Another Marathon

Another marathon is under my belt, and boy what a difference a year makes! This marathon was so incredibly different from last year. I felt pain, but not even comparable to last year's. I met my biggest goal, which was to never stop and walk, and was able to cut 2 and 1/2 hours off my finish time from last year. I finished comfortably in 04:48:02 W25-29 231/1772. My half marathon split was also my fastest ever @ 2:14:11. Just a few seconds over 10 minute miles. I am really happy with all the progress I have made in the last year, but I can't wait to get faster and faster. I am hoping to run about the same marathon time during Ironman New Zealand, and my goal for my next stand-alone marathon will be to go under 4 hours. It is truly the experience of a lifetime to run a marathon, you will be tested in ways you never have before, but it is a life-changing experience that I wish everyone could experience.
It was a really fun weekend with good friends in Honolulu, I'll post some pictures soon. One of my really good friends ran his first marathon this year . . . barefoot!! Yes his first marathon, and yes barefoot and he finished in 4:12!!! Amazing!

Pat and Ben Weiher

I have never laughed so hard as when these two were racing the hydro-bikes at A-Bay. Pat was telling us about how people get so excited when they see them, then they rent one, Pat helps Put them in the water and they set off, filled with excitement. He said that it varries between 30 seconds to two minutes when you see the inevitable look of disappointment on people's faces as they realize, hey this isn't that fun.

Needless to say, no one keeps their rented hydro-bike for the alloted twenty minutes they rented it for. Hilarious.

These two were racing off into the sunset together.

I Love Halloween

I absolutely love Halloween, but it's not just the lure of Halloween, it's October itself. October is my favorite month of the whole year. The weather is beautiful everywhere, in California it is the first month that you start to smell fires burning in people's fireplaces, carving pumpkins is one of my secret talents (not to mention its rediculously fun), the pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay is home to some of my favorite memories, and my Halloween nights in Portola Valley are unforgetable, and last but not least Ironman Kona is in October!

Every year I count down the days until October 1, when I can put out my Halloween decorations without looking like an idiot (if I had my way I'd put them out in August). Pat seems utterly incapable of understanding my love of October and Halloween, and always groans when the decorations come out. It's not like I'm a Martha Stewart type who has decorations for every holiday, half the time we don't even get a Christmas tree! (I know it's sad but when you work in tourism like Pat and I do, Christmas isn't a holiday that's particularly fun). We get a list at the hotel where I work before the holidays come, and we all check boxes to indicate what our first, second and third choice holidays to have off. People may think I'm crazy when I ignore Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years day, and make my own box for Halloween sighting that it is my first, second and third choice "holiday" to have off.

My mom used to throw us the funnest Halloween parties, we'd do one huge party with three different ages of kids invited from me, Mandy and Ben's classes (she must be crazy!) The parties were awesome, with apple bobbing, a doughnut hang, and even red light green light where you got a whipped cream pie smashed in your face for getting caught running the light. She has also made us some of the most amazing costumes ever. I remember her staying up all night, finding her delerious Halloween morning having made the most beautiful witch costume for me complete with a five layered skirt, including the glittery black fabric that I just had to have but was a nightmare to sew. Anyways Halloween and October have always been special to me, just thought I'd share because Im way to hyped about these decorations and Pat's just not nearly excited enough about them. Maybe one of you will be!
Happy Halloween!

Luca is HUGE

These are some new pictures of Luca, Pat was laughing because I didn't think he'd gotten any bigger since we got him, but we compared pictures and he's HUGE now! He is a happy guy, the most spoiled dog in the neighborhood with his two walks a day. He's incredibly smart, almost too smart, he remembers if you let him get away with something even once. Pat's taken to training him silent commands so he can take him pig hunting (which Luca loves), which is aparantly a favorite pastime of Pat's too (don't even get me started). I perfer to take him on runs down the fire road where he can be off the leash. He usually just trots behind me never more than 25 yards from where I am, somtimes venturing off-road. One day I was horrified to turn around and find him gone. I started to panic when I called his name and whistled which always has him sprinting to your side, but this particular day to no avail. Then about a mile down the road I see a heard of the wild goats all running across the trail, and our majestic Luca hearding them! Instinctually doing what he was born to do. I guess the goats proved too much temptation to listen to me!

