Eco-Trail de Paris 50k - Lisa's race report

Lisa and her friend, Carol, flew to France to run a 50k trail race. The Eco-Trail de Paris 50k goes from Versailles to Paris and finishes at the base of the Eiffel Tower. How cool is that?

A few days before the race, Lisa emailed me a picture of her breakfast. I was drooling...

Petit dejeuner

Here's Lisa's race recap:

We finished! It was a mud fest and felt like 14 Hogsbacks in a row. Harder than the Volcano Marathon. I was doing good up to 40k @ 4:31, but then shuffled to the Eiffel Tower. Finished in 5:54. Carol was 5:36. Oh, we first had to walk a mile to catch the train to Versailles then walk 4k around Versailles Gardens to the race start line. So it was like a 55k! Lucky the rain stopped just as race started. It was a downpour for 15 hours before. The mud was crazy!

1 min. to START

at 10k - trudging up through the mud

Aid stations had chocolate! We are now having champagne and chocolate macarons.

Mmm, and fromage too

See attached Garmin data. You can see where the Garmin lost mileage in spikes of speed and I also recall looking at my Garmin 4-5 times and seeing it searching for satellites, lost signal.

4,500 feet of elevation gain (this is in garminconnect.com)....and when I downloaded to the Garmin Training software, it posted 7,000+ feet of elevation gain. It felt like 10,000!. Who knew if was going to be 20 times 200-foot hill gains. It was a Hogsback repeat race after all!

Race Required Gear:
- 2 liters water minimum (Nathan HPL Hydration 008 race vest with a 45+ oz Camelback bladder with electrolytes plus a Nathan 9 oz handheld bottle).
- Personal cup 15cl minimum
- Food supply (for me: 6 Tri-berry Gus, a few pretzel sticks, 1 pkg Clif Shots, 1 scoop Spiz)
- Rain Jacket
- Tights (CW-X)
- Trash keeper (race-provided mesh holder for your sports gu trash).
- Cell phone
- Reflective arm band
- Whistle
- Survival blanket!!!?
- Adhesive elastic band enabling you to make a bandage or strap (mini 80cm x 3 cm)
- Cap or bonnet (“buff”)
- Proof of identity (Road ID)
- Medical certificate (“fit for competitive running”)

Other personal gear:
- Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra trail shoes
- Long-Sleeve jersey
- SmartWool socks
- Electrolyte tab and Advil
- Map of race course
- 10 euros

My gear + water stuffed into the Nathan vest weighed 6 lbs! But very comfortable the entire race.

Links:
- More of Lisa's Paris pictures
- Eco-Trail de Paris site
- Blog post from 80k 4th place finisher, Ian Sharman

All photos by Lisa Reinke.

Top of Tantalus: 4/10/2010

Top of Tantalus: Second race in the 2010 HURT Trail Series. The course was nice and muddy. And Na Ala Hele did a great job of clearing the trees that had blown down recently.

The race starts with a sprint from the Lookout to the trailhead. Then, while you wait in the pile-up that occurs at the narrow opening to the trail, you can catch your breath before it's your turn to head down the steep hill. After running through 7 miles of hills, rocks, roots, and mud, you get to run up the same steep hill that you started down. I think I was crawling by the time I finally, finally reached the top.

Jack

Julie

Jan

http://connect.garmin.com/player/29642678
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 4/10/10
Start: Puu Ualakaa State Park
Trails: Ualakaa - Makiki Valley - Nahuina - Kalawahine - Manoa Cliff - Moleka - Makiki Valley - Ualakaa
1:26 / 6.6 miles / 12:58 avg

More stuff on the HURT Hawaii site:
- Race Results and Rob's pics
- Mike's pics

Race photos by Rob Lahoe.

Ford Island Bridge 10k: 4/3/2010

Saturday was the Ford Island Bridge 10k race. This is one of Brad's and my favorite races - and one of the few road races that I do. We've run it every year since 2004, except for 2006. There's something cool about running across the bridge and around the old airfield.

