Return to Hawai'i

Mana Road Awesome on my head

I’ve been in Hawai’i a week.  When I try to talk or write about being here I get this love lump in my chest and the words aren’t going to let it out.  Like trying to squeeze cookie dough out of a mustard bottle.  The outlet is too small.  It’s good to be home, to reconnect, to roll in the dirt and match my heart to my steps to the waves to the land and be home like a humpback whale. 
 It’s been a week of swimming and backgammon with Opa, knitting baby hats (which is a good way not to meet fellows at the beach), training with the hard corps, listening to birds, eating crepes at the farmers market, running Mana Road, coming home, laughing with old friends, watching whales and waves, and being totally in my skin.
 Training has been a dream.  I don’t want my runs or rides to end.  I’m warm, it’s sunny, and I’m in love with it.
 There has been huge surf, so I swam in the harbor which was smoother but choppy and currenty none the less.  It whooped and intimidated me and there was no way I could do a 45 minute swim without getting sucked out to sea.  So I am humbled and intimidated of open water swims for now.  This swim was very different that normal ocean swimming or surfing.  Its the next hurdle.
 I went on a 4.5 hour bike ride today.  I’ve been playing pretend Ironman here.  Running, biking, and swimming the world championship routes.  Be advised, a headwind can add an hour and a half to a three hour bike ride.  I got a new seat and put it on the bike I rented.  It makes a difference, but if I gave my parts the vote, parts would say no to biking.  I am telling myself more time in the saddle will get me used to it.  I also know that when I’m home on my bike I can do all the millimeter adjustments to make it as good as it gets. 
 I went back to Waimea which it the town where my heart lives.  I haven’t been back since I moved to the mainland two years ago.  I realized for the bazillionth time how lucky I am to have a place in my heart.  Here things work, I feel whole, miracles happen every day, and my gratitude soars.  I am psyched.
 So in a nut shell, training is good.  I am humbled by getting worked on my swims and passed by the uber triathletes (“I’ve only done six Ironmans because I like to focus on my biking” -Pilot I met at a coffee stop) I am excited knowing I have 5 months more to train, and I am thrilled to get to train here.