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My Hawai`i sojourn has come to a close after eight rich years. I have witnessed the battle toward and near completion of a Ph.D; the birth of two amazing, intelligent and hard-charging boys; and for me the trials and triumphs as an ultrarunner and critical care RN.

Our lives have been touched deeply by our friends and family here in the islands and I am continually amazed by the warmth and generosity of the Hawaiian and local people.

To bid a fitting farewell to my life in the islands of Hawai`i I planned and completed the Big Island Traverse (BIT). An approximate 160 mile, unsupported fastpack on the island of Hawai`i. The route traversed the island from sea-level on the southeastern shore, beginning at Holei Sea Arch; ascended Mauna Loa (13,677 feet) and Mauna Kea (13,796 feet); and eventually descended to sea-level on the northwestern shore, ending at Spencer Beach Park and Pu`ukohola Heiau. To my knowledge this variation had not been done. It was a great success - A Hui Hou.




Thursday, July 22, 2010

Running with the Devil

In some respects the dust of our relocation from Hawai'i to Connecticut is beginning to settle and I happily find myself in the mood to grind a few hilly miles. This weekend I will be heading to Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon Peak, New Jersey to participate in the 12 Hour version of the Running with the Devil trail race. Vernon Peak is home to the Diablo Mountain Bike Park and is reputedly the best MTB terrain park in the region.

The route will ascend ~ 933 feet over one mile on intermediate ski terrain and descend the same elevation and distance on Black Diamond ski terrain. I am looking forward to a smooth 12- hour effort and anticipate hot and sweaty steep and steady ups and downs.

I am banking on the BIT mileage for some of my durability and have focused on quality, high-intensity workouts since arriving in CT. I have done numerous hill repeats, stairs, barefoot beach runs and some moderate tempo "long-runs" in the range of three hours, which is actually pretty short. I have done each of these with and without a 25 pound pack.

My LR strategy has been to warm up with an easy 30 minutes then go anaerobic and/or threshold and empty the tank before completing the remaining 1 to 2 hours of race-paced running or hiking. I have supplemented my program with free weight, body weight and pack weight strength training exercises.

More than anything I am excited to get outside, meet some people from the neighboring trail running community and have some fun!
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