Well since I've been away I have started a 16 week marathon training program. Nothing fancy, it's just a program I got from runnersworld.com. The reason I went with that is because it is a simple program to follow and you can pick the day of the week you want to do your long runs.
The Honolulu Marathon is on Dec. 10th this year so my training began last Monday. I logged 21 miles the first week with a long run of 10. This week I have a long run of 12 miles and I've yet to find a route. All of my routes have been based on odd number miles (9, 11, 13 15 etc) so I need to find a way to add an extra mile. Better yet I'd like to find some new routes close to home.
Today was an easy run of 5 miles so I just did Big Loop + Kaumakani. Going over the bridge at Wailua I pulled my right calf slightly. This is an injury that I just got over so I'm kind bummed. I stretched and slowed down my pace the last 1.5 mi. I put a hot pack on it and will do some more stretching. I found that heat does it more good than ice. Tomorrow is a rest day so I may just take it easy or go to the gym for a light workout.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
North Shore Challenge
The final race of the 4 part series today was from Ehukai (Pipeline) to Waimea Bay for 2.4 miles. Though there has been no swell from the north, I worried the past couple of days that the 30 mph winds we've been having would kick up some wind swells and chop. Also the localized showers would make the water dirty.
Got up this morning and the wind calmed down a bit to 15-20 mph but there was still showers all over. When I got to the North Shore I felt better when I saw the water at Chun's Reef. It was calm, clean and only a 2-4' swell. I parked a Waimea and after a while, began my walk over to Ehukai. A friend saw me walking and picked me up. Got there with plenty of time to chat and go over strategies for the race.
The race start was a disorganized mass start with people all over the place. Before I could get into position the horn sounded. I chose an outside line towards Rocky Point. A lot of others chose the inside preferring to be closer to shore. Last year I stayed close and ran into some strong currents that I struggled with. This year I had better luck and the currents helped. It's neat to see how the reef changes from one area to the other. Near Ehukai it's rockier and as you get towards Rocky Point it turns more shelf like. I saw a train go by with one guy leading and about 4 or 5 gals following. I tried to get on their feet but only lasted with them for about 50 meters. Near Rocky Point I found a guy going my pace and drafted him for about a mile to Waimea. All I saw after that was his bubbles but it really made the swim easier and I think the pace was actually faster than I would have done solo. After the race I found out his name is Pat. Past Rocky Point we entered Sharks Cove. There I did see divers and the water got deeper. At the turn into Waimea Bay I broke off the side of Pat and took a different line into shore. He managed to keep ahead of me though I didn't mind because he did all the work and I got a free ride off of him.
The race was faster this year due to favorable currents and my time was 1:08 so I'm very pleased. Besides some regular reef fish I did see a small turtle and a small spotted manta ray. This was my best race of the series this year and now I'm considering doing other swims that I usually don't do.
Got up this morning and the wind calmed down a bit to 15-20 mph but there was still showers all over. When I got to the North Shore I felt better when I saw the water at Chun's Reef. It was calm, clean and only a 2-4' swell. I parked a Waimea and after a while, began my walk over to Ehukai. A friend saw me walking and picked me up. Got there with plenty of time to chat and go over strategies for the race.
The race start was a disorganized mass start with people all over the place. Before I could get into position the horn sounded. I chose an outside line towards Rocky Point. A lot of others chose the inside preferring to be closer to shore. Last year I stayed close and ran into some strong currents that I struggled with. This year I had better luck and the currents helped. It's neat to see how the reef changes from one area to the other. Near Ehukai it's rockier and as you get towards Rocky Point it turns more shelf like. I saw a train go by with one guy leading and about 4 or 5 gals following. I tried to get on their feet but only lasted with them for about 50 meters. Near Rocky Point I found a guy going my pace and drafted him for about a mile to Waimea. All I saw after that was his bubbles but it really made the swim easier and I think the pace was actually faster than I would have done solo. After the race I found out his name is Pat. Past Rocky Point we entered Sharks Cove. There I did see divers and the water got deeper. At the turn into Waimea Bay I broke off the side of Pat and took a different line into shore. He managed to keep ahead of me though I didn't mind because he did all the work and I got a free ride off of him.
The race was faster this year due to favorable currents and my time was 1:08 so I'm very pleased. Besides some regular reef fish I did see a small turtle and a small spotted manta ray. This was my best race of the series this year and now I'm considering doing other swims that I usually don't do.
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