Honolulu Marathon 2007

It all started with the question, ‘what can I do that’s epic this winter?’

A couple of my teammates had talked about running a marathon in Hawaii and after I found out it was on my birthday, how could I say no!
With my current cycling base on my side, I started a fairly relaxed training program in early October. I was committed to running 2x/week and spinning 1x/week. I was teaching spin classes at that time and could easily fit in a couple runs throughout the week. I also began trading off stretches with my teammates. This proved to be a key element – but I feel as though I under estimated my flexibility and didn’t do enough throughout my training.

We secured an apartment in Waikiki and the necessary flights. In November I was running 30-35km/weekend and getting 10km tempos under my belt. I really wasn’t too worried about the event. This was my first marathon and I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. December hit fast and we were tapering. Our flights and apartment worked out great. A couple days in the heat before the race was awesome!

The night before the event was a no-sleep night. I was nervous and when we got up at 4:30am I could hardly eat my breakfast. The rain was pounding down outside and the wind was kicking up. The four of us hung out on the couch as the clock ticked and too be honest, we were hoping the rain would quit. We pulled the pin and ran outside to find the rain on pause. We decided to walk/run to the start (a great way to warm-up). The rain was off and on as we shuffled our way to the start. Literally, Josh and I pushed our way up to the front.

5-4-3-2-1 Bang, the fireworks went into full effect in the pitch-black sky. Josh sang me happy birthday as 20,000+ runners began the event. Within 10min we were separated and the rain came down with force. I was feeling good and wasn’t really running that hard – the truth was, I really didn’t know how fast to run a marathon. The rain stopped and the sky stayed cloudy (which was so nice for a big guy like me). The route took us around Waikiki and then up Diamond Head. Down the other side and looped the creator on the southeast point of Oahu. I remember being about half way through and seeing the lead runners fly past heading back to the finish. My body was shutting down and my tight / cramping muscles were hurting me. I really picked up the pace with 4km to go. A bit late, but I was purely trying to get it over with. A sprint to the finish in a world of pain and I was standing under the showers unable to move.

I tell you, that walk back to our apartment was really tough and the last thing I wanted to do. My birthday dinner was low energy but the drinks went down well and took the pain away. The rest of our week was spent touring the island and playing in the surf. That plane ride home came too fast and before I knew it, I was back at my favourite job – looking forward to my next adventure!