Maui Marathon- The Run

   It's 5am, a small flashlight in hand, my adrenaline is flowing from almost being run over and now we're off! A great idea to start here early, it's September and Hawaii. Can you say Hot and Humid? When the sun comes up it can be pretty brutal. They have experience with this race, it's not their first rodeo so to speak. This was the 44th annual Maui Marathon, the oldest of all of the islands. It is listed and rated as one of the 'top 10 most scenic marathons to run'. The views and scenery were breathtaking. The course ran from near the airport in Kahului around the southern coastline finishing at the Whalers Village in Lahaina. The roosters finally woke up, stretched and started crowing at daybreak around mile 5. We were still trying to settle into a good running rhythm. The hills began at mile 7, rolling and climbing through mile 10, the sun now starting to reach full blast and there's no shade in site. We were refilling our water bottles at every aid station along the way. I was amazed at how much ice they had on hand for the runners. They had ice cubes, shaved ice- Blue Hawaiian coconut flavor and ice soaked sponges. I think they somehow lassoed their own ice berg from somewhere and chipped away at it to keep us all cool. Thank You!! Diane and I kept pushing through the miles, a little slower than what we planned, but forward motion is the best and the only way to the finish line. We chatted and met many other runners from Australia, Japan and New Zealand. There were people camping out and cooking all along the shoreline. Ooh some of the smells along the way, not always the most appetizing when you're hot, tired and a little dehydrated. Boy Scout Troop #22 were handing out Lei's for all the runners around mile 17, a nice boost to uplift the spirit. We came into Lahaina through Front Street. The people of the small quaint tourist village were out in full force supporting all of the runners with their garden hoses and sprinklers to help get us refreshed. The finish was getting closer. Now it's time to attempt to look good for that split second and smile for the marathon photographers. I had my phone and was texting Nancy and Melissa (our crew members) updating our progress along the way. Last text... '5 minutes' and they were ready to yell, scream and cheer us across the Finish Line. Woop Woop! A volunteer placed a beautiful, well earned, medal around my neck and congratulated me. I chugged 3 pints of ice cold chocolate milk and Diane found a chair, got her feet propped up and enjoyed an ice cold Jamba Juice. Victory!! Nancy and Melissa joined us for finish line photos. We changed out of our wet shirts, shoes and then of course went shopping for the discounted marathon souvenirs. Truly a memorable layover. 

  Walking back to our hotel was a very good choice, it helped to keep the legs loose and stretched out, a nice cool down. It was fun sharing our stories of the run and hearing about their finish line experiences. It made me feel good when Nancy and Melissa said they would do it again. The stories were awesome and we had each other cracking up laughing along the way. 

  Our day was just beginning. After eating, showering and washing out my sweaty smelly running clothes. I crawled into bed at 1:30 pm for a nap. Our van time downstairs was at 8:20pm for the ride back to the airport. No worries, just one Redeye flight to Los Angeles then we'd be done for the day, a nice 16 hours of rest. That night we had another Redeye flight to Houston to work, then we were done. The Redeye flights almost seemed harder to work than running the marathon. Interesting how that turns out! This was an amazing experience and one I hope to do again!

To Diane, Nancy and Melissa, 

You made this trip so memorable, I truly enjoyed and will never forget - Thank You All!

26.2 mile run

Maui Marathon-Getting to the Start Line

   The best and most detailed plans don't always run smoothly to the finish line. Being a stewardess for as many years as I have, being "Flexible" is a valuable asset. Our husbands didn't get to make the trip as planned. Our flight leaving Maui was going to be heavily weight restricted which limits the seat availability. So the boys decided it wouldn't be worth getting stuck in Hawaii a few extra days without us, imagine that!

