Great Aloha Run!

I am always amazed when I go to update my blog and start looking back on our recent days.  It's been less than a week since my post but so much has gone on it seems like eternity!  Much of it the usual - sprinkled with some fun in between.

Lake Erie had their Christmas party on Friday night.  Yes, Christmas.  Does that tell you anything about scheduling on a ship?  I must say it was fantastic - great entertainment, great food, great music and even some dancing for us old folks (we had to show them how it's done after all!)

Hula performance during dinner



Who says you can't find a little beauty while taking out the trash at 5:30 am?

The Great Aloha Run was held on Presidents Day.  This annual run is 8.12 miles and goes from the Aloha tower in Waikiki to the Aloha Stadium by my house.  They shut down the Kamehameha Highway and bus people from the stadium to the tower at 5:00 am.  After doing boot camp for almost a year now (which doesn't including running I have to add) I felt like I should be able to do this...at least partially.  David was all for it so I signed us up before I could change my mind.   

The military "team" starts the race.  There was a long line of them (imagine running 8.12 miles in cadence?) and we hit the start line about 7:15. 

Although I have never run more than about 3.5 miles before (10 years ago) I was hopeful that I could run/walk it in about 2 hours.  At the 4 mile point when I slowed for water I fast realized stopping meant never starting again so I just kept running - yes it's very Forest Gumpish.  I reached the stadium (with some very rubbery legs) with an official time of 1:25.  According to the stats I was # 4,191 out of 27,000 and I came in 144th of the 1,240 in my age group! 

David finished in 1:09 which was 1,208 out of the 27,000 runners and 75th of the 911 in his age group. 

Any way you slice it we rocked!  It was really fun and I am still so sore it hurts to breathe :)  I gave myself a meritorious day off from boot camp today. 

David is now out to sea - the kids are sick and the AC is broken.  Now that kind of stuff you can count on!