Last run for '08

1630 : 3.5 miles @ HHS Track
Mi1 7:45
Mi2 7:30
Mi3 7:00
8:00 last 1/2 mi

Brrrr!

1130 Cold Swim at Kawamoto Pool (750m)
200m warmup
75m breathing (2,1,0)
75m sensory
150m speed (15,10)
250m sensory

It felt even colder today, but still at 69 degrees.

1900 Calisthenics
25 pushups
25 pushups
30 modified bicycle kicks
30 cruches
25 wide pushups
30sec bridge
30sec side bridge left
30sec side bridge right
25 pushups

Was gonna meet Jarrett for strength training but he had a late deal so I just did some pushups, situps, etc.

Legs are a little tight from yesterday's run and the... oh yeah, forgot I did a pretty big workout Sunday morning.

Stop Being Lazy

1145 Kawamoto Pool
400-500m swim

It was really tough getting back in the water. Especially today with the water temp at 69. I hopped in and had to start swimming immediately. My cardio is soo bad, I couldn't make it past 100m. Got out of the water after doing 1 lap of long course.

1639 HHS Track Run
4mile run
1/4 mile warmup
1646 m1 (7m/m)
1654 m2 (8m/m)
1703 m3 (9m/m)
1709 m4 (6m/m)
1/4 mile cooldown, stretching

Felt relaxed and strong. Was able to run lightly on my toes for the entire run. I felt strongest on the 4th mile, under 6 min/mile.

The weather has been horrible for the past week. I've been trying to do at least do 50 pushups daily, but the lack of cardio work has taken it's toll.

Swim, Sleep, Sleep, Swim, Run, Blah

Took another swim at Richardson's as planned on Friday afternoon. Cardio & breathing are still unsatisfactory. So I decided to remedy it with beer. I picked up 2 quarts of Beck's, but they gave me more at the bbq, and I gladly accepted.

Saturday - sleep.

Sunday - sleep, yard work, catch up with Amanda as she preps for her trip. I get to puppysit Ikaika for a few weeks

Monday - Swim for lunch. Oh wait... I didn't get to go to lunch until 1630. Slipped on the fins and had a great swim at Richardson's (~600m). My rotator cuffs didn't give me trouble today. The water was cool so it kept me moving. Naturally, it was sunny all day until I got into the water. Cardio & breathing still shitty.

1535
Rinsed off then took a short run just past Onekahakaha and back in just under 30mins (~3-3.5mi). 15mins out... not much better on the return. Concentrated on light footwork, eggshells, posture, breathing, etc.

0:29:18
HRM 188
HRA 171
496 Cal 25% Fat
152-170: 0:08:10

Going Kona tomorrow. Probably not gonna get any workout there. Bet it'll be overcast just for me anyway. Joy.

Back on Track

Thursday 1845 - Track Run
Was planning on resting my upper back and my foot by just laying down at home but I saw Ron suited up for his evening walk and it got me motivated. So I went to the HHS track for a short run. It was cool and dry out. I think the news said it was low 70s.

Had a bit of side-pain between miles 1 and 2 but felt warmed up after mile 3. Didn't really pay attention to pace or HR. Just wanted to concentrate on form and balance. Ate a peanut butter & jelly sammich about an hour beforehand.

~5.5-6miles
50 minutes
HRM 196
HRA 179
1000 calories 20% fat

Drank a chocolate milk right after, then grilled a steak with onions, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic. I kept my portion at about 4oz beef and 3-4oz veggies.

Friday 1330 - Bike, Ocean Swim, Bike
Rode from Kamaaina Nissan to Richardson's at a moderate pace, then immediately jumped in. Swam to the rock and back twice with several breaks. My freshly shaven head had less resistance in the water. The sky was clear all day and it was fairly warm. There was a friendly breeze to keep my cool on the way back. My cardio/breathing is horrible in the water. I don't feel the drive anymore. Something's missing.

Ate leftovers from last night.

Contemplating another bike/swim before going to a bbq. I wonder if I can actually contain myself to 'just a couple'.

Sick, Sick, Sick, Swim

Monday - Sick. Didn't even work... wtf. Drank a lot of water and tons of vitamin c.

Tuesday - Sick. Worked but felt like crap. More H2O and Vitamin C.

