CAN'T I JUST STAY HERE FOREVER??

the view from Diamond Head Rd., mile 25 of the marathon

just got back from Honolulu on the redeye yesterday. man, those islands are just mystical. i've been there every december for the marathon for the last 7 years, and it never ceases to rejuvenate my spirit to end my year with a trip to Hawaii.

the rain didn't turn out to be as bad as the forecast had predicted. the worst of it came and went the first afternoon i arrived as i took my runners up Diamond Head for their last run before race day. i tried my best to keep up with my training schedule, but this was the only rental road bike i found. um, yeah, no.....

no thanks, i think i'll pass...

so i stuck to the weight room and pretty much laid low until race day. we had a pep rally the afternoon before the race where we gave the runners last minute tips to prepare for the next day. the forecast called for showers, so they'd need to cover up with a poncho or trash bag and do their best to keep their feet dry to prevent blisters!!! but it'd still be warm. they'd need to hydrate properly, drinking when they were thirsty but taking special precaution not to drink too much and risk hyponatremia.


me and a few of my runners looking ready to run!!

it poured on race morning!! i was so worried for my guys out there!! it rained on them straight until the start of the race and then dissipated to a about 78 degrees with pretty nice cloud coverage and some intermittent showers the rest of the day. the damage was done though. most had wet feet which lead to some pretty horrendous blisters. at one point even i got caught 2 miles away from my backpack and poncho and had to run for cover under a tree as the rain came pouring down. i covered about a half mary myself just running back and forth between miles 16-20 offering support to my runners. some just needed a familiar face and some encouraging words. some needed ice rub downs, others desperately needed salt, and one even got the second half of my turkey sandwich lunch and a snickers bar. he just ran outta fuel and steam and was in pretty bad trouble, but he was determined to finish, so i was happy to give up my lunch for him. all in all, my runners kicked ass out there, and most of them became marathoners for the first time all while raising a ton of money for people in los angeles living with HIV/AIDS. some even want to go on and try a tri, so i'm super proud of them all!!!

after the marathon i had a chance to rent a car with Graham, Faeron, and Megan and get out of Honolulu, which is pretty much an armpit. we headed for the North Shore to see the true beauty of the island and hopefully catch the first day of the Pipeline Masters competition, but the surf report said the contest was still postponed due to low surf.


us tourists will never learn...


Faeron, Graham and Megan try their first Portuguese malasada!!
after a quick stop in Haleiwa for local delicacies such as the Portuguese import, the malasada, and some shave ice, we stopped in at the Surf N Sea shop to drool over some boards and overheard some locals saying that the contest made a late announcement that it WAS GOING OFF!!! so we dashed back to the car and made our way to Pipeline.

double tube with two riders going out the front and back door!!

we just missed Kelly Slater's heat!!! and i have to say in the 7 years i've watched the contest, this was some of the smallest, saddest surf i've ever seen, and it was still HUGE!!! instead of catching and shooting out of tubes, which is what this leg of the Triple Crown is all about, the judges were looking for more tricks as in the Foster's Expression Session. got to watch aussie, Michael Lowe, in his last pro contest along with other favorites over the years, Taj Burrow, Bruce Irons, Neco Padaratz, and hothead Sunny Garcia who, once again, started a brawl after getting snaked on a drop in while in 2nd place in the final minutes of his heat.

then a nice trip around the windward side before heading to the airport to catch my redeye flight home. and low and behold, look who else was on my flight!!!

men's 2007 Honolulu Marathon winner, Ambesse Tolossa!!

i'm still kinda in an aloha daze, which works out ok since this is a recovery week, but dammit, that clock to the left there is TICKING DOWN FAST!!!

TIME.
TO.
KICK.
IT.
IN.
GEAR.

for full slideshow click here: