I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to be back in Hawaii. Within 24 hours I went from this:
My car is the one in the back right corner. Imagine how fun it was digging that out!
To this:
Not a bad view from the office, eh?
Just to get everyone up to speed, I’m back in Hawaii for a month for a research project. I’m living and working on a tiny research island just off the shore of Oahu, and since I’ve been working like a fiend I’ve only been able to get off the island and onto Oahu (am I confusing you yet?) twice since I arrived. Once was to go for a run in Ho’omaluhia gardens and then grab poke and pho, and the other was to go swimming at Kailua and then go grab Bangkok Chef. Oahu residents will know why these places were at the top of my list!
Common questions I keep hearing are “Frayed, what about your dog Kaipo?” and “Frayed, what about your training?”: To start, Kaipo is spending the month with @JordanRVance, a fellow Rev3 teammember and dog lover. He keeps sending me puppy updates and I think Kaipo has forgotten about me already!
As far as training goes, although my first race is May 5 (Rev3 Knoxville Baby!) I decided to hold off on any official training plan until I return back to New England. My focus here in Hawaii is on my research project and although I’d love nothing more than to do extensive swim/bike/run while I’m here, I don’t need the pressure of having to squeeze in workouts since logistically getting off my island and onto Oahu can be a big pain in the behind.
Despite these challenges, I am doing my best to get off my island and onto Oahu for as many adventures as possible! It was clear in my packing I was thinking this way: I remembered to pack my trail shoes, cycling shoes, pedals, hydration pack, goggles, 4 swimsuits, etc….but I only packed one tank top and pair of shorts to wear to work! Umm….oops?
If work goes as planned today, tomorrow I get to spend the day having a Hawaii adventure. Somehow I got talked into doing a cyclocross race tomorrow morning (which I’ve never done, so that will be fun). I also got talked into giving mountain biking another try. Longtime FL readers might recall the one and only time I went mountain biking back in 2008. It ended like this (WARNING: GORE):
Needless to say, I’m a wee bit nervous about getting on a mountain bike again. At least now I have good insurance! I plan on strapping on several videocameras for my cycling adventures so I’ll make sure to share the videos with all of you.
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, whatever weather you might be experiencing. No matter what happens, make sure to have fun! Anyone doing (or did) anything fun over the weekend?
Jill Poon (@tribirdie)
Sounds amazing!! I bet you are so happy to be back in Hawaii!! Have a great time Mtn Biking and look where you WANT to go, not at what you dont want to hit
John Volock
The only thing that can steal me from Triathlon is Cyclocross. So much fun, and always such a relaxed atmosphere. You’ll love ever second of it, then for a split second stupidly think about squeezing cross tires on the tri bike.
Ara
I can’t wait to hear how your cyclocross race went! I’m sure it went well. I hope all goes well with the mountain biking.
Joel
I’m with Ara – can’t wait to read how the cyclocross race went! Enjoy the sun and warmth. Shall we call you a “snowbird” now that you’ve left the cold northeast right during winter “primetime”?
Jamie
All that workout gear and no solid training plan? This really is a whole new FL!
Have fun out there!