If we're being honest, Luca and I have not always gotten along so well. In fact I think at one point Pat was getting really nervous about the relationship. From day one, Pat established himself, and his spot as the pack leader, and until recently, Luca and I had a hard-fought battle for number two. It took me a while to learn how to be his boss, (sometimes I still have a hard time), and for awhile things got ugly. I even resorted to trying to teach Luca that his name was Voldemort (sorry Pat), that was how epic the battle became that the Harry Potter prophecy "neither can live while the other survives," was my life's mantra for Luca and I. But things have taken a turn for the better and in spite of myself I find I have fallen completely in love with the little guy, he's just so darn cute.


Pat and Luca were soulmates from the start. Someone warned me once that you have to be careful with Blue Heelers because they can easily become "one person dogs", um . . . ya think? But I will accept my role in Luca's life as a second choice, who am I to stand between man and his best friend anyways?

Pat will have to write soon and tell everyone about his adventures with the dog, because there's no way I'll do them justice, so everyone bug him to write okay? But all joking aside, I love this dog, more than I ever thought I would, and this self-proclaimed "dog lover", that turned out to be nothing of the sort, learns a few lessons about patience, and humility.

Things are looking up!

Okay . . . I may have oficially lost my mind

So I did it, I signed up for my very first Ironman. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike followed by 26.2 mile run. It has been my dream since I moved to Kona, and watched the Ironman finishers run, walk even crawl across the finish line on Alii Drive. I am scared. . . terrified actually for what my first Ironman distance race has in store for me. But hey, if I can milk a trip to New Zealand out of it, why not? So am I crazy? Probably. But it's something I want so deeply I can't live with not trying. So wish me luck. Because for aproximately 11 hours in March of 2009, I'll really really need it.

Out With The Old . . .

What's new in my life? A new bike and running shoes thats what! I finally gave in and listened to Pat and my friends when they told me my Nike's were on their last legs like 100 miles ago. They were junk-y to say the least. We went through so much together it was sort of sad to say goodbye. And unexpectedly I got a new bike and was able to ditch my slow road bike which I didn't have nearly as hard of a time saying goodbye to.

And this beauty is my new tri-bike! One of my best friends gave me this bike! It is so beautiful and incredibly fast. And I mean fast, my first ride and I was squealing and giggling because this baby flies! It's built for the infamous Kona winds too. I couldn't have dreamed about anything more. They even have the shifters built into the aero bars so you have to leave your aerodynamic position as little as possible.


This is me being a dork showing off my new ride. I have to name her. Everyone has names for their bikes. She's so pretty and sleek she needs a really good name. This old man that was in the bike shop when I picked her up suggested Ms. Universe, awesome, but I'm not sure she's that glitzy. She loves to compete and is quite shiny, but I like to think she's a little more rugged. I was thinking maybe Lola or maybe Gretchen? Anyone that's struck or inspired and thinks of a name let me know.
These are the shoes. Nike's on the left. They have been with me through a marathon, an Olympic distance triathlon (my first), two Kukio challenge races, a Half Ironman and miles and miles, probably hundreds of pavement pounding, hot, sweaty, crazy training. They were tired, they were old. I never could quite get out the bloodstains from the marathon. It was time for them to retire. They've had a good run, pardon the pun.
I was laughing because this picture makes the New Balances look kinda grungy too, but that's because Pat and I have taken up a new hobby of running our dog off the trails in Waikoloa's open land and it's dusty out there.
These are amazing, it's the first time Ive ever gone to a running store, where they watch to run, diagnose your stride, and then fit the perfect shoes for you. So basically I have to be as close to barefoot as possible to get the most out of my shoes for my body and stride. And when I put these on it was almost like running on clouds. They're amazing and yes . . . they are bright orange. I had myself convinced they were pink, but Pat informed me that no . . . hot orange. They are awesome and I'll give them a good life. I don't think they know what they are in for. . . Ironman . . . here we come.

