A look back at 2014

Another year is about to come to an end and it was another good year.  

Happy 3rd Birthday Run Streak!

Today marks 3 years of running every day. I can clearly remember my last non-running day on December 26, 2011.  I had celebrated the whole day with dear friends and decided to take a little break.  I knew I was planning on attempting the challenge set forth by the I <3 to Run page to run a mile every day in 2012.  I was up to the challenge.

Apparently I am still up to the challenge.  Celebrated day 1000 with a surprise party with friends on September 21st and today celebrated quietly by myself after a long day cheering for Dannika at her double header soccer tourney.  You see, run streakers are just ordinary people who commit to taking at least 12 minutes outta their day to get a mile in.

And so here I am, day 1097, year 3, 4,987.55 miles (average of 4,5 miles a day) ready to keep going.  Some call me crazy, some tell me to take a break, but really, what is living without a goal?  Me, I don't know. I am always pushing on, learning, growing, challenging myself, and pushing a little further.  2014 has been an amazing year.  I ran 16 races.  In April I ran the Ford Island 10K, the North Shore Marathon, and the Hapalua Half Marathon in the span of 8 days.  Just two weeks ago I ran the Honolulu Marathon and the Hawaii Kai Ultra run in the span of 6 days. I earned the title of Marathon Maniac.  I am not a 3 year run streaker. I am 42 year old mom of two who works full time.  Every day I am blasting past everyone's expectations. I kind of like that. :)

Hawaii Kai Ultra December 20, 2014

Who the hell runs another marathon less than a week after going down in flames (well, wind and rain)?  This CHICK!  That's right I went out and ran the Hawaii Kai Ultra today just hoping that I would be able to finish.  After last week's Honolulu Marathon my legs were a huge mess so I had the hubby to roll them every night.  They finally felt better on Tuesday and I did a bunch of short speed runs to get the heart rate going.
With a super busy work week I was also worried about racing on a Saturday. I usually run on Sundays so that I can rest the day before.  Not this time!  I tried to hydrate as much as I could on Friday and get to bed early.
Race day came and I knew I had nothing to lose. I was going to try and I was either going to fail or I was going to succeed.  It was 50/50.  Not bad odds.  I thought it was funny that less than a week ago I was questioning my sanity and questioning why anyone in their right mind would pay to run 26.2 miles for fun.  I guess it's like child birth, you forget the pain.
Anyhow, I signed in at the race tent, talked story with Kawika and took off running with Glori and Cathy.  All three of us soon settled into our own paces and began running.
Running solo for so long was very, very relaxing. I was surprised at how fast the time went by. I was worried about having to run loops but I think counting to 7.5 loops was much easier than counting to 26.2 miles or running to Hawaii Kai or Kaena Point.  When the sun came out it got way hot and the run got harder but since it was no pressure I walked or stopped at the tent to talk story or to eat and drink.  I ended up only taking two GUs on this run but munched on pretzels, apples, and drank a lot of Gatorade.  This seemed to work well for me because I never felt like I was out of energy.
On the road I got texts and Facebook messages form friends and visits from The Price Family as well as my own. On my last half lap the hubby ran with me and when it was all over I could not believe that I had conquered such a huge goal!

I am a marathon maniac! #10643!

One of those things you kinda want but not sure you can get and then when it's in reach you go for it and are so glad when you get it!!!  :)

Honolulu Marathon 12.14.14

And marathon #5 is in the books!  Finished the race at 4:47.31 which is almost 2 minutes better than last year and my best time at the Honolulu Marathon to date.  Full race recap to come.

Val Nolasco Half Marathon 11.16.14

It's been way too long since I have put my thoughts in writing and since my last post I have had some races and also hit my 1000 day run streak.  However, I have been so busy with the kids and work that I have not had the energy or time to devote to this blog.  I really need to fix that and I will try to here on out.

Today I ran my 14th Half Marathon and it was the third time running this specific race.  After looking at my previous times I was excited to see that going into the Honolulu Marathon this is the 2nd fastest time I have recorded on this course (ran it in 2:05 in 2012).  This makes me super excited and makes me want to train smarter for the next 4 weeks.

2014 has been a pretty tough year for me running wise.  Even though I was able to keep up the streak I was never really into my training and ran each race with the mere goal of finishing.  My times have reflected that and for too many months and runs I just was going through the motions.  I've been struggling with weight (I am blaming it on Menopause, I mean have you seen my FACE?!) and also with injuries (it's a sore heel, not PLANTAR).  But I recently made the switch to Hoka One One Conquests and Cliftons and have been rolling my feet with golfballs and having the husband roll my calves every night and I am finally starting to feel a little more comfortable in my runs.

Two weeks ago I chatted with my buddy Reid who has given me tons of great advice for Marathoning and because of him I began adding speed work into my training.  Back in 2012 everything was about speed but this year I gave up my Garmin a lot and ran to just make it instead of running to push it.  I only added some intervals a couple of times a week but I could feel the change in my running immediately.  I still haven't lost any weight but the runs just felt better and especially on my long runs everything seemed to be finally coming back together.

