In the Groove Again

I did a 6.1 miler this morning in 1:05.05 and felt good throughout the run. I was a bit worried at first since it was two weeks ago I injured myself doing this same distance on the same course running up Royal Summit. This time I slowed down and ran a lot more relaxed. Plan to do a short 2 miler tomorrow and rest on Friday for my long run on Saturday.

I am back to my soba lunches supplementing them with Power Bars. Holding off on experimenting with eating anything while running. Think I will do that after I increase my distance to over 10 miles which should happen next week.

My “go or no go” date is quickly approaching. The deadline for local folks from the islands to register is October 31 for the $85 discount entry fee. I am planning to apply online on October 15 which is coming up in a couple of weeks. I’m still working on trying to convince family and friends to participate as walkers for the 10 K event which starts after the marathoners are off. There are minor inconveniences though such as the $37 entrance fee for walkers and getting up real early. I cannot say I know anyone willing to get up at 3:00 AM on a Sunday to walk. The marathon starts at 5:00 AM and most of the streets in the area will be closed by 4:00 AM so we have to get an early start. Well, I have a whole month to find someone. Any volunteers?

Good Start

I have started the week with a 4 mile run in 41:22.92. I felt good throughout the run and will slowly begin adding miles. I revised my running schedule since I was out the past week. It now looks like my longest run prior to the marathon will be around 21 miles. I was hoping to come closer to the 26 mile mark. However, the internet has numerous websites offering advice on training for a marathon and for first time runners, like me, it is not necessary to complete a 26 miler before race time. Although I was hoping to run that distance before my injury, I am taking a more conservative approach. I have to keep my original goal in mind which was to finish the race running. My finishing time should not be the driving force but I would like to maintain at least an 11.00 minute mile pace.

I'm Back !

Rested and ready to start training again. Took a week and a half off to recuperate from my groin injury and entertain our out of town guests. At times, it was a bit frustrating not being on the road and able to add to the miles I had already accumulated. But, it was time well spent. Had a great time reminiscing our old college days and catching up on what happened since then. We even took a trip to the Big Island.

I feel fit as a fiddle and did a short 2 mile run this morning, no pain at all. Here’s my schedule for the coming week:

Sun...Rest
Mon...4 miles
Tue...Rest
Wed...6 miles
Thu...2 miles
Fri...Rest
Sat...9 miles

I am a week behind my original training plan and have to make up some miles. Luckily, I have two and a half months before race day.

Will report back on Monday.

Not a Good Day

Started my midweek run at 6:30 AM, a little later than usual. I concentrated on my pace trying to figure out how fast I'm running. I set Garmin’s “Virtual Partner” to pace my run for 10 minute per mile. While running Garmin shows me if I’m ahead or behind (highlighted in black) of that pace. It also tells me how many minutes and miles I’m ahead or behind. I was on my way down from Royal Summit at about the 4 mile mark when I felt a slight pain in my left inner thigh and groin area. I ran for another mile at a slower pace, but the pain continued so I walked home. I did the 6.95 miles in 1:16:26 including the walk.

According to the info on the web, I've either pulled or strained my adductor muscle which is between my thigh and groin. I’ll need to rest until the pain goes away. If the pain persists, it may be a sports hernia that may require a doctor’s visit. Getting injured is always a setback and downer, but on the positive side we’ll be entertaining out of town guests next week. This will be a good chance to rest and spend time sitting around “talking story.” We weren’t planning anything really strenuous since they’re all in their late 70’s.

It’s too bad I’ll be out for a while since I was doing so well with my training. Until I felt the pain this morning, I was in a groove and felt comfortable running at the 10 min per mile pace. Unfortunately, there are a lot of steep hills around here and its difficult avoiding them. Steep hills are notorious for causing runners injuries. Just got to learn to slow my pace going up and especially coming down them.

Will post this weekend on my recovery progress.

Not All Soba Are Created Equal

Another short run this morning, 4.15 miles in 44:25:56. My next goal is to figure out how fast I’m running, i.e., what's a 9, 10 and 11 minute per mile pace. I’ve got Garmin set to display my running pace in minutes per mile. I’ll just have to make mental notes of each pace and commit them to memory. Will try this on my next outing on Wednesday.

Now, about my noodle lunches.



Bought a couple of JFC International soba packages (on the right) yesterday on sale at the Don Quixote market. I had been eating the Nishimoto Trading Company’s Shirakiku Brand (on the left). The packaging looked similar to what I’d been eating so I “assumed” it was the same.



When I got home I was surprised to discover the sodium content on the package was extremely high. The Shirakiku brand (left) I’d been eating lists a larger serving size, 100 grams with only 65 mg of sodium. A serving of my new purchase (right) is 60 grams but has a whopping 1,020 mg of sodium. Oh, boy! I’d better look for my receipt to return it.