This year's race was pretty fun. Brad and I ran it together, but he could've had a faster time. Afterwards, we saw Jan, Andy, and Johnny. And had free popsicles from Meadow Gold. Then we went to Liliha Bakery for breakfast. Pancakes. Yum.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/29017277
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 4/3/10
Ford Island Bridge 10k
53:00 / 6.2 miles / 8:34 avg

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On Thursday, Lisa, Jack, Alec, and I ran up on Tantalus. Throughout the run, we were amazed by the number of large trees that had been knocked down by the recent winds. It was like a tornado went through. Or a bulldozer.

Lisa brought chocolates from Paris to share. There were these homemade chocolate-covered marshmellows - they were super-light. And from Germany, some dark chocolate with mint - super-smooth. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/29016960
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 4/1/10
Start: Parking #2
Trails: Kalawahine - Manoa Cliff - Pauoa Flats - Kalawahine
0:50 / 3.1 miles / 16:19 avg

Peacock

This weekend Jan and I headed up to Peacock. We can't get enough of the place. Rex joined us. Mike too. And we ran into Cheryl and Benita while they were up there.

Rex brought up the topic of the word "dude." And on the way down the switchbacks at Kealia, we got into a discussion about how "dude" can mean so many things.

Like "Happy surprise" dude:
Dude #1: "I brought you a case of beer."
Dude #2: "DUDE!"

Or "I know you're lying" dude:
Dude #1: "Did you drink the last beer?"
Dude #2: "No."
Dude #1: "Duuuuude..."

The route of our run is below. Fun times, dude.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/28507635
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 3/27/10
Start: Dillingham Airfield
Trails: Kealia - Access Road West - Kuaokala - Crossover out & back - Kealia
5:20 / 20.2 miles / 15:50 avg

Moanalua 6-mile: 3/20/2010

Saturday was the first race in the 2010 HURT Trail Series. The Moanalua 6-mile is a new race and was added to the series this year. It is also a fundraiser for the HPU Cross Country team.

The trail goes into the back of the Moanalua Valley and climbs gradually until the turnaround. Brad and I ran the race together. He wanted to track his heart rate during the race, but I like knowing how far we've run. Since we were running together, he wore the heart rate monitor and I wore the Garmin watch.

See the HURT site for the race write-up, including results and pics.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/27887137
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 3/20/10
Start: Moanalua Valley
Trails: Moanalua Valley (out & back)
1:00 / 6.1 miles / 9:52 avg

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On Thursday, Jan, Euvy, and I ran the Moanalua Valley trail, so we could get a preview before the race. The trail was muddy and a lot of the stream crossings were pretty wet. On the way out, we tried to step our way across the stream crossings. But on the way back, we pretty much just steeplechase-jumped our way across. On race day, we lucked out and it was a lot drier.

The preview must've helped Jan. She had a great race on Saturday!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/27426157
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 3/18/10
Start: Moanalua Valley
Trails: Moanalua Valley (out & back)
1:33 / 7.2 miles / 12:55 avg

Hogsback Loops, Reverse Gordon's Loop, and State Park

This was the week for loops. First, Alec, Jan, and I did some Hogsback Loops. Alec and I ran together. Jan got there a little late, but burned through the first loop in 36:39!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/27034724
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 3/11/10
Start: Nature Center
Trails: Hogsback (Maunalaha) - Makiki Valley - Center (Kanealole). 2x.
1:33 / 4.7 miles / 19:45 avg

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On Saturday, it was time for more Peacock. Jan, Johnny, and I had a great time. We decided to run Gordon's Loop in reverse. It's funny how when you run a familiar route backwards, it's practically like a brand-new trail.

