Two Days, Two Runs, Two New PRs!

I took three complete days off this weekend and enjoyed the beautiful island of Maui.  We flew back to Honolulu on Tuesday morning.  We fly to Los Angeles tomorrow morning, meaning my miles for this week will be low.  I wanted to make them count!

Who wants to run when you have this view??

I've been running around Diamond Head on a regular basis.  At least once a week, I also run up Pokapahu Place - the entrance to the actual crater.  I've slowly gotten faster and moved up in the Strava leader board.  Last week I noticed that the actual segment started sooner than I thought.  Which meant I needed to up my speed sooner.  And that's what I did yesterday morning to accomplish this:

• 4th overall on Pokapahu Pl Climb (3:03)

The Pokapahu Climb is 0.3 of a mile with an average grade of 15.2%.  In other words, it's short and steep!  Last week I did it in 3:11 and a couple weeks before that I did it in 3:14.  Both of those put me in 5th place overall.  So I was happy to see not only an improvement in my overall time, but also in my placement.

This morning I decided to do intervals at Ala Moana Park.  Run 5 minutes, walk 1, repeat, repeat, repeat.  There is one segment called Magic Island.  I have held 6th Overall for quite some time.  The first time I got it, I didn't even know it was a segment.  I went out last week with the intention of PRing, but part of the sidewalk was blocked so I didn't run the entire segment.  I went for it again this morning and improved a ton!  My previous best was 10:53, today was 9:40! 

• 6th overall on Magic Island (9:40)

Still 6th Overall, but greatly improved!

The funny thing about placing high in the overall is how quickly that can change.  My 4th Overall on Pokapahu dropped to 5th Overall about two hours later!  But no one can take a Personal Record away - that's mine and always will be... until I set a new one!

Slow Start to a Good Week

My IT Band issues seem to have resolved themselves.  I don't know why some weeks are harder than others, but that's just the way it is.  The poor runs are forgotten after a good run!  We are flying to Maui this evening to celebrate our 22nd anniversary, so I'm doing this week's review today.  I don't plan on keeping track of any mileage again until Tuesday.  I just want to enjoy some time with my best friend!

Sunday - Walked 2.6 miles
Watched the Honolulu Triathlon - Kids division.  Very fun!

Monday - Ran 7.65 in 1:52:45, 14:45 pace
I felt really lousy when I got up Monday morning.  I started off slow and finished even slower!

Tuesday - Rested

Wednesday - Ran 9.39 in 1:37:49, 10:25 pace
I finally felt good running!  I ran around Diamond Head with a run into the crater.  I beat my best time up Pokapahu Climb by 3 seconds.  That doesn't sound like much until you realize it's less than half a mile.

Thursday - Ran 5.13 miles in 58:21, 11:23 pace
I did 5/1 intervals again.  These are a great workout for short runs.
Also walked 5.6 miles

Friday - Ran 7.59 miles in 1:46:22, 14:01 pace
I was really sore after yesterday's intervals and walking, but I knew I probably wouldn't run again until Wednesday so I went ahead and pushed on through.
Also walked 6.9 miles - tons of errands to get done, now it's time to pack!

Totals for this week:
Ran 29.76
Walked 15.10
Total 44.86

Sea to Summit

On June 8th, Les will be riding the Sea to Summit Gran Fondo.  This is an 87 mile ride that starts in Ventura and climbs 12,000 feet to the summit at Mt. Pinos.  Rides like this are not unusual for Les, he will be riding up Haleakala on Maui this weekend (36 miles with over 10,000 feet of climbing.)

Why am I bringing this ride to your attention?  This ride is for a cause.  Sea to Summit is part of the Teen Challenge Year of Jubilee celebration.  For 50 years, Teen Challenge Southern California has helped people addicted to drugs and alcohol find freedom and new life in Christ. Teen Challenge reaches out to people from all backgrounds, with particular emphasis on the urban poor, women, and ethnic minorities.

I personally know someone who benefited from this program.  He made one bad decision after another.  His life was filled with addictions and it was only when a court order put him in Teen Challenge that he finally got free of those addictions.  Teen Challenge isn't just for teens, adults also benefit from this program.

