IrunInaSkirt: The Journey to 2012 Miles in 2012

Back in January, Steve and I set 2 goals. (1) To qualify for the Boston Marathon, and (2) to run 2012 miles during 2012. We both achieved Goal #1 back on December 9th, but Goal #2 still is a work in progress.

For 2012, we planned a virtual 2012 mile race from the most southern point of the Continental United States at Key West, Florida to the easternmost point at West Quoddy Head, Maine.

We live on an island with a 140 mile circumference and aren't independently wealthy, so had to come up with something to make it interesting. Running, like life, is supposed to be about the journey, not the destination, right? In the beginning, we kept track of our virtual positions and had fun announcing our location, but once our mileage hit Georgia, we stopped tracking our location on Google Maps and just focused on distance. The destination, not the journey, had became our focus.

Or so it seemed. Running 2012 miles has been a big deal for us. Through the 1st half of the year, it was the top priority for both of us. But as I saw my speed and endurance increase, qualifying for Boston became a top priority. Knowing that we had the Napa Valley Marathon in March 2013 (a much faster course than the Honolulu Marathon) lingered in the back of my mind, but I REALLY wanted to qualify on one of the toughest marathon courses there is.

Mile 500 - Lanikai Pillboxes

There's a pretty significant feeling of accomplishment that comes over you when you work hard at something for an entire year, fighting through illnesses, injuries, fatigue, and the calendar. The old saying "The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the top." really is true. It's been a tough climb, but now that we're standing at the top, we can look back down and see the amazing journey that got us here. Before this year, Steve and I had run together, but not regularly. We're only on the same work schedule 4 months out of the year and I didn't have my SVT under control late in 2011, my pace was much slower than his. But we entered 2012 as training partners and the majority of our miles would be run together. The intent was for Steve to push me hard to drop 45 minutes from my previous marathon result and for me to keep Steve from skipping runs for the beach or gym. The husband/wife combo had the potential to become a dangerous situation, but instead of creating friction, it brought us closer together than we have ever been in 24 years.

Mile 840 - Kailua Beach Sunrise

The miles and the time we spent together logging them were incredible. Our journey took me through many states (Hawaii, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri) and 2 islands.....Steve had his race in Colorado so had more states than me. We ran along the shores of the Pacific and through the Ozarks, through scorching heat, pouring rain, and near hurricane-force winds. But not a single mile was wasted. Each one either had a specific goal towards meeting our BQ time (tempo runs, intervals, hill repeats, long runs, etc) or experiencing the beauty around us, whether it be the calming sounds of a rainforest or the glory of a sunrise while running in the sand along the beach. We celebrated every mile. They've engraved 2012 memories that I hope will last forever.

Mile 760- I said "yes"!!!

Probably my favorite run was on June 2nd, when we ran 9 miles on the Maunawili DemonstrationTrail. Besides having one of the most beautiful trails on the planet to ourselves all morning, Steve dropped to one knee halfway through the run and asked me if I would marry him again. We reconfirmed our wedding vows on our 20th anniversary on Lanikai Beach a few weeks later.

The Ozarks

In August, we took our oldest daughter to college on the Mainland. We ran through North Texas, Oklahoma City, and Arkansas's Ozarks. We even made a quick side trip north to Missouri so we could log another run in another state. With daily high temperatures hovering around 113 degrees, it was challenging, but the views were beautiful. I had to go back to work after 10 days, so Steve headed off to Colorado with his dad for the Pikes Peak Marathon.

Steve's Side: "What Malia has lacked in speed, she's always made up for in endurance. I think this is true for most women - the time gaps between men and women shrink as the length of a race increases. And I've yet to meet another female runner who enjoys "chicking" a guy more than Malia. On more than one long run, I cruised at her training speed early on, only to have to hear her complaining that I couldn't keep up with her at the end. Not a case of kicking a dog when it's down. More like kicking a mule when it's down since I carry about 10 extra pounds of fuel and drinks (for both of us) on our long runs. Chivalry is not dead, but there have been times when I wanted to put it in a sleeper hold. Then there was a 14.5 mile run on Peacock Flats Trail on July 21st. We were finishing the steep 2000' climb up a series of switchbacks in the first 1/2 of the loop when she started to drop me. Being the self-appointed "superior climber", my ego was already a bit bruised as I lost contact with her and started to walk. But to add insult to injury, she had the nerve to turn around and yell "if you're not puking, fainting, or dying, keep running!" I don't remember exactly what I replied under my wheezing, but I'm sure it was something to the extent of "thank you for the words of encouragement and I love you very, very much". But at the end of every run, no matter how hard or easy, fun or miserable, we always grabbed each others hand and said "good job". "

I have no idea what he is talking about. :)

Mile 1225: Kiss Up after insulting him at Peacock Flats

There were some special solo efforts as well. Besides runs that had to be done alone because of conflicting work schedules, we did several races in preparation for our BQ attempt, and they were all individual efforts. We both raced in 4 half marathons and a 25k (Hapalua Half, Hibiscus Half, Windward Half, Val Nolasco Half, and the Windward 25k). I set a PR in each race, with my 1/2 marathon PR dropping consistently from 1:42:07, 1:40:04, 1:38:24, and 1:33:37 between March and November.

I'm not running 2013 miles in 2013. I'm going to run 3 Marathons and try to break 3:15, which I'm perfectly accepting of it happening on the mainland.

Although the 2012 miles was a "Steve and Malia" journey we met amazing and inspiring individuals along the way. We see two incredible athletes in Kailua on our daily runs and have gotten to know them. Although she is an elite woman runner, and he is crazy fast and usually wins the series races, they congratulate us after each race. We've gotten to know some of the regular racers and there is one female in particular who pushes me as I've only beaten her once and she's got me twice. I tell her it's her youth (she's 9 years younger than me!) but at the finish line there are hugs. :) After the marathon, a guy came up to me and said "you're the girl who killed the series this year!". What me??!!! The fact that a total stranger noticed my times was a huge boost of confidence. Some of the most supportive group of athletes are via social media (Instagram). Steve started following some runners and they followed him back. One suggested he become part of the #furtherfasterforever family. I joined Instagram and started following some of those same people. Although we have only met one #f3 member in person, they are some of our biggest supporters and sources of encouragement. I hope to come face to face with more at our mainland races this year.

2012 Miles Stats:

Total Mileage: 1991.43 Miles (have 4 days to get to 2012 and WILL get them)

Total Days Run: 298

Longest Run Streak: 20 days

Highest Monthly Mileage: November (209.2)

Some Favorite Pictures from our runs: