November 3, 2019 HMC Footnotes

The Little Things

The Turkey Trot is back on the calendar! Save the date, THANKSGIVING MORNING, to SAVE THE TURKEY TROT!

As Dr. Scaff has taught us, “The mistakes you make in the first 10 miles of the marathon will haunt you in the last 6.”

This is how our beloved Turkey Trot was born and has helped countless runners learn from those mistakes in a forgiving 10-miler as opposed watching their PR dreams crash before their eyes on marathon day. Not only did you get a lesson, but sometimes you even got a malasada. If schools taught like that, Hawaii would have outstanding test scores in the facilities closest to Leonard’s Bakery.

This year’s Turkey Trot is being put on in a joint effort by the Honolulu MarathonClinic Board and Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club, to keep this wonderful tradition alive. While it isn’t a 10-mile race this year, there are three distances to choose from, for racers at different levels of fitness:

8 miles for those who want to migrate out to Kahala and back;
4 miles for those who want to stretch their wings out to Operation Red Wing Medal of Honor Park (Triangle Park) and back; or
2 miles for a fun and fashionable strut around the zoo (most realistic turkey costume gets chased by zoo staff with big nets).

Come on out and have some fun with us. Spread the word to your friends who have never tried this before, and sign up early to get your spot in the flock with these crazy birds.

Pink Group (10:00 – 10:30 Minutes Per Mile)

By Hao Yang

On this Sunday, the Pink Group met at 5:30am in the morning. We ran to Magic Island, around the Ala Moana park and back. We ran around 10 miles before the talks. We ran another 8 miles to the gas station and back. It was a wet and cool day for our long run.

Next Sunday, we will meet again at 5:30am, running the same route as last week. Total milage will be 18 miles. It will be our last 18 miles

For Weekday runs, run 2 to 3 times for 8+miles each, include a speed workout or hill if possible.

Please stay hydrated, healthy , and injury free.

See you on Sunday!

Silver Group (10:30 – 11 minutes per mile)

By Lynnnae Lee

The Silver Group had a small group. Started with 5, ended with 2. Got 18 miles for most. Not a bad number, a proud one to post. We ran in the dark, we ran in the light. We ran to the left, we ran to the right. Up hill and down, through exhaustion and pain, with Mid Pac refreshments bringing smiles in the rain.

Our group missed some members, as we ran park to park, but that second tallest guy somehow left his mark. He got to this write-up and put in some time, and lo and behold, he made the words sound similar.

November 10, 2019: No official clinic 18-mile run. Start at Waiholo at 5 a.m. and run out to Maunalua Bay, turn back to run to Kapiolani Park. Turn at the park and head back to the cars.

Baby Blues Group (12 – 12.5 minutes per mile pace)

By Russ Uchida

Baby-Blue Runners- Before recapping Sunday’s run, please note on Sunday,11/10/19, there is no official clinic run.
The group decided to meet at: Paki Pavilion at 7:30 am. Same location, same time as the regular marathon clinic time.

On with the run recap:
After months of reporting HOT & HUMID weather with dripping perspiration, I am ecstatic to announce that this Sunday gave us some pretty heavy downpours resulting in soaked shirts, shorts, hats, towels and shoes. While we looked like a group of drowned rats, we were quite happy and welcomed the change. From a practical point of view, we used the experience to get acclimated to running in wet, rainy conditions with lots of water puddles to dodge or splash-in along the way.

We were led out by park by Dr. Erin and Paris both of whom kept a brisk pace for the group. The wet weather seemed to boost the energy of the group with everyone keeping a brisk pace.

Sunday’s lucky drenched runners included: Miyo, Arunee, Mike, Kento, Yuta, Paris, Rick, Yumi, Debbie, Elaine, Elena, Jaime, Helen, and Jen. This was Yuta‘s first run with the group and he completed 16+ miles without a hitch! Youth is wonderful, isn’t it! Debbie ran with us earlier in the year and returned back this week to easily conquer 16+ miles. We also welcomed back Dr. Jento our group. Jen moved up from Dean/Lou’s group and did so without missing a beat. Again, the elixir of youth is such a powerful potion. Homework runs also work well too!! I am so blown away at how easily these runners returned without skipping a beat. Congratulations to the three of you for doing so well!!

Thanks goes out to Nelson‘s Oasis and their group of gracious hospitable runners.

While attendee count seems to be growing, there were a number of runners that were dearly missed. Absent runners included: Richard, Edee, Blair, & Sam.

Now is the time to start thinking about all of the details involved in the marathonpreparedness process.

See you all on Sunday!

Green 15s (15 minutes per mile pace)

By Willard

It was a perfect day for us to go out for 18 miles. We had 4 eager ones heading up Monsarrat Avenue. It was overcast and cool, then it started to rain. When we got to Kilauea Avenue, we were all soaked from head to toe. Soaking wet, we continued on to complete our task. After it was all done, we actually did 18.5 miles for an overall pace of 17.8 minute miles.

Next week we taper down to 14 miles.

A big thanks to Nelson and his crew for being there on our way out and heading back to the park. Also, a huge thanks to Linda and Clift for sticking around with refreshments for us late returners.

Sweet 16s (16 minutes per mile pace)

By Annette Hayes

The Marathon is right around the corner. We do not know what kind of weather we will experience on that day, so we train for any condition, rain or shine. We have trained through many hot and humid days this summer.

It was overcast and cloudy as we headed out from the park. There were many puddles on the road, and the rain poured down on several occasions. We practiced synchronized swimming up Diamond Head road toward Triangle Park.

Oasis #1 was manned by the Mid-Pac Roadrunners. Thank you for your support of the walking groups. Not all marathon participants are runners. We appreciate the cool refreshments and snacks.

The weather was hot and humid after the rains stopped, but it was definitely easier to tolerate than the 90 degree days of blazing sun.

We made it to Oasis #2, aka, “Nelson’s Oasis” where we were greeted with cool Gatorade and water, yummy potato chips and chex mix. A big Mahalo to Nelson for being such a faithful supporter of the Marathon Clinic training.

Our trip back to the park took us along the final leg of the Marathon. We cheered as we passed the newly painted markers on the road, and we knew we were almost home.

Oasis #3: Cliff and Linda were waiting for us at the park with more Gatorade, fruits and snacks to fuel us back up.

Wet shoes take on a different life of their own. Stay out of puddles which can cause slippery conditions. Wet shoes and wet socks can cause blisters. You can use Vaseline on your feet and between the toes to prevent blisters. (And remember to trim your toenails.) Some people stuff wads of newspaper into their wet shoes to dry them out. Take out the inner shoe lining and dry them separately.

Happy running/walking!