Cross Training- Hawaiian style

Last month I was fortune enough to be able to go to the Big Island and Oahu. I sacrificed a few morning runs so I could do some hikes (so worth it!). I wanted to keep up with training and my fitness, but also not be too worn out for hiking. My legs aren't strong enough yet to be able to handle everything. Unfortunately with my husband's broken foot (2014 has not been kind to our bodies), long or difficult hikes were not going to be possible. I tried to make the best of it by picking out the short, easy ones with good views.

Kilauea Iki trail

how often can you walk in a volcano crater?

Supposedly a 4 mile hike, although my Garmin put it at 3.43 miles. You start off in the jungle/forest and slowly descend down to the crater floor. It is about 400 feet deep so it's not too bad. Next you walk through the crater, past the vent. It is surreal being on a crater (which originally was 800 feet deep but after the eruption in 1959, filled with 400 feet of ash and lava). The first parts were rough and broken up boulders. The second part was smooth and flat. It was really easy until the end. You climb 400 feet in what felt like .1 of a mile (ok maybe an exaggeration). Lots of switchbacks to get up. Nothing hard, just slightly tiring for our out of shape bodies.


Diamond Head

Honolulu from the top

The gran daddy of the tourist hikes. 1.5 miles round trip. This was not a planned hike, but we had time to kill and decided why not. It is an easy hike up a dirt path. Even though I switched to sneakers, I saw people doing it in flip flops which is definitely doable. You go into the crater first then start at the base and work your way to the top. There are great views of Honolulu from the pillbox. Side note: close to the end there are two routes to the top. The longer, winding incline and going straight up using the stairs. We chose the stairs going up and the path going down.


Lanikai Pillboxes Trail

Kailua on the left, the path in the middle, and Lanikai on the right

Of the three hikes I did in Oahu, this was most like a normal hike and my favorite. It is short, but steep at points. I saw a couple of people in flip flops, but sneakers would really help. There is also no shade past the first part so it can be a hot hike. There are breezes at the top of the ridges, but the trail sometimes is sheltered from them. The views were nice from the start. The Moks (below) and Olomana. 

yes the colors are this awesome

Makapuu Lighthouse Trail

This one barely qualifies as a hike. We woke up early so we could hike up it by sunrise. Unfortunately for us, the clouds got in the way and we never really saw the sun. The trail is short- about 2 miles roundtrip and is paved. It is an incline the entire way, but something every age could do.


Hopefully I will make it back to Hawaii within a few years. While I love the Caribbean for the beaches, I love Hawaii for being an active beach vacation. Hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, ATV, horseback riding, sailing. I mean I could go on and on about what to see and do there. 

Hibiscus 5 Miler recap

This race offers a half marathon, 15k, and 5 miler. I originally had signed up for the Hibiscus 15k, but since I only started running a few weeks prior there was no way I would be able to run 9.3 miles. I downgraded a month or so before the race and concentrated on training. The week before I was able to run 4 miles so I was pretty confident about the 5 miler. This was going to be my first race since my injury that I was going to be able to run. Going into it, my hip felt fine. I have no more pain from my fractured pelvis. What I do have to worry about is endurance and strength. Everything is still weaker which means I wear down a lot sooner. 

The expo:
There was none. There were three opportunities to pick up your packet. I chose the one in Kailua since this is where I was staying. Kailua is a town about half an hour from Honolulu. I received a sweet blue shirt which said 'Half Marathon' on it. I feel kinda badly taking one since I was only doing a 5 miler, but hey, it's a free shirt. 

shirt design and bib

Race day:
All three races had an ungodly early 5:30 am start time to avoid the Hawaiian heat. To get there in time, I had a 3:20 am wake up time and was out the door by 4:30 am. I wasn't quite on Hawaiian time so it was not overly painful waking up at that time, but a lot of green tea was still consumed. 