Another Long Day

Up at 4:30 AM with the help of an alarm clock. I was a block away before I realized I’d forgotten my water bottle at home. Back up the hill to get it. It was nice to run not having to think about where to stop to take photos. Ran close to my half marathon distance, 13.53 miles in 2:21:38. I noticed that I was at the 12 mile mark in about 2 hours. Then it was the last mile and a half up Waimano Home Road. It’s difficult because it’s all uphill and at the very end. At times my pace felt like I was almost walking.

I’m adjusting better to slowing down to a walk to drink a little water at a time. I noticed taking in too much water at once doesn’t sit well in my stomach. I’m trying to drink every 30 minutes or so. It’s not too bad earlier in the run when temperatures are cooler. However after the sun rises and starts heating things up, keeping hydrated is a must.

I’ve read that I’ll need to take in some carbs (glycogen) after the half way point of the marathon to prevent “hitting the wall.” It should be something that’s easy to digest such as fruits or energy gels and bars. I may try taking small pieces of an energy bar with me during my next long run just to see how my system reacts. Got to remember to drink right after eating. During the actual race they suggest eating something just before reaching an aid-station so you can wash it down with a drink.

Tomorrow’s a rest day followed by a short run on Monday.

Middle Distance Day

Up a little after 5:00 AM and was out the door at 5:30 AM after stretching. It was a clear still morning. Ran up to the park at Royal Summit.


View of Pearl Harbor on the way down.

It’s a residential route and according to Garmin, 6.87 miles round trip. Made it in 1:13:52.

I’m running more relaxed keeping in mind I’m supposed to be able to carry on a conversation. I’ve considered humming to myself but nixed the idea since other walkers I pass may think I’d gone off the deep end. I do wave and say good morning to those I pass. Most people acknowledge by waving, nodding, or even replying with a smile and good morning. It’s funny but there’s an old grumpy looking gentleman who never said anything at first but I kept saying good morning to him. Recently, he’s been responding with a nod and "morning."

Planning to do a very short run tomorrow and rest on Friday. Saturday will be my long 13 miler. It’s my half marathon milestone. Won’t be carrying my camera just a water bottle.

Rest Day

Rested today and tried to maintain my calorie count with a Japanese buckwheat noodle (soba) lunch. According to the soba package, each serving has 360 calories and 65 mg sodium. My blood pressure is on the boarder line high side, and I’ve got to watch my sodium intake so this is a good carb source that’s quite tasty with a little seasoning. I’ve been having these noodles for lunch the past few week hoping to buildup carb reserves on rest days for my alternating running days.

I have to remember to also consume an adequate amount of proteins and fats to keep a balance running diet.

Tomorrow is another medium 6 mile day

Relaxing Labor Day, Kind of

Took an easy early morning run up to the Pearl City Cultural Center at the top of the Waimano Home Road.


There are several feral cats around Pearl City High School which is next to the cultural center. Wonder if the students and/or faculty are feeding the little guys/gals? As I recall there were also lots of feral cats around the University of Hawaii campus in Manoa when I was there many many years ago.


Ran 3.25 miles in 40:35.15.

Sunday, A Day of Rest

Enjoying a much needed rest day and planning to consume some serious calories. I’m burning about 100 calories per mile.


Yesterday, I forgot to mention encountering an early morning flock of cheering birds.

I also discovered my heart monitoring chest strap works just fine around my waist. I started my run yesterday with it strapped around my chest but decided to drop it to my waist and planned to raise it later when I wanted the monitor on. That way I’d avoid having it around my chest for a long period. I didn’t want a repeat of those funny red spots on my chest again. To my surprise, Garmin kept displaying a pulse rate. So, I’ll be running with the strap around my waist from now on.

Another thing about my Garmin FR60, it’s got all these cool alerts like distance traveled, time interval, heart rate: high and low range, speed, etc. I set a bunch of these alerts for my training but found the beeping alerts drove me crazy. Running in the dark and switching on the background light every time an alert goes off is just too much to fiddle with. I’ve got to keep my eyes on the ground ahead. I’ll use the alerts when there’s daylight.

A Long Morning

Got up a little before 4:30 AM and was out the door around 5:00 AM with my trusty Pentax camera and Garmin.


Ran down Waimano Home Road and stopped on the pedestrian bridge. Waipahu was still asleep, not the best shot since it was DARK.


Tried to capture the full moon at the Kam intersection before continuing to the end of the Naval housing area.


Turned around and headed back to the jogging path which has mile markers.


Ran toward Pearl Harbor on the path to the mile marker at the Blasidell Park. Here's a photo of the harbor at sunrise.


Ran back and stopped at a small taro patch next to the path.


