2011 Honolulu Marathon

Last year, I finished the Honolulu Marathon at a little over five hours. It wasn't so bad for my first Marathon. It was an amazing experience to finish the race, so this year I decided to run again. Running is a good form of exercise. Not only that it'll keep me stay in shape, it also helps me de-stress and relax. The marathon will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 5:00 AM. To learn more about the event, go to http://www.honolulumarathon.org. My goal is to beat my time and yes, I am aiming for an hour faster. Training (both mentally and physically) and practice the proper nutritions are the most important part of this race to be succeeded. My training starts on July 1, 2011, about 23 weeks before the race. I plan to participate the Marathon Readiness training series held monthly starting August 2011.

Here are some of the race I plan to participate:
Coconut Chase 8K (July 10 @ 6:30 a.m)
Anthony Pace, Realtor Norman Tamanaha 15K (August 14 @ 6 a.m) ;
Runner's Hi 20K (September 4 @ 6 a.m);
Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher 25K (October 2 @ 5:30 a.m)
P.F Chang's 30K (October 23 @ 5 a.m);
Saucony Val Nolasco Half Marathon (November 6 @ 5:30 a.m)
Xterra Run 10K (Dec 4 @ 9 am)

I will post the result and upload some pictures as I finished the race, so stay tuned. Wish me luck everyone.

DC Experience

Our travel adventure to the capital of the United States was definitely an experience of a lifetime. There are so many attractions, free admission to the museums, historic neighborhoods and how about those monuments, buildings and memorials? Despite of the long travel from Hawaii, we were so excited to start exploring this magnificent city.

When I was planning our to-do list, I came up with a long list of interesting attractions. I didn’t realize 10-days was not even close to see half of the things I have on the list. Anyway, we did get to see and tour the major attractions though, so that's always good enough. Beside, we saw how our lifetime salary/retirement $$ printed in just a few minutes. Boo to that, but it was awesome!

When we talk about 'the mall', we always think about shopping (for me anyway). In DC, The Mall is a perfect place to relax and take in the sights and sounds of the city. It is in the center of town surrounded by the Smithsonian buildings, the US capitol building and the Washington monument. We happened to witness how the surroundings lighted up at night. Oh it was spectacular. Our hotel was only a few blocks away from the US Capitol building. So one night, we decided to walk and we were so lucky to be there on the same night the Navy Band performed live in front of the building. The reflection of the sunset through the US Capitol building while listening to the band was breathtaking. LOVED IT!

I can say a lot of things but I don't want to bore you. Overall, we had a great time. We're looking forward to our next travel adventure together. I put together a slideshow below, so please enjoy!

Hawaiian Parasail

We purchased two tickets to go parasailing today from Groupon. Even though our original reservation at 1:00 PM was cancelled due to "Groupon time period restriction", we were able to re-schedule it at 5PM. Despite of the disappointment, Ryan and I had a blast. The experience of being towed by the boat while floating up in the air and seeing the view of Downtown Honolulu, Waikiki, the Diamond head and the surrounding water was priceless. It was such an amazing experience. In addition, we were able to see some huge fish from the marina. What a great Saturday afternoon. We can't wait to do it again.

Hiking Olomana

Hiking Mt. Olomana
Winward Oahu

This has been the most dangerous and most terrifying hike I have ever done. You'll know why I said that when you see our pictures. You'll probably say, "what were you thinking?" Mt. Olomana and its three rugged peaks rise from the flats of Kailua on windward Oahu, rises more than 1,600 feet and not to mention ridges with drop-offs on either or both sides. Scared yet? Keep reading..... A hike along its narrow ridgeline is a challenge and difficult or a better word for that, dangerous. Ryan and I and a group of hikers really challenge ourselves to go beyond our hiking ability. At least for me anyway. I mean, have I done rock climbing before? No! This hike requires you to do such and thank God, with the help of the ropes I survived each and every step I made. Anyway, we made it all the way to the third peak and back to the trailhead in one piece. The view from third peak was spectacular, but I have seen better. This hike is more of like overcoming your fear, knowing your hiking ability and how far you could go when you don't expect what's coming. Most of the hike I've done is always a challenge, but this definitely surplus it. Would I do this hike again? Yes, I've done it once, I can do it again but definitely not anytime soon :-)

I am working on getting our slideshow up and running, so please stay tuned!

Hawaii Skydiving

Hawaii Skydiving with Skydive Hawaii.
Dillingham Airfield in Waialua, HI.

If you want to over come your fear of height or just want to have an extraordinary experience, try one of the most exciting adventure in Hawaii, Skydiving. Ryan and I and with a group of friends were strong enough to try it. It was definitely one of our best experiences here in Hawaii. It was exhilarating and unforgettable. The scenery and the fact that we jumped off one of the most beautiful places in the world, was truly awesome and breathtaking. We paid about $125 for the jump and additional $210 for the photo/video per person. It was a little bit pricy but worth it especially for those first timers like us.