Photo of the Week

The Mid Pacific Road Runner's Club posted pictures from last week's 10k.  I found this photo:

That guy on the right?  Twenty five years of adventures and he's still cheering me on. Not only is he running next to me, he's filming and he's carrying water and a towel for me.  What a guy!

This Week in Hawaii Kai

I'm really happy that I had a great week!

It's been a long time since I've done a weekly review.  When I am closely following a training plan I like to post the plan and how it went.  I haven't been following a plan at all but this was a great week.

Sunday - Bill Beauchamp 10k Race - Ran 6.35 miles in 1:02:34, 9:51 pace
This was a great race for me, placing 2nd in my age group.  I felt really strong the entire time.
Also did a short warm up of 0.82 miles

Monday - Walked 2.26 miles
My legs didn't feel too bad but I have some new walking shoes that I bought for our trip.  The first time I wore them I got a blister, so I've been getting out and walking in them several times a week.  I think they'll be fine.

Tuesday - Rode 11.19 miles in 1:03:38, 10.5 mph
This was a pre-work ride with Les.  We rode up "Heartbreak Hill" which I PRd.  Les took a left to go up Kamehame while I continued on to Sandy Beach (PRd that segment, too.)  I was back at the corner before Les was, so I started up Kamehame until we met.  I'm not ready to conquer that climb yet, but hopefully soon!
Also walked 2.44 miles

Wednesday - Rest day
Drove in to Waikiki to have lunch with Les.  We walked to our favorite little pizza place for lunch.  Since we both had plans to hit Tantalus on Thursday morning we decided to eat a big meal at lunch time.  This worked like a charm!  I had great energy and no GI distress on Thursday morning.
Walked 1.2 miles

Thursday - Ran 10 miles in 1:49:05, 10:55 pace.
Anytime I can run Tantalus with an average of under 11 minutes/mile I am really happy!

Friday - Rest day
My legs were sore within an hour of getting home on Thursday.  I knew I would need this rest day.

Saturday - Rode 16.49 miles in 1:14:49, 13.2 mph
My legs are still sore and I thought an easy spin was in order.  Les was meeting his cycling team in Waikiki at 7:00, so I rode the Kalanianaole Highway with him and turned back before we started the climb over Diamond Head.  There were large groups of cyclists everywhere.  They get up early and get going around here.

Totals:
Running:  17.17
Walking:  5.90
Cycling: 27.68
Total:  50.75

Tantalus Thursday

It's been quite a while since I ran Tantalus.  It was all the way back on January 16th!  Now that we don't live in Waikiki it takes a bit more planning to get up and over there before traffic is too bad.  Les wanted to ride it on his way to work this morning so I said I'd take his backpack in the car so he wouldn't have to wear it going up the mountain.  I was up and out the door around 5:15 and started running at 5:45.  My legs felt pretty good.  I had no plan and I didn't know what my previous PR was, but I did know Les and his friend Rob would be coming up behind me on their bikes so I wanted to keep moving!

I hit the five mile mark in 1:05:09, a 13:02 pace.  This is the meat of the run with almost 1500' feet of climbing.  Les and Rob caught me during mile five and I was running strong.  Of course mile six is the real killer because it descends a while then kicks back up.  I powered up that section and was feeling really good about my chances of PRing the entire loop.   I not only PRd, I crushed my previous best!    After uploading my file to Strava, I saw that I was 9th overall on the entire loop (a new PR), plus 8th overall on the descent (another PR!)  I PRd the climb and am 15th overall on it.

I beat every stat from January!  (Mile 10 was 13 seconds slower but traffic was getting heavy and I know I was trying to dodge cars.)  Today's splits:

My splits from January 16th:

Now I can really go on vacation and not worry about my fitness level!

Bill Beauchamp 10k Race Report

It was another beautiful day to race in Hawaii!  I knew I was under-trained, so my expectations were low.  The only thing I did differently from last month's Ford Island Bridge 10k was to wear both water bottles instead of just one.  I was glad to have both!  I was especially under-trained for the heat since it was in the 40s while we were home and it was in the 70s at the start yesterday morning.

It's funny how I can't remember a lot of details from my 10k races.  They kind of go by in a blur of pain.  Marathons are so long you can split them up in segments.  While the 10k isn't over that quickly, it doesn't seem like I had time to take in too many details.  Just keep running.  The scenery was pretty bland - we ran by a refinery and a homeless encampment - twice, since it was an out and back route!

This was not the scenery of my race!

I ran near a young man the entire race.  As I came in to the finishing area Les was there and ran along beside me videoing with his phone.  The video shows me just running along and a quick blue blur going by!  It was the young man, Kyle.  He is from Hawaii but is currently living in Oregon.  He beat my 3 seconds, but when I learned he was 28 to my 52, my feelings where hurt a bit!

After my last race being a bit short, this one was long!  I had 6.35 miles on my watch and my overall time was 1:02:34, 9:51 pace.  Official was 1:02:46, 10:06 pace. (This race was gun time only.)   Still good enough for second in my age group!  21/38 females, 47/89 finishers.

I learned that Kamehameha schools have certain PE requirements for their high school students.  Freshmen are required to run a 10k or swim 3k.  Sophomores must complete a 1.5 mile run/650 yard swim biathlon.  Juniors and seniors must complete two timed events - they must choose their event(10k run or 2k swim) and work with a staff member to design and follow a ten week training plan.  As you can imagine, with the school year coming to a close there were some procrastinators in the bunch!

Next up?  Vacation!  As far as running, I really want to find a 10k that I put on my calendar and actually train for!

Give me the scoop - what's your secret 10k training plan?

What's Up?