Also, there'd been some recent talk on the HURT blog about "vicious" girls, who "give no quarter." But Johnny will tell you that when we found a quarter during the run, we let him have it. See, we're not that vicious. Really.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/27034928
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 3/13/10
Start: Dillingham Airfield
Trails: Kealia - Kuaokala - Access Road West - Kealia
3:43 / 12.6 miles / 17:37 avg

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Then on Sunday, Brad and Jonathan started at the State Park and did a Hogsback Loop. Brad said it was a good day on the trails. It was Jonathan's first time on the trails, so hopefully he'll be back for more.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/27048207
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sun, 3/14/10
Start: State Park
Trails: Ualakaa - Makiki Valley - Center (Kanealole) - Hogsback (Maunalaha) - Ualakaa
1:12 / 3.5 miles / 20:23 avg

Kalawahine and Peacock Flats

This week, Alec came out to run. Alec is a cancer survivor and it was great to see him out on the trails again!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/26605949
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 3/4/10
Start: Parking #2
Trails: Kalawahine - Manoa Cliff - Puu Ohia - Tantalus Road - Parking #2 - Concrete Road (up & back)
1:08 / 3.9 miles / 17:43 avg

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Then on Saturday, Jan and I went to run up at Peacock Flats. I'd been dying to get out there - especially since I didn't make there last week. The views were amazing! As you can see from the map, you are surrounded by views of the ocean. Peacock is definitely one of my favorite places to run on the island.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/26606120
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 3/6/10
Start: Dillingham Airfield
Trails: Kealia - Access Road West - Kuaokala - Crossover out & back - Access Road West - Kealia
4:38 / 15.5 miles / 17:59 avg

Tsunami Warning, Then Some Trails to the State Park

On Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 6am, we were awakened by civil defense sirens, followed by an announcement over the building intercom that this was not a drill. Then at 6:15am, my parents called from California to make sure we were awake. Actually, I had known about the impending tsunami since the night before, since I'd been up watching the Olympics.

The tsunami was expected to arrive in Honolulu at 11:37am. Check out this cool map that shows the earthquake in Chile and predicts how the potential tsunami would radiate outward.

Map from NOAA

Brad and I topped off the gas tank in my car and then went to Safeway to stock up. Combining our existing emergency supplies with our newly-purchased food, we felt pretty prepared and sat on the lanai to watch and wait.

First, we saw all the boats leaving the harbor. Pretty cool - I've never seen so many boats out on the water.

From 11:30am to 1:30pm, we saw about 4 'waves.' The water would go out and expose a large part of the reef at Ala Moana Beach Park. Then the water would come back in and cover the reef. Then the cycle would start again. Usually when the water going out and coming in is due to the tide, it takes a long time to expose/cover the reef. But from the tsunami, it happened much faster - in a few minutes. And there was only 20 minutes between the water going out and the water coming back in.

This time-lapse video from KHON shows the water at Ala Moana coming in and going back out (CNN mislabeled it as Hilo).



Luckily, there wasn't much impact of the tsunami in Hawaii (or elsewhere). And after the tsunami warning was cancelled, I went on with my plans to run up at Peacock Flats. However, my car had other ideas and freaked out on the freeway, so I had to turn around and go home. Later Brad drove us up to Tantalus, and we went for a run to the State Park. The lookout was still full of people, who had gone up there for a high vantage point for the tsunami.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/26102539
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 2/27/10
Start: Nature Center
Trails: Hogsback - Ualakaa (to State Park & back) - Makiki Valley (to Moleka & back) - Makiki Valley - Kanealole
1:12 / 4.3 miles / 16:42 avg

Pali Lookout (Maunawili trail)

On Saturday, Lisa, Jan, and I decided to meet at the Pali Lookout for a run on the Maunawili trail. Jack came along too and brought a surprise guest: Kristin, who was visiting from Boulder. Newcomer Robert joined too. The weather was pretty good - no rain and not too hot. The trails were a little muddy and slippery, due to the rain the night before.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/25484760
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 2/20/10
Start: Pali Lookout
Trails: Maunawili (out & back)
3:19 / 12.1 miles / 16:26 avg

More Concrete Road, Valentine's Biathlon, Great Aloha Run

Here are last week's routes.

