I'm back… it was an awesome weekend break from every day life. 5
days of running, reading, playing in the water (no real swimming),
sleeping, and just doing whatever we wanted.
Friday started
off great — I love 4am Runs with Bums(TM). Down Venice
beach and part of the Marina Del Rey bike path with some friendly
support from local bench residents and police. It was a bit dark, but
Mike walked while I ran so that I wasn't out there all
alone. And I had a great energizing run. Perfect start to a vacation.
Then I met Jeff at the airport and we flew off to Hawaii…
One of the first things we did Friday once checked into the hotel was to climb into the water. It was clear and a gorgeous turquoises and teals and blues and greens. A bit rocky though, as it turned out most of the shoreline by Waikiki was.
Saturday morning I ran… a nice 11 miles around a crater and down some
areas near the beach. I was amazed at the number of people out running,
walking, and just enjoying the outdoors at 6:30 in the morning. Irvine
has fewer people out then by far, and since most people are there on
vacation it sorta surprised me. I guess you have to run then because it
gets so warm/humid. There was also a charity walk going on, but they were really only obstacles for one part of the run.
That afternoon Jeff and I drove around the island — well, part of it.
We sorta ran out of time for going much farther since the wedding was
that night. Which was ok with me. I liked seeing the other parts of the
island, but touring by car has never been my favorite thing. Car rides
just tend to make me sleepy, and with only a few days in a place I'd
really rather stay more in one area and do more.
Sunday morning's run felt pretty good… lots of running on sand, and then on the bike path along the beach for about 5 miles.
Monday was beautiful and spent at Hanuma Bay — a wonderful snorkeling
spot. Tod and Lindsey (Jeff's roommates, also there for the wedding) saw sea turtles, but Jeff and I saw huge fish
(like a few feet in length) that just swam right by us. And then we
relaxed on that beach most of the day. I think that might have been my
favorite outing of the trip.
Tuesday morning I ran again around the crater I had gone around on
Saturday, but this time I went inside and climbed to the top. Made it
into a bit of a hike and run combo as parts of the trail were steep and
there were a number of flights of stairs for getting to the very top.
But the view was worth it! I could see forever — in the crater, over
the ocean and beaches… it was breathtaking (or maybe it was the
running that did that… hmmm).
But my visit was over, so I
had to run down and back to the hotel and then after one last walk
along the beach with Jeff it was time to go to the airport and come
home.
Overall, a fun, relaxing trip. Learned a number of things about me, and
about Jeff, and just about life. I should travel with people who like running/biking type stuff, as the runs were some of my favorite bits and it would have been nice to have someone to share them with. It was a nice break from work and day
to day life. I enjoyed the trip, and I'm definitely glad I went.
Oh, and a cute comic for today… dinosaurs and swimming naked