Wednesday - Sick. Getting better. Weather is crap. Rest. Free lunch care of Kamaaina Motors.

Thursday - Feeling much better. Swam at the pool for lunch. Lifeguard Froilan said the water was a nice 71 degrees. It was relaxing. The only thing that bothered me was my left rotator cuff while extended, and first quadrant pulling. Rotating more fixed the problem. Swam about 600m with tons of rest in between.

Soo out of shape I am. My upper back is giving me problems today. I must be slouching again and putting on unneeded weight. We'll see if I can get myself back in the water tomorrow. I have to drop my truck off at Kamaaina Nissan for service, so I might take a run/swim to the beach. Hmm... I might just bring my bike. Good idea. I need to let my right foot rest.

Morning Stroll, Swimming with the Fishes, Seeing the Light

Met cousin Dean, Tania and Todd for Elle's softball game on Saturday morning. She and Kai were still shy around uncle Mike. They later took us to Bubba Gump's for lunch. Service was slow, but the broiled fish sammich was worth the wait.

Saturday night, Tania and Todd treated me to Greek Marina where I had the Mix Vege Plate (Grape leaves, Falafel served with salad and pita Hummus, Baba Ghanouj). It was freakin awesome.

The fireworks that kicked off the 5am Honolulu Marathon woke cousin Tania, but didn't even phase me or Todd, so she was kind enough to wake me. I slowly got going and got out the door shortly before 0600. The rain was coming down and I was feeling the worst of the cold with a sore throat and runny nose. It was still dark but the street lights were just enough to guide me through the little rivers on the streets. The decline was about 300' in a quarter mile. Fun :)

I got to the Wailua St Bridge (1.6mi) in about 15-20 mins, but the leader had already passed, beating my guesswork. I saw the 10-20th placeholders, including the lead women and a wheelchair athlete. Felt bad for the leaders, as they have to follow a gas-powered vehicle the entire race.

After 20-30 minutes I began to cooldown so I headed back, through Hawaii Kai Golf Course and arrived at Sandy Beach Park (2.6mi). The sun was piercing through the rainclouds and the surf was wild and unorganized. It was amazing. There was noone in site; just me, the beach, the surf, the clouds and the sun. It was pristine.

I walked over towards the parking lot. Only a few footsteps from heaven, I found shards of glass on the sand, plastic bags, backed up drainage from across the street, the works. People suck.

There were only 2 surfers in the water when I got to the parking lot. A paddle-boarder attempted to launch standing up but didn't make the first shore break. He got right up and made it out there. He caught a nice wave or two before a bodysurfer arrived in the parking lot on a dirtbike. He had kalakoa fins. The whole time I was there he didn't catch a wave. 3 young bodyboarders watched the waves for a while then jumped in and messed around a bit. I watched a team of 3 men scour the shore with rakes and metal-detectors, in hopes of finding lost jewelry.

I walked back to the unoccupied area and took it all in for an hour before roaming around and finding a blowhole, hidden beach, and whale watching spot (1.5mi). Headed in the opposite direction and found a little bridge (1.8mi). It was about 0830 and told Tania I should be back by 0900 so I headed back home (1.8mi). My knee started bitching out around the golfcourse so I had to start walking. The Maunanani incline was a motha.

Minus the hour and a half of spazzing... I ran 1.6 + 2.6 + 1.5 + 1.8 + 1.8 = 9.3 or so miles in one and a half hours.

Came back to the smell of cooked bacon, eggs and toast. My cousin is the best. After eating half a package of bacon, I let my stomach rest. An hour later she took me to Hanauma Bay. The sun came out just long enough for us to snorkel for half an hour. It was great to get in the water. I really wanted to just swim, but relaxed instead and just spazzed at the fish. On the hike back up the hill she insisted that I get a pic *squint*.

Back at the parking lot I tripped out at this fully-eco-powered light. Great job Hanauma Bay! Cool beans. Why can't all lights be like this one?

Oahu - Day 9 - Recovery Day 6 - Rest Day 3

Uh-oh... another day goes by without training. Another day goes by just raining.

Met up with cousins Dean, Tania & Todd to watch Elle's softball game. Tomorrow I'm gonna take a short run down to the marina to watch the runners at the turnaround in Hawaii Kai, then I'm gonna run off to Hanauma Bay for a swim. It should be a pleasant workout.

