• Home
  • About Me
  • Baby Stew Brew
  • The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams
  • Life on Maui
  • Thoughts from Jenn
  • Wanderlust
  • Runners HI

Chasing the Maui Son ✨

Chasing the Maui Son ✨

Tag Archives: runner

Hana Relay 2013

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Life on Maui, Runners HI

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

fun runs, hana relay, health & fitness, healthy-living, Maui, runner

This past Saturday I ran in the Hana Relay. The Hana Relay is an incredible fifty-two mile journey along 617 curves and over 56 bridges through the most breathtaking scenery in all of Maui. It was the best last minute decision I’ve made in a while. About 3 weeks ago my friend Anu connected me via Facebook with one of her friends from high school, who was looking for a sixth runner for their relay team. Since I am training for the Honolulu marathon and needed to do my training run anyways I decided to join. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Since the race is 52 miles instead of running it on your own you run it with a team. Each team consists of 6 members. Each member must run 3 legs of the course which are approximately 2-3 miles long. Some legs are a lot harder than others and the longest leg is 3.5 miles. Each leg has it’s own beauty and offers it’s own challenges. There are 18 legs total.

The race starts at 5:30a.m. sharp in Kahului at the junction of Palapala and Mua street with your first runner. As your first runner takes off on foot the rest of your team takes off in your race vehicle to meet the runner at the next hand off point. Teams & vehicles dress up in all kinds of themes and shanangians and as Colt kept saying it feels more like a moving parade than an actual race.

My team was team #47 which was 3 guys and 3 girls so this placed us in the “mixed” division. Since most of us had only met the night before we didn’t have time to go all out with costumes and a theme so we decided that the girls would wear tutus and we would just have some fun with it. I was assigned leg’s 3 (3.0 miles), leg 9 (2.7 miles) and leg 14 (2.4 miles).

My first leg was from Baldwin Beach Park to Hookipa. It had a slight gain in elevation with rolling hills. It was a beautiful run and my adrenaline carried me most of the way. Leg 9 was between mile marker 9 & 10 on the road to Hana and was my best leg. The scenery was amazing and I was filled with so much gratitude as I ran the winding road. I set a personal record on this leg for my fasted mile which I ran in 7 minutes and 41 seconds. My overall pace for that 2.71 mile leg was 8:02. My last leg was leg 14 which was mostly down hill. This was probably my “easiest” leg for running but it ended up being my hardest because I had a lot of time to cool down in between. I still however managed to do my best and finished with an average pace of 8:32.

Overall I was proud of my efforts especially since I found out only moments before that headphones were not allowed (so music wasn’t going to be an option). The reason for the no headphones rule is because the road to Hana remains open so you have to be able to hear all cars coming in front and behind you. It makes sense (safety first) but it also made for a much harder run (mentally).

After my legs were done I went into full cheerleader mode to get my team through our last 4 legs and to the finish line. Everyone did their part and you could feel the team work and camaraderie through it all.

Below are pictures of the entire day from Colt’s perspective, I was so lucky to have him by my side as my #1 supporter, fan, driver and picture taker.

and it begins…Image
Image
ImageImage

DSC_0111

….it NEVER fails, LOL

DSC_0113

First leg pass off from RamonaImageImageImageOne of the members from another team called the “Hana Ho’s” tried to run me off the road because I was running faster than his team! Seeing him in his thong and man bra was motivation enough to make me run even faster, hahahaha

DSC_0127ImageKale our team captain giving me a high five as I complete my first 3 mile leg in 21 minutes and 30 seconds

DSC_0142

My baby girl cheering on her mama!

ImageIMG_7837IMG_780720130916-220933.jpgDSC_0159

Hydration straight from the source before starting leg #14ImageImageImageImage…and again….ImageImageImageImageIMG_7820Imagehanding it off to Devin on my last leg, boy did that feel GREAT! ImageImageDevin, Ramona, Cameron, Chris & Rhonda finishing strong! ImageImageDSC_0146ImageImageImageImageImage

So proud of team #47! I love that even though we only met a few hours prior to this race we were still able to come together as a team and kick some serious butt!

Our ranking per the Hana Relay website is below:

We finished in 7 hours and 28 minutes with an average pace of 8:37.

