury and that is because I've always erred on the side of caution.  So here's how this week played out:

Sunday - Rested

Monday - Ran 7.02 miles in 1:17:28, 11:02 pace
I was feeling great.  It was cold again (32 degrees), but there was no wind, so I was feeling fine after a few minutes of warm up.

Tuesday - Rode 9.34 miles in 1:05:32, 8.6 mph
This was the first time I had been on my bike in over a month and I could tell!!  Slow!  This was also when I first notice my knee pain.  I don't think the injury occurred while riding because I noticed it as we were pedaling out of the driveway.  The pain wasn't really noticeable once I got warmed up.

Wednesday - Ran/Walked/Plodded 4.85 miles in 1:08:55, 14:13 pace
I just had no energy this day.  I did a lot of walking, so the knee pain wasn't very noticeable.  I started noticing it more later in the day.

Thursday and Friday - Rested
I woke up with knee pain both mornings and decided to take a little extra rest.

Saturday - Ran 5.78 miles in 1:15:46, 13:07 pace
The first 2.5 miles were great, my pace was in the 10s.  Then boom! Knee pain.  I took a few walk breaks, then ran quite of bit of mile 4.  I started up a hill and the pain came back.  From then on, the pain didn't go away.  Grrr...

I really wanted to run a half marathon this weekend, either today or Monday.  It certainly didn't happen today and I don't know about Monday.  Long term running is more important than a single long run, so I'm just going to take it one day at a time.  Maybe I just need to run in the sand!

Hawaii Week 3 and Back Home to Winter

We are currently back home in California.  Three weeks in Hawaii just flew by.  What a shock to return to winter temps! After lows in the 60s, getting up to 31 degrees this morning was quite a wake up!

At home this morning:

At home away from home:

I was so relieved to step on the scale this morning and see that I had maintained my weight.  Three weeks of eating out nonstop had me a little concerned, but I guess all the walking balance it.  Maybe I'll even lose some next time!

Here is how this week went:

Sunday - Rested

Monday - Walked 5 miles

Tuesday - Ran 6.26 miles in 1:06:19, 10:36 pace
Also walked 5 miles

Wednesday - Walked 5 miles

Thursday - Ran 1.3 miles on the beach in 20:00, 15:23 pace
I think we did as much walking as we did running!  I was pouring sweat in the first five minutes.  I'll be doing more of this when we go back.
Also walked 4 miles

Friday - Rest Day
We took the red eye flight home Thursday night and I did not sleep a wink!  I don't know why, but I just stayed awake the entire time.  Needless to say, I slept a lot on Friday.  We were in bed by 9:30 (7:30 Hawaii time) and I was up at 6:00 on Saturday morning.

Saturday - Ran 7.02 miles in 1:18:21, 11:10 pace
Hello, hills!  Hello, cold weather!  "They" say it's good to change up your workout from time to time.  This was a definite change from the past three weeks.  Where's my Kona coffee?

Totals
Running:  14.58
Walking:  19.00
Total:  33.58

Pre-Dawn Beach Run

This is our last day in Hawaii for this time. We have a red eye flight home tonight. I thought I better do at least one run on the beach before we left! Les got up and ran with me. We didn't have a lot of time, which was just as well since it was so hard!

Diamond Head with the moon overhead.

Shaking My Head

I had a wonderful run this morning. I went about a third of the way around Diamond Head then turned around and came back for a total of 6.23 miles. I don't know the rest of the stats. It's on my Garmin, but I have no way to download the file. Les took it to work with him and will download the file if he has time.

Anyway... for the second or third time I have run by a gym. It's on the second floor of a hotel. There are several runners on treadmills. I have to ask - Why? Why in the world would anyone run on a treadmill when they are in Honolulu?? I understand when it's 20 degrees and snowing or icy, but I just don't get these folks! It's beautiful here. The options are endless. There are many parks, the beach, and my new favorite route - Diamond Head!

Anyone understand this craziness?

Hawaii Week 2

This week was much better than last!  I'm still adjusting to the weather, but I think I've learned a few lessons.  We've been having all kinds of electronic issues.  Our laptop died on Tuesday.  My Garmin really has trouble locking in on satellites because of all the tall buildings.  I've used the Strava app for my phone a few times, but it seems inaccurate.  I ran 4 miles on Thursdays, but Strava gave me credit for 8!  It showed me taking a quick swim!

I didn't run that many times, but I am on my feet all the time.  I started tracking some of my walking and I average 3-4 miles a day.  We don't have a car, so wherever we go it's by foot or occassionally by bus.  I'll try to do a better job tracking this, but here is how last week went:

Sunday:  Walked, but I don't remember how far!

Monday:  Walked to the Honolulu Zoo (1.2 miles each way)

Tuesday:  Walked approximately 3 miles

Wednesday:  Ran 7.9 miles in 1:35:05, 12:05 pace
I ran completely around Diamond Head!  This was a tough run.  My body does not like the humidity.  I didn't think it was going to be this far of a run, so I didn't take water with me.  Big mistake!  I did come in 5th overall of women on the Diamond Head Circle (5.2 mile) segment.

Thursday:  Ran 4.0 miles in 42:10, 10:30 pace
This was a flat run from our hotel to Ala Moana Park and back.  This is the one that Strava gave me credit for 8 miles with an average pace of 5:59.  I wish!

Friday:  Walked 3 miles round trip to Ala Moana Center.  Also walked to dinner, ice cream, and fireworks that night.

Saturday:  Ran 7.8 miles in 1:27:55, 11:13 pace
This was my second time completely around  Diamond Head.  I shaved off almost a full minute on my overall pace.  The only thing I did differently - I took 3 Hammer Endurolytes before I left, and carried water with me.  In fact, it was much breezier today, with quite a head wind going up Diamond Head.  Water + Endurolytes = Magic!  I also climbed to 4th overall of women on the Diamond Head Circle (5.2 mile) segment.