H.U.R.T. Hawaii

One...more...mile...Challenge Update

Well I am more than halfway through the month in this challenge.  There are 5 of us out of 9 left.  After today we will have run 171 miles.  Collectively we have run 1028 miles.  I have ran 177 miles since the 1st of November.  I went to California, to see my Grandma pass away, and continued the challenge running on the coastal bike trail.  It was pretty.  I also met The Zombies at their store in Palo Alto.  THey were very nice people.  It hotter than here on the last day when I ran from Castroville, CA to Monterey, CA (16.8 m).  Not much of an ultra-challenge yet but soon to come.  We will see how far I go.  Last one standing wins for their organization.  I am still vertical..  Gotta RUN....

       

The Eastside Shuffle

....Here M. Minch recounts the running adventure so named above, having taken place last Saturday and in the company of noted Ultra runners Ernest Tay and Fish.  (Note: a few explitives remain in this highly edited version of reality.  Somethings just can not be said any other way.) 

   

After the Run with a View race we were talking about ‘next week’ and Fish tells me that he and Ernest are doing the Eastside. “It’s a nice run,” he says. “Not too long, just fourteen miles, and a few good hills. You’ll like it,” he says flashing me a smile. Well I’m not bad at hills, and I figured that fourteen road miles was well within in my bracket so I tell Fish “You can count me in!”

   

Now I wasn’t drunk, nor had I been smoking da paka, so one has to wonder why I would listen to Fish tell me about this run and not massage the incoming information a bit before committing to ‘count me in’ status. But you know how it goes. Fish says something and smiles and tells you how much fun it is going to be, and Ernest looks you straight in the eye. It’s like the word of the running god coming down. How can you doubt it? You just know it’s got to be the way they are saying it is going to happen. It is, but they are doing the saying and the running god is just sitting back there with a smirk on his face, I think. Unfortunately the off- kilter grin is aimed at you and not the guys describing the fun event.

              

So, Curious Minds Want to Know--Are you going to Peacock Saturday?

This race-pace training run up on the N. Shore at Peacock has generated some interest and discussion. Who would have thought so many people would be willing to give up shopping at Ala Moana on a Saturday in December to go run 50 miles? Apparently quite a few people. The only other explanation is these people must not have Warrior football tickets?

In all seriousness, the organizers of this training run would like a headcount (approximate) of how many people to expect on Saturday. If you are going, please contact Don or Cheryl or post a comment to this post so they know. Don can be reached via expo@hawaii.rr.com or Cheryl at CHERYL.LOOMIS@cubic.com

If you are entered in the H.U.R.T. 100 in January, this will be an important day to get in 50 miles.

Be smart and use this run to dial in your nutrition, electrolytes, hydration, and lighting for January. By now, those things should all be pretty set, however this day--given the mileage and time on your feet will be a great test.

Aloha, Bob
P.S. I look forward to shopping and cheering on the Warriors (from in front of my TV) Saturday!

Questions of Old Graves and Fat Waterfalls.

Cheryl and I were just out to do a clean up at one of the drops and make sure it was stocked for the Friday/Saturday training sessions.   It didn’t take us long to clean things up, and restock and we were ready to go back to the cars.  Standing there on the trail, it was hard to just not do anything, so to speak,  the magnet of the trail was pulling at us and despite the need to get on with the rest of the day, we just stood there looking down the trail. 

“Have you ever seen the graves,”  Cheryl finally asked?

“Graves?”

“Yeah, a lot of them, and some high rock walls, and another waterfall.” 

“Another waterfall?” 

“Yeah, its not too far up really,  PJ and I went back there once and it was just amazing. 

You want to go take a look?”

I’m standing there in my street/work running shoes and ‘I’m a painter’ work clothes and I look up the trail and figure, well it doesn’t look too muddy.  Anyway what am I supposed to say to Cheryl,  ‘No my mommy expects me home at Three.”   “Not far ehh?”  I hem.

“Oh no.  Just around that bend up there on the trail and off on a side trail.  Not far at all”  lied Cheryl.

Leon's Pie Stand Underwater!

Well, the thunder should have given me a hint.  The winds that broke my deck umbrella another clue.  And the mud flowing over my retaining wall, just a slight idea that the trails may be damp.  Since I have a pre-negotiated schedule with my wife, I didn't have a choice.  So come Sunday morning during the teeth of the slicing rain, I ventured forth to run from PP to JG a few times.

