We spent the last eight days in Hawaii. This was our third trip this Fall and it felt somewhat like old times. I had some really good runs while I was there. I ran around Diamond Head the first morning. I stopped at the Queen Kapi'olani statue. I love the little bit of purple and pink sunrise breaking through behind her.
Thursday night's sunset was remarkable! We could not stop taking pictures:
A few of the boats in the Ala Wai Harbor are getting into the Christmas spirit:
On Saturday I ran the 10 mile Tantalus loop. I had my best time ever on the 5 mile climb and was hoping to crush my previous PR for the full loop. Unfortunately the road at the top is currently a mess due to a wash out. I had to slow quite a bit on miles 6 and 7. But I'm still very happy with my overall effort.
Sunday was the Honolulu Marathon. There were less than nine thousand participants for the marathon and 10k combined. Less than a third of the normal participants, but after being canceled last year, everyone was glad to have an in-person event this year.
Yes, this is a woman in a long skirt! I saw several dressed exactly the same. I don't know what their story is, but they were running strong!
Les got to ride with the cycling team that escorts the wheelchair racers. Previous multi-race winner, Masazumi Soejima, of Japan was not able to participate, so the race was wide open. Two wheelers raced very close for most of the race. With about three miles to go, Tyler Byers of Greenacre, Washington, made his move. He finished in 1:42:57. Valera Jacob Allen of Tuscon, Arizona was not far behind, finishing in 1:44:00.
Emmanuel Saina from Kenya did the race in 2 hours 14 minutes and 32 seconds - that's 5 minutes and 8 seconds a mile for 26.2 miles!
I had planned to run around Diamond Head again on Tuesday morning but woke to a downpour. I'll run if it's lightly raining, but had no interest in those conditions. An hour later it had cleared up and Les decided to join me for a short run at Ala Moana Park.
Later in the day I wandered through Waikiki to do a little shopping. All my gifts ended up being for my niece Lauren's baby who is due in March. This guy appeared right at noon. The Pu (Hawaiian conch shell) is blown for ceremonies, festivals, luaus, and at sunset each day.
I ran around Diamond Head on Wednesday morning and had another great run. I'll give a full health/fitness update soon, but I'm happy to report that 2021 is ending on a much better note than 2020 for me!
Of course it wouldn't be December in Hawaii without a little Mele Kalikimaka!
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