Life in Hawaii

Honu Half Ironman 70.3

So I made it. . . 70.3 Miles . . . And I can't wait to do it again.

Luca

Some Marathon Pictures

Here are some pictures of the marathon we took with a disposable camera, and by request a picture of the most injured toe, taken today. This is the nail I am going to loose, sorry if anyone's squeamish. Notice the color difference between the two . . . gross. Good thing is I have lost all sensation in it so it no longer hurts!

This is the phantom "1k to go sign". This is my friend Catherine and I on the bus to the starting line taken at 3:45 a.m. Notice we were already soaked from sprinting two blocks and then waiting for the bus in the pouring rain.


This is the crew that I went to Oahu with. My two crazy and extremely lovable friends who decided to do the marathon with me (neither of them did much training either) Catherine & Jeff. Jeff is the only one who looks nervous, and he's also the only one who'd ever done a marathon before . . . He knew what we were in for.

This is Catherine at the 21 mile marker. She looks so cute and happy! By this point we had split up and believe me when I passed this marker about 10 minutes after her, I was in no mood to smile for pictures. She's a trooper.

If you look closely you can see how far people are lined up at the starting line. It was insane. We didn't get the memo that we should've been wearing reflective clothing, apparently we were the only ones!

This is the Honolulu Marathon symbol. There were huge signs along the course with this guy next to six foot tall cups of water reminding us not to get dehydrated.

Hope you enjoyed, there's another couple of disposable cameras that haven't been developed so I'll post again if theres more good ones.

Pat I Miss You!

Pat, I apoligize in advance for posting this picture. For some odd reason I really like it. Possibly because we look like such lovelies . . . hmmmm. I am just missing Pat as he is in Utah and California this week and wanted to blog about it. I should be left alone more often actually because I have been quite productive. The laundry is done, the house is clean, I am even finding time to blog. Just goes to show how distracting it is to have a husband as handsome as this! I have also reconnected with some old friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger, we've been having a lot of good times together in Pat's absence. I have even resorted to taking pictures of my bruised toe and sending them to Pat in a pathetic attempt at getting some attention. The gist is that I MISS PAT, but I am glad that he is with the family "freezing his eyeballs" (yes, a direct quote from his mouth) I wish I was there too. Enjoy the time you have with everyone becuase it always goes by too fast! Love you all!

The Marathon

"The Marathon" This is a course map of the Honolulu Marathon. It's beautiful along the water most of the way.

To everyone that wasn't already aware, yes, it's true I am oficially a crazy person. On Sunday I ran the Honolulu Marathon. Yes . . . all 26.2 miles of it. And those of you who know me well know that I was entirely unprepared to say the least.

I have a few reasons why I wanted to run a marathon; #1. is seemingly the most rediculous now that I have actually completed a marathon . . . "I thought it would be fun." (yes, I've already admitted that I am crazy) So on to #2, I DON"T run. I have always felt like I just am just not built to run. Like I'm too tall, but with legs that are much to short for my frame. I have felt as if I am lugging a wheelbarrow behind me when I run. So you may ask why? Why would someone who hates to run decide to do a marathon? The harder I think about this the more I am giggling at my own warped logic and thought processes that led me to sign up. Let me try to explain; yes, I hated to run, but it was something I needed to get over. It was one huge mental block that kept me from doing things that would be good for me. It's something I've realized in the last few years of my life, if I face, and overcome things that I am afraid of, I enjoy life more fully and have experiences I never would've had, and wouldn't trade for the world. #3. I have caught the triathalon bug, and while I am comfortable swimming and biking, running was my Achilles heel in my mind. I felt that if I pushed myself to do a marathon, thenI would overcome the feeling I have that "I just can't do this", and it would be replaced with more confidence to attempt races I would've been too paralyzed with fear to do.

So those are some of my biggest reasons why, but truly it always came down to "I thought it would be fun." Silly me.