Division Ranking:

We finished #43 out of 89 teams

Overall ranking:

We finished #96 out of 219 teams.

I am so thankful that I got to be apart of this wonderful race and I am sooooo READY for the Hana Relay 2014!

Week 1, donezo

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Runners HI

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

determination, focus, goals, marathon, marathon training, runner, runners HI, running Maui

Monday

Rest day, not scheduled just happened that way (poor planning on my part)

Tuesday

I set my alarm for 4:45 a.m but snoozed until 6:30 a.m.

By noon (not only was I mad at myself for not getting up) but I was also cursing the 3 miles I had to run when I got done with gymnastics at 5 p.m. I got home and laced up my sneakers (I knew it was going to be a rough one). The sun was still hot and I suck at running at night (I know this is all psychological ) but I just feel like I run better in the morning, plus it was day 2 which meant payback.

Payback is a bitch especially when it is self inflicted and today was payback day. I wasn’t particularly happy with myself for walking the hill on Sunday so I decided that today’s route would be mostly hills. From my house I ran the back way to Wailea then headed back down to south Kihei road and then back up the hill to my house until I hit 3 miles. Once I hit my 3 mile mark, I ran for 1 more minute just to prove that I could.

The break down of my miles are below:

Mile 1 @ a pace of 9’01”
Mile 2 @ a pace of 9’10” ( +0’10”)
Mile 3 @ a pace of 10’44” ( +1’34”)

I finished 3.04 miles in 29’26” with an average pace of 9’41” (not the greatest)

The verdict…I suck at hills!

The bright side…another 3 miles down

Wednesday

I slept in (again) it’s seriously starting to become a problem. So I had to run at night, again. I got home at 4:30p.m. and had a “to do list” that was never ending so I decided to sneak in my 3 miles at the gym between my trip to Longs and the Water Store.

Running on a treadmill always seems easier in theory, but really it’s boring and torturous even though it is a great way for me to build endurance (overall I know nothing will prepare me better for this marathon than my outdoor runs )

The break down of my miles are below:

Mile 1 @ a pace of 8’47”
Mile 2 @ a pace of 8’44” ( -0.’04”)
Mile 3 @ a pace of 8’37” ( -0.’05”)

I finished 3.01 miles in 26’22” with an average pace of 8’45”

The verdict…I need to shave at least one minute off my mile when running outside

The bright side…another 3 miles down for the day and 6.05 miles down for the week!

Thursday

I woke up sore and I mean sore!

Packing to move, double gymnastics classes plus running = a much needed rest day for this girl!

Friday

Woke up an hour later than I set my alarm for so I decided to run the 1 mile loop around my house (3) times to hit my goal for the day.

This run is actually pretty great in regards to training. It offers a good variation of flat running, hill running, steep hill running and down hill running all within the mile. The only negative is running the same exact thing (3) times in a row, I really had to pump myself up to get it done and I did.

I found that positive reinforcement works great (even when using it on yourself) so every time I got too tired or too hot I just kept telling myself “you are stronger than this run..” and believe it or not it worked!

The break down of my miles are below:

Mile 1 @ a pace of 9’20”
Mile 2 @ a pace of 9’18” ( -0.’02”)
Mile 3 @ a pace of 9’16” ( -0.’04”)

I finished 3.00 miles in 27’22” with an average pace of 9’06”

The verdict…I ran my first mile a little too leisurely I need to start pushing myself a little harder each time

The bright side…I found a new trick to break barriers by using positive reinforcement to get my desired results.

Another 3 miles down for the day and 9.05 miles for the week!

Saturday

This should have been my cross training day but instead I put my muscles to work with moving. We moved out of our old place and into a new place down the road so I was lifting and sweating all day (not exactly your typical cross training of swimming, or biking or hiking) but it was still a killer workout!

Sunday

I set my alarm for 6a.m. in hopes to get out the door and into my 6 mile run before it got to hot. I didn’t end up getting out the door until 7:55 (I have some serious getting out of bed issues lately) but I got it done.

We slept at our new place last night so my route was a little different and very unplanned. I just walked out my door and started running. I ran from our place down South Kihei road to the green church and then turned around, it was a little under 3 miles down. I was feeling great and then boom mile 3 and mile 5 were like hitting a brick wall, and I had to dig deep to power through. By the time I got to my road (5.41miles) all my adrenaline and endorphins kicked in and I took off to finish at Kalama Park.