First, Annie, Lisa, and I met at Parking #2 for more Concrete Telephone Road. Then a little out-and-back on the trails.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/24913382
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 2/11/10
Start: Parking #2
Trails: Concrete Road - Puu Ohia - Tantalus Road - Kalawahine & back
1:13 / 4.5 miles / 16:26 avg

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Then Sunday was the Valentine's Biathlon. Brad and I did the relay - I ran, he swam. And since it's for Valentine's Day, the 'hand-off' is a kiss.

In the Married category, we were 9th overall. But 7th in our age group. Sheesh, tough age division. In any case, the races put on by the Waikiki Swim Club are always fun.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/24913735
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sun, 2/14/10
Start: Magic Island
Run: 23:23 / 3.1 miles / 7:34 per mile
Swim: 18:59 / 1000 meters / 1:54 per 100 meters
Total: 42:22 (7th of 21 teams)

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Finally, on Monday I walked the Great Aloha Run with my friends. Last year, Darrin and Neil decided to try it for the first time. This year, they were back for more. And they even got Chad and Kendall to join us too. If you've only run GAR, it's actually a LOT of work to walk it. Luckily the weather wasn't too hot and we talked story the whole way.

Kendall, Darrin, me, Chad, Neil before the start.

After the finish. Great job guys!!!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/24914915
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Mon, 2/15/10
Start: Aloha Tower
Finish: Aloha Stadium
2:30 / 8.2 miles / 18:12 avg

Big Island: Snow, Lava, and Sand (4/09)

In April 2009, my parents came to Hawaii for a visit. We made a trip to the Big Island. And I took my Garmin along.

We went up to the summit of Mauna Kea, which was amazing. The tour company, Mauna Kea Summit Adventures, picked us up in Kona and drove us up to the Vistors Center, where they gave us parkas, gloves, and a warm dinner. Then it was up to the top to watch the sunset among the snow and observatories.

Finally we went down the mountain slightly (to warmer temperatures thankfully) for stargazing and hot drinks. The guides pointed out the visible constellations and looking through the telescopes was super cool. They showed us Saturn - you could actually see its rings!

For fun, I tracked our route to the top of Mauna Kea with my GPS watch. If you zoom in, you can see the observatories at the summit.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/3845780
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 4/11/09
Start: Lanihau Center, Kailua-Kona
Roads: Queen Kaahumanu Hwy - Waikoloa Rd - Hawaii Belt Rd - Saddle Rd - Mauna Kea Access Rd
2:30 / 76.4 miles / 15,600' elevation gain / 31 mph

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We also drove out past Kalapana, where the lava was flowing into the ocean. We took flashlights and binoculars and followed the path in the dark. From the viewing area, you could see a faint red glow. And once in a while you could even see lava shooting into the air as it hit the water.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/3880015
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Mon, 4/13/09
Start: End of Hwy 130
Trails: Changes daily
0:18 / 0.5 miles (one-way)

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And of course, Brad and I had to find a trail to run on. From Wawaloli Beach Park, there is a trail along the coast. The trail goes north to an old lighthouse (demolished shortly after we were there) and extends south of the beach park to a surf spot (Pine Trees). The trail consists of sections of sand, dirt road, and some lava.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/3845695
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 4/11/09
Start: Wawaloli Beach Park
Trails: North to lighthouse & back - south to Pine Trees & back
1:21 / 6.8 miles / 11:57 avg

Puu Ohia and Kaena Point

On Thursday, Jan and I ran up to Puu Ohia trail. Then to make our run a little longer, we added a loop up the Concrete Telephone Road.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/24223885
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 2/4/10
Start: Parking #3
Trails: Parking #3-Parking #2-Kalawahine-Manoa Cliff-Puu Ohia-Parking #3-Parking #2-Concrete Telephone Road-Puu Ohia-Parking #3
1:13 / 4.4 miles / 16:43 avg

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On Sunday, Lisa, Jan, Tai, Annie, Andy, Arvel, and I went for a run at Kaena Point. Most people started from Dillingham Airfield. But I started at the beginning of the dirt road. There were whales offshore, 2 monk seals on the beach/rocks, and nesting albatross.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/24224002
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sun, 2/7/2010
Start: Kaena Point (North Shore)
Trails: Kaena Point
2:29 / 10.9 miles / 13:39 avg

Annie, Jan, Andy, Tai, me.

