One of my favorite parts of my Maui vacation has been running along the water. At sunrise, I’ve gone running nearly every day this week, following easy routes that dip down onto the beach and through parks. Running in the sand gives me a little extra workout and the couple times I’ve run through the waves splashing through my shoes has had me laughing in the final mile.
I love my greenbelt running back in Austin, but there is something quintessentially picturesque about running next to the ocean so I find myself running more miles and more days than I do back home. Kihei is an active place, and a lot of people are out and moving at sunrise along with me — runners, walkers, bikers, and surfers. I wonder if we’ll all just on the mainland timezone or if more people are early risers here. It’s hard not to get up with the sun, or before it, when the days are so beautiful.
Today’s my last day in Maui, with a redeye flight leaving at 9 pm this evening, but I started this morning with a twelve-mile run winding south along the water and then along the beachfront road. It’s a great route, the first mile and a half completely on the beach, and then the following mile and a half along a seaside walkway that serves as public access connecting all the oceanside hotels (the fancy ones like the Grand Waleia and The Four Seasons). The next three miles before the turnaround point are quieter, with rolling hills, leading to the big beach I’ve spent time on the past couple days. I stop maybe a half a mile short of the beach entrance when my running app tells me I’ve hit six miles and take a quick minute to stretch out my calves before heading back. I don’t run beachside this time, but stay on the road all the way back — it’s clear sidewalks and manicured landscapes are beautiful in a different way.
I listen to my audiobook for the two hours the run takes me — Running with the Buffaloes. I love listening to books about running while running; it’s very motivating (last week I finished North by Scott Jurek). Overall the run felt great. Sure, an effort was required — I am not in the kind of shape where I can call a twelve mile run easy — but I kept pace and ran without any real pain. I have a half marathon in San Antonio three weeks from today and clocking in a few long runs like this (I did a similar 11 mile run last Sunday along the same course here in Maui) is giving me some needed confidence, especially after the trouble I’ve had with knee this past year.
There’s been a lot to love about my time with Maui in my family, but I am so grateful to have the strength and this environment to have started my days running alongside the ocean.
With Love,
Natalie