Attack of the Lobsters

Ah....vacation time!  It's been 10 months since I took a vacation day that wasn't for the purpose of supporting, watching, volunteering, or training for an IM.  Nick and I really enjoy international travelling, but due to training and all the other time we have to take off this year for training or for our IM events, we decided to stay domestic this year and go to Hawaii (although because HI is only 14% white, I sometimes feel like I'm in a foreign country since a few times I have been the only white girl in the whole restaurant). :)

And, since a lot of the tourists are from the mainland, and are white, they come to Hawaii and turn in to lobsters.  I don't know what it is about sunburns, but when I see hundreds of people walking around with sunburns, it just makes me sad.  I guess I just equate it with negligence.  The sun is a beautiful and necessary, but dangerous, element in our lives and I wonder how people could think they are vulnerable to it.  

Anyway, while I can't get on a bike this week, and I'm still on a break from running while I strengthen and elongate my plantar fascia and ankle muscles, you can't get better swim workouts in than Hawaii!

We wanted to spend a few days in Honolulu.  We hiked up Diamond Head crater first thing in the morning.  It's a short hike, but I at least felt like I got some running fitness in, even though I didn't run.  And, after hitting up the infamous Leonard's Bakery for malasadas and then Rainbow Drive-thru for a plate lunch (we have full intentions of "eating our way through Honolulu" for the 3 days we are here), we headed back to the hotel and went for a swim.  Ala Moana Beach Park is nearby and it's a great place for long distance swimmers.  It's about 1000 yards each way and is completely protected by a corral reef so the water is fairly calm. 

Ala Moana Beach Park

I briefly swam in Aquatic Park in the SF Bay, but this is my first OW swim in the ocean.  I already had great respect for anyone who races in the ocean.  But, now that I've swam in it (and I can't even claim it was the real open ocean), my hats go off to them.  I'm definitely not a fan.  The salt water just gets stuck back in your throat and burns.  I think I stopped at almost every cigarette buoy to cough and spit.  And, I am still lifting my head way too much when I breathe and sight so I was trying to practice that between buoys, which unfortunately, just makes me go slower since I'm concentrating so much on my form.  On the way back, we had a slight current against us, and that was my first time swimming against a current.  I felt messy and sloppy as the water was chopping up my stroke.  But, again, good practice for the Russian River and Tempe Town Lake.

We swam for an hour, which is about how long our weekday pool workouts last.  I typically don't wear sunscreen at the pool as I don't burn during a one hour swim workout.  But, sadly, I turned in to a black kettle this weekend because I ended up getting a Speedo sunburn on my back from that one hour swim (luckily, it's pretty minor).  Now I'm the negligent one.  And, full of embarrassment, I am joining the army of other lobsters running around this resort!