Kona Half Marathon Training Run- Running around Lava, Inspired by Ironman athletes, and a new record

Hello All,

 June is upon us and that means the Kona Marathon/Half Marathon is just a few weeks away. The Big Island Running Company decided to host a training run on the beautiful Waikaloa resort, the race course . 

Provided with water (very, very cold water..yum) and great attitudes, a group of 10-15 runners set out to run the course around 6am (hey it's Hawaiian time, no worries).

We had different plans for our objective today. Most were participating in the Marathon while another lady and I were signed up for the half marathon. I had been lightly following the Ironman sub 2 hour run plan and it called for a 14 mile run. I was slightly nervous but, knew if I broke it up , I would be fine. 

Mile 1 begins at the first right turn once you enter into the resort. You then climb up a hill and turn right onto a long straight away (Miles 1 and 2)

I originally set out to make this a "slow/easy" run for myself just to learn the course. However, as I was going up the hill (about .50 mile in) I realize I felt decent, the heat wasn't strong, and the wind made it quite comfortable, so why not push it.

I decided to maintain just under a 9:15 pace . As I went up the hill and turned right, I realize HOLY WIND. It was like I was back in Oxnard California again with 20mph hour winds. I felt like I was STILL climbing that hill., YUUUCCKKKK....I tried to keep my pace around or just under 9:15 but it felt like I was running on sand. GEEZ

When I got to the turn around it was like I was finally out of the sand and I was SAILING...

wow wee. WHAT a difference having the wind on your back!

I mentally told myself to maintain a sub 9:15 until Mile 4 but when I looked down at my watch I noticed I was running a 8:35 pace. I slightly freaked out.".should I hold on to this? no way, this is WAY to early to be running an 8:35! " I did a body scan, my legs felt good, my breathing was effortless, and my energy felt great, I decided my body feels great, "let's kick it!' So, instead of holding back, I opened up and my body responded.

Miles 3 and 4 were wonderful. I had shade, a slight decline, and felt great. I was getting faster and faster. My average lap pace was a 9:01,  (mile 2) , 8:41 (mile 3) and 8:48 (mile 4)

By Mile 4.5  I was coming up on the water the BIRC had placed for us (the starting point) at the queens market place. I saw the runners in front of me pull over for a bathroom break. I looked at my water and saw I had enough for about 4 more miles. So I kept going and decided I would run out to the lava field portion and back before refueling. I refueled on my strawberry flavored Gu Blocks (MY FAVORITE choice of nutrition on a run) and felt great.  However, I was back in the headwind, fighting for every step and my pace for mile 5 slowed to a 9:02. I was so thankful when I flanked right , out of the resort and onto the lava fields on the Queen K Highway. I instantly had wind at my back.

 I instantly thought of all the legends that had biked this course during the Ironman (the Ironman run course does not go this far ) and felt SO inspired. I was running the same bike area as Chrissie Wellington (my favorite) Mirinda Carfrae , Chris McCormmack, and Lindsey Corbin, the greats, the amazing Ironman Athletes who are so amazing. I have ran the last portion of the Ironman run course a few weeks ago, now I was running on the crazy, heat and wind crazed bike course. 

My legs were flying and by mile 6 and 7 I ran a 8:38 and a 8:25! Of course at the turn around I drank some water and had to take a picture. I believe Mauna Loa even got in the shot.

 I knew I had to take it in and push hard back, again facing the oncoming headwind. I looked down at my watch (LOVE LOVE LOVE My Garmin Forerunner!) and saw my pace steadily slowing. I felt like I was putting the effort in to run an 8:15 but was only running 8:45. I decided to keep myself from burning out, I would try as hard to average an 8:45. 

