Run With Garrison

Aloha Everyone,

Last weekend, I jumped into the local Hibiscus Half Marathon here in Honolulu. I was still a bit tired from running Miwok so my expectations were a bit tempered. In 2011, I ran 1:24 for a 4th place finish and it was the first time I ran near the front in a race in Hawaii. The race this year was my longest run post-Miwok and I use wanted to run a nice even effort and see what happens….

I woke up super early on race morning, ate a Clif Bar, and headed out for a nice little warmup. During the warmup, I came to an incredible realization—I absolutely love pre-race mornings! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have always loved pre-race mornings. I enjoy the nervousness matched with the opportunity to test where my fitness stands on a particular day. Onto the race details……

The weather was perfect temperature with a very strong wind coming from the east. At the start line, I was surprised to hear the race director drop my name during her pre-race announcements as one of the fast runners with a shot to win the race. Looking around at the starting line, I thought that I would be fortunate to finish in the top 8…Then again, that is why we run the races—to find out where we stand on that particular day. I wanted to try to run even pace within the range of 6:25-6:30 and when the gun went off, I made sure that I did not go jump out with the immediate race leaders. I cruised thru the mile around 6-6:10 and felt really comfortable. As we headed toward the first climb up Diamond Head, I decided that I needed to sprint up the group racing for 4th place to attempt to stay out of the nasty headwind. I sprinted up to the group and allowed the guys to block the headwind that we ran into until the 7 mile turnaround mark. I stayed very patient and spent very little time with my face in the wind. We were rolling along around 6:20 pace and I felt very comfortable and in control. At the 7 mile turnaround, I made a move away from the group and solidified my spot in 4th place. I came thru 9 miles in 56:33 and then followed that up with miles of 6:19, 6:33(slight up), 6:32(up), and finished up the last 1.1 in 6:48. I finished up in 4th place running 1:22:43–winning the award for top masters runner for the second year in a row. I am super happy with the run. I felt strong and consistent the entire race–I must be a bit more fit than I expected. 

I am now starting to up my mileage again in preparation for 4 Ultra races this Fall. I think the calendar will consist of …

Skyline 50k in Castro Valley, CA on August 12

Tantalus Triple Trek 50k Honolulu September 1

Noble Canyon 50k San Diego, CA September 22

Peacock 50k Oahu  October 27

I am hoping that these races will provide me with some great fitness heading into the Honolulu Marathon in December and the HURT 100 in January (lottery in early August).

One last thing…Today I put in a nice 17 miler that included the 10 mile Tantalus loop. P rode along with me for most of the run today and it was totally cool. I hope we can make that a regular thing as the runs get longer and longer.

Thanks for all the support!

Michael