The river that replaced the road leading to the trail head was interesting to wade through.  No one was there to chat with (losers) so I kept going.  Officially ready to start, the rains became even heavier with excitement for me.  The Class V rapids were impressive as was the flowing trail over my shoes.  Never before have I seen so many rivers crossing the trail.  At the cutoff near the falls, I was greeted by heavy winds forced on me by Niagara Falls' sister that was splashing onto the trail.  No, there was no mud to be found on me by then.

Waterfalls continued to live above me no matter how far I climbed.  When I finished forging the rivers up the switchbacks, I thought I could wade through Pauoa Flats easily.  Then I saw a puddle that looked like Lake Pontchartrain (no Katrina reference intended).  Of course, I leaped then though about how deep it might be and to my dismay, there were no pies under the 3 feet of water.  Leon forgot to anchor them down.  As I swam across the lake using my transition skills from years of triathlon racing, I just new Nuuanu would be bone dry.

In the water park of Nuuanu, I was greeted by the rivers that seem to grow from some unknown force adding more water ever second.  I just jumped across them holding my flashlight with a vice grip since that was my only light.  I assumed it was get brighter with daylight (wrong again).  Through the descending adventure to Judd trail, I heard the ever building presence of an outboard motorboat race.  Maybe Monica was not hallucinating that year, and there really are boats in the stream.  But actually, it was the Class VI river that decided to flow over its bank causing me to scramble over rocks to keep on the side trail.  I needed to get to high ground and refill my water bottles.  Then I realized that with all this water, I only drank 12 ounces on the way over.  I was good to go.  Note to those male readers.  When it rains and you are submerged in cold water for hours on end, the obsessive urge to pee is normal. I was faced with 4 urges per 5.5 mile leg and it’s not the age.

Excellent day to do repeats.

Celebrating the 'Worst of HURT'

Mike Minch cordially invites you to a join him in a ‘Worst of HURT’  birthday run on the 9th and 10th of November.  The celebration will start Friday the 9th  just after dark (7:00 PM) and continue on through five plus Pairodice to Jackass repeats (just shy of  60 miles.)

Mike will provide refreshments at the typical aid drops, and what ever else can be arranged at the time.  For vehicle security reasons the run will start at the upper end of Manoa Road, below Paradise Park.   

Mike plans to donate 25 dollars to the Sisters of St. Francis Hospice, Nuuanu in the name of anyone who completes at least one out and back with him (up to $500). Any other donations will be welcomed.

Come on out and join Mike as he celebrates the unwinding of his middle ages. Getting old can be hard to do.  Just how so we may learn on the evening of the ninth. So pray for rain, wind and perhaps a little chill.

If you plan to attend let me know so sufficient supplies can be arranged. Use the prefix   mmuench01  and the  gmail.com  suffix. 

Aloha 

M. Minch

The Good Shepard

A Hurt Loop training report by mnmuench...

Paul provided his report, which is an accurate but most modest account of the events of the Friday night run. This run was Paul's. He did one hell of job looking after everyone and ensuring that the water drops were cafe stops.  I just want to add a bit of a story as it was a lot of fun out there.....

We got started a bit late as two groups of runners sat around waiting for each other.  Paul, Larry and I at the top of Triangle Park, and Bill, Rob and Greg at the bottom.  After we had straighted that out we all headed for the Nature Center Trail Head.

The trip up Hog's Back was the typical warm up session and there was a lot of good conversation and chatter.  It was still light, it was a beautiful evening, and we all let that settle in.  At the top the typical thing happened,  After leading the group up with Bill, I got about 20 paces and realized the pace was radically fast for me at this point in a run.  I  moved off the trail, damn near tripping Bill and sending him off toward the bottom of Moleka Valley but just managed to get dirty and land on my ass.   I let the group go ahead.  I caught them on Twisters, came close to catching them on the Long Easies up, and then they were gone again down toward Center Trail.  Chasing was just not in me.  We had a long way to go, a lot of hard trail, and my muscles, let alone tendons, were as cold as a frozen pork shoulder.  My pace slowed, I muttered to myself a lot, and thought about just bailing and heading down Center trail. It was a typical long race start for me when my tight body has wisdom on its side, and there is still a thin veneer of sanity resisting the madness of the long run.    