By .5 miles into the turnaround I got worried. I could see the entrance to Waikaloa and worried if I had calculated my mileage wrong. I thought I went 2 miles out? So, that means I should have to run 2 miles back? But Waikaloa looks so close?!..That's the thing about the lava fields, they're deceiving. I was right, I did run 2 miles out and had 1.5 miles left to run. I used my hill tactic and kept my eyes below the rim of my cap, trying to not let the mental fatigue set in. Every now and then I would sight (look up and check the entrance) and it never seemed like it was getting closer. I'd look at my watch and realized, I still had a mile of this horrible wind left. EEK , time to get lost in my music. 

The actual course passes the entrance and continues up the highway up to the dead end turn around. However, I needed water and to replenish with another Gu Block, so I turned into the resort (the wind was suddenly at my back), drank 3 cups of water and refilled my handheld water bottle . I run with an Amphipod Hand held water bottle , It's great! It holds 12 oz of water and it can even hold my Gu's. I can't stand stuff bouncing on my back or hip when I run so this is easily accessible and great to run with.

I was at Mile 9.5 when I headed back out and made the turn back onto the resort loop. I decided I wanted to simulate the actual course so instead of heading back out to the long stretch of road (mile 2 and 3) I turned left at the top of the hill again "mile 11" and decided if I needed to, I'll just turn around later and make a reverse loop to get all my mileage in. 

Miles 10  and 11 were the back of the resort and were great , filled with downhill and shade. I averaged a 8:21 and a 8:07. I wasn't hurting too bad yet but the heat was finally getting to me. The sun was completely up and I had to tell myself at mile 11, all I had was a 5K left. 

I got to 11.5 and at the queens market I realized I had to turn around if I wanted to get to 14. So, I turned around and ran up the hills I had just flown down and dealt with more headwind.

During mile 12, I imagined how i would feel on race day. Being tired, hot, getting hungry and, sore, I was climbing up a stupid hill and just wanted to stop. I was averaging around an 8:17 and couldn't believe how well the run has gone. Instead of listening to my watch or my head I listened to my body and pushed the pace, a lesson well learned. I saw my current over time being around 1 hour and 40 minutes and couldn't believe how far into my run I was at this pace. Usually during races I'm here at around mile 10 and 11, never 12. I knew if I wanted to maintain a sub 2 hour pace during race day I had to average a 9:09. With the hills and the wind I didn't know if I had done it? Did all the pushing pay off?

When my watch beeped at mile 13 I didn't want to stop, I had the .1 to complete. I pushed it up one more hill and kept watching...13.06....13.07...13.09...13.10!!! 13.1 miles!

I stopped and moved to a spot shaded by a median palm tree. 13.1 under 2 hours. I did it. I wished there were others around to high five or celebrate with me, but I stood there knowing that it was all me, I did it. 

I took a picture to make sure I could remember the time and pace. The bad thing was, I wasn't done lol. I knew I still had to run back to the starting point, having set a goal for 14 miles, my run wasn't done yet.

I pushed and pushed up a hill and finally got to a turn I knew that ended with a down hill stretch. I turned right on the main road and headed, to what I imagined, was the big blow up finish line mark (for today's run anyway). I sprinted to the water and laid down in the grass. It was over. I had ran the farthest I had ran , that morning, in a year. 

I finished

Got some ice water

then after I cooled down, a banana and chocolate protein milk..nom nom nom :)

My overall distance was 14.21 (whoops)

Average Pace : 8:36

Elevation Gain: 246 feet

Watch: Garmin Forerunner 220 (Purple)

Shoes: Asic Kayanos (My Cinderella shoes)

I couldn't have been happier with this run. I've been saying since last year I want to break 2 and it's eluded me every half marathon.

I've had a 2:07, a 2:05, and 2:03 even

This time around I've incorporated Crossfit at (Hilo Health Co-Op) into my training and seen massive results. In March I ran the Hilo Half Marathon at a 2:03. After I finally finished battling health issues and attending crossfit 3-5 times a week my times have improved IMMENSELY!

I can handle hills easier and my lung capacity seems to no longer be a huge issue . 