Oahu - Day 8 - Recovery Day 5 - Rest Day 2

Got up at 0430. Woke up again at 0630. Made breakfast, lunch. Left the house at 0700. Went to Long's for a map and some water. There was a ridiculous wait. Went to McDonald's for some coffee. There was a ridiculous wait. Left town at 0800. Had no problems getting to Pipeline. Arrived at roughly 0900.

The barrels were big, glassy, and dirty. I have a few more photos that I'll put on Flickr or Facebook or whatever.



























Here's some videos I took with the camera. I was holding it in my hand so it's not steady. The first is 10mb, the other 2 are 3mb. I don't remember who was who in them, but they're all from the quarter and semifinals.

The awards ended around 1600 and I was too lazy to get any workout out there. I also wanted to get through the unfamiliar territory before it got dark with an unreliable car. Got back and was considering a workout, but decided to post this instead. I think I did some pushups in the morning today and yesterday though. It's something I guess.

Oahu - Day 7 - Recovery Day 4 - Rest

We were set to head out to North Shore this morning, but today's Pipeline Masters contest was called off. Wave heights dropped to 4-6 and the weather was horrible.

So Charles took me to Rame's house to lounge for the morning. Came back home and I just dozed off.

But for tomorrow...

SURF ZONE FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
700 PM HST THU DEC 11 2008

OAHU-
700 PM HST THU DEC 11 2008

HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR NORTH FACING SHORES

Surf along north facing shores will be 4 to 6 feet, rising to 12 to 15 feet Friday.

Surf along west facing shores will be 4 to 6 feet, rising to 6 to 10 feet Friday.

The photo I screened from swellwatch.wetsand.com shows predicted wave heights to be 12 feet pretty much all... day... long, maxing out at 15ft around 6am. I'll try to leave here around 5am. Oh shit, I need a map.

I don't care if it's wet weather, I just wanna see some massive waves (by my standards). I hope to share some nice photos, and possibly get a workout out there.

I also did a little research on Ala Moana Beach Park. The beach is a man-made, 800m long, 25ft deep gold-sand swimming channel protected by an outer reef. So I swam roughly 600m.

Oahu - Day 6 - Recovery Day 3 - Short Run, Swim

I forgot to bring my goggles so I went to find Boca Hawaii to pick up a pair. Talked a little with Eduardo and a regular customer who both ran in the XDURO. I'll check out the store a bit more when I have time.

1700
Short run around Ala Moana Beach Park (the 2 pics posted yesterday) to warm up for the swim. 17 mins, no HRM, easy descending pace. There was overcast as predicted on the news, but there was also the addition of strong winds, keeping me cool.

Got in the water and swam about 3/4 the length of the beach then gave up. The water was choppy and it made breathing difficult, especially since I haven't swam in... a week or so? At least it wasn't cold. Unsure of the distance, but I was just cruising it anyway, trying to concentrate on form, reach, and switching.

Got out and jogged back through the sand.

Rinsed off and read a few pages of ChiRunning while taking in the day's last sunlight and the wind on my skin. It was peaceful. I put the book down after getting through a chapter and just zoned out for a few minutes. With just a few runners passing at my back, there was only one surfer carrying his board back to shore, a few hundred feet in. He appeared to be walking on water, because the rocks were just below the water line, protecting what I guess is a manmade swimming area.

My body feels much better now. Except for the stomach part, which devoured many liquid beverages last night with Charles, Raym and Gabe. Yeah yeah yah, I said I'd cut back.

Oahu - Day 4,5 - Recovery Day 1,2 - Short Run

Spent Monday just walking around Honolulu. For lunch I ate a wet burrito from Wahoo's, with brown rice and spicy white beans. The fish was flame-broiled ono. I guess it's always ono? The burrito was ginormous and broke mouth too. Caught up on the 'ChiRunning' book while digesting.

I had wanted to go swimming on Monday, but put off picking up a pair of goggles. I should have, because the weather has turned and will be quite rainy throughout the week. As long as the waves get big on the north side I'll be happy. I don't mind if the water's choppy and unsurfable, but it would be cool to see some ridable surf. Wait, did I say unsurfable, nothing's unsurfable... and not just because it's not a word.