There was parking at the Honolulu Zoo and by Diamonhead plus any street parking you could find. The zoo lot was a little after 5:00 am so we went up and down the streets looking for parking. Finally we found a spot kinda far away. I remember thinking 'well this will be my warm up.' Unfortunately I really had to pee before the race and not surprisingly there was a massive line at the bathrooms in Kapiolani Park. I learned while waiting in line that they do not put up porta potties because of the multiple bathrooms in the park. What the race organizers do not realize is that our building (and I assume others) only had 3 stalls. There were times the guy bathroom would be empty and females would start taking turns going in. 5:30 came and we saw the runners go by. Finally around 5:40 my bladder was drained and I was at the start line.

My race:
While I was not stressing about starting late, the people at the start line were trying to rush people through. I haphazardly threw my iphone into my armband and started my Nike Plus app. Unfortunately my Garmin was still on the Big Island. I left it in our rental car and seriously debated flying back to the Big Island to pick it up. It would have been cheaper than buying a new one! Luckily the people at Avis found it and would be shipping it back to my house in PA. 

The race apparently had about 2000 people sign up and 1700 runners on race day.  Since I was starting 10 minutes late, this meant very few people were around when I started out. 

beginning of the race

The first section of the race runs along the park. My legs immediately felt heavy. All the walking and hiking had taken its toll. I kept trying to focus on the race and my music and not think about how I felt like I was carrying bowling balls on my feet. 

blurry picture courtesy of my husband

Miles 2 and 3 were dominated by the climb up and around Diamondhead. These were also the best views of the race. You could look out over the ocean and see the sun shining down on the surfers. Wish I could have taken a picture of it, but my new armband very tightly seals my iphone in. Too hard to get in and out. Even though I slowed down considerably going uphill, I really started passing people. There were quite a number of walkers doing the 5 miler. I also started seeing people going the opposite direction. I assume these were all of the fast 5 mile racers. By 2 1/2 miles I kept looking for a turnaround point, but still nothing. It wasn't until mile 3 that the 5 milers started to turn around. There was no turn around sign or marker but I noticed a bunch of walkers turning onto another road. I decided to go with my gut and follow them and asked the policeman down the road if I was going the right way. Thankfully I was. Once I turned around it was all down hill and I got a second wind. Nike Plus said I went from a 12:00 minute pace going up to a 10:14 pace going down. The last stretch runs alongside the Kapiolani Park. 

I could see the finish line in the distance and it just motivated me to "sprint" as fast as my legs would take me. 

right in front of the finish line, I'm in the pink

After the race a guy I was running close to said I inspired him to go faster since I was "sprinting" down the hills. Heck I just let gravity do its thing! My official time was 1:00:05 with a 11:27 pace. My unofficial Nike Plus time was 59:58 at a 11:14 pace. 

Every racer got the same half marathon medal. Again I felt badly having a medal that said half marathon, but I wasn't about to turn one away. 

After the race I was also able to meet up with a fellow Instagram runner- @paleorunner808.

Before we left the park, my husband treated me to shaved ice. (PS: apparently in Honolulu shaved ice is a snow cone. Definitely not the case in others parts of Hawaii. Very disappointing.)

The course:
Hilly. Hot. I did not anticipate the long hill up about 1/4 of the way through the race. It felt like I was going uphill the whole race. But what goes up, must come down. The second half was much easier since it was downhill. 

(source: Tropical Triple Crown)

The half marathon, 15k, and 5 miler all start at the same place and finish at the same place. This means three turn around points on the course below.

(source: Tropical Triple Crown)

The 5 miler course split off right around mile 3 at Fort Ruger Park. This was not marked off at all. I only knew to turn because I saw some walkers make the turn. Not sure if the 15k had their turn around point marked off. Also, the course also seemed to be quite off 5 miles. My Nike Plus app had me at 5.34 miles. I did the course on Map My Run and it estimates 5.35 miles. Unfortunately this messes up my estimated pace. The math is not hard- 5 mile race at 1 hour and I have an 11:27 minute pace?

Final Thoughts:

I would do the course again mainly because I like smaller races that still give the impression of big races. There are definitely improvements to be made though. The course needs better signs and more refreshment stands along the way. It was hot and humid so water was necessary. One great aspect about the race was the yummy after race snacks- tons of fruit (watermelon, bananas, oranges) plus snacks (chips, oreos, energy bars). There was a huge tub of water you could refill your dixie cup with. 

Next up: Red Rose Run (still not signed up for, but planning to sign up)