My goal for this run was to finish in under an hour and to not walk at all. I was happy to have accomplished both.

The break down of my miles are below:

Mile 1 @ a pace of 9’25”
Mile 2 @ a pace of 9’40” ( +0’15”)
Mile 3 @ a pace of 9’55” ( +0.’14)
Mile 4 @ a pace of 9’44” ( -0’11”)
Mile 5 @ a pace of 10’03” (+0’19”)
Mile 6 @ a pace of 10’14” (+0’11”)

I finished 6 miles in 59’11” with an average pace of 9’51” per mile

The verdict…I did it, end of story! (would I have liked to run faster, pushed harder…of course) but it was my first long run of training and I accomplished the miles

The bright side….I did it in the goals I set for myself (under one hour and no walking)

First 6 miles and long run down and another 15 miles complete for the week.

My favorite things about this weeks run’s:

super cute, stay in place runner headbands by lululemon, thanks Jamie & Bryan Aloy!

20130806-193736.jpg

(My awesome, brand new, never been worn Nike Free’s for training, thanks Papa Bear)

20130806-194155.jpg

My husband (the super hero) hitting his 200 mile goal for the year and 4 months early! I am so proud of you Colt Stewart ….and look at that pace! You inspire me.

20130808-215118.jpg

My sister motivating me (daily) through text, Nike running challenges and by putting down some serious mileage of her own (just because she’s a rock star..)

20130811-152602.jpg

Overall I’d say I surprised myself this week of training and did better than expected with all that I had going on. I’m glad that my goals were bigger than my excuses!

1 week down, 17 more to go!

From Zero to Three Hundred

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Runners HI

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

bucket list, fit life, girl runners, goals, Honolulu marathon, marathon, marathon training, Maui runner, runner, runners world, training

In 125 days, 18 weeks, 7 hours and 55 minutes I will be lining up in Honolulu to run my very first marathon. A marathon, 26 point 2 freaking miles and today my training begins.

Actually if I’m being completely honest my training officially began in January when I decided that I wanted to run the Honolulu marathon. I knew if I was going to do a full marathon that I wanted to do it right so I have been conditioning for the last 7 months and tracking my miles:

January – 42.88
February – 45.90
March – 31.50
April – 50.0
May – 80.10 (Hit 200 miles)
June – 32.40 (Tailbone injury)
July – 19.30 (Hip injury)

Equaling 302.08 miles

At the start of 2013 Colt & I decided one of our year goals would be to run 200 miles. I hit this goal after only 5 months and it really inspired me but then I got injured (13 crossings). So after fracturing my tailbone which then triggered a hip injury its no surprise that my last two months of conditioning have seen a serious decline in mileage. The bright side I’ve got the rest I needed to heal and I am now more than ready for this marathon training.

So today my 18 weeks of training begins. I woke up at 7:30a.m. and hit the pavement at 8a.m. (this was a little too late since the sun was already blazing) but I managed to put down my first 3.01 miles. I ran from my place on Ohina down to Maui Vista off of South Kihei road and back. I ran 2.40 miles straight and then walked most of the hill back up to my road. Once I hit the top of the hill I continued on my run and ran the last .60 to hit my three for the day.

Moving forward I will be leaving the house much earlier so I can’t use the heat as an excuse (believe me my psyche is already bad enough without excuses) and I won’t be walking any hills. My marathon training plan has me running 4 times a week with one long distance run (which I will be doing on Sundays) it also has one cross fitness day and 2 rest days. I really like the structure of the training program and I feel as though it is really realistic to follow with my life and schedule.

So here’s to day 1 and 3 miles down…only 124 days and 406 miles to go!

20130804-220910.jpg

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 782 other subscribers

About Me

  • About Me

Recent Posts

  • An open letter to my husband •
  • The 9 things I’ve learned in 9 months as a new Mom
  • We are a Family of 3 (plus Kailea) 
  • New Parenting 101 
  • December is Birth Month 

Archives

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Chasing the Maui Son ✨
    • Join 54 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Chasing the Maui Son ✨
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...