Waiting on the Maui race report

I started my Maui post tonight after work, but it's going to take a little time. I did get the race photos (and pay!)--only three of me, but I liked them enough to fork over the bucks. I still need to download pics from my camera, and I'm hoping to get a few from Rod too. Then there's the writing...yeah, it's going to take a little time.

I am back on track with the training, though I admit I've been on the low end of my distance ranges. That's mostly because I am having so much trouble getting up and out in the mornings. Even if I'm up late I have to get to work on time, so that means dropping a mile or two.

I started the week with a 6+ mile run in Lahaina on Monday, my last run in Hawaii. This was also a recovery run from the half marathon. My legs were so heavy when I started that I had serious doubts that I could ever do the Goofy challenge! (That's totally not in the works, I had just thought about it a few times. Like when my niece is a little older, maybe we'll all go to Disneyworld...and if we do, why not go that weekend and do the runs?)

Anyhow, even when my legs eased up I still ran pretty glacially slow. But that's fine. I covered the full distance of Front Street, going south (on the path of the race) until Front Street met the highway on that end, then backtracking north, through Lahaina and past Aloha Mixed Plate, to the highway on THAT end. And back.

I stopped at a place where I was able to order two pineapples to be sent to the office (at the cost of about 10--or more--pineapples from the store), then finished at Foodland and Starbucks. I bought a couple musubi and eggs for our final breakfast, and my last iced Americano from Starbucks (not that I can't have them at home, of course) then walked the third of a mile back to the hotel.

Thanks to the run on Monday, I didn't have to run on Tuesday, so my next run was Wednesday morning. On the plan: 6-8 miles with 5 x 800 speed intervals. What I did: about 6.5 miles with 4 x 800 (half mile) intervals plus one (inadvertently untimed 400). This was a day when I definitely didn't allow enough time for the distance. In order to get the intervals done at all, I bagged the quarter-mile recovery jogs between repeats, and just did about a tenth of a mile recovery. After four I was done, but instead of a final recovery lap, I decided to bust out a 400. Untimed, because I messed up on the start button. A middle school boy ran alongside me for a minute (perhaps to mock me), but although I didn't outpace him he quickly dropped out, panting. Ha. Take that, kid!

My 800s were WAY slower than I was accustomed to. My first one felt so awkward, and was just under 9:00 pace. By the last my legs were remembering what to do a little bit, and I was down to under 8:30 pace. Still slow for a half mile, but showing progress.

Today I originally planned 8-10 miles with six at marathon-pace effort. Even though I didn't have to get up EARLY, I had a rough day yesterday and getting up at all was a challenge. So I stayed in bed way too long and once again was short on time. I knew my miles would be cut.

I started with two miles warm-up on an uphill grade. I planned this intentionally so that my MP miles would start on a slight downhill. I wanted to give my legs a little speed boost.

My old MP goal was 8:45-9:15. I knew this was unrealistic. I was, however, fairly pleased to do 5.5 miles at 9:15-9:30 pace. That's an okay marathon pace, and hopefully I can pick it up over time. Total distance was 7.5 miles, which wasn't TOO far under goal!

I was, however, so far behind schedule that I didn't even have time to take a shower before work. (I did, however, have time to stop at Starbucks.) I mopped myself up, blowdried my sweaty hair (it styles up really nicely that way), got dressed, and hustled off to work. No one was any the wiser.

Tomorrow--long run. 16+ miles. Whoopee!
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