I had worn compression socks from early Sunday evening until Monday morning, so my calves were pretty much recovered when I took them off. Still, I picked up another pair to wear Monday night till Tuesday morning.

Had my first run this afternoon. Ran up Ala Napunani (1.3mi). Unsure of the the elevation climb, but it was nice going uphill. Coming back down, I felt a slight sharp pain in my ankles, and the top of my right foot. Not much muscular or tendon/ligament pain. I should've biked. Took an extended route (~1.7mi) to get back home in 29 mins.

Yeah yah yah... the pain could be because I wore new shoes on the trail. But they fit so well when I tested them... I had to wear them on the race.

Here's some pics of Kaaawa Valley















And my shoes after the run. Not too bad..

XTERRA XDURO Half Marathon World Championships

XTERRA Press Article

I was about 15 minutes short of my goal of 2 hours. But, with the diminished training, I'm glad I finished strong. And more importantly, I enjoyed the beautiful course and made some friends.

Keawe rode his road bike from Ward and was really pumped to do the race. He regularly does trail runs around the islands, just for fun.

Will and I kept each other motivated during the last 5k of torturous hills.

Rachel and I shared similar strategies for handling the hills. I was compared to her dad in regards to injuries and training. She has numerous runs under her belt, including a 50k 2 weeks ago!

Length 21k (13.1 miles)
Starting Elevation 50'
Lowest point 27'
Highest point 892'
Total climbing 2900'
No paved sections

Finish Time 2:14:37.2
Pace 10:17min/mile
Overall Place 129/357
M 30-34 Place 18/45
Race Results

In Zone 152-170 0:14:36
HRM 197
HRA 175
2411 Calories
20% Fat

See if you can find me and my 2 new friends, Will Atkinson and Rachel Samuels in the Photo Gallery

Video

I took a nice 10 minute warmup, working up to an uphill sprint. I started off with a nice and easy pace with the goal of soaking in the scenery. I checked my HR often, which I kept around 183-185 for the first 5k. Sticking to my plan, I walked every hill, including the first hill which we approached in the first 10 minutes.

My HR maxed during an exhilirating rapid descent down several hundred feet of gravel road. Headwind was strong while encircling the ridge. After a near vertical mudded foot trail, I found my zone and kept my HR steady at 180 while talking with a local paddler whom I forgot to get her name. That slippery slope was the most enjoyable part of the race, which probably explains the near 15 minutes in the 152-170 zone.

My right calf began to cramp up about 10k in but I kept it loose and it wasn't bad enough to drop out. I practiced running tall with a rigid core, and relaxed arms and legs. Breathing wasn't an issue at all.

I chewed gum for half the race, and held 2 gels for longer than needed. It was psychologically comforting, cause I felt weaker when I dropped them at the start of the 5k loop.

I remembered to cool down and stretch after the race, to help accelerate my recovery period.

I am grateful to the race directors for keeping quiet on the course route and making it an adventure for us. Congrats to all who competed and thanks to all who made the event possible.

It was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again, as well as other trail runs and long distance races.

Oahu - Day 1, Treadmill Hill Run

Did the usual morning circuit, which I forgot to mention yesterday.

1730 Treadmill Hill Run
Landed in Oahu at 1100 and hung out with Charles until he got off work. Did a 3.5 mile hill run on the treadmill at the Natl Guard Armory where he coaches the Kalani JV Basketball team. Set it on Speed 7 (8.5min/mile), Level 10 (1-6.5 degree incline). I am not ready for Sunday. I will most likely be walking through a nice portion of the trail. I should bring a camera. Not sure if I'd be ready even if I didn't crack the rib.

0:28:00 Hill Run
0:05:00 Cooldown
HRM 182
HRA 168
Zone 152-170 0:07:58

Aunty Gayleen made some awesome spaghetti, which will help me carbo load. I need to be drinking more water. It's tough being away and doing so.

Packet pickup tomorrow from 10-6pm at the Waikiki Beach Walk. Danelle Kabush will also be hosting a trail run clinic at 1pm. Unsure if there is a charge. There is a shuttle from Waikiki to the race for $20. I might just do that, especially if the Kona Longboard Lager is nice and cold.