So my friends that I went with and I got a wake up call for 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning. And we did have to reconfirm twice, that yes we really do mean a.m. We actually slept relatively well, and got about 4.5 hours of sleep. We woke up and ate Power Bars, then when we were decked out in our Marathon gear went down to our hotels 24 hour resturant and ordered bagels. At this point I wasn't that nervous only because I had no idea what I was in for. We filled our pockets with this amazing stuff called Gu. Sounds appetizing I know but it's acually gel-calories that keep you going and are easy to eat when you're running. We took a few pictures and then went to the lobby of the hotel to walk the two blocks where we would catch the 3:45 . . . yes a.m. shuttle to the starting line. It was pouring rain, so we acutally ended up sprinting to the bus stop, where we were forced to wait in the rain, but it got us warmed up and ready. We got on the bus and you could literally feel the anticipation building the closer we got to the Ala Moana start line. Imagine almost 30,000 people lined up to pass through a starting line that is the equivalent to three traffic lanes wide. Then as the 5 a.m. start time got closer the noise in the crowd noise rose almost to a yell, and then at 4:55 the fireworks started. It was so surreal to be there in the dark hours of the morning with 30,000 other people who are all about to run 26.2 miles, and the fireworks exploding and reflecting off the water (we were right on the beach), I will never forget it. Then the cannon went off and we started to move. My dear friend Catherine that I did the marathon with looked at me just as we started to jog and said "I guess we're doing this." I guess we were.

Amazingly the first 11 miles were awesome. My friend and I ran together and we were pumped. It was however pouring rain on and off, so by mile 2 I just stopped trying to avoid the puddles because my feet were officially soaked through. At about mile 6 we decided to put on our iPods, which was perfect because we'd already established a pace that was fast enough that we were making good time, but slow enough that we weren't breathing hard enough not to carry on a conversation. I swear, my new iPod (that was a Christmas present from my Dad specifically for the marathon, thanks Dad!) knew what I was thinking. Just as we started to climb the steepest hill of the course, the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" came on and I couldn't have said it better myself. It was exactly what I needed and I was feeling great. The whole way up the hill I was high-fiving the volunteers and just having a ball. Miles 9, 10, 11 were fun. Mile 12 is where I started to feel my legs & 13 was good because just as I was starting to get tired I knew that I was halfway! I was really amazed when I saw the big "HALF" sign, and that's when I started to venture and think "I may actually be able to do this!" Good plan Jess. Shortly after I began to feel my feet. The had started to swell from being wet and trapped in shoes, which you all know I never wear anything but slippers (flip-flops to you mainlanders). At 16 the pain in my feet set in with such a vengance that I hit a mental brick wall. That's when I had to walk, and the better part of mile 16 was spent in quiet terror of me wondering how I would make it back. At 17 I started to push through the pain in the feet, and began to convince myself that I could make it because the milage that I now needed to cover to finish was in the single digits. It was the silliest things that kept me going throughout the race.

It was amazing how many emotions I went through in the space of 26.2 miles. I went from crying when I passed a lone woman spectator with a sign that said simply "You Are Amazing", it touched me so deeply then and I don't know why. I also ran angry a lot of the time, really angry. I have never been a violent person and I've never punched anyone besides my brother and sister when we were little (sorry you two) but at mile 24 one of the volunteers yelled out "you're almost there" and I wanted to punch her. I am being brutally honest and I hate to admit that but I did not feel like 2.6 more miles was "almost there." Every step by this point was agony and I really thought I was going crazy when I found it actually hurt less to run than it did to walk. At that point, where you are sure you cannot take one more step, you don't want to be told that you are almost there, when obviously you are not. Tell me I am almost there when I am close enough to the finish line that I can fall on my face and at least one part of my body will land on the other side of it. That is when I am "almost there." It was funny because I sheepishly admitted this feeling to my friends later that night when we were talking about our experiences and my admission was met with laughter becuase at one point or another we had all experienced this misplaced anger at a unsuspecting volunteer. Of course even though I felt like telling her I was in fact not almost there, I only had the energy to smile and a little wave.

