HMSA 30k - Honolulu, HI
5am, 10.26.14
at almost 19 miles, this was was not only the longest run of my training, but the longest run of my life! this race covered the last 18 miles of the marathon course including two hills and a 10-mile stretch of flat highway running. i ran the hills in a previous race and the highway stretch in a training run, so i was familiar with the course. my only concern was the growing distance. game plan, as usual, was to keep it slow and steady and walk if i needed to.
it was another 2am wake-up call for the early 4am start. really starting to dislike those early wake up calls...you never get good sleep because you're worried you might not hear your alarms.
this race had a lot of walkers/early starters, so it took me a while to get out of the pack. once i did, it was pretty smooth sailing until mile 13.
the course starts off with hills through miles two, three, and four. going over this hill in the beginning is a non-issue...it's coming back over that hill at the end of the course that kills my legs.
mile 1: 12:40
mile 2: 11:38
mile 3: 12:21
mile 4: 12:24
mile 5: 11:52
mile six began the 10 mile stretch of flat highway running. easy running, but all that concrete and the constant use of the same muscles really take a toll on your body.
mile 6: 12:38
mile 7: 12:32
mile 8: 12:54
mile 9: 13:30
mile 10: 12:04
mile 11: 12:19
mile 12: 12:23
by mile 13, i started to feel the dreaded twitch in my calves and toes signaling the onset of muscle cramps in my right foot and leg. as soon as i felt the first tingle of a cramp, i walked it off until i could run again. had to do this several times which slowed me down in the next four miles, but it was better than cramping up and having to stop completely to stretch and massage it out.
mile 13: 13:39
mile 14: 13:43
mile 15: 14:24
mile 16: 14:04
the photos above are coming down from the hill into the final stretch towards the finish line.
mile 17: 13:49
mile 18: 12:35
mile 18.6: ? forgot to stop my app at the finish line.
official time: 4:03:07
overall, i was ok with my time. my pace was consistent with previous races, if not slightly faster, but it would have been nice to come in under four hours. i felt mentally prepared for the hills and flats of the course, but a little unprepared physically. i hadn't been eating well and didn't even touch my protein powder since the last race.
the good: water stations were ready for the early start, 10-mile stretch of flat running, the hills weren't so bad this time around...they were bigger in my head.
the bad: high humidity in the early morning as we ran along the ocean, onset of cramping, sore knees and hips, my phone in my pocket rubbed against my hip irritating the skin.
in the days following: i actually skipped my ice bath and recovery drink this time. i iced my knee on the drive home and threw on my compression socks for the rest of the day.
actions to take: work on upping the effort towards the end of my runs as i get tired.
next race: mizuno val nolasco half marathon, november 16th.