Injected with a Poison, I Saw My Crack, Short Run & Swim

0900 Injected with a Poison
Went to the radiology dept to get my bone scan done. I learned that it would be a 2-part, 4 hour process, which the doctor's office failed to tell me. That means my Kona trip would not happen today.

1200 I Saw My Crack
So I came back to do my bone scan and the machine was wicked cool. I saw the radioactive isotopes on the little monitor as I lay there. It picked up 3-4k little 'reflections' at a time for 3 minutes until it got a full image. After the images compiled, it showed my entire rib cage and the little mend happening. They took 6 images (top, back, 4 150degree angle shots).

1900 Short Treadmill Run
25 minute descent
2.5 miles

1940 Short Swim
10 minute relaxing swim. Fought the urge to do a timed swim and anything more than moderate intensity. I did shoot for 15 strokes but was unable to get less than 17. I felt like my shorts were about 10 pounds heavy. Need to slow down on the drinking.

Actually Spinning?

1300 Bike Ride
1:30:00 easy ride with Ric. Donald canceled and Brad was a no-show. Didn't leave till 1400. Mostly cruised and talked story.

Kamaaina Motors > Richardson's > Bay Front > Kamaaina Motors

765 Cals
60% Fat
HRMax 155
HRAvg 119

The taller seat post really helped. Ric also raised his and noticed he didn't have any knee pain on this ride.

The shoe cages took about 3 stops to get adjusted to slipping my shoes in/out. I followed Jess' advice and left them just a little loose. I noticed a huge difference immediately. I need a longer/harder ride to take full advantage of them.

Now I have a $200 stock bike with $135 add-ons LOL
$50 seat
$20 seat post
$20 bar ends
$15 bottle cage
$15 bottle
$10 shoe cages
$5 cage adapter

At least everything is transferable, minus the bar ends.

Pool, Circuit, Intervals, Pool

1330 800m Pool Swim
200m Warmup
4x25m Switches w/Fins
4x25m Switches w/out Fins
4x25m Speed (15m fast, 10m slow)
8x25m Golf (20/20 in 0:00:30)
100m Warmdown

Thereafter, I spent roughly 15 minutes recovering on the stadium benches and observing another swimmer. She was there before me and was still holding the same steady pace. 14-15 strokes in 23 seconds. Smooth and efficient in the water, barely splashing at all. Her extended arm would not pull until the other was past elbow's length and about to touch the water. Excellent rotation on both sides. Barely kicking her legs. Consistent. She made it look so effortless. I was jealous. I wanted to be like that in the water already.

Two lanes over was a heavy-set fellow, taking about 25-30 strokes in maybe 30-35 seconds. He wasted soo much energy just splashing the water around. No rhythm, no length, no core.

What an unbelievable contrast. Which one am I? I need to see myself swim so I can mirror the efficient swimmer.

1745 Warmup Jog
15 mins
HRM 150
HRA 114

1800 Circuit
15 mins
HRM 170
HRA 143

20 Rotational Dumbbell Shoulder Press 20#
20 Bent-over Dumbbell Row 20#
20 Push-ups
20 Bears 20#
20 Flyes 70#
20 Saxon Side Bends 10#
20 Bench Press 70#
20 Squats 20#
20 Wide Grip Lat Pull downs 70#
20 Push-ups

1815 Treadmill Sprint Intervals
12 mins
HRM 178
HRA 152

Set treadmill for Sprint Level 15
Warmup at level 3 for 0:2:30
Interval x4 (Recovery Level 6, 0 Degree Incline for 0:01:30; Sprint Level 10, 6 Degree Incline for 0:0:30)

1845 Pool Swim
100m Warmup

4x25m Golf (20/20)
I stopped to think about the efficient swimmer from earlier today. Un-timed, I exaggerated my stroke rate intervals. I attempted to better balance and lengthen my body.

4x25m (18, 17, 16, 15)
Doing so, my body felt more relaxed. Using what I learned, I gave Golf another shot.

4x25m Golf (18/22, 18/20, 17/23, 17/19)
I was able to get down to to 17/19 by using more kick.

4x25m Breath Descent (3, 2, 1, 0)
2x25m Warmdown

This was a huge day, considering I'm still recovering. I was craving a home-made burger, but didn't want to wait for one so I went to BK for the Steakhouse. It was not deserving of the awesome commercial promoting that POS. I, however, did earn my large chocolate milkshake.