  Diane and I were excited about landing in Maui 30 minutes early, that was going to assure us plenty of time to get to the expo at the Westin Resort Hotel to pick up our race packets - the bib numbers, marathon shirts and information on bus schedules to the start line etc. for a smooth race day. Flexible.... We waited an unusual amount of time for the van service to pick us up which now gives us about 50 minutes to get to the expo before it closes down. The van ride takes around 45 minutes so it's time to break out the phone and call the Westin to see if the volunteers there could wait for us. Our van driver was nice enough to agree to drop us off at the expo and then wait as we assured him we'd only be a minute or two. We jumped out of the van running into a hotel we had never seen before and asking the bell men as we're running by him where the expo is, he picked up his pace running along side telling us through the long hallway, then down the stairs and around the corner. We made it with about 1minute to spare. We went through the door and there are a lot of people standing around this huge ballroom talking. We ran in yelling we're here for packet pick up and the entire group of Japanese runners all turned and looked at us funny, not saying a word but all pointed in unison to the next room. I quickly realized that "packet pickup" must be a universal language because they all knew what we needed and then pointed to the next room as none of them spoke English. In the adjoining ballroom we quickly got our marathon information and bus schedule for the morning and ran back to our awaiting van and other crew members, Nancy and Melissa. Whew!! 

  I finally got in my room and was sleeping by 9:00pm since Diane and I decided to meet downstairs in the lobby at 2:45am for our morning warmup walk to board the bus for the start line at 3:15am. Flexible....Running a marathon on 4 hours of sleep. 

   The start line area was setup in true Hawaiian fashion. The announcements were being given in English and Japanese for all of the runners that traveled from Japan, the refreshment tables beautifully stocked and decorated with hand carved native fruits to eat. I have been known to eat some strange stuff before and during a run, but not fresh tropical fruit. There was a Samoan Fire Knife Dance. I felt like I was at a Luau, the grass skirts and all. A new first for me was the 10 minute Zumba warm up class at the start line. That seemed like a little too much activity before running 26.2 miles. Our national anthem was played followed by the Japanese anthem. We were then escorted to the start line a couple of blocks away. In my 13 years of running I have been stopped on the course two separate times by a train,  almost hit by several flying golf balls and stopped dead in my tracks by a moose who was enjoying an early breakfast. Flexible... Delayed start. A drunk driver who was being chased by the police made a turn into the start line and plowed his car into the  runners at the front. We were shocked to see the car coasting into the crowd then stopping about 30 feet from where Diane and I were standing. Luckily only one spectator had a few minor scrapes. The race finally got underway after the officers dragged the man from his car and handcuffed him and cleared the area. Now it's time to Run!

The Race is next 

Paradise

Maui Marathon complete! Check that one off the bucket list. Running 26.2 miles on a layover was amazing, fun and exciting! Had to use some extra energy because they said it was one of the hottest days to run. Whew! 

It really was the most scenic route I've ever run. All along the shoreline watching for whales, jealous of everyone snorkeling from shore ( at least they were cooler in the water). My friend Diane and I are recovering well. More stories to come.

   I also want to thank our other crew members Nancy and Melissa. We So appreciate all your support before, during and after the race!! You Rock Ladies!

Another day

'' the scariest moment is always just before you start'' Stephen King

  Yes that's AM !!  Started a 15 mile treadmill run in Philadelphia before my 7:00am van to the airport. Ready to rock the Maui Marathon!! 

My Early Morning Friend

  Most runners have at least some to a lot of experience with a treadmill or more commonly known as the dreadmill. Since I do a fair amount of my training while I'm on my trips, I have frequent encounters with this dreaded machine. 

   I am what is known in the airline industry as a 'slam clicker', when I get to my layover hotel I go straight to my room... slam the door and click the lock. My alarm is usually set between 1am and 2 am depending on my workout length and the departure time of my flight. The cleaning people aren't even up that early although I do run into an occasional happy partier leaving the bar. I wonder if they think they are seeing things, me walking around in workout clothes with bed head hair in search of the fitness center. I don't go out sight seeing or shopping on layovers much anymore since I've seen the layover cities numerous times over my career. I should probably also say that I am not much of a shopper unless of course it has something for do with running gear. I preplan my treadmill workouts each week so I can get speed work, hill runs and tempo runs accomplished. I also manage to get my core work and weight lifting as well. Some of my coworkers often call me crazy, insane and just straight up weird. It's dedication. It's my passion and I'm the only one who will suffer during a race if I'm not prepared. I'm the only one who will get myself across the finish line 'smiling'. Early morning crack of dawn workouts do have a few nice advantages - I don't have to wait for a treadmill, there's plenty of peace and quiet. Sometimes there is a worker or passer by that gives me that Wow you're crazy look! If you happen to walk by or come into the workout room at 2am you can even catch me singing loud and probably a little off key but the equipment doesn't seem to care. 

