Little Tri-ing, but Still Running!

 Recent History:

It's been a while!  Over five years?  I lost my log in information.  

Since September of 2018, I have lived on the mainland in Longmont, Colorado.  Quite a change from Oahu and KoOlina.  No lagoon swims; no triathlons without a wetsuit.

Swimming, biking and running are different when you are at mile high too.

Triathlon:

Mother and Daughter Divas!

I challenged myself to tri again, this time with less oxygen.  

My daughter, Aarika, and I completed a sprint triathlon, Outdoor Diva's, in August of 2019.

Then COVID hit, and I have not made a comeback.  Training with air quality/ozone issues and at altitude have made it challenging for me to even want to.  Time will tell.

Running Mile High:

Turkey Trot Awards with Dennis and Larry!

In Colorado we enjoy the social run on Thursday evening at a local business called Shoes and Brews, a running store with a brewery/brew pub.   Shoes & Brews – Run Wild. Drink Beer. (shoesbrews.com) It is a motivator to run with others especially when it is dark and cold, and you need to wear a headlamp and running tights, jackets and beanies. They also host several 5K races which we run.  The city has a Turkey Trot which we have done annually.

Running on Oahu:

We winter in Makaha (on Oahu) now and for the past three years have trained and completed the Great Aloha 8.15 mile race.  It is a good challenge for someone who is in her 70's.  I have been coaching my husband too.  He runs it with me: run a mile, walk one minute, repeat until ready to sprint to the finish. We ran this as a virtual race in 2020, 2021 and 2022. This year we did it in person.  Much more fun!

We stayed in Waikiki and took a taxi to the start.  $27!! Crazy. We ran the race and then took the free shuttle back to Waikiki. But we had to wait in line for over a half an hour, with no place to sit.  And, all we got was water and a banana at the finish. While we were waiting in the bus line, I used the barriers  and did a handful of stretches. However, what I was really craving salt and a seat.

Reward Brunch:

We have a tradition of rewarding ourselves with a post-race brunch at the Marriott Waikiki where we stay, but it ends at 11 am.  This year it was 10:49 when our bus finally arrived at the Sheraton.  I had calculated the pace we needed to achieve if we were to get to brunch before it closed. So, Larry and I both ran, tired as we were, dodging pedestrians and sprinting to make the green lights. SO CRAZY.  

We made it to the restaurant at 10:59. The hostess said they had seated the last guests, but I shamelessly pleaded, told her of our tradition, and she let us in.  (It helped that we were in our running gear, with our number bibs still on, and looked exhausted.)

The view from our upgraded Marriott Waikiki room!

It ended up being a fabulous meal, which we followed with a shower, a rest, a soak in the whirlpool, and a swim in the pool.  Thank you, Marriott Waikiki for the 4 pm check out.

 Will there be a next time for the Great Aloha?  Not quite sure.  A large broken up, black top stadium parking lot with no lawn and no trees makes for a very poor ending.

Cleaned up and enjoying the new Great Aloha shirts and medals!