Aloha or Oh No?

Been training for the Honolulu marathon which kicks off in 4 days. Been training 10 miles alternative days. But then disaster hit. Came down with the sniffles and a full blown sinus infection Monday.

Since Monday's forecast for the Tri State was: "Unseasonably mild and sunny in the mid 60s" I ran the normal loop. Bad idea. I was wheezing and shivering despite the warm temps.

Laying low for a few days. Hoping the warm Hawaiian air heats up my lungs and burns off the residual muck. Isn't Hawaii supposed to have healing properties?

Count Down to Honolulu Marathon

Somehow I've managed to commit myself to the unthinkable. A full throttled marathon. While the Kauai Marathon was a halfie, my first thank you very much. Honolulu is the real deal 26.2 miles.

Folks who know me also know I'm not a runner, at least not a long distance one. But I've been training with a pro (300+ marathons under his belt). Cold mornings, ice on the trails, road runs and rocky tree-strewn mountain trails.

Today was a 10 mile run on Ramapo Mountain, a trail covered with one foot of snow in some spots, slush in others. Oh, did I mention it was 30 degrees outside? But we were treated to a gorgeous young buck who pranced up the mountain and a gaggle of female turkeys who watched us with interest from a horse farm. Not a male in sight, and only 6 days after Thanksgiving. A coincidence? Fallen trees from Sandy and long past blizzards deepen the horizontal vistas. Bear Swamp Lake begins to freeze with the first frosting. We run for 2 hours and peel out of our sodden clothes.

Less than 2 weeks to go. Stay tuned.