A Manoa Out and Back and a Honolulu Marathon

Running the Honolulu Marathon is a bit of of a wimpish exercise, at least from the point of view of the distance being covered, and all the hoopla considering it is just 26 miles.   So in keeping with a few past years I went out the night before and did some distance on the trails to help the day meet the minimum standards of real HURT training.

Zedoc and I met about 10:00 and headed up out of Manoa.  We reached to top in 50 and headed to the Kalawahine trail head, cut down Kalawahine toward Tantalus, and then did Concrete to the top.  We were hitting about two hours by then, and dropped down the back, cut back over the flats, and made our way back down into Manoa. We made it back to the cars about 1:40 or so.   Nothing spectacular, just time on feet in the dark, wet, night.



I got home, had some breakfast, (which will come to play a major part in my story)  and then I took Yumiko down to Kahala where she was going to act as a volunteer.   I drove home parked the car, got my gear ready and headed down toward Ala Moana.   The race started at 5:00,  I ran into Rob Lahoe, who was dressed up like some kind of Grimm Reaper from Japan, and then he proved to fast for me and I bid him a good race.  I did the first 7 miles in 12 minute per mile pace.

But I was feeling a bit funny and had to walk more than I figured I should.  I was sweating hard,  and breathing a bit rapidly.  Buy the time I hit mile 10 I knew I had a problem, and by the time I got to the half way point I had cramping and serious gut problems. These would not go away and even as my paced dropped the cramps increased.   By the time I was at the back end of Hawaii Kai I was miserable.

I called Richard to see I I could stop by his house, and when I got that confirmation I headed over there.   But I could not make it.  The cramps were severe.  I  headed into the first bushes I could find. There are not many in Hawaii Kai any more.   I felt pretty good after that and moved to get back into the race.   I jogged some and made up some time.  Then got hit again down near Niu valley.  I stopped at a portopotty and moved on, feeling not quite as bad but now aware this was going to follow me for some time.   I made it to the end of Kalanianeole and had to stop again.  I moved on feeling not much better.

I was hurting in my legs and knees, and my gut was cramping, and I could not drink much without getting cramps.....so by the time I got to the end of the 26 I was a mess.   @6:45    

It was a great six hours of suffering.  A rememberance of times past, and hoe easily it is to be stupid.

I made it home by bus and crashed.  I was till cramping into the evening.

Nothing heroic about it.  But it was good training.     Aloha.