December 1, 2019 HMC Footnotes

Doc’s Talk

For 43 years, Dr. Scaff has been sending the Honolulu Marathon Clinicparticipants off to run the marathon with his final words of advice about what to do in the final week before the race, the morning of the marathon, during the race, and after.  He blessed us again on this Sunday, continuing the tradition.  Chapter 10 of this book, “Your First Marathon, The Last Word in Long-Distance Running” covers all the details.

He discussed:

• Carbo loading and reducing fiber in last few days before the race;
• When to make sure you get your good night sleep before the marathon;
• What and when to drink before the race;
• Monitoring your performance during the race;
• When to back off your pace, hold steady, or reduce your pace; and 
• What to do after the race (have a friend bring you a cola drink after the marathon, as it’s great for recovery).

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dr. Scaff’s book.  You may be able to find it in a local library, borrow it from a friend, or best of all – buy a copy for yourself at the 12/15 picnic.

Tent for Refreshments and Massage Post-Marathon

The Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club (MPRRC) will have a tent at the finish area of Kapiolani Park, for runners interested in having refreshments and a massage after the run.  It is $15 for the tent reservation ($10 for MPRRC members) and another $15 for massage.  You can even pre-pay so you don’t have to worry about carrying cash through the race.

The link for the MPRRC Marathon Hospitality Tent is:
https://runsignup.com/Race/HI/Honolulu/MidPacificRoadRunnersHonoluluMarathonTent

Coaches for GAR Training

Want to keep up your training and help out one of the best charity races in the state?  HMCers are being asked to consider being a group leader for the Great Aloha Run In-Training Series. The GAR In-Training begins a week after the Marathon (Sunday, December 15th) and is held every Sunday morning at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand for nine weeks (right up to the GAR on President’s Day). There are typically several group leaders for each pace group to better help the group and to cover for absences.

The first day is the HMC picnic day, 12/15/19, but the training that day is very short so everyone will be able to do the GAR training and get over to the picnic in plenty of time. Complete details about the training schedule and a waiver for signature will be sent to volunteers before the first day.

Why should you sign up to be a GAR In-Training Group leader?  Many of the participants do no running/walking except for the GAR. Some don’t think other events would welcome them, especially the marathon. They have great potential, they just don’t know it.  You could be their example of that potential and lead them over to HMC to continue their journey after GAR! Show them that it does not take a super-person to complete a marathon, it just takes consistent training. They will be thankful to you for the rest of their healthy lives.  

To sign up as a group leader for the Great Aloha Run In-Training Series, interested HMC members can send me an email at info@mprrc.com  with their contact information.

Mahalo!

The Little Things

Runners to your marks!  Well, it’s not that kind of a race, but you’re ready to be in this marathon if you’ve followed the Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s advice and training since March.  Now go out and enjoy it.

(Tips are meant to help keep your attitude light for marathon morning. Please, always be courteous to others at the race)

Tips for enjoying the marathon:

1. See if you can start a wave when you’re standing in the crowd, waiting for the start.
2. If someone is running too close to you, start singing “Baby Shark” so it gets stuck in their head for 26.2 miles.
3. When someone at mile 3 yells “You’re almost there!” yell back “Come with us, and we’ll finish together!”
4. At every mile marker, pull to the side and yell out the number like the Count from Sesame Street (Ah! Ah! Ahhhhhh!).
5. When you get to the water stop turn around and shout, “Drinks are on me!” but be careful someone doesn’t put their drink on you.
6. When you get to the end of 18th Avenue, take a selfie with the crowd behind you and caption it: “I think I’m being followed.”
7. Now, look forward and take a picture of the gorgeous sunrise if you’re getting there around 6:45 a.m.
8. Say “Thank you!” to as many volunteers and police officers as you can as you run the route.
9. Smile when you feel the pain.  Studies say it actually helps.
10. Try to get into as many photos as you can from the official race photographers by doing silly poses every chance you get when you see them.
11. Smile big as you pass through the finish line.
12. Plan what you’re going to bring to the HMC Picnic on 12/15 🙂

Have a great race, everyone!