It was a great day. I just hope I can maintain my condition and keep the muscles ready for the race in 2 weeks :)

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Round Up- Training, Sprint Triathlon, and Funk

Weekly Roundup

Half Marathon Training, a Triathlon, and Some more FUNK

     I had a really awesome training week as we are 5 weeks (4 full training weeks) out from the Hilo Half Marathon. 

  I made some advances in the employment situation but now I'm playing the waiting game to see what step must be taken next. While waiting, I focused my time on running and staying in shape for (Hopefully) my best Half Marathon yet.

I originally set my sites on the full, but just really wasn't motivated to do 16-18 mile runs. So I took a step back and realized what would be best for me, Hilo Half now, Kona full in June. :) 

Monday- Day off from running. Chalene extreme weight video. I also walked 2 miles with my doggy that I exercise 2-3 times a week. It's a hilly route so, it's a good workout for the legs.

Tuesday- Track workout. I originally went it with the idea of doing 6 400's and 800 repeats but I did 1 400 and I was like oh gosh, there is no way my body can handle that. SO, I took it down a notch. 

I did 1 lap around the track (400)...walked for 200, jogged for 200,

sprint for 200, walked for  100, Jog for 100, 

Repeat 6 times

It was kind of humorous. My phone was dying, my arm band didn't want to stay on , and my headphones were going in and out. I was like "are you kidding me?" but, I got my 6 in , I could hardly breath at the end of each lap, and I stunk pretty bad. All and all I chalk it up to a good workout lol

My view of beautiful Hilo Bayfront before my run 

Wednesday - I ran 3 miles with a friend and then joined the Hilo Running Club group to run that evening for almost 4 miles. I've declared Wed as more of a fun run day. Beforehand, this was a Tempo day (trying to run race pace ). But with track day the day before, my legs were just exhausted. So, I pick a friend to run with and just talk story. I still get my miles and exercise without killing my legs.

Beautiful view of  Honoli'i surf park during our run

Thursday- I have my running client whom is also training for the Hilo Half. We've decided each week we meet, we are adding a mile up the Hamakua coast, aka the race course. It was extremely hot that morning (8:30 start). We did 8 miles with some nasty hills included. It made me realize I need to def add more hills into my workouts. I also walked 2 miles with the puppy again .

Friday - My day off from running to gear up for the weekend. I did a weight training video but only did the upper body portion and only 1 set of squats. No sense in trashing my legs the day before my long run.  Doggy walk 1.5 miles

Saturday- 9 mile run on part of the Hilo Half Marathon course. To be honest I was slightly dreading this run. Rolling out of bed at 5:30 am, knowing I had a hard run in front me , gave me more than enough excuse to just roll over or just sit at home and drink coffee. BUT my 2 lovely running partners would be there waiting. Accountability is amazing , but such a pain sometimes LOL

We started out from the store on Hilo's bayfront and ran left up the Hamakua coast. . My friends I ran with set a tough pace, especially with the hills. By the 4.5 mile turn around I was happy for the 2-3 minute breather. The pace going back picked up considering there were less inclines and more declines. Once again I fell back on the inclines but tried to catch up on the declines. 

It was a great run and went by pretty quickly but not painless. By mile 6.5 I had to start my "keep running, keep running" mantra on one slow incline. My brain told me to walk but I told my legs to keep a movin. 

It wasn't a pretty run but it was one of the quickest long runs I have done in probably a year. I've come a long way in my running and I always tell myself anything under a 10 minute pace is something worth celebrating in my book. 

We celebrated by visiting the adjacent farmers market and getting a coconut from a vendor. They cut it open for you and the water is AMAZING. 

lol Not spoiled at all :) I mean where else can you buy a fresh coconut after a run? 

I also did a quick mile around the garden area later that afternoon to even out the 9 to 10 . It was more of a recovery run, but it was too beautiful outside not to. 

 Sunday - Was somewhat of an impromptu sprint triathlon. It was free and so I decided to try it out . ( Haha get it? TRI it out?...oh brother)... ANYWAY...