15 mile tempo run today 

Running Schedule

 Like most runners and especially ultra distance runners, I have to plan out my running schedule a year or so  in advance. Many races reach the sign up limits quickly, there's travel planning, entry fees and other miscellaneous things to consider and they all have cost factors. I enjoy running mostly trail runs at different distances during the year to build up to the race that's my One Big Event of the Year.

  I have the Maui Marathon in September, then the Huntsville Texas Half Marathon in October. December will be a big month as I will run a 50 mile race at Brazos Bend State park in Needville, Texas. My husband and I are then going to run a 55 hour event ( run as many miles as you can in the time limit on a set course ) for the Snowdrop Foundation which will go through New Year's Eve into New Year's Day! So at midnight instead of popping the cork on a bottle of champagne we'll take a quick break from running, a toast with our water bottles, a huge hug then back to knocking down some more miles. A great way to start 2015 for an Amazing Cause! The Houston Marathon is in January and It will be my 11th in a row. Now for my Big Event! All of the training and these events all lead up to February 14th, the Destin Beach Ultra Runs, I'm running the 24 hour event. What makes this race so unique is that it's all run on the beautiful white sand beaches of the Emerald Coast of Florida. This is my 4th year in a row to participate, twice I've run the 50 mile distance and this will be my second time to run the 24hour race. Wish me luck! 

Today - 13 mile tempo run

Bucket List ✔️

I'm back into full training mode now for my fall running schedule. I am a stewardess with a major airline so I do a lot of my workouts/ training on my layovers. That gives me the opportunity to do the really long runs on the weekends with my husband. Recently my friend Diane did her homework and research to pitch a proposal for accomplishing something that has been on her bucket list for a very long time and has just now shared. She is also a marathon running stewardess. It seems the stars have aligned perfectly for this to happen. We are both working the same trip that has a 27 hour layover in Maui on the same day as the Maui Marathon. Coincidence? No, Diane put some serious work into planning this out and it couldn't be more perfect. We are getting paid and still going to be able to enjoy our passion for running. It didn't take a lot for her to convince me - Sign Me Up!!  Oh yeah, now we have to really bump up our training to run the warm and humid 26.2 miles in 3weeks. I told her it wasn't a problem, we just pull up our big girl panties and do it! Surprisingly enough the running is actually going to be easier than double red eyes we are flying right after we run the marathon. She promised we would keep each other awake on the all nighters, we'll be brewing some extra strong coffee and perhaps a Red Bull or two. It will be worth it for sure. I have run over 20 marathons but most of them have been in Texas so when I finish this one I will have run a marathon in 5 different states. A few left I guess for all of the 50 states. Maybe someday. 

  Today 9 miles of Fartleks (speed workout) 

Armadillos

 I had an Amazing day yesterday. Starting a blog has been a long time idea of mine. I've had so many co-workers and friends say they wish they could follow my crazy running, training, eating and race results.  Hope I don't disappoint. I Do The Best I Can and I Want to Inspire. 

 Yesterday was an early morning 12mile recovery run ( last 2miles in the pouring down rain) so refreshing I Love running in the rain. Running in the park by our house, especially early, we get to experience a lot of wildlife. You never know what your gonna see. Well we got a real treat. An actual Live Armadillo! He was off to the side of the trail rooting in the dirt for his morning breakfast. As my husband and I were running by I asked 'are armadillos aggressive'? He said 'I don't know'. So we just picked up our pace a little :) Didn't want to stick around to find out. Hope he got a good breakfast. 

 Today is Core Workout day. Along with laundry and grocery shopping. Happy Labor Day!!