run, run, run

Maui, HI 6:00 am
Pace: 8:29 Avg HR: 151
I took the same route south toward Makena with a little twist. I started out and finished on the beach path behind the resorts. It was nice and not as hilly as the road, but got a little crowded on the way back. I ran down to Big Beach. I found out why it is called Big Beach. It's a really big beach. I also went down a dirt road to Onelui Beach. The sign said it was a black sand beach. It was more of a charcoal gray beach. On the way back I heard some footsteps and voices behind me. I wasn't really in the mood to get passed, so I picked up my pace a bit. They eventually did pass me up, but I held them off for about a half mile or more. It was a couple of those tall, skinny guys who can outrun me any time they want. Now, off to the beach.

iPod song of the day: "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" -- John Prine

Maui, HI 6:30 am
Pace: 8:52 Avg HR: 142
I almost didn't go out running this morning. The alarm went off and I just felt tired. So I decided to stay in. But then I laied there thinking about how there's supposed to be a tropical storm rolling in tonight and there could be torrential rain tomorrow morning. So I went ahead and rolled out of bed and did a slow six. My legs were kind of heavy and it was kind of hot out. But, I was running on Maui, so I can't complain, can I?

iPod song of the day: "Island Style" -- John Cruz

Maui, HI 6:15 am
Pace: 8:58 Avg HR: 142
What was left of Hurricane Felicia hit this morning so it was raining when I left the hotel. Soon it went from raining to pouring. Water everywhere. I had to cross a few puddles on the path behind the hotel. Later I was going to head down a side street but it was flooded and I couldn't get through. When I was almost to the turn around point I went down to a beach who's name escapes me now. It was a decent beach, but the rain kind of overwhelmed everything.

Maui, HI 6:00 am

Pace: 8:59 Avg HR: 146

For my last run on Maui, I wanted to do something different, so I got up a little earlier and drove down past Big Beach to the point where I turned around on the first day. Not far from there is the place where the map says your car rental agreement is void if you go past it. I thought it was going to be a dirt road but it was paved the whole way, just really narrow. It goes down to the south end of the island through a nature reserve. The road cuts through lava flows that, in some places feel like you are running on Mars (I've never run on Mars, but I can imagine). The views were awesome too, watching the sun come up over Haleakala. I had to work my way around a few puddles left over from Wednesday's rain, but none were very big until I got to La Perouse Bay. There was really no way around the water that stretched across the road because there was a cactus-looking plant on either side. It didn't have sharp thorns, but kind of slapped you like fish. I ended up wading through part of it and then kept running into the parking lot of the bay. That's where the road ended. But I saw a trail, so I took it. The trail went through another lava flow and then went along the beach.

The beach trail was mostly hardpacked sand and rocks through trees and jumping over washouts. But then it started to stink like a dead animal and there was a lot of poo everywhere. Then I looked down and saw a footprint and thought "hmmm, that looks like a pig's foot." As that thought is just starting to register I see three wild boars about 30 - 50 yards away. So, I peed a little, turned around and did some speedwork. There, I've admitted it. I'm afraid of wild pigs. I actually think they were running away from me, but I wasn't taking any chances.

When I got back to La Perouse Bay I continued on to that big puddle. I was still a little shaken up from the pig encounter and in no mood to go wading again, so I waited a minute or two until a hippie van showed up. The hippie guy and his hippie girlfriend had spent the night at the Bay in their hippie van. So I hitched a ride across the puddle with the hippies. Thank heaven for nice hippies.

The rest of the run back was pretty uneventful. A lot like the first half, but in the opposite direction. I had planned on doing a ten-miler this morning, but by the time I got back to the car I decided that six was enough.

Boise, ID 2:00 pm

Pace: 8:47 Avg HR: 151

Back in Boise. Jet lag sucks. After being up  from Thursday morning to Friday night I got 12 hours of sleep last night and woke up still feeling tired. At 2pm I knew I had to get out and run or it wasn't going to happen. So I took off and slogged through it, feeling pretty crappy the whole way. But I rest tomorrow and hopefully will be ready to get at it again on Monday morning.

The weather was nice and cool, around 70 with a nice breeze and I took a nice detour through the wetland area off Maple Grove at McMillian. It would have been a great run if I wasn't so tired.

 iPod song of the day: "Home Sweet Home" -- Motley Crue