 I was nervous about the swim and the bike, considering I've been mainly focusing on running lately. A friend of mine was doing it as well so I decided, what the heck, why not. From our bike set up area we could see the huge swells from the beach. I was a bit apprehensive but once the horn went off I jumped in. The swim felt like it was a washing machine and I just could not go anywhere. The swim back was the hardest. The problem with swimming in the ocean , you can see the coral and realize I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE! lol The race coordinator noticed a lot of us were worried about the waves and gave us the option of only doing one lap. So, taking his suggestion, I did LOL. I got out with my friend and jumped on the bike. I haven't biked in a while and forgot how much I loved it. My bike isn't super fancy but she's cute and mine. I love going fast and felt really strong . I pulled into the transition and put my running shoes on. I pushed it a little too hard on the bike and spent the first mile just trying to get my breathing control, legs were fine, stupid small lungs. 

When I finished I caught my breath and turned around to run my friend in. I was so happy to be racing somewhere where I knew someone. All to often the only person I know in races is Josh. :)

It was a fun race and good way to start off Sunday morning.

 I've also been continuing my Uptown Funk Challenge. I haven't done it today yet (letting my second cup of coffee settle) but I will do it. It's part of my routine and I'm def noticing  some new core muscle. The soreness is gone but parts of the video are still difficult. 

So, there is my week. I'm hoping I can continue this momentum and just keep adding on everything to get me in the strongest form for the half marathon.

Thanks for reading

Stay posted

Stay Healthy :)

Hilo's Big Island Running Company Store

BIG ISLAND RUNNING COMPANY

HILO, HAWAII 

  As you visit the biggest city on the Big Island of Hawaii you may notice that we are pretty short on chain stores and restaurants. Most of us like it that way. We have pride in our local shops and I personally try to support them when I can. Which is why when The Big Island Running Company came to our side of the island, many were cheering and welcomed it with open arms. It’s hard to not notice all the runners you see throughout the city wherever you happen to drive. Whether it’s around the circle of the Japanese Gardens or down past the beaches in Keaukaha, it’s evident that this is a town full of runners.

The Big island Running Company store officially opened in Hilo on August 2014 on Hilo’s beautiful Bayfront. It sits well with all of the rest of the local shops and diners. It’s prime location gives its biweekly running group the opportunity to spend most of the time running alongside Hilo bay and through the Japanese gardens, not a route commonly found by most running groups.

Hilo’s BIRC store is proud to boast that they are the only running specialty store on this side of the island. Upon visiting, you won’t be met with your average high school worker, but selective staff that thoroughly knows the sport of running and the product(s). 

The store manager, Cary Aurand, has run between 15-25 half marathons as well as 4 marathons. She has been running since high school and transferred from the Kona side after working alongside the main store managers. Her energy and enthusiasm on race day is hard to match.

 

Dennis Blinn (AKA DJ) is quite the local running celebrity who seems to be known by everyone. It’s hard to run with him and not have him wave at 5-10 different people every time. He’s present at every local race and has an extensive running background which consists of 31 years of running including 113 marathons and ultra-races. You’ll definitely be greeted with a hearty hello and great service any time you walk in.

Alan Ryan is the newest addition to Hilo’s crew. He’s quickly learning the store features but don’t let his strong, silent personality throw you off. The 7 time Boston Marathon runner and Assistant Cross Country coach knows the ins and outs of racing and speed work. His knowledge is a great asset to the store and its future customers. 

It’s nice to know you can go somewhere, where there is product knowledge, race education, as well as local race knowledge is evident. The store is a friendly and welcoming environment that caters to the running enthusiast.

BIRC has an array of products that would suit many runners. From running gels, Hydroflasks, to hats and socks. They have attire for both women and men. The Hilo Big Island Running Company has something for everyone and always seems to be getting in new product whether local or brand name.

