Trek Loop Countdown

I had been anticipating the Saturday run since Wednesday, but prepared just a bit too much so when 6:00 AM rolled around I found myself standing at the trailhead with a bunch of fast guys...Clem, Johnny, Paul, Frank, and a few others wondering what I was going to do to keep up. Good realization particularly since my body just was not ready for the run. Just not my day is what it was. So as I feel increasingly farther behind the group on the fast march up Center trail I was forced to accept that this was going to be a gruelling workout. Not fast just hard. But I knew I had to push through it, I need every bit of time and distance on the trails I can get, so I just pushed on knowing I would probably never see the guys again. The times were slow, I had that mushy kind of feeling in my legs, my lungs were not happy....the list went on if I had bothered to keep it.

But it was a beautiful day. A stunning morning at the edge of the world. High up in the hills the views were astonishing, brilliant, and golden. Coming out of the trees onto an overlook I was repeatedly bowled over by the enchantment of the island. Manoa, the peaks through the Pali into Koolaupoko...Kaneoe, and Kailua, and then the best the valleys of the Kalawahine, the views reaching across the Ewa plain all the way to the Waianae range and the distant sea beyond. Quick looks across the green land then dropping back into the lushness of the high rain forest.

Coming down Nahuina and Mangos I thought it best to head down center trail as my knees were bothering me a bit, and I hoped to intercept any second loopers coming up. As luck would have it I ran into Frank and Fish somewhere near Green Hales and started back up. It was hard going and they marched away from me. But Fish was not letting me get too far behind and we made it to the top of center and then did the cross over. I trailed Frank slowly getting my joints to loosen. The ibu I had taken before the run finally coming to play. By the time we hit the bottom of Staircases I was feeling better and managed to bump up the stairs hitting the well spaced risers and moving ahead of both Frank and Fish. We hit the top at the bench and I kept pushing, hearing Fish's bell ringing behind me. Frank was not there and when we rounded the turn at the bottom of Moleka I realized he had bailed and headed down. But Fish was still there and we moved fast along Moleka, running and fast pacing our way toward the road. I hit my stride as we crossed Tantalus and pushed up the first section of Manoa Cliffs, feeling the weakness in my gut....got to do more core work....and then across and down the high ground onto the Manoa Cliff trail.

I hadn't run like this in a while. Good to have Fish back there letting me know when I was flagging and giving me incentive to bury him whenever I could . The technical ground is mine, but Fish has the stamina and always catches me on the long runs over better ground. We hadn't run like this since last year. It felt good. I pushed feeling my legs taking the strain and my chest heaving and painful. Fish's "Come on Mikey" the bell tone of flagging effort.

To the top at the back of Manoa Cliffs, down the winding track toward the Map Case, then the technical ground of the Switchbacks, the trail falling away in short rugged ground where I could stride over a lot of the bad ground gaining distance on Fish. We hit the bottom of Manoa Cliffs and raced along the windy rough ground of the back of Kalawahine, in and out of the rills, cuts, and valleys that dig into the pumice slope of Pu'uohia, and finally hit the ups that lead back to the road. "Good Job." I hear behind me as we make Tantalus. Then its down Nahuina, a new large Kukui down at the old Univerals just below Banana Patch, and race to the bottom of Nahuina, moving fast down Mangos to the last long dirt slope that leads back to Center Trail.

The last time across the Cross-over is always a relief, a chance to push hard knowing there needs to be nothing left in the tank for another run up Center. We moved well up Rooty Run, and made the top, and I commented to Fish I must be dragging my feet because I'd whacked my toes a half dozen times. Running down Easies the inevitable struck and I whacked my right once again this time going down hard, rolling over the rooty ground, and coming to rest at the edge of the trail, half on, half-off looking down the sharp slope. I shook myself as I stumbled back up, thankful to be whole, my knee bleeding a bit, but OK. We just pushed on. Down to the bottom, up Ginger shorts, back down Twisters, and then onto the hard long up of staircases. 'Last time." I hear Fish say, last time to give it what we had. So we pushed to the top, up and over and done except for the long down of Hogback, the steep path that neither of us intended to run in a non-race situation. It was good. The wind blowing cool in our faces as we hit roots and rocks, the shade of the long avenue of Broadway, and the relief of the final passage along past Taro Patches. Across the bridge and satisfied knowing we had run hard and finished the loops.

Next week the race. Next week the reality of time, the need to pull something out of nothing when the clock ticks off toward six.