Maui Marathon - Ready to go

Starts in less than 20 hours, 5AM tomorrow...
Targeted time : 3:50, for a 8:45min/mile pace, and a potential PR (my best is just below 4h).
But...
I promised myself to not force it (too much) and not hurt myself (too much) and keep extraordinary focus on my form (just have to do it).
Well, at least, there is a plan.

I realized it has been a while since my last marathon , Honolulu 2015. 3 years ! 

Time flies. Certainly injuries did not help, still.

What is weird now, is that I am running faster than before.

Like the good wine, get's better with age....

Now it is time to see if this training block was better ... I was up running 33 hours in September, between 5 and 8 hours a week.

I chosen to train on time this time, instead of mileage, as I focused mostly on trails, and pacing is definitively way slower. That should still cover some sort of 30-50 miles per week, which is pretty decent for a marathon training block, I believe.

The weather is not cooperating - although lack of sun will be very helpful in the last hour of the race, when usually it gets really hot and everyone overheat. With a bit of luck, we should get overcast and run in between the rainfall - the ideal scenario.

Heatlh and Purpose

Maui marathon is 2 weeks away and it is time to start the taper. Volume gonna go down, lots of swimming in perspective. 

I do have a plan - keep it easy - then it will be up to Race day to tell me if I will PR or not. Likely not, I am considering the LA marathon early next year to actually try a PR.

Hawaii is definitively too hot for this competitive spirit. 

Even if the marathon starts at 5:00 AM !

Training strong.

Another hit from Rich few weeks back, about how Irish twins are making a change and reach for happiness.

Unsurprisingly, key for happiness resolve around few core concepts, health, food, movement, community, mission...
I bring it down myself to a duality - Body and Mind, Health and Purpose.
Being healthy impose eating healthy, moving a lot and be close from nature.
Purpose give you a healthy mind. You need mindfulness to achieve this purpose, it give you focus  and the sense of belonging.

Of course, you cannot dissociate body and mind, and I believe you need both health and purpose to reach happiness. Purpose do not have to be this grandiloquent goal of saving the world. A small step in the right direction, could create momentum and the steps could be bigger and bigger.

I am glad with Imbellus I did a small step in the right direction. Some initiatives like 80000 hours give a good taste of what could happen.
Change will not come from politics - the democratic process is failing us. From Yuval or Nicolas Hulot, proof if around you, specially on Twitter.
Milleniums are the key.
Grassroots.
Bottom up.

Hopefully, this will come soon enough.

Running to transcend

Training looking good. Knee pain is mostly gone and under control over the longest runs.
The last one, 3 loops of the Makawao forest, add up to almost 4 hours. Which is awful close from the peak of the marathon training in one month.
Weekly hours add up to 7-8 hours a week, around 40-45 miles.
This is start to sound like serious running.

Trail, 

Last time I ran 3 laps of the forest trail, I was actually pretty slower - almost 30 minutes slower, really. And I still remember it being quite painful.
Add to that, I did a test run 5k, pretty intense. Less than 22 minutes, actually a PR.  this help to run the numbers through equivalence table and measure progress as well as anticipate pace for the marathon.
My aerobic pace went down to a 8:30min/mile, which should be my running marathon pace, i.e. 30s faster than last one and could bring a 25min cut in racing time.
Likely, I will keep it easier than that, I have other plans for this marathon, but that certainly means that will be more comfortable to be under 4 hours this time.
Anyway, the main point is : all the numbers looks pretty good so far.

Aid station,

The nice thing about the Makawao loops is to be able to stop by the car and make a pit-stop every 75 minutes. Coconut water, salt crackers and dried mango slices. I used to go for coconut water as electrolyte drink during the run, but it ends up to be too sugary for the long long runs. Plus, it is lacking sodium, and I blame it for post run headache - maybe electrolyte imbalance. Following Chris Hauth advice, eat solid and drink water  - avoid high sugary sport drinks or - coconut water.

And trees. Because why not.

I usually run without music or talk, but today I was feeling on catching up on some podcasts.

Has been a while there was not a good one on running crazies. Well, 3100 miles. Hard to beat. And suicidal running Japanese monks. Cannot wait this comes to Netflix.

http://www.richroll.com/podcast/sanjay-rawal-389/

A new comer in my list of podcasts, Micheal Gervais on finding mastery. Goggins is always a killer speaker.

https://findingmastery.net/david-goggins/

I can't get enough of the trail nation crew. Funny and spot-on, they make me dream of hundred milers. This one pretty cool, maybe a bit atypical.

http://trailrunnernation.com/2018/09/brad-kerns-get-over-yourself/

I don't go to Sam Harris every week, but when the subject catches my eye, I definitively make a stop. That one gave me an amazing dive into the world politics and pitfalls that are facing our civilization. Worrisome but enlightening.

https://samharris.org/podcasts/133-globalism-brink/

Back to Waiakoa trail

On the menu for this weekend long run, an all time favorite I did 3 years ago.
Pretty technical - across a Lava field - this is definitively a half-walk and half-run thing.
Took me around 3:20 for barely 12 miles.

Poli poli heights at 6:15AM. Worth the early rise.

Views over the other volcano of Maui. Rare to be that clear.

For most of the trail, the landscape is just amazing. 

Very technical part on the lava field. A nightmare to even walk on this thing.
Saw a huge wild pig running from me. Not sure who was more scared.

On the way down, the trail is a more gentle path, and trees provide shade. Nice.

Run was hard, but the cool temperature due to the altitude and the early rise made easier than last week. Lesson learned.
Get up early !

Getting Better

2 months since the last post ... Could do better.
But, on the running front, things did not get worst, then they certainly got better,
as I am steadily increasing the volume to a decent 30 miles/week.
More important, my last recurrent pain, inside of the right knee is kept in check.
Still there, but not aggravating.
Little less than 2 months before the Maui marathon, things are looking good.
Or, not that bad.

Poli Poli Green Tunnel

Poli Poli over the clouds. 2:50 run.

Piilani Highway Green and Blue

Piilani Highway - 18 miles run.

Dr Maffetone method, strict zone 2 policy seems to be working. My zone 2 pace went up from 11min-mile to 9min-mile and on some reference runs, like one loop Makawao Forest I could see a average heart rate down of 20 beats for the same time between 2018 and 2015.
Same speed, lower effort, after few months of training.
This is encouraging.

I defined some new goals for this marathon in October. Definitely not trying to make a PR, I do not set time expectations. I am shooting for perfect running form from start to finish, controlled heart rate - around threshold - aerobic, and no injury after the fact.
I see that one as a stepping stone for future adventures.

I am curious to know if I will be able to pace myself on D-Day.