If you'd like to contribute to this cause, please click on this link to sponsor Les - Donation Page.

Tight IT Band Makes for a Tough Running Week

I have no idea what happened, but my IT band has been tight all week.  It started on Monday and has been tight and painful all week.  Grrr...

This would have been a great week to be a surfer.  The waves have been huge!  I can see them crashing from my window. I have a feeling it's a great workout, too!

Sunday - Rest Day
Spent the morning at Pearl Harbor, so we did some walking but I didn't keep track of it.

Monday - Ran 7.46 miles in 1:26:06, 11:32 pace
I don't think I warmed up enough and that may have contributed to my IT band problems.

Tuesday -  Walked 4.2 miles
This was a bunch of errands around town.

Wednesday - Ran 5.02 miles in 1:10:49, 12:19 pace
I started out okay, but ended up walking the entire last mile because of my IT band.
Also walked 2.8 miles

Thursday - Walked 2 miles

Friday - Ran 8.1 miles in1:31:04, 11:14 pace
I used the foam roller before my run and that seemed to help.  I ran up Diamond Head.  Just before I hit the 4 mile mark it started pouring!  The rain lasted for about 10 minutes, but I was drenched the entire way home.
Also walked 2.2 miles

Saturday - Ran 5.27 miles in 1:06:36, 12:39 pace
More IT band tightness.  I used the foam roller before running but it didn't seem to give me as much relief today.

Totals for this week:
Ran 25.85
Walked 11.20
Total 37.05

It was Bound to Happen Sometime!

Since I took yesterday as a rest day, I was ready for a good run this morning.  It was a little misty out, but that's not unusual.  I headed to my usual route - Diamond Head, going counterclockwise today.  After running the complete loop around the crater, I stopped at about the 7 mile mark to stretch a little.  I had a text message from Les asking if the roads were wet.  "Yep.  Getting sprinkled on now."  That sprinkle turned into a full on downpour that I ran in for the final 1.5 miles!

My forehead was dripping the entire time today - first from sweat, then from rain!  Nothing like a good downpour to make you pick up the pace at the end!

8.51 miles in 1:33:17, 10:58 pace
Ave HR 146
Max HR 160
Calories Burned 833

It's a New Month!

 

It seems unreal that 2013 is more than 1/3 over already.  Time just doesn't stand still.  I'm slowly getting back into the Hawaiian groove - more walking, and running in high humidity.  My scale was kind this week - I have now lost 5.5 of the 10 pounds I gained in February and March!  My theory of vacation/short term pounds still holds - the new ones come off quicker than the ones that have been around a while.  Bringing a bathroom scale back with us was a very good idea.  After my Mom passed away in 1998, it took me 5 years and 30 pounds to get back on track.  Not this time.  I'm back on track now and plan to stay that way!

Sunday - Rested

Monday - Returned to Hawaii, walked 3 miles

Tuesday - Ran 7.61 miles in 1:25:10, 11:12 pace
Also walked 6.8 miles - this was one of those days that I had lots of errands - all close enough that I didn't need to drive.

Wednesday - Walked 2 miles

Thursday - Ran 9.18 miles in 1:39:49, 10:52 pace
Also walked 5 miles, which included a walk to Ala Moana Park at sunset.  It's a busy place any time, day or night.  All the pictures on this post are from that walk - including sunset spin class in the park!

Friday - Ran 5.01 miles in 55:15, 11:02 pace
I did intervals at Ala Moana Park again - 5 minutes running, 1 minute walking - this is a great workout!  I even ran through one of my walk breaks.
Also walked 3.7 miles

Saturday - Walked 2.1 miles

Totals for this week:
Ran 21.79
Walked 22.60
Total 44.39

Re-Acclimating

We returned to Hawaii this week and I am having quite a time re-acclimating to the weather.  After running in high 40s and low 50s with 30% humidity at home, I returned to this:

94% Humidity - I might as well go swimming!  I'm definitely swimming in sweat these days.  But I'm drinking lots of water, taking my Endurolytes, and running on! 

9.18 miles in 1:39:49, 10:52 pace
Ave HR 141
Max HR 157
Calories burned 887