Run With Garrison

Aloha Everyone,

This is the first time I have really had the chance to sit down and write a little bit about my 2013 running to date. I am finally starting to feel decent again and I am starting to get my groove back. Thru January 18, I have run 154.48 miles so far (averaging 8.58 miles per day) and I have run 2 races, run 1 fartlek workout, and made 1 trip up and around Tantalus.

I started 2013 by heading over to Hawaii Kai and running the Bosetti 10k. I planned on using this run as a nice Steady-State effort and it turned out just about exactly how I planned. Some of the fast guys at the island showed up and did their racing at the front. The course was an out and back thru a very hilly neighborhood in Hawaii Kai. The course featured 438 feet of elevation gain—welcome to road racing in Hawaii! I ran 41:43 and felt totally in control the entire way–7th overall with a 2nd place finish finish in my age group. Happy New Year!

Next on the agenda was the New Years Resolution 12hr race at Kualoa Ranch. Sweet P posted the race details during the race, so I will spare you all those details. Here are a few key details in my opinion…
1) I had an absolutely AMAZING support crew–Pauline, Kris, Martina, Quetta, Jenn, and Ryan were absolutely incredible! They hung out in the darkness and made sure that I had everything I could ever ask for every time I completed one of the muddy, hilly, and at times rocky laps. Ryan also shot some sweet pre-race photos that I will post as soon as I get a chance. Thanks Team—No way I could do what I do without your support!!!
2) Race Director Jen and her team did a great job running off their first ultra. The course was challenging and they adapted to the needs of the racers throughout the race–Well Done!
3) As far as my performance goes…I think I ran very well thru 20 miles. Plenty of hills, mud, rocks, and dark along the way. I am stoked about my effort during that portion of the race and I think my fitness will start to feel the benefits of that specific effort soon. I would describe my final 12 miles as a nice hike in the dark. Big Mahalos to Jeff for walking the last lap with me. It was great hanging out and I hope we can get together to train soon.
4) This is the crazy one—the course was very slippery and rocky at times. Once the race was over and I got home to finally sleep, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was either slipping and jostling around or I felt like I was about to trip on a rock. Totally weird feeling and I have never had that kind of experience before. It lasted for about 10-15 minutes and then I was sound asleep.

The 2 workouts so far this year were a fartlek workout consisting of 5×6:30 ON with 1:30 OFF. This is one of my favorites and it went better than I thought it would. The other workout was a nice, controlled run around tantalus. It was a round trip effort up round top road and down tantalus. My lap time was 81:13–right about what I expected.

This weekend, I am racing twice. on Saturday, I will run my first road 50k at the Hilo to Volcano 50k. As the name implies, we run from the town of Hilo (at Sea Level) to the town of Volcano (elevation around 3900′). It is a pretty straight shot and I am hoping for a nice, consistent effort. If I can run well for the last 8-10 miles, that would be great. Other than that, it will be a great opportunity for a 4-4:30 long run. Kris is heading to Hilo to help out and maybe we can get him to post a few updates along the way. We will fly home after the race and then I will run the Chapson 8k in Honolulu on Sunday morning. I am very interested to see how my body reacts to the back-to-back efforts. If nothing else, my fitness will continue to improve after this weekend for sure!

Well, it is time to go jump on my flight to Hilo. I will write more and reply to the NYR comments this weekend!

Keep on Running

Michael