Then it was on to Waipahu.


Along the way there are a couple of narrow bridges


and navy ships that appear to be in mothball storage.


Finally in Waipahu the jogging path follows a drainage channel and the Makalena golf course. I turned back at a bridge that is about a quarter of a mile short of Waipahu Depot Road. Depot Road will be my next long run turn around point.


The run back up Waimano Home Road is a killer especially when you’re almost out of gas. Stopped on pedestrian bridge again for another photo; it was a chance to catch my breath.

I followed the same route as I did last Saturday which means my “guessimate” of 11.5 miles using a map was actually a little short. According to Garmin the distance is 12.36 miles. My time last weekend was 2:15:10. It was 2:18:47 today which included several photo stops. Although my time was slower, I feel a lot more tied today. Or, could it be my memory of last week’s run has faded a bit?

Wow, I’m not even half way through a marathon, and I’m dead tired. But, I’ve got to keep this positive! Glad I started training early. I have three months to “gradually” increase my distance another 14 miles.

I’ll take a much needed rest on Sunday. Yippee!

Posted by Art: Another Short Run

On the road at about 6:00 AM this morning for a short run. According to Garmin, did the 4.08 mile route in 40:41.92 minutes which averages a little over 10 minutes per mile. That’s a comfortable pace for me which I’ve tried to maintain. I noticed, however, during my longer run last weekend, my pace started slowing down a lot after 5 miles. I didn’t have Garmin tracking my distance though. I’ll have Garmin with me tomorrow to provide a better reading.

Plan to take a small, but not so light, Pentax Optio camera with me to capture some early morning photos. It’ll be a good excuse for me to slow down.

Also, plan to carry more water than I did last weekend. Since I didn’t want carry too much weight, I only took a half filled 16.9 oz bottle. Well, I discovered I needed a lot more water for a 2 hour run. I’ll take a full bottle this time. Hope all this extra stuff I’m taking doesn’t slow me down too much….

"Day of Rest" Posted by Art

Today’s a rest day. I’m alternating a run with a rest day. Definitely not like the ultra-marathoner features in today’s Honolulu Advertiser’s Island Life section. Dean Karnazes completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. No, that’s definitely not on my bucket list. Finishing one marathon is the only thing in my sight. As the literature suggest, the goal of one’s first marathon should be to finish it, running for times can come later.

Barring any injuries which is critical for this recreational jogger, I’m planning to gradually increase my longer weekend runs by one mile increments. I did about 11 mile last weekend. Not too sure of that distance since I hadn’t figured out how to activate the Garmin foot pad or calibrate it. I’ll use it this weekend. For longer distances, I’m running from Momilani down to the biking/walking/running path that runs from Pearl Harbor to Waipahu. The shoreline path going east from Pearl City has mile markers as it passes the HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) power plant, Neal Blasidell Park, and Pearl Ridge Shopping Center. The path going west to Waipahu is unmarked and less used. I’m amazed to see so many folks fishing early in the morning.

Posted by Art

Got at 4:55 AM, changed, stretched using a modified version of the MarathonRookie.com routine www.marathonrookie.com/stretching.html, and equipped myself with a reflective vest (it’s pretty dark at 5:30), ID bracelet, and my trusty Garmin. I decided not to wear my heart monitor chest strap since my long run last Saturday left me with funny red marks across my chest. I must have had the strap too tight, was afraid it would slip off so I had it pretty snug. I’ve loosen it plan to use it again this weekend during my next long outing.

The results of my morning run were satisfying on two fronts. First, I finished the run feeling pretty good, not tired at all. According to what I’ve read, these training runs should not leave you breathless. One should be able to carry on a conversation during the run which is a little difficult if you’re running alone. Secondly, I ran my usual course from Momilani past New Town and then up Royal Summit . According to Garmin, it was 6.22 miles. Google Map shows the same route as 6.239 miles. So, I’m happy to report Garmin is accurate enough for my training purposes. I may be off by a few yards but nothing to worry about when I’ve got 26 miles 385 yards (26.2 miles) to cover.

Monitoring His Heart

Posted by Art:

Sorry about not posting any updates but I’ve been working on getting to know my new Garmin FR60 heart monitoring watch with foot pad a little better. I recently ordered and received it online from REI.com. Had a problem figuring out how the foot pad was supposed to work until I finally read the complete manual online and checked the QA section. Reading the quick start manual that came in the box didn’t quite do it for me.

Anyway, I’m now ready for my 6 mile run tomorrow morning. I’ve got my watched setup to page through: heart beats per minute, running time, distance covered, and calories burned. The only thing it won’t do is run for me but then it would take all the fun out of it if it did that.

That’s all for now, got to get up before 5:00 AM to take advantage of the cool morning trade winds.