But the Good Shepard was waiting for me, ready to herd me back into the flock.  Paul was looking down at me from up  Mango's when I came around the Bend and over the stream.  With Paul standing up there, Three Ways became a one way, and that was the way Paul was going. I muttered something about not chasing that group until I was warmed up and he readily agreed with me.

Marian's Birthday Run

Aloha Athletes !

Last Saturday night was a night to remember for a few lucky ultrarunners. It was Marian Yasuda's 47th Birthday Run, complete with a fun scavenger hunt that kept us entertained for the entire 40 miles of road running. Marian, with the help of hubby Neal, planned the entire event. Marian cooked a vast array of great food, including but not limited to, home-made chocolate cupcakes, pastrami sandwiches and hot potato soup and they put together 6 well-stocked aid stations, hidden along the route. Marian even had a home-made carrot Birthday cake for after the adventure. It was a fantastic birthday run ! Thanks from all of us, and Happy Birthday !

Oh...So...Sweet!!!

Running like a gal on a mission, STEPHANIE JENKINS finished her First 100 Mile distance this past

weekend at the inaugral TAHOE RIM TRAIL 100M!!!

CONGRATULATIONS STEPHANIE!  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Inaugural No Ka Oi SufferFest Lives Up To Its Billing!!!

Tomaszewski and Stevens Finish the No Ka Oi SufferFest in Record Time

(click on photos to enlarge.  Go to http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BatHDNqybsNM for full gallery)

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that only beauty and pain can truly penetrate the human soul.  This past weekend's SufferFest had plenty of both to go around! 

Day One had us riding from Kahului to the Seven Sacred Pools at Kipahulu with packs.  Day Two was riding to Kaupo and then ascending Kaupo Gap to Paliku (6,500 ft.) with bikes and packs on back.  Day Three involved summitting Haleakala (10,023 ft.) with bikes on back and then descending. 

Here's a quick rundown of the highlights, lowlights, and the just plain dumb:

Highlights, in order of enjoyment:

• Taking our packs off at the end of each day!
• Finding water at Paliku.  Jeff was particularly concerned because I told him 3/4 the way up Kaupo Gap that the water at Paliku was from catchment.  Thirsty and running low on H20, all the bone dry waterfall troughs were making him a bit nervous!
• Descending 10,023 ft. on road bikes.
• Knowing that with a little patience and laughter, we could do it.
• Crashing the exclusive Hana Ranch Resort for a 1.5 hr. nap in their oceanside hammocks after 60 miles of tough up and down riding on the winding Hana Highway.  A few questioning looks from the resort staff failed to deter us in the least! 

Lowlights, in order of difficulty:

• Kaupo Gap took us over 9 hours to get up.  6500 vertical feet in only 8 miles is utterly brutal with a 25 lb. pack and a unruly 20 lb. bike strapped to it, not to mention the wheels you are carrying.  We took many naps, remained patient while our derailers and handlebars were grabbed by branches, and dreamed of getting to Paliku and sleeping under the stars!  Many times, we nearly knocked one another unconscious or poked eyes out when one of us would turn too quickly or unannounced, sending the protruding handlebars off the side of the pack into the other guys face. 
• Both our legs and aerobic systems held up fine, but our shoulders and backs were aching pretty well by the time we summitted on the third day.
• Waking up at 3:00 AM Saturday morning to catch our 5:05 AM flight.  However, watching the prologue of the Tour at 2:30AM did get me pumped up for our ride to Hana.  Go Hincapie!
• Fighting with my bike to get it into the box for the plane.
• Making wry jokes about using EPO since it seems everybody on the Tour is hitting it pretty hard. 

Vital Stats of the SufferFest:

Miles on bike with packs: 108

Miles hiking with packs: 19

Altitude gained on bike: 4,000 ft. (rough estimate of Hana Highway hills from Kahului to Kaupo)

Altitude lost on bike: 14,023 ft.

Altitude gained on hike: 10,023 ft.

Official Finish Results:

• Jeff and Matt tied for first place with a final time of 3 days, 7 hrs, 29 min and 22 seconds.  However, Matt and Jeff both took sprint points on two 40 meter sprint prem's that occurred on Kaupo and near the summit.  Dirty tactics were allowed since no judges were present.
• Both recieved one free Jamba Juice coupon for the win, and one Jamba Juice coupon for setting a new course record. 

A future SufferFest, you ask?

• Brainstorming has been initiated about an innovative way to touch foot in Kona, Hilo and then the summit of Mauna Kea in the course of three days.  More to come!