Sunday, August 24, 2008

TIME TRIAL

Today was the First Annual Wahine (women's) Bike Time Trial in Kona. We met at the bottom of the Palisades and rode North on the Queen K.
Leaving the starting point at 30 second intervals, eight women who participated in the race, each rode ten miles.
I felt like I had a terrible ride, was nauseated the whole time, hit a wall at the 8 mile mark where I felt like I was going to pass out, but all in all, my average was 17.9 mph, my best ever for this ride. Those hills kill my average. I always say I need hill work but never do anything about it.
I guess if I want to do Lava Man or Honu next year, I HAVE to hit those hills once in awhile and more often starting in December.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

TREADMILL TORTURE

Okay, I couldn't keep using my work schedule for an excuse for not to work out so I finally pulled out the treadmill on Wednesday. A few months ago, when I had just starting running, I was using the tready quite a bit. Just thirty minute runs on program one which was plenty hard for me then, but would probably be too easy now.

So, I started out on program two, also a thirty minute workout. It was going well until the speed increased to 5.5 mph. Just as I was barely getting into the groove of it, the tready sped up to 6 mph. For all you runners, running 6 mph. is the norm, but I was holding on for dear life afraid I was going to fall off. Finally I took my hands off thinking that I wouldn't have anything to hold on to if I was running that fast outside, but I had just taken them off when the speed decreased.
The next day at work I was telling a guy who I work with about running 6 mph for maybe five or ten minutes or longer and how hard it was. I told him I really had no idea how long it was but it really felt like at least fifteen minutes.

Thursday after work I jumped on again. It was harder than the day before, but maybe because I had used the indoor trainer for thirty minutes on Wednesday before getting on the tready. My legs weren't stretched out or something because they really hurt this time. Well I got to the 5.5 mph mark and that seemed too fast so I was getting worried about getting up to 6 mph and having to run that fast for five or ten minutes. It finally got there, I had to hold on again but this time I timed how long it lasted. It was a whopping......................................

two minutes. LOL
Slowing down to 4 mph, the light started flashing to pick up the hand weights. It's so hot running in a hot house in hot weather so I sweat really really bad. I had sweat dripping down my arms, down my hands, down the hand weights and every time each arm flung forward on the upswing, sweat would fly off the hand weights and land on the dog which was laying right in front of the tready. He kept giving me funny looks but he didn't move. Crazy dog!!!

I took Friday off but went on a twenty something mile bike ride on Saturday. I didn't push myself hard enough though.

Today, Sunday, I did the Brown Bear Bash and Sunny Sprint with Rebecca. I swam the 200 yard swim with Rebecca on my back and then jogged/walked the 1 mile run with her. To see photos and hear Rebecca's story click here: Rebecca's Page

When we got home I got on the tready again. Program two seemed a little easier. I didn't have to hold on as long. One of these days I'll be able to run 10 minute miles and probably look back and laugh at how hard it was to do just two minutes on the treadmill.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

A HARD RUN AND A GOOFY GUY

Today Randy and I swam at the pool and then did a three mile run. I'm getting out of shape FAST because I am tired! I haven't been running much, mostly just weekends, since my hours changed at work, and I can sure feel it today. My legs really HURT on the run. I will pull out the tready today and make myself use it after work until my hours change back and I can start running in the mornings again.

I haven't seen our son Jonathan, from Oregon, since February and really miss him. Randy and Rebecca haven't seen him in almost a year and a half. We were hoping he would come to San Diego for our youngest son's graduation from boot camp but he has to work so he won't be there. I'm pretty bummed about it. I don't know when we'll have another chance to see him for a long time.

Jonathan in Virginia City, Nevada, trying on goofy glasses

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

THE CRUCIBLE

Our son Daniel has been at boot camp since the beginning of June for the Marine Corps.
He will graduate September 5th but first must complete The Crucible.
It's a grueling 54 hours of pain, starvation, and sleep deprivation which every recruit has to complete to earn his/her right to be a Marine.

If you think about it during that time, please say a prayer for Daniel and all the other recruits. The parents of the recruits have come up with a plan so that there will be someone praying for the recruits at all times for the whole 54 hours. People chose which hour (or more) that they wanted to cover and we have prayer coverage for the whole time. A lot of the time we have 2 or 3 people praying each hour.

Here's an example of how the 54 hours may go - Source: "Into the Crucible" by James B. Woulfe

