The Trail To The LOST Land

The only word that is sticking out to you is probably the word "LOST." If you are a big fan of the ABC hit TV Series, you might be interested in encountering this challenge of a lifetime.

Let me explain this "Trail to the LOST land," as I signed up to take part of the 2009 XTERRA Trail Running World Championship on Oahu, Hawaii. For those who don't know what this big event is all about; it is an off-road, half marathon distance "Xduro." The event also hosts two shorter distance trail runs a 5km and 10km, free kids races, an adventure walk for charity and of course... the STUNNING SCENERY. 

I remember sitting at work checking my email and read that XTERRA was looking for volunteers for this run, so I clicked and kept reading. Turned out there was still time to register, so I signed up for the 10km Trail Run at the spectacular Kualoa Ranch on December 6, 2009. You could probably call me crazy, in the fact that my marathon was only a week after the Trail run, but I couldn't resist because it looked like FUN!

Who wouldn't want to run on the northeastern side of Oahu with the 4-thousand acre working cattle ranch that reaches from the steep mountain cliffs to the sparkling sea? Or the fact that the terrain varies from dense rainforest to broad open valleys? Did I mention the epic nature of Kualoa Ranch that has inspired Hollywood films such as "Jurassic Park," "Pearl Harbor," "Tears of the Sun," "50 First Dates" and of course the television hit show, "LOST."

So I marked a: "Hell Yes!" passed on the info to my friends Sheri and Nate and made plans to run the race together. I was ready for the adventurous off-road trail run and to get dirty! Mind you I have never done a trail run in my life--EVER, and running up hills was not something I had been training for... so I was in for a big surprise.

It was Sunday, December 6th and Sheri and I made our way to Kualoa Ranch. It was a beautiful morning and it wasn't too hot... YET. After we picked up our packet with our shirt, bib and timing chip we decided to stretch out and pin our bib numbers on. Nate finally made his way towards us and we were all pumped to get our run on.

The 21km runners lined up first at 9 A.M. and us 10km runners were up next. I was feeling kind of nervous as they explained the course to all of us--running the same route to equal 6.2 miles. All I could think was, "I have to run uphill two times!?" 

It was finally our time to lineup.  The sun was beaming and I could feel the heat soak into my brown skin. The sound of the gun fired off and the thousands of feet pounded into the red dirt. We navigated through the length of the valley and then I saw the hill!  Sheri and I couldn't believe it and after trying to run up it using a lot of energy, I decided to preserve my energy and walk up the hill at a fast pace. 


Yes! It worked! But my calves, thighs and ass were burning. I was sweating like crazy and I hadn't even reached mile 2 yet. I blame the hill! All I know is that I had to go up the hill again and I was dreading it. The course was rocky and the incline of the trail would go flat then up, then down and then up again. Talk about a workout! Then there was this big hill going down. Running downhill isn't really good for you, especially when the grass was slippery so you were constantly holding back so you wouldn't fall on your face or ass!  

A part of me wished it was raining. I wanted to get muddy and dirty. I wanted the real trail run adventurous experience. I wanted to slip and slide down the muddy slopes in the valley, and feel like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. So much for fantasizing! I was so HOT!


Before starting the race I thought we could finish the 6.2 miles in less than an hour. WRONG! The hills ruined my time completely. Sheri and I ran as fast as we could on the flat parts of the trail to make up for the time lost from the hills, but it didn't help much. 


Once we were close to the finish line I was ready to hop in the shower. I felt good, I wasn't too tired and Sheri is a great competitor. She kept me going! 
 

<-- As you can see I was so happy to reach the finish line! 

My results: I finished in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 7 seconds. Break that down--that's 11:47 miles.  Not good at all! But heck! It was my first TRAIL RUN EVER!

I finished 217 out of 316 people in the 10km and 20th out of 32 in the Women's Division ages 25-29.  

All in all it was a amazing beautiful run, great experience with wonderful company! 

I'd do it again! 

Marathon Numero 2?

Yes, you read the headline right. I recently registered for the 2010 Seattle Marathon. My second marathon!Why you ask? Why would I put myself through all that torture and pain of running 26.2 miles again? Well... I want to do better than my 5 hours -- 6 minutes and 17 seconds at the 2009 Honolulu Marathon. What is my goal? Well... Right now... it's between 4 hours and 20 minutes and 4 hours and 30 minutes and I'm taking you on the journey with me!

I will blog about everything from what I'm eating, to my training, how I am feeling -- to my challenges and my official goal time. But first... let's go back to the day of the 2009 Honolulu Marathon... my VERY first Marathon.

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I remember that day like it was yesterday. I woke up at 3 A.M. on December 13, 2009. I didn't sleep well because I was so anxious and so nervous! I ate a banana and a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter and honey. (I love me some peanut butter!) I drank a little water. I didn't want to overeat or drink too much and cramp up. Plus, I wanted enough time for my food to settle and go to the bathroom before leaving the house. This may sound gross, but it is a MUST. I coated Vaseline all over my feet and in between my toes before putting on my dry fit Nike socks. FYI: It helps prevent blisters! And uncomfortable rubbing. Trust me it works! I also put Vaseline on my inner thighs so I wouldn't chafe. I learned later that I should have put it under my arms by my armpits and on the lower part of my back.

It was a little after 4 A.M. so I woke up my cousin who was going to drop off her friend Chelsea and I at the starting line. Chelsea flew up from California to run the race with me. It was a special day for her. First, it was her 26th birthday and her mother also ran the Honolulu Marathon on her 26th birthday. I was so happy to run with someone in the marathon, but I was also nervous because Chelsea and I had never trained together so I had no idea if she ran the same pace as me.