Safety Reminders

• Stay hydrated on the road, whenever you run carry water or stop at water fountains. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, drink water regularly along the route.
• Use sunscreen as directed on the bottle (30 SPF or higher) and wear sun-protective clothing because we’re out there in the sun for hours.
• Run single-file to share the sidewalk and road with other people.
• Run defensively. Watch out for cars and bicyclists. Give them room and don’t get into an altercation.
• Run with other people and if you run at night be sure you’re visible with lights and reflective clothing.

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

By Hao Yang

Pinks did our last training run of 2019 on this rainy Sunday. We started at 6am, ventured to Magic Island before the sunrise, then ran back through Waikiki. We ran 7 miles before listening to Dr. Scaff’s talk.

Next Sunday is the BIG day! Some of us will be meeting at 4:15 a.m. at the ewa side bathroom L&L/BIKIstop of Ala Moana Park. Plan is to leave the Meeting place at 4:30 a.m., walk to the start line.  I’ll post a picture of the meeting place in FB pink group FYI.

Plan for this week:
-two 45min-1hour easy runs, all the training is done by now.
-total weekly mileage is 12-15miles
-switch to carb diet from Wednesday
-no fiber/roughage on Saturday
-no food 3 hours before the race, or just don’t eat
-no drink 2 hours before the race
-sleep well this Friday night (try to get at least 10 hours if not more)
-have a plan and stick to it.
– have fun!

See you in the course! We are almost there!

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

By Carl Silva

We’re done!  The Silver Group’s marathon training with the Clinic is officially over for the 2019 season.  Now we just need to get a couple of slow, one-hour runs in this week and then be sure to get to the starting line on Sunday for those 26.2 miles.  

Our final run saw a small group comprising Lee, Jerome, Rick, and Carl.  Our leader, Lynnae, joined us for the Doc’s Talk, but had to leave and get her run in later in the day.  However, the guys took to the streets to cover a flat, easy, 6 “ish” mile run through Waikiki, out to Magic Island, and returning to the park along the Ala Wai.  It was a cool day with misty rains coming and going throughout the run.  

Tips for marathon day:

Sleep well Friday into Saturday.  Eat light on Saturday, the carbo loading should be done on Friday.  Bring a small plastic bag that you can tuck away and carry through the race, it comes in handy at the finish when you collect your banana, bagel, malasada, t-shirt, medal, shell lei…

Thank you to Stephen and Helen for the refreshments at the end of the run.  

Mahalo, to all the runners who ran with the Silver Group this year.  It was a pleasure sharing that time on the road with you.  Hope to see you all again next season.

Marathon Day, December 8, 2019!

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

By Russ Uchida

The last clinic run of the 2019 marathon season.  It is always a bitter-sweet occasion as we have come to the end of our nine (9) months of training and have reached the pinnacle of our hard work and sacrifice and are ready to enjoy all of the benefit that comes with it all.  Aside from the marathon morning meeting place, this clinic run would be our last bonding session.  We bid farewell to our co-runners; thanking them one last time for the company and partnership that was established at the beginning of the season through the nurturing of friendship, camaraderie, and bonding that grew over this same period.  We leaned on each other when we needed motivation, we took turns encouraging each other when our fuel tanks were low on energy.  In the blink of an eye, we were at 14, 16, and 18 mile runs:  We blinked again and we were on our final pre-marathon run.  It is hard to imagine that our White group wavered at the beginning of the season, averaging 4-6 members at a time.  Thanks, in part, to both the White and Blue groups as mid-season, the groups mutually agreed to join-up and create a positive synergy of sorts.  The combined group resulted in a new “Baby-Blue” group with numbers reaching 15-20 at times.  Everyone instantly bonded.  We were happy with the outcome and were set for the rest of the season.  A special thanks to Val and both groups for welcoming each group’s runners with open arms. 

