65 and up

No, that's not my AG, although my ankles think they're 65. That's last week's mileage. My friend Jules was out with her fancy camera near the Lanai Lookout last weekend and took these shots of me climbing the hill past the shooting range out on the road to Sandy Beach. I was about 1:30 into a 16 mile run after a late night that resulted in sleeping in, then running in the heat of mid-morning with what I call hangover-gut. I look happier than I was, but mostly just because I was happy to see Jules, who is always fun to talk to. Not a bad backdrop for a long run, is it?

 

 

 

On Saturday the 2nd, I ran my first 20-miler since last fall. Team Kailua (Brigitte, Todd, Steve, and HK) carried me through. HK, Brig, and Todd were there for the first 30 minutes, and then when they turned around, Steve and I chatted our way across Enchanted Lakes, Norfolk, Olomana, across the marsh, and into Aikahi. Steve finished at home in Aikahi, which left me only an hour alone with my brain, and I worked my way back across Kalaheo to Enchanted Lake, then up to Maunawili. Average pace: 7:45/mile, which means that I am finally starting to shake the cobwebs off. That's a standard long-run pace for me. Usually, it feels easier than it did this time. When I got home, HK was waiting with a bucket of ice for me to stick my grumpy ankles in. He made me an egg sandwich while I writhed in ice-pain. Oh, and he bought me my own foam roller. See why I love him so much? The foam roller is pink, so I'm calling it a belated Valentine's present.

 

This week's goal: 75+ miles. But it's going to be hard with a whirlwind trip to Maui this weekend for two days of sitting in seminars from 8-5 with dinners out afterwards. To account for what might be a non-running weekend, I'm aiming for 10-15 miles per day during the week, and I'll sneak a 20+ in there one day.

 

The staycation weekend at the Ihilani was exactly what my mind, body, and relationship needed. HK and I made no plans. We loafed. We watched a wedding at Lanikuhonua at sunset, during which he took this selfie:

 

 

Karma was quick though, because shortly after he posted this to facebook with the caption It's a conspiracy, we hopped in his truck to head to Chuck's Steakhosue for dinner, and the valet said Alright Mr. Ross, you're all set. He didn't really like that. We spent most of the weekend drinking fruity cocktails by the pool, watching whales from our balcony, and just relaxing. It was perfect.