I rounded a corner and found myself looking at a sign that said 1k left to go, and I was utterly confused and too tired to care or try to figure out how impossibly far 1k was, when I saw it. Looming in the distance . . . the finish line. The last "1k" was a blur and I think the only thing that got me through running that last bit was the knowledge and the promise that I could actually see the point at which I could take my shoes off. Funny how after 26.1 miles it was no longer about finishing a marathon.

The feeling of elation and joy didn't set in until later that day. I was truly amazed by the kindness and generosity of the volunteers & spectators that day, it made me feel connected to strangers in a way that I wish we could feel more often as humans. I'll never forget as I was wandering through Waikiki disoriented and in so much pain, with the blood trails still visible down the backs of both shoes and socks that an old woman waiting at a bus stop approached me and said "Dear are you alright?" I told her I was just looking for my hotel and she pointed me in the right direction. She put her hand on my arm and escorted me the block before she said. "Now darling how long was your race?" When I told her it was 26 miles (I left off the .2 even though those .2 were significant enought that I thought I may not make it), the look on her face was priceless. She just patted my arm and said "You're amazing." And then all of a sudden I was at my hotel. I said thank you to my after-race angel and met up with my friends.

What I realized is that marathons are a metaphor for life. Even for those who think they are preapared, the going will always get tough. It is a testament to the human spirit that when you are in so much pain, and your body is telling you that you absolutely cannot, will not take one more step, from somewhere inside yourself you find the strength, and you keep moving. One step after painful step, but at the end you know instantly . . . it was all worth it.

Will I do another marathon? . . . absolutely.

After it all, my number one reason for siging up for a marathon turned out to be right. It was fun!

If you want to see some of the professional photos go to marathonfoto.com (Honolulu Marathon 2007, just enter my last name and bib #11239). When I get my pictures developed I'll blog again, but no more novels I promise, just pictures. If you've made it this far into reading my account of a marathon, you have the heart to do one too. So anyone who wants to join me . . . we have a date in Honolulu one year from now. Love You All!

I Couldn't Resist

"You're Rosalie - Image is important to you, you want to show off your best assets, and you have a lot of them- you think! You are also intelligent, which many people might not expect since you seem to be all about looking pretty. But deep down you're caring person that wants what most people in life desire: to be loved."

So I really couldn't pass this one up. I have to confess that in the past I have taken the Harry Potter "Which House Are You In" quiz . . . actually if we're being honest here I've taken it multiple times . . . to my dismay, and no matter how many times I re-took the quiz reciting the mantra "what would a Griffindor do?" Apparently, I am a Hufflepuff thru and thru. I was so dissappointed that I wasn't a Griffindor that until now, I remained silent about the results. When I took the Twilight quiz I was a little put-off by the results . . . Rosalie . . . really? There's nothing like a little reality check to make you think twice about your self-perception. Oh well, maybe it's time to start embracing who I really am, Rosalie or not . . . "deep down you are a caring person!??" I hope not too deep down!

The Tour Continues

Starting with the guest room, you will notice the bank of windows on two walls. This affords the best crosswind throughout the day and night. At night you are lulled to sleep by a constant soft wooshing sound. It is heavenly. All of you should stay in this room and enjoy. The strange photo of the computer is actually Pat's study done in a desert "fresh praline." The strange photo is because I wanted to show off these cool windows.





There are two bathrooms, but I forgot a picture of the master bath, but it is strangely the smallest bathroom. The main bath is long and lovely in beiges and white, with plently of magazines provided.


The master bedroom is a tropical green with the cutest furniture Pat and Jess found at a place called "Bali Agga," which imports furniture that is so exotic and beautiful. Everyone should stop in to look at this store when they come. Some of you will notice that Jessie and Emily have the same bedspread. Cool huh!!! Good taste runs in our family obviously.

The blue room is a haven the color of the sea and just waiting for more visitors than they have presently. So, I guess this means the Robinson clan should start planning the next full family get together at Pat and Jessies. I hear the Weiher's are coming for New Years, lucky them.

So, goodbye for Roy and Catherine from Waikiloa Village on the Big Island. We will miss the view from the porch, but mostly we will miss the warmth and love and fun of Pat and Jess, who we adore and miss sooooo much.