How Accurate is the Garmin Forerunner 405?

I'm going to start including some routes from 2009.

Shortly after I got my Garmin Forerunner 405, I went to a nearby track for a run and to break in my new soccer cleats. I wore my new GPS watch, because I thought a run around a track would be a good test of how accurate the routes appear.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/1734500

1. On the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box. Zoom In.
2. Press the "Play" button

You can see that I:
- Ran 1.5 laps around the outside of the track.
Stopped at the bleachers to change from my running shoes to soccer cleats.
- Ran 2.5 laps around the grass football field, which is inside the track.
- Had to detour around the shotput cage at the NW corner of the football field.
- Started getting blisters from the cleats and walked across the football field back to the bleachers.
- Put my running shoes back on.
- Ran 0.5 lap back to the gate.
- Started walking home, while trying to figure out how to turn off the watch.

For another somewhat silly perspective on Forerunner accuracy, check out this Garmin blog post, which answers the question: When using a Garmin on a cruise ship does it measure the ship's movement or your movement if you run laps on deck?

Reverse Trek Loop (sorta) and Jan/Ultrarunning Article

On Saturday, Jan, Lisa, and I met for a run. Even though it rained all night, the Tantalus trails were still in great condition. Wet, but not muddy. I'm lucky to have good running friends, because I definitely would've bailed on this rainy morning if it wasn't for them.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23829725
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 1/30/10
Start: Nature Center
Trails: Hogsback-Makiki Valley-Kanealole. Hogsback-Makiki Valley-Nahuina-Kalawahine-Manoa Cliff-Moleka-Makiki Valley-Kanealole.
3:04 / 10.2 miles / 17:59 avg

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Jan's company's newsletter featured an article about her and ultrarunning. Very cool article and pictures!

Check it out on the HURT Hawaii website.

Rancho San Antonio - Los Altos, CA

Over Christmas, Brad and I went to San Jose, CA to visit my family. We lucked out with the weather and got in a couple of trail runs while we were there.

The trails at Rancho San Antonio are mostly wide, dirt, fire roads - different from the muddy, single-track trails in Hawaii. In the map, you can see how much drier the terrain looks, compared to the usual green of the Hawaii map views.

The day after Christmas, Aaron joined us for a little while - and brought his new daughter so we could meet her for the first time.

Wait a sec, this isn't mom!

This isn't either?!

Whew! At least dad is here!

Brad and me at the top of Rogue Valley trail, with the south end of the SF Bay in the background.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23321846
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 12/26/09
Start: Rancho San Antonio Main Parking
Trails: Permanente Creek to Deer Hollow Farm - Rogue Valley - Wildcat Loop - back
1:27 / 6.5 miles / 13:20 avg

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On Tuesday, Brad and I ran the Powerline (PG&E) trail. I'd never been on it before. Fun hill.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23321878
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Tue, 12/29/09
Start: Rancho San Antonio Equestrian Parking
Trails: Coyote - PG & E - Upper High Meadow - High Meadow - Coyote
1:39 / 7.9 miles / 12:37 avg

Nature Center & Peacock

On Thursday, Lisa and I went for a morning run.

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23367111
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Thu, 1/21/10
Start: Nature Center
Trails: Hogsback - Ualakaa (out & back) - Makiki Valley - Kanealole
0:58 / 3.1 miles / 18:29 avg

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Then Saturday, Jan, Andy, and I met for a run up at Peacock. Cheryl was there too.

Jan, Cheryl, Andy

Me, Jan on Crossover Road

Andy and Jan heading back down

Click the map or link below to go to the Garmin Connect site.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/23367262
1. On the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Hybrid" box
2. Press the "Play" button

Sat, 1/23/10
Start: Bottom of Long Road
Trails: Long Road - Crossover - Access Road (partial) - back
4:05 / 16.9 miles / 14:27 avg