With that I went into today's race saying that I would run at Marathon pace of 10:30-10:45 since this was my last race before the Honolulu.  I also told myself that I needed to start way faster than I did at last month's 30O race when we got stuck at 11 minute miles because we went out too slow and never hit our stride.  So when the race started we took off at a 10:15 mile which felt like I was pushing the pace a bit too much (since I am old it takes almost 4 miles to warm up) but I decided to just go with it.  Although the sun was not up it was still humid and I broke into my newly normal menopausal sweat.  As I came up to Diamond Head I told myself to stay strong and continue to run on the edge.  Being that I have run this route so many times it was pretty smooth sailing heading out to Hawaii Kai.  I drank water and took a gel at the Gas Station and felt good as I got on to Kalanianole.  At that point I could tell it was a fast race because walkers and racers were already heading back in. I passed that time looking for runners I knew heading back in and continued to run with "feel."  At the turn around one of the friends I was running with, Alan, said that we were making good time and on pace for a 2:10 half but maybe we could break single digits.  He said exactly what I was thinking and at that point I said, "What the hell, let's go for it!" I began running strong, took more water at the 1st Beach Park and added a gel so that I wouldn't feel any effects of low sugar or fatigue.  It continued to be overcast and as I ran back I high fived and said hello to everyone I knew.  In no time at all we were back at the gas station and I took some water there, reminded myself about home course advantage and vowed to finish strong.

Kahala Avenue has always been my nemesis because it is a super hot stretch but with the new homes popping up I somehow survived and found myself beginning the ascend to Diamond Head.  At this point Mike and Alan pulled away and I was running solo.  One more water and gel at Triangle Park so that I could finish strong and it was time to push it.  I didn't run the hill as strong as I normally do and it was then that I made the mental note to 1) run more hills 2) do squats 3) work on core.  I really hope I stick to that because it would really help my running!!!  When I got to the top a quick glance at my Garmin told me that if I finished strong it would be my best Half of 2014.  With my trusted Hokas on my feet I ran strong down the hill, pushed into the entrance of Kapiolani Park and told myself to stay focused.  Unfortunately I wasn't sure what kind of kick I had left in me so I played that last half pretty conservatively.  When I finally got to the Tennis Courts I hit 3/4 speed and went in strong.  As I crossed the line I was crazy happy to see 2:08.  I had not hit single digits or a 9:45 ish pace all year!!!

Today's run reminded me that I still have a lot of run in me and showed me that work does pay off.  With 4 weeks left til the Honolulu I will begin my taper ( I actually ran 3 more strong miles after the race to bring today's LSD to 16 miles) and work on speed and strength.  I am feeling good with where I am at and the excitement for the Honolulu is building.

:)

Late Post: Mango Days 5K

Sometimes it's fun to run short and sweet races.  I need to train for speed and drop some pounds.  With this race I complete the Tropical Triple Crown for 2014 :)

Late Post: Norm Tamanaha 15K 8.24.14

Got a free bib and ended up doing this race. It had been a long time since doing a lengthy race and I was surprised how challenging it was to actually run a long distance for "time."  And that meant that I needed to bring more intensity to training as well as sign up for more races.

:)

Windward Half Marathon

Completed this race for the third time in 2:14.  Slow, but my fastest Half Marathon in 2014.  A challenging course because of the heat, lack of shade, and random route through Kailua town.  Sometimes you feel like you're playing Frogger, however, of the three times doing this race, this year was the most organized with better HPD presence.

:)

Coconut Chase 8K 7.13.2014

What a crazy race!!!  :)

I first ran this race two years ago when it was run at Ala Moana.  Jen McVeay puts on excellent races with the Tropical Triple Crown and I was looking for something short and sweet to get me back in the groove so this is that race I chose.

A few weeks ago we were alerted that the race would be run at Kaka'ako.  I have run there before, in fact just two weeks ago so I wasn't too worried.  Well, until I saw the map.  That's when I knew it would be a little crazy!!!  :)

The morning of the race came and I picked a cute outfit to help with motivation and confidence.

We arrived at Kaka'ako early and there were a lot of people, some dressed in skirts and coconut bras.  I was excited to be back racing.

The race "beeps" went off and the crowd pushed forward in the parking lot.  The start of the race was crazy with narrow bottle necks and a run through a sprinklered field.  It got crazier and a little adventurous through the homeless tent communities, more fields, and eventually up and down the grassy hills of Kaka'ako Park.  No complaints though as it was pretty funny, a good work out, and the views of the ocean were gorgeous.

I ended up running the course in 43:00 which looks amazing on paper.

After the run we drove to Ala Moana Beach Park to add more marathon training miles and finished with breakfast at Jamba Juice.

It was a fantastic morning!!!

5.25.14 Hibiscus Half Marathon

Hottest Half Marathon to date.  Yikes!!!