Tuesday Aug. 25th Starts around 2am (times in California – PST)
Many of the things they do represent what they would be doing on a battlefield/combat scenarios.
3am- hike 5 miles to first station
6am-four hours into the Crucible and already hiked more than 6 miles
630am- 49 hrs. left in the Crucible/moving to warrior station (to learn about medal of honor recipient and do a task that simulates something that warrior went through)
7am-ready to move to next station/ missed first meal
Bayonet assault course (close combat)
1-1/2 mile hike to infiltration course (barbed wire obstacles and culverts) very muddy
Not only negotiate course, but drag heavy ammunition cans (20lb. each) and crates (30-40 lbs) with them.
STILL NO REST BY NOW. Next challenge stretches hundreds of meters
Day movement course-25 minute time limit with booby traps
10am= eight hours since reveille and not even 1/4 done. Will have to clean weapons before anything else. They are hungry, wet, tired, already hiked 10 miles and may already have painful blisters
1030AM, mud caked on, HOT and sweaty, stomachs rumbling, feel miserable, feet hurt
Walked 10 miles already and feel overwhelmed
Learning to work as a team
Reaction course (6 obstacles) requires more decision making and imagination
5PM Awake 15 hours now (continual teamwork) hiked 12 miles and missed their third meal
520PM uniforms filthy, caked with mud, muscles feel empty, temperature dropping, crucible only 15 hrs. old or so and they have been on their feet the whole time, 39 hrs. to go, missed three meals, hiked 13 miles
7PM Crucible 17 hrs. old and 37 to go, covered 15 miles already
Night infiltration course (pitch black and grueling
11pm clean weapons and prep gear and then tend to their feet, sleep 4 hours, drinking water to reduce hunger pangs
Combat scenario next
DAY TWO, WED. AUG.26TH
5AM only 1/2 done with crucible
39 hrs. continuous operations, little food and sleep, hiked 24 miles and missed 4 meals,
Reaction course, extremely tired, impact of fatigue on decision making evident,
1PM 25th mile
230PM 26 marching miles claimed & 37 hrs. a complete blur by now, time no longer exists for them, moving forward instinctively, NO FOOD LEFT!
Confidence course
530PM 1 1/2 miles to bivouac course, clean weapons, focus on feet, medic checks each recruit (may not be able to continue if feet too bad, and won’t have a choice in the matter)
42 hours of continuous operations= pain and discomfort
Almost midnight/46 hours, exhausted, intoxicated with excitement about next day, 4 hours sleep only (3 if guard duty)
Day 3 Thursday Aug.14th
5am already awake an hour, now doing 9 mile hike on hilly trail/several peaks at slow pace, 51 hrs. of almost constant activity already
Final hike= ”grim reaper” Mt. Suribachi, 450 feet vertical
7am hurt but didn't quit, helped the weaker ones up, thighs burn from fatigue, nauseated/dry heaves
10 minutes to first rise of last hill (50 foot plateau), skin stings from salty sweat (drenched), slimy mess, dehydrated (heat stroke threat) chests heave and choke for oxygen
18th minute and 31 minutes to final rise-all hit wall, helmets bite into heads/headaches, nasty, sweaty, smelly
Failure not an option at this point…the point of no return
SERGEANT MAJOR (SENIOR DI) GIVES TITLE OF MARINE TO EACH RECRUIT AND DI GIVES EAGLE/GLOBE/ANCHOR
DELIRIUM/ELATION-
WARRIOR BREAKFAST/CLEAN UP/SLEEP

EVENING SWIMS

It's been so hot and humid here. This evening Rebecca and I picked Randy up from work on his lunch break and we went down to the pool. The water was almost too warm, but it sure cooled us off. Randy and I took turns swimming laps while the other swam with Rebecca and played in the water with her. It sure makes for a cooler night at home when you swim in the evening.

A funny underwater picture. Thanks Randy!!! Rebecca stole my goggles for this one.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

I'M BACK

What I thought was going to be two weeks of working early morning hours may end up being permanent so I need to find a different time to run. I will truly miss the early morning run.

After no running for two weeks, Randy and I tried running last night with the dog but instead of the dog pulling me along, I had to pull the dog so I didn't get in too much running. Just enough to work up a sweat and let me know how much I missed running.

This morning we did an ocean swim and then ran along Alii Drive. It was so much fun. I usually go running alone and thought I preferred running alone, but it was so much more fun having Randy with me. Too bad we work different shifts so we can't go together more often.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

ANOTHER WEEK IN PARADISE

This was a busy week for me. Not trainingwise, but daughterwise. Monday and Tuesday I rode my indoor trainer outdoors after work (it's cooler out there). I swam Tuesday and Thursday evenings and that's all the training I had time for.

Rebecca has been so bored lately so Randy and I took her to the pier to watch the boats come in from the billfish tournament. The day before they had caught the second largest billfish in the tournament's 49-year history. Nearly 1,000 pounds of fighting blue marlin. Randy said that they usually weigh their fish in around 4 o'clock so we went down right after I got off work Wednesday. We had to wait almost an hour for the boats to get there. They finally arrived, but no fish. The fish they had caught all day were too small to keep (all under 300 lbs.) so they did the catch, tag and release thing.

Rebecca was so worried about a wasp that kept buzzing around that even if there were any fish, I don't think she would have even watched. So I was surprised when she asked if we could go again the next day.

We arrived at the pier on Thursday around 4 o'clock and this time we didn't have to wait too long for the boats to arrive. But again no fish. That is until the last boat motored up. They weighed in a 388-pound blue marlin. After the tournament that day we met up with Randy on his dinner break and went swimming at the pool. We took family pictures of us in the water to send to Daniel at boot camp.

388-pound blue marlin, one of the fishermen on the Japanese team and Miss Billfish



Rebecca watching the fish weigh-in. There was quite a crowd watching.


Friday when I got home from work Rebecca was waiting outside for me. Before I even turned off my moped she was asking if we could go again. So off we went. This time they had another marlin. It ended up weighing 365 pounds. The same boat also had caught a 123-pound Ahi (yellowfin tuna). I will admit it was pretty fun to watch.

Volunteers hauling off the 365-pound blue marlin. This catch moved Team Malaka, from California, into third place.



Weighing in the 123-pound Ahi, the last fish of the tournament.


I enjoyed a shopping trip Friday night with Rebecca. She bought some new clothes for our trip to San Diego.

I had fun hanging with Rebecca this week but I really have to get more training in next week. I did start out the day today with a 23-mile bike ride and am planning a swim and run for tomorrow morning with Randy, so that should get me off to a good start for another week in paradise.