I really don't like to start a post with an apology/explanation.  I don't make any money off this blog, it's not my job, but I also know I disappeared for over a month!  Everything is fine, I've just been busy.  This seems to be my blog mode when I am not in full on training mode.  The past four weeks would have looked pretty much the same:

Ran, rode my bike, ran, rode my bike, ran...

In the middle of that we also flew home to California for a few weeks. Les then flew to Tennessee and met up with his brother for their annual Georgia Bike Camp - a week of riding and hanging out with a bunch of guys.  I enjoyed being in my own home with my own bed and my own kitchen!  I didn't run much because I left both pairs of good running shoes in Hawaii and with my size 5 feet picking up a pair at a local store never happens.  I also turned 52 while we were home.

Pre-flight ride to Makapu'u lookout

We are now back on Oahu and I've been running and riding.  Oh, and I have a 10k race on Sunday!  I'm pretty under-trained, but I still plan to run it.  $10 for club members so I couldn't pass it up.

Next up?  Les and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this month.  We're celebrating big with a two week trip to Europe!  We booked this about a year ago and I am so excited that it is finally here.  We leave on Thursday, May 19th, flying nonstop LAX to Rome.  After a few days in Rome we will meet Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas for a 9 night Greek Isles cruise.  Our first stop is Sicily and we are mountain biking up Mt. Etna!  This is our third cruise and I am really looking forward to shutting everything else off and just relaxing with Les. 

I don't really worry about gaining weight when we travel because we've always done R & R & R - rest, relaxation and recreation! We got engaged at Yosemite, after a hike, so that should have been an indication of what life with Les McElhaney was going to be like.

I said I'd follow him anywhere, I just had no idea we'd actually go everywhere!

Are you married to an adventurer/travel lover?  Best trip you've ever taken?

Ford Island Bridge 10k and Tantalus Time Trial

What a weekend!  Les and I each had a race which meant early mornings both days.   I ran my first official 10k race Saturday morning - the 19th Annual Ford Island Bridge 10k. 

Ford Island was the epicenter of the attack on December 7, 1941. Its seaplane base had dozens of long-range PBY patrol bombers capable of locating the Japanese fleet after the attack. Along her coast were moored seven of the Pearl Harbor fleet’s nine battleships. It is still an active military base today.  It is in the middle of the harbor.

I left Hawaii Kai around 5:30 Saturday morning.  Parking was at Aloha Stadium and I wasn't really sure where I was going.  I was parked and at the meeting area by 6:15, which gave me plenty of time to hang out, use the port-o-potty, etc.  Les left before I did and rode his bike to the start. The bridge was open to traffic until about 6:30, so we all hung out in a field.  I made sure I was on the outside edge of the group so I could see Les when he rolled in.  About 6:50, there he was.

As I was waiting for the start, one of Les' co-workers, Harris, stepped in front of me.  He is one of those naturals who never trains but is always way faster than me.  He usually trains about 3 weeks for the Honolulu Marathon!  Don't you just love people like that?

At promptly 7:00 the gun was off and away we went over the Ford Island Bridge.  This was a double climb that helped spread the runners out.  My legs felt good and my one hope was sub 1 hour.

I wore my fuel belt, but only carried one 8 ounce bottle instead of two and that was a mistake!  The sun was beating down the entire time and there was no breeze.  There were water stops at mile 2 and mile 4, I hadn't planned on stopping, but I had to.  I walked through both water stops.  The heat definitely affected me, I felt slightly nauseated a couple of times so I took short walk breaks.  My average heart rate was 156 with a max of 167, that's high for me!

I hit the 6 mile mark at 59:36, so I knew I wouldn't have a sub 1 hour, but I pressed on back up and over the bridge and finished strong across the finish line. 

Gun time 1:01:40, chip time 1:01:25.  9:53 pace, 11/65 in age group and 632/1750 overall.

I've read this several places, and completely agree, the 10k is a tough race!  You really have to manage your pace because it is just long enough to really hurt.  I can honestly say that I did not train for this race.  I've been running and cycling, but I haven't done any speed work or focused at all on this distance.  So I'm very happy with my time.  Les had a water bottle at the finish line for me, after a couple of drinks, I poured the rest on my head.

The race organizers did a great job with post race refreshments - water, chocolate milk, yogurt, bananas, orange slices, Popsicles, Starbucks, and Red Bull.

I was up even earlier on Sunday morning for the 40th Annual Tantalus Time Trial. 

It was my turn to volunteer/cheer and Les' turn to race!  I worked the registration table and it was crazy.  We had 83 people registered as of Saturday night and ended up with 92.  Those nine people made for a crazy 45 minutes at the registration table along with about 30 racers who hadn't picked up their bibs the day before.

It was pitch black when I got there at 5:00 a.m. but our race director, Atomman, had us covered. I wore a headlamp and had several battery operated lanterns.  When I finally looked up from the table, I realized the sun had come up.  Les was rider number 52.  The race started at 7:00, with riders going out every 30 seconds.

Before...

The race ended at the top of Tantalus and the riders rode down the Round Top side, so there was no way I could see Les.  I hung out with the volunteers, taking pictures.  We decided this stray dog would be the new Tradewinds Cycling Team mascot.

Les rode the 4.5 mile segment, with 1,400' elevation gain in 26:46.  This was two and half minutes faster than his previous best!  He was 7/16 in his age group and 43/87 overall.

After!

Atomman and his wife, Karen, provided a great spread for the post race celebration - fresh bread and bagels, oranges, chocolate milk, water and they even had a cake since it was the 40th edition of the race.  Atomman also had party favors and they took some fun group shots.

And now we're looking forward to a weekend with no races!

Does your spouse/significant other run with you or do any kind of races?  How do you support each other and make it work on race weekends?  Do you ever volunteer for events that you're not racing?

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?