Wahiawa Pineapple Run 10K 5.17.14

Today was the 3rd time doing this race and I finished 11 minutes slower than last year's PR. Considering I am also 10 pounds heavier it is no surprise. Being so sick this week I almost considered pulling out. The fact that this is the only race in Central made me say just do it, walk, crawl if needed! Since I wasn't sure how today's race was going to be I made the hubby come with me and I wore my Road ID. I was constantly looking for police that would drive me to the hospital if I passed out and reminded myself that Wahiawa General is just around the corner!!! Dramatic, yes, but this is the most undertrained I have been and the sickest I have felt in two years. I kept telling myself what the hell, am I nuts? Why the hell am I running this? It was hot, humid, and shadeless on this HILLY route. I tried to remind myself that I would get a medal and a pineapple at the end and that it was only 6 miles. At mile 3 I rejoiced that I was half way through and continued to count the miles down after. I forced myself to run all the hills and didn't have to walk like I thought I would. Today's race, as hard as it was gives me hope that I can find the will to get back on track and begin preparation for the Honolulu Marathon in December. As hard as all this is I know that I am tough and can do it. Shout out to Pi Mi who ran with me today, let me chase him up the hills, and pushed me to finish the last mile strong. No more doubting me. I got this shit.

Honolulu Kids 5K

3 races, 45.5 miles, 8 days

Long, long ago I decided to sign up for the Hapalua Half Marathon. When they released the date during early registration over a year ago I knew things were going to be problematic.  They moved the traditionally March race to April which historically for me has been a very busy racing month.  With the fee only being 40 dollars I had to pay then worry later.

Earlier this year I learned that the Hapalua and North Shore Marathon would be one week apart.  Because I love the Hapalua and had plans for the race I didn't think I would be drawn to run the North Shore. Of course I was wrong and shortly after the high of the December 2013 Honolulu Marathon I sent my 100 dollars to 808 Race for the pleasure of running 26.2 miles.

About a month after scheduling myself with a back to back Full Marathon and Half Marathon I learned that my favorite 10k was scheduled the day before the North Shore Marathon and therefore 8 days before the Hapalua Half Marathon. At first I convinced myself that I didn't NEED to run the race. But then I learned that my sister would be flying down to Kauai to do the race with my other sister.  How could I say no.

And so I found myself signed up for 45.5 miles of races in 8 days for the price of about 200 bucks in registration fees (we won't count how much the outfits costs, lol).  I asked runner friends for their advice on this crazy move and of course they told me to go for it.  I wasn't sure how it would all end up but I hoped that if I played my card right I would be able to finish all three races.

My plan to get through the 8 days was to take it easy, no attempt to PR and to go slower that I had ever gone in my life.  I had to remind myself that the object was not to run supah fast, but instead, to run and still be standing at the end of all the races.

And that is exactly what I did.  I completed all three races with the SLOWEST times I had ever recorded for each of the distances:  1:03 10K, 4:51 Marathon, and 2:21 Half Marathon.  My mantra for all three was, "no shame in my game" and I constantly reminded myself NOT to race.  This was hardest for the 10K when my legs were fresh.  I had to accept the fact that I would run my first hour plus 10K and be ok.  With 26.2 looming ahead of me it wasn't that hard.

For the Full Marathon I convinced myself that it would be okay if I ran a plus 5hour marathon, but the truth is is that I really wanted to stay under 5.  I managed to meet my goal time while taking a lot of pictures, walking through water stops, a crazy prolonged bathroom break, and enjoying the beauty of the North Shore.  I was super stoked to be able to meet that time and was super grateful to my friend Cathy who helped me by running the last 7 miles with me and keeping my focused and on track.

After the Full Marathon I had many issues with my knees.  My body does not take well to running on slanted roads and pretty much the entire North Shore Marathon is run on slants.  So, I took it easy and prayed that I would be well enough to participate and finish the Hapalua.

My fabulous hubby did deep tissue massages on my left leg and had it feeling pretty good for two mile runs.  I hoped that the knee would hold up for 13.1.

Since the Hapalua is my favorite race I was excited!!!  We got to the start early and were ready.  However, as the race began I could tell that my leg was tight and it would be a close race.  I slowed down for most of the race, much slower than I would have expected to and with every step hoped that my leg would now give out. It was not a sharp pain, but a dull pain that could go either way.  I know I was heavily over compensating with my right leg and I tried to just push on as best as I could.  At mile 10 the hill came and it seemed that my leg was finally beginning to loosen up.  I ran up Diamond Head as strong as I could and finally hit the pace times that I was used to.  Negative splits!!!

As I sit here and write I feel a profound sense of achievement and strength in all that I was able to do.  Sure, they weren't the fastest of races, but I set a goal that seemed way out of reach and was able to conquer my fears by being smart.  I am thankful for everyone who cheered me on and supported me in my journey.

And now I rest. :)  I will surely continue my streak but I'll be running very, very short runs.  :)

Hapalua Half Marathon 4.13.14