Catching Up

Kristine and I at the top.

Went to Maui this weekend with my girlfriend Kristine. We visited Hana and Haleakala. To get to Hana you have to drive 27 miles on a road that cuts through the mountains and forests of Maui. At some points the road goes from a two lane road to barely a one lane road. Haleakala is a 10,000 ft active volcano on Maui. The picture above is of Kristine and me at the top. We went hiking, but that didn't last long in the 40 degree rainy day that we had at the top of the mountain. All in all it was a great trip.

Running wise I took Saturday and Sunday off. We were traveling at strange hours and I didn't feel that great physically. I had a little trouble breathing and just felt a tad run down. However, I have a friend visiting who was my main training partner last year. His name is Matt and we have a jammed pack week of some great runs.

So far we explore some trails yesterday near Kristine's job. It was a steady climb up that took about 29 minutes and we did not even get to the top. We couldn't keep going up as far as we wanted to because I had to get back down the mountain to finish up our run with my girlfriend. I think we are heading up there either tomorrow or Friday.

Today we joined one of the local running shops, Runners HI, for their run around Ford Island. It's a mix range of people from walkers to serious marathoners with many casual runners in the middle. I try to make it when I am near the store. It looks like I will be doing this every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm.

I am in the works of making this blog a bit more dynamic with multimedia. My training partner who is visiting expressed interest about posting and so has my girlfriend. I think they will post once a week on different topics. My friend Matt will most likely post about things to supplement running such as lifting weights, stretching or plyometrics and Kristine will probably post on nutrition. Now, both of these people are experienced in these areas as well as pursuing higher degrees in similar fields (Matt-general surgeon; Kristine-Natropathic Doctor). The information will hopefully be research based and we'll try to present the facts in a non-judgmental manner. Then, at the end, we'll give you our opinions. Also, I'm hoping to add video footage and pictures daily, especially of what the plyo's or stretching looks like. Ultimately, what I am hoping for is to provide a multitude of resources for you readers to take and use on a daily basis. Well, that is my goal anyways!

Training:

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Off

Monday:
Duration: 01hr 20min 05sec
Distance: 8-9 miles
Comments: The run was straight up and straight down. No real flat spots. Felt good.

Tuesday:
Duration: 01hr 24min 00sec
Distance: 10-11 miles
Comments: Felt great. Ran 1.5 miles with Matt to the running shop, did 7-8 around Ford Island (felt smooth, uptempo pace), and 1.5 miles back to our car. Certainly noticing a difference with a training partner.