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!

Running in Hawaii (and relaxing, and hiking, and eating)

As previously promised, here is my blog entry about my very brief (but very nice stay in Hawaii). I got there on Friday evening, and didn't have any plans until Monday, so I decided to make the most of the weekend and do some of the "must sees". TripAdvisor.com has Diamond Head listed as the #1 thing to do, so that was my first stop.

It actually took me awhile to find the place b/c I didn't realize the full name was "Diamond Head Crater" (directly behind me), but once I realized that just about every car was headed in the same direction, it was easy to find, and an easy climb. The view was great, but it was just the beginning.

On to the "challenging hikes", I decided to do KoKo head crater, partly because it was highly recommended on Trip Advisor, partly because all the comments talked about how challenging it was, and lastly because again the view was supposed to be amazing. All three of those statements turned out to be 100% correct.

This was the view that greeted me from the bottom of KoKo Head. The "stairs" are actually railroad ties from when the U.S. Army had a radio station at the top. The total elevation change was about 1200 feet, though the horizontal distance was less than 1/2 mile. In other words it was VERY STEEP.

Still, once I finally made it to the top (soaked in sweat), the view was totally worth it. The climb down was also challenging, but again, it was an incredible hike (and a great workout).

My last hiking adventure was to Manoa Falls, a far easier hike than KoKo Head. The trail ends at the base of a 100 foot waterfall.

Not quite as "breath taking" as KoKo Head (both figuratively and literally), but still a great hike.

Oh yeah, I also managed to do some running while in Hawaii. Of course, I didn't have my GPS and there were no marked courses, so I had to estimate my distance. Still I felt really good, and kept a good pace, so I think the distances are fairly accurate. I only managed two runs for the week, but with the hikes, I'd say it was a good week.

My totals for Week 32 (8-14 Aug) were:
Total Miles: 12.2 (estimated distance)
Total Runs Logged: 2
Total Time Spent Running: 1 hour, 31 minutes, 43 seconds
Average Pace: 7:31 (min/mile)

With the addition of Week 32, my new "as of" totals are:
Total Miles: 147.1
Total Runs Logged: 29
Total Time Spent Running:19 hours, 39 minutes, 12 seconds
Average Pace: 8:00 (min/mile)

That brings mile total mileage of the year to 895.4

Hawaii is a beautiful state, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The weather was perfect, the food was AMAZING, and the views were incredible. If I ever find myself there again, I would consider myself very fortunate. I snapped this last pic as I was leaving Waikiki after a very delicious dinner on the beach.