June 9, 2019 HMC Footnotes

The Little Things

Week 14. The cool temperatures are Already Gone, as are the days of lesser miles when you may recall those shorter runs as being ones that gave you a Peaceful Easy Feeling. Summer is just days away and the Heat is On. So, you have to remember to Take it Easy.

Whether you’re the seasoned, veteran runner or the New Kid in Town, you need to respect the weather and adjust your running to those conditions. Different strategies should be considered, like running in the cooler, evening hours during your homework runs, running at a slower pace on the hot days, or even shortening the run if you’re not feeling well. Just because you aren’t running at your goal pace or hitting the distances you may have read in a training plan, those altered runs are not Wasted Time.

This is the new challenge of running in warm conditions, when you’ll need to take better care to stay hydrated throughout the week, not just during or after a run. You’ll learn how draining running in the heat can be and how you can push yourself safely along the route when you’re tired, After the Thrill is Gone.

If you get through this warmer time, you will come out stronger, I Can’t Tell You Why, but One of These Nights, you’ll feel it. It may even feel like Life in the Fast Lane, especially when tapering begins. The one who learned to deal properly with and maintain training in the hard times will be running smooth and be Busy Being Fabulous as the marathon approaches.

So be careful out there when it’s hot, you don’t want to Frey in the heat. You want to be the strong, well-adjusted runner who gets that runner’s high and feels like he or she is soaring with the Eagles.

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

By Lynnae Lee

The Silver Group managed with 10 runners, including Lynnae, Jerome, Melissa, Henry, Liz, Hee Young, Ben, Tall Joe, Trieu, and Glenda.

It was a day of firsts: our first time marathoner was Glenda so I’m pretty sure it was her first time in the Hawaii Kai drive loop. It was the first time Melissa got bitten by a bug while picking fruit along the course, and it was the first time Tall Joe and Trieu met, which was very surprising.

On a more serious note, it was EXTREMELY hot today, and we discussed that it could be early indications of a brutal summer heat wave. We made sure to stop regularly and took longer stops when shade was available.

We finished at 10.3 miles by 9:30 a.m., in ~ 2:15 total elapsed time.

Reminder: we really need to take care of ourselves the day prior to a long run. Supplements are a must!!! Water just isn’t enough. It’s also a good idea to have a first aid kit handy for minor injuries.

June 16: 10-mile run. Meet at Waiholo to leave no later than 6:30 a.m. so the group can make it to the Clinic by 7:30 a.m.

White Group (12 minutes per mile)

By Russ Uchida

This week, the White group inadvertently split up between the bus run and those that ran the usual marathon route (i. e. those that forgot there was a bus run).

Weather conditions were typical of June weather: very hot and humid – dripping with perspiration from the start.

Danell and I did an 8-mile run to the gas station and back. At the gas station, we were excited to see Malia doing her 8-miler as well. Since I was sweaty and (more than likely) malodorous, we agreed that an “air-hug” would suffice this time.

On our climb back up Diamond Head road, we were happy to see Blair making his way out and about.

My apologies to White Group runners who did the bus run. Due to me missing the bus, I have no report on that trek. I do applaud your conscientiousness in making the bus run and look forward to seeing you next week Sunday (Father’s Day)!

Mantra/Reminder for this week (this will be my weekly mantra reminder):

As we begin to extend our running distance to 10 – 12 miles and beyond, these distances will take us on Kalanianaole Hwy. with the general flow of traffic. In view of the recent tragedies/fatalities involving cars/trucks drifting off the road and striking innocent pedestrians, we need to be extra careful and mindful of where we are in relation to the flowing lanes of traffic. While running, I often see us drifting close to the white line or running side-by-side to carry on a conversation. The white line will not stop a car that is drifting due to an inattentive driver that is texting, using a cell phone, speeding, and/or is sleep deprived or inebriated. Do NOT maintain a false sense of safety and security based on a painted white line. Do NOT put your safety and your life in the hands of an inattentive or careless driver. Be aware. Trust me: The white line cannot physically stop a car from crossing the line and/or hitting someone running close to the line. We have a great group of runners, so let’s all start together and finish together!

Hydrate.
Sun shades.
Sun screen.

See you all on Sunday!

Blue Group (12.5 minutes per mile)

By Val Ogi

There were 9 of us in the Blue Group for our first bus run. We had a full bus thanks to some members who didn’t have a chance to sign up. There was a little anxiety when we got off the bus at Maunalua Bay. It was very hot 82 degrees at 8 am and very far from Kapiolani Park for our newbies.

Along the run, we were lucky to get to see Bailey even if it was later in the morning when we got to her home. Further on, we had to get water from the shower set up at the top of Diamond Head, they’ve enclosed the fountain and only have a make-shift shower outside of the construction barricade.

We managed to make it back to Kapiolani Park to the finish line at Queen Kapiolani Statue and continued to the Clinic start on Paki. My app says we did 9.55 miles, I think we can call it a 10 miler because of the heat! It was very hot with no cloud cover. The only shade was running around Kapiolani Park. My app also gave us average time of 12:50 pace per mile.

Great fun on our first bus run!

Golden 14s (14 minutes per mile pace)

By Dean Takashige

Week 14 and the first bus run..

Starting at the second beach park we ran an approximate 7-mile route back to Kapiolani park.

The temperature was recorded up to 91°. This Is going to be a hot summer. Thank goodness for the breeze.

Some tips for the summer:

Hydrate before you start your run, like before you leave home. Start experimenting now to see what works for you.
Don’t forget your sunscreen, ideally apply 20-30 minutes before you start your run.
Wear non cotton moisture wicking running clothes to help keep you cool.
If you haven’t by now, it may be time to consider carrying a water bottle as our runs take us on Kalanianaole highway water stops will be farther apart.
Keep up with your midweek runs.

Green 15s (15 minutes per mile pace)

By Lou Crompton

Nice day for a direct route back to our start point; we just followed the bread crumbs that we threw out the window of the the bus on the way out.

We had 16 green ones do the distance – either 8.6 miles if you pressed the button at Hawaii Kai Drive and Kalanianaole Highway, or 8.8 if you pressed it as you jumped off da bus – but our pace was 15.3 m/m.

For first timers – remember this was the tail end of the December marathon… the first 4 miles along Kalanianaole Hwy. seemed nicer and easier than the second half. Once you hit Kahala Ave. there’s nothing but sun overhead, up slope street, no shade and no breeze. Other than that, we do it every week for training – pity the poor tourist who experiences Kahala Ave. and Diamond Head Road for the first time at the end of their marathon trek. We can appreciate why they complain of heat and humidity and MOUNTAINS. Nah – that’s just what we do for Sunday exercise.

Surely, our take away lesson from today is how much we appreciate the refreshment table at the end of our outings. Staff volunteers do a great job / great service and were sorely missed today.

Next week it’s 9.1 miles on Fathers Day (and we’ll be so happy to see Lynnae at the refreshment table).

Aloha!