Got to Kaanapali, forgot how gorgeous it here over here.  A few notes...

• Drove most of the course on the way in from the airport. It's a little rolling, won't be easy, but no steep sustained climbs as I worried there might be.  Now my biggest worry is probably the heat.
• Checked into the ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores and forgot I had reserved a one-bedroom suite.  It's HUGE.  Full kitchen, a living room that's bigger than the one I have at home.  Nice balcony, ocean view, lovely bedroom, laundry in the room.
• Had dinner at Giovanni's tonight.  Wasn't sure they'd accommodate a walk-in on a Friday night...I needn't have worried.  Plenty of empty seats.  The prices there are a little Kaanapali but the food is good and the service is excellent.  Worth the slight premium.  I had a very tasty capellini pomodoro.
• Going to bed shortly - going to get up early and get the body clock ready for Sunday.

-B-

A few notes on Maui...

• It's a little disconcerting that the course elevation chart from the Marathon folks and the one posted at USATF don't match up.  Most disconcertingly is that the one at the Marathon site shows a very slight and gradual hill from mile 1 thru 4, while the USATF version shows a much more dramatic hill, in fact according to USATF's site the mile 4 hill is the high spot on the course!  It also shows the hills in miles 10-12 as being much more dramatic and steep (up and down).  This is causing a little consternation in my race plan, but I think based upon my knowledge of the island and looking at the two maps that I'm going to trust the race organizers' map over USATF.  I think USATF's chart is generated by a script somehow and I don't think it's reliable.  Plus I doubt that the sugar cane fields are really higher than the Pali (cliffs). 
  
  But I'll get to drive the course at least once, from the airport to my hotel on Friday, so I'll pay attention to how the elevation changes appear.
• This race looks like two very different runs linked together.  The first 12 miles (and especially the first 10) look reasonably hilly and rough.  The last 14 or so look flat and fast.  Plus the first 8 are inland while the last 18 are along the coast.  In getting my race plan together I'm getting the sense that how I feel at mile 10 is going to be pretty key.  If I can get thru those first hilly miles and feel good then I have a real shot at a good time because the last 16 miles are downhill or flat.
• The previous races results haven't been super fast, but that could just be because it doesn't look like the top pros (i.e. the Africans) come out to run it.
• I am a little concerned about the temperature.  I appreciate the 5:30AM start, but am very aware that the temperature range is expected to be 70-85.
• I guess I'm about as ready as I can be.  I'm trying to adjust my sleep pattern a bit by getting up earlier (to prepare for my 2:15AM wakeup call on Sunday).  I've been carbo-loading and hydrating.  I've started to gather my gear.  I've studied the course map.  Coming off a big win at Disney I feel pretty strong and I think my training is good - though I haven't run further than 14-15 miles in a while.

My Goals

Since people keep asking...

• I'll be very happy to be under 5:30.
• I'll be THRILLED to be under 5:25 (PR).
• I'll be satisfied with under 6:00 (since I've never done this course before and don't know for sure what to expect)
• I'll be disappointed with more than 6:00.

-B-

I always tell my athletes in running group about the rules - we add one each week - and I figured I might as well document them here.  In case they need to look them up. :)  Here are the first 5 rules...the whole set will be published here: http://www.factplace.com/runrules.htm

Rule #1:  No Falling!  It's amazing how often runners fall down.  Trip on tree roots, uneven sidewalks, slip on wet pavement or just, mysteriously, tumble.  Falling is bad for runners.  No falling.  Eyes open, eyes forward, watch for hazards, warn your fellow runners if you see one.  Watch out for fire hydrants and telephone poles and other such.

Rule #2: No Get Smooshed!  (That means don't get hit by a car.)  We run in an urban area, we often run on the streets.  Be aware of cars, warn your fellow runners of oncoming cars.  If you're running in the street, run FACING traffic.  Left side of the street here in the USA, so you can see the oncoming cars and sidestep them if necessary.

Rule #3: Don't cross in front of the crossing guard!  This is a follow-up to rule #2.  If you have a group leader, like me, your group leader may step out into the road to stop traffic for you as you run.  Don't run between the crossing guard and the oncoming cars!  The point of the crossing guard is so the cars see him and stop; also the crossing guard needs to be able to SEE the oncoming cars.  If you're getting in the way....  And in a worst case scenario the crossing guard is there to be a buffer between you and the cars.  Go BEHIND.

Rule #4: Never do anything for the first time on race day.  This one is so important it should probably be rule #1.  No new shoes, no new sunscreen, no new foods, no new clothes...if you haven't tried it on a training run then you shouldn't do it on race day.  If you always train wearing a hat, then you should race wearing that hat.  If you never eat breakfast before a training run then you should NOT eat breakfast on race day.  You do NOT want to find out at Mile 17 that Tangerine flavored PowerGel makes you nauseous.  Try it in training first...then you can race with confidence.

Find out what kind of sports drink your race is offering at the aid stations:  Gatorade?  PowerAde? Amino Vital?  You can usually find out at least a few weeks ahead of time.  Find out not just the brand but the flavor.  Get some and try it during a training run; make sure your body is o.k. with it.  Then you know if it's o.k. to take some during the race.  After a while you'll know how your body reacts to a wide variety of race nutrition.

Rule #5: Know your place.  If you get a mile into the race and the people running next to you are Kenyans...you might have gone out too fast.  On the other hand, if the people next to you are using walkers...you might have gone out too slow.  Be aware of your pace and be aware of the people around you - are you pacing correctly for that part of the race and for how you feel that day? 

More to come....

-B-

What's my new desktop wallpaper?

The Maui Marathon Course Map!

Notice the elevation chart at the bottom?  I thought it might be a much hillier course so you can imagine my relief to see that from mile 12 on it's basically down or flat.

Race day is September 14th and I've already made my hotel reservation.

-B-

When last we left our hero....he was rambling on endlessly about the Disneyland Half Marathon.  However, despite his lengthy post he (and by "he" I mean "I") managed to leave out a few points.  They are now presented for your consideration...

• Thanks to Mom & Dad for their usual outstanding hospitality.  They're the best reason for me to come to L.A.
• Recollection from the race: A beefy shirtless guy loudly self-talking around Mile 3 and stopping to shake hands with the occasionally frightened looking little kids in the crowd.  We all self-talk, I think, to get us thru a tough run.  A little unusual to do it at full volume and only 3 miles into a half-marathon I think, but hey, whatever gets you thru.
• Thanks to the great spectators along the course.  There were more cheerleaders (from various area high schools) than I remember from last year.  Also there were cheerleaders that were wearing uniforms from the Mighty Ducks and Angels, though they looked awfully young.  If not for the uniforms I might have thought them to be high school girls.
• This year Disney's course map was much better.  Closer to scale and with a reasonably accurate representation of where the water stops would be.

O.K., time for breakfast then off to LAX. 

P.S. Happy Birthday to my Dad!

-B-