If it's a new shoe you're looking for, the store has the setup to let you try on a new pair of shoes and test it out. They can also check your running gait, on their treadmill/computer program in the back of the store. This gives you an opportunity to test the shoe out without having to weave in and out of tourists on the sidewalk.

The store has group runs twice a week. We usually run anywhere from 1-5 miles (depending on what you want), has a very easy route, and start/finish at the store. We all have an assortment of paces and there is almost always someone to run alongside with. 

Group Runs

Wednesday- 5:00pm

Saturday - 6:30am

I’m very excited to have found this store and the people associated with it. Whenever I have errands to run on the Bayfront I wander in, to check out the products, and say hello. The store, and people, benefit the community, promote health and fitness, and offer product once unavailable to the area.

COME RUN WITH US!

Website and Hours

Big Island Running Company

Big Island Lava Adventure

(To see how to get to the lava without having to pay for someone to take you, Click the following link to see my article out about how we got there, also pictures of lava flowing into the ocean!) Lava Flowing in the Ocean-our Local adventure)

So sorry for the lack in updating my blog lately, I haven't really felt a huge need to update BUT .. My husband and I are BACK on the Big Island again, same apartment too!

One of the things that was on our bucket list, that didn't get checked off last time we lived here, was to see live flowing lava. We were slightly disappointed that Volcano National park isn't actually a place to see live active lava, more so a live museum of flows from the past.

On the map above, on the southeast portion, You can see the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Part of the park, Chain of Craters Road, will take you all the way down to the ocean where a past lava flow has entered the water.  The part where the box says "Road Closed" is where active Lava flow has actually flown over the road and is no longer drivable.

(Taken by Me)

 That road used to be the main way to what used to be Kalapana and Kaimu black sand beach. The city of Kalapana used to be home to the historic Kalapana gardens. This was the home to many generations of Hawaiians and Tahitians that were descendents of the first generations that landed on this side of the island. They settled and raised family here. Sadly out of that subdivision there is one house still standing.

My husband and I really wanted to see live lava flow so, we decided to hike from the Volcano National Park side (west) driving to the end of chain of craters road however, it was not a successful hike. We enlisted the help of a few other traveling nurses but I'm afraid instead of lava we gave them sore legs and exhaustion. We ended up hiking 4 hours round trip, about 8-12 miles, not sure. We got to the point where the sun was setting and we could see the red lava on the hills but there was a huge rain storm starting to pour on us. So, sadly we ended up hiking the 2 hours back defeated.

After much needed rest (and a week or two later) we decided to try to find the lava from the east side of the road. We drove through Pahoa down to the dead end street, before Kalapana.We were greeted with restricted access signs, government workers (monitors) and another dead end. We finally gave up, did some research, and signed up for a tour. We hated spending the money, But, it was worth it.

We booked a tour through: 
Kalapana Cultural Tours
(LOVED IT) 

We were undecided which tour to take. There are 2 tours, one that leaves at 4pm and one at 5pm. We wanted to see the lava flow at night but didn't want to be hiking the entire time in the dark (hiking on mountainous lava rock is hard, but doing it in the dark with only a tiny flashlight is even harder) We were very happy our choice of the 4pm tour.

This picture does a great job showing what kind of rock we were climbing over sometimes.

We saw some pretty awesome sites along our way to finding lava

We found our first lava!
Our guide was pretty awesome. He said he wasn't very happy with this lava and went off to find us something more impressive



After another 5 minute walk we found a river bed of lava and was able to watch it flow faster and faster by the minute

We had an amazing time! A great memory we will never forgot!

Hiking back was pretty crazy! We were walking on newly cooled lava that was flowing yesterday. So it was still pretty hot to walk over and you could see the red lava flowing what was already cooled. Past that was still pretty new and fragile rock, pretty loose and thin stuff.

We were amazed with the sight and had a great time! We hope if you ever get a chance to visit the Big Island we definitely  recommend this tour!

Mahalo!