Some Fresh Hawaiian Air (Week 45)

ALOHA! What a treat that while "deployed" to the Philippines, I was granted the opportunity to go to Hawaii for a few days to discuss deployment issues with my headquarters and an incoming unit. I would say most people would not consider going to Hawaii part of any deployment, but this deployment has truly been unlike any others. While my time in Hawaii was VERY short, and while most of that time was spent in meetings, I still was able to do something I had not yet done...run in Hawaii with a GPS. During my three and a half days, I managed to squeeze in 3 runs. They were wonderful. The weather was cooler than in Zamboanga, and the air was so much cleaner. Here's the map Garmin provided me of my post 9-miler that I did on Friday.

Here is the same run, but zoomed in a bit. I was staying on Pearl Harbor, but was able to run on Hickam because the two are right next to each other, separated only by a fence (which has a gate to pass between both bases).
Funny thing, about the gate that separates Pearl Harbor and Hickam, is that at night if you are unfamiliar with the area it can be hard to find. On my first run in Hawaii (on Wednesday evening) I had intended to only run about 6 miles. I crossed onto Hickam with ease, but then it got dark and I got confused with the streets and multiple traffic circles. I eventually was able to find my way back (by following the fence until I found the gate), but my 6-miler turned into a 10 mile run. Oh well, I'm actually glad I got the long runs in, since I missed a day of running with all my travel.

Overall my totals for Week 45 (7-13 November) were:

Total Runs Logged: 5

Total Miles: 40.1

Total Time Spent Running: 5 hours, 09 minutes, 13 seconds

Average Pace: 7:42 (min/mile)

Running the 10 miles, and then another run on a very full stomach slowed me down a bit, but had little effect on my overall average pace. My "as of" totals from 4 July through 13 November are:

Total Runs Logged: 100

Total Miles: 616.7

Total Time Spent Running: 78 hours, 02 minutes, 36 seconds

Average Pace: 7:35 (min/mile)

My total mileage for 2011 thus fare is: 1365

Reflection Time: While I typically enjoy the Philippines, any time "away from it all" is a good thing, and what better place to be than Hawaii. Back in Zamboanga, I now have just about a month left of this deployment. That's right, my deployment has been curtailed by about 2 months, and I'm going back to Guam early. I'll be home before Christmas (it's not a surprise, Stephanie already knows). That is a very good thing, and while I'm not sure if I'll hit the 1500 mile mark before I leave, I will have no trouble reaching it before December 31st!