Val and Richard alternated leads during our season runs.  In the absence of our official leaders, we were also pleased and fortunate to have Erin step up to take the lead on numerous occasions.  Through the season, we saw runners come and go.  Prior work commitments, injuries, and other priorities affected some of the runners including:  Edee, Malia, Danell, Russel H., Blair, Paris, Sam, and a few others.  As exhausting as the marathon is, we were also fortunate to have running partners that continued to run with us even if they are not participating in the marathon. These runners trained and kept us motivated throughout the entire season.  Thank you to Elaine and Helen for your company, moral support, and positive energy!!!  Best of luck to Helen as she participates in the Maui marathon in January 2020!  We thank you for your friendship and wish you great weather coupled with a speedy finishing time for your marathon.

Leading the group for the last run of the 2019 season were Val and Richard followed closely behind by Blair, Mike, Arunee, Yuta, Kento, Elena, Jaime, Russel H., Rick, and Jen.  The Ala Moana Beach Park route was chosen to familiarize runners with, among other things, the pre-race gathering place.  It was a welcomed change of scenery and added a little constructive, real-time race anxiety to our Sunday run.  Val kindly briefed the group on the many things to consider in prepping for Sunday.  A few important recommendations included:  Using vaseline to avoid chaffing, eating “clean” so as not to encounter any stomach cramping/pains during the run, and not introducing anything new to your wardrobe and diet.  There were many more recommendations but those stood out to the group.

Finally, a very sincere thank you to Nelson and his group for their generosity and support when we needed it the most!

Golden 14s Group (14 minutes per mile pace)

By Dean Takashige

Wow we have completed another exciting training season.

We started at 4 slow hard miles in March and today we concluded our year with a fun easy 4 miles. What a difference!!! 

To our first timers who stuck it out with the group, Scott, Jen, Donna, andTammi, thanks for your continued dedication.  Also, thanks to our returning runners.  We hope to see you next year, again. You are done with your training and next week you can enjoy the experience and the fruits of you labor. 

This will be an exciting week. The expo should be fun. 

For this week run 1 hour 2 times, preferable Tuesday and Thursday.

See you at the expo and Friday Carbo party. 

Mahalo

Green 15s (15 minutes per mile pace)

By Willard

It was great to see Dr. Scaff this morning to give us his dos and don’ts for the coming week and during the marathon.

There were 10 of us at the park for a pre-graduation walk through the neighborhood. Our path took us on the marathon route, up Diamond Head Road, to 18th Avenue and off to Aloha Gas Station. Then down Keala’olu Avenue, Kahala Avenue and back to the park. Total distance for the day, 8.5 miles with a total time of 2:16 or a 16 minute pace.

Thank you Stephen and Helen for the delicious goodies.

For this week, stay safe, don’t get hurt and avoid people who are sick. It is no fun walking 26.2 miles injured or sick as I did on my third marathon.

Next week we will meet in front of Vintage Cave Cafe and Famous Footwear at 4:30 a.m.

Sweet 16s (16 minutes per mile pace)

By Annette Hayes

It was cool, windy, and rainy as the Marathon Clinic groups huddled under the Paki Park Pavillion to hear the words of wisdom from Dr Scaff.  Can you believe the Marathon is already just days away from happening?  All those months of hard work will pay off at the finish line. 
 
Where to meet on Marathon Day?  Ala Moana Park bathroom, west of the tennis court, at 4:30 AM.
What to wear?  Nothing new and nothing you don’t want to carry for the next 26.2 miles.  Don’t forget to trim your toenails.
 
There will be a final Marathon Clinic the week after, on Dec 15. We will celebrate your finish with a pot luck picnic after a short walk. (Think healthy.  Everyone wants to bring a dessert.) Wear your finisher shirt for the group photo.  Those who have finished a marathon are qualified to be a group leader for next year.

Buff Walkers

By George 

Walkers did their final outing before the marathon, just a 4 miler, to Triangle Park and back.

To start us off, we got Dr. Scaff to give us our last booster talk.

We arranged our meeting place and to call George.

Good luck on Sunday