To the top ...

... of Diamond Head, that is one of the runs I wanted to do since I got into this running thing. Oh yeah, it's also because I am blessed with a job that sends me to Oahu a couple of times a year. Any ways, I plotted it out last April when I was last on the island. From the hotel, a round trip would be about 7 miles and depending on which way I wanted to go, one of the legs was going to be a bit longer than the other since the entrance to Diamond Head was on the northern side. It seemed to make sense to go the longer route on the first leg since I will be fresher. In April I wasn't ready to undergo this run since I knew that I would need probably a Camelbak or something similar to stay properly hydrated. As much as I love the weather in Ventura and SoCal as it is very conducive for me to run longer distances, it doesn't help me run in a warm and muggy climate that is Hawaii. So wait for my next trip was the new plan.

Here we are in September and my next trip to Oahu. I was prepared this time with a good hydration backpack - it's a Costco model but it works and holds ample amount of water. I had just run a half two weeks ago so I am used to running a long distance. I took off from the hotel a little after 9, maybe later than I should have, but it wasn't too bad temp-wise. An added bonus was a good tradewind to cool me off on the first leg. I decided to go on the southern route, the longer, for the first leg. After a couple of miles of basically flat run it started to climb gradually. Had to take a couple of walk breaks on the way there but overall felt good about my run. Even was keeping a good pace when I was running. Maybe if I slowed down a bit I would have been able to run all the way. 4.5 miles after I started I got to the entrance from the main road to Diamond Head.

I took a good break, fueled up and decided that I would go up to the top of DH. I walked the first part as it was fairly steep and also went through a tunnel - didn't want to get run over by the cars going in and out. Walked most of the way to the top, sometimes slow as I waited for others and when it cleared picked up the pace. The round trip took me a little more than an hour and was well worth the added exercise. When I got back to the entance to DH I stopped again but not as long as the first time. Also didn't feel the need to fuel up as the second leg was downhill. Off I went back to the hotel and as luck would have it, DH was blocking whatever tradewinds there was and it got warmer and harder to run. I stopped running many times and took walk breaks but I continued on. The next 3 miles was done at a 12 minute pace but I got back to the hotel. Another run objective met, but I am sure that I would love to try this again the next time I am back on Oahu.