I had my ipod nano ready to go-fully charged and set on shuffle. I don't like to know what song is coming up next because my brain likes to keep guessing and it keeps my mind off of what my body is doing... RUNNING 26.2 MILES! That could be an explanation to why I love surprises and love to be kept on my toes.

We picked up Chelsea at her hotel in Waikiki and headed to the starting line on Queen street off of Ala Moana Boulevard. We had our bibs pinned on and our timing chips secured on our shoe laces. Thousands of people were walking along the streets to the start line and roads were closed everywhere. Chelsea and I ended up getting dropped off at least a mile from the starting line and we were running late. It was 4:45 A.M.! The race started at 5, so we ran/jogged to the starting line and got there just minutes before the gun went off. I was nervous that we weren't going to make it. After we climbed over the fence and crowded in with the twenty-something-thousand other runners, I heard the loud BOOM and the fireworks lit up the skies of Oahu. Everyone was cheering and we started running.

A rush of adrenaline shot through my body and I started to think, "I can't believe I am doing this right now." People were passing us, but I didn't care because I knew we'd pass them later. We were preserving our energy. The first mile started on Ala Moana Boulevard. It was a weird feeling running in the dark and the fireworks continued powering off for at least another 10 minutes.

When we reached the second mile of the course through downtown along Honolulu Harbor and the historic Aloha tower we took a turn right into Chinatown proceeding through Downtown Honolulu and South King Street. There were people cheering us along the sidewalk but they seemed half asleep. A water station was coming up on mile three but I don't remember if I took a drink because they all seemed to mesh together in my memory.

As our feet pounded through Kapiolani Boulevard and urban Honolulu reaching the fourth mile, I started to get hot and a little sweaty but I STILL had so much energy. I kept track of the time by my watch and the clocks they had at each mile marker. Chelsea and I were doing 11 minute miles. "Not bad," I said to myself. We can finish this marathon in five hours! The course returned to Ala Moana Boulevard, this time passing Ala Moana reaching mile five through the concrete jungle of Waikiki high-rise hotels and condominiums, by the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the U.S. Army's Fort DeRussy.

Running from Downtown Honolulu to Waikiki in the dark and no tourists crowding the sidewalks was crazy. It was a dead town with runners filling the streets. At mile six, we took a left onto Monsarrat Avenue, around the Honolulu Zoo and past the Waikiki Shell. We then turned right onto Paki Avenue which threads around Kapiolani Park getting closer to Diamond Head. I was dreading this uphill road, but I knew that once I got over it, it was the only hill in this marathon and I would only have to do it on the way back to the finish line.

The route circled the crater to the left on Diamond Head Road, then turned right onto Kilauea Avenue in the tenth mile, passing through residential and commercial areas of Kahala then merged into Kalanianaole Highway.

Are we at mile 10? I swear thousands of people passed me up that hill on Diamond Head. "16 miles to go." I said to myself. This was nothing as I had ran up to 20 miles in training two weeks before. But in the back of mind, I thought to myself, "I should not have done that Xterra run last week," because my calves were a little sore.

We ran along the coastal route for four miles through the bedroom communities of Waialae Iki, Aina Haina, and Niu Valley. Are we to Hawaii Kai yet? At this point, I was drinking Gatorade at the water stations and Chelsea even poured water over my head. My ipod went DEAD as we approached mile 16! What the hell was I going to do?

Once we reached the sixteenth mile, we turned left onto Hawaii Kai Drive. The course looped around an inland waterway and we could see Koko Head crater looming just miles away. I remember driving out here and now I'm running out here? The course then turned right back onto Kalanianiole Highway at Maunalua Bay Beach Park.

Now, it was time to run back. We were reaching mile 22. Are we almost there? I was ready to call it quits, but I couldn't give up. Not in front of these thousands of people, not after I had already ran 20-plus miles! Hell no! Every muscle was aching in my body. I felt like my hip flexors were detaching from my muscle fibers (if that is even possible!) It was an undescribable feeling of pain and I couldn't stop running because if I did, my whole body would tense up and it was too painful to start moving all over again. So I kept telling myself to keep running. My body eventually went numb and it was my brain that was working overtime. (It's really all MENTAL)

We were at mile 24! Oh my god! 2.2 miles left. I just had to make it back up Diamond Head. The sun was beaming with heat, but I knew I had these last couple miles in my pocket! Let me tell you that the last few miles is ALL mental. Your body goes numb, people are standing on the sidelines trying to hand you beers to congratulate you, but your goal is to finish! You want to get this race DONE and OVER with!

It was getting close to 10:00 A.M. and I wanted to finish in 5 hours, so I told Chelsea we had to step it up and run a little faster. I forgot to mention those gel packs that definitely came in handy during the run. They gave us that extra instant energy needed to get through those last few miles.

As we approached the last mile of the course curving around Diamond Head toward the finish line to Kapiolani Park, my heart was pounding out of my chest, my hair was soak and wet, and my body was completely numb. Chelsea and I sprinted to that finish line and made it in 5 hours! I felt like collapsing at the finish line! I was so happy to be done. My body then began to freeze and lock up. It didn't want to move, so I went to the showers (yes, showers) and stood in the cold water. I grabbed some water even though I didn't feel thirsty and headed to the First Aid station to grab ice for my aching knee and hips. I tried to sit down but it was too painful and I was afraid I wouldn't get up. I literally walked like an 80 year-old woman!

Chelsea and I looked for our friends through the thousands of people and after a long search we finally found them all waiting for lei's to congratulate us!

This marathon was definitely an experience I will never forget that has empowered me to be able to endure and conquer ANYTHING!

Thanks to EVERYONE for all the LOVE and SUPPORT! :)