Lanikai Triathlon

Sunday, April 17 was the 10th annual Lanikai Triathlon.  I competed in it.  Though, I suppose it's fair to say that what I did was not so much "competing" as it was "participating."  I didn't exactly give anyone a scare in terms of my competitive prowess.  Nonetheless, it was a fun time and I'm glad I did it.  There were about 360 people in the race and it was really well organized.  There was plenty of space for all the participants in the transition area and everyone was really nice and energetic.  The volunteers were amazing and helpful, so it was overall a great experience.

Setting up at 4:30am

You may notice that on the right side of my blog, I have checked off my "goals" list that I competed in a triathlon.  I discussed with someone yesterday, however, that I shouldn't be able to say I did a "real" triathlon because it was only a sprint triathlon.  Now, my achy legs and shoulders take exception to this remark, but I began to think: this person had a point.  On one hand, sure, I worked out for an hour and a half and I did, in fact, do three events - swim, bike, and run in succession.  On the other hand, it was a short distance and nowhere near the length of an Olympic distance.  So can I really mislead people by suggesting that I will be the next Ironman?

Getting Free Stuff

So my answer to the charge is first, feel free to compete in your own triathlon and then give me a call.  But my competitive nature really kicked in this weekend.  I showed up at 4:30am to set up my transition station and realized that I was grossly unprepared.  I mean sure, I trained for the first three weeks, but then everything went to shit.  I looked around and there were some seriously competitive people there.  Even then I figured I was athletic enough to hang in there.  Not so much.  At the end of the day, I felt like I accomplished something, but not what I wanted to accomplish; I wanted to be competitive.  I wanted the triathlon to be the culmination of months of hard work, commitment, and discipline.  I wanted to cross the finish line gasping for air because I pushed myself.  I didn't do that on Sunday.

Finish Line

So that raises the question: do I want to do another one?  I did have fun this weekend.  It was definitely a challenge and they gave out free stuff at the end! Who doesn't like free stuff?  Jamba Juice smoothie?  I'll have 6, please.  I think I do want to do another one.  The only concern I have, of course, is my ability to train for the next few months.  I am going to have the same challenges I had this time: visitors coming to Hawaii and going on a week-long golf trip with a bunch of old men who drink more in one sitting than I can usually drink in a weekend, and a week-long trip to Chicago.  At what point would I be able to sufficiently train so that I can be competitive the next time around.  I refuse to do another triathlon unless I can devote my full energy to the training.

For now, I am happy to say that I have done a Sprint Triathlon and I look forward to the next.

Packet Pick-up

Sunday is the Lanikai Sprint Triathlon.  The race organizers have been sending emails all week telling participants where they can pick up their packets, what to bring, what to expect, etc.  The fact that the race is actually happening didn't sink in until this week.  I went to the website, saw the race map, and realized that I hate doing things half-assed.  I mean, if you're going to compete in something, why not race to win?  I never understood or appreciated the saying "everyone's a winner."  Everyone is not a winner.  Vince Lombardi once said, "if it didn't matter who won, then why keep score?"

Now, I am not saying there is no point in doing something if you can't win.  That being said, the goal should always be to try to win. Unfortunately, my training went to hell in a handbasket and being competitive is probably out of the question.  That doesn't mean I'm not going to try like hell to still place as high as I can.  I am still looking forward to the race (and the post-race free stuff).

So anyway, today and tomorrow is the packet pick-up for the race.  Then the race begins at 6:15am on Sunday morning.  Last year's winner finished in just under an hour and the last place person took about two hours.  So I imagine I'll finish somewhere around 1 hour and 15-20 minutes.  Then afterwards Jamba Juice sponsors post-race refreshments.

Here is the map of the race (500m swim, 20k bike, and 5k run);

Byodo-In Temple

After seeing the sunrise at the Makapu'u Lighthouse on Saturday morning, we went over to Kailua and got breakfast at Cinnamon's again.  Again, it didn't disappoint.  This time was even better, though, because we didn't wait forever.  In fact, we didn't wait at all.  We got there at about 8:30am and were seated right away.  Since we had already been awake from more than 4 hours and none of us had eaten anything yet, we feasted like Kings and Queens.  We ordered the red velvet pancakes (of course), eggs benedict, the baja breakfast, and eggs and bacon.  I am also pretty sure we finished our own pot of coffee since we were all exhausted.  After breakfast, we spent a few hours lounging around and snorkeling at Lanikai where the sand feels like flour.

See what I mean? They tease you with pictures like this

After spending some time at the beach, though, we decided to venture over to the over-hyped Valley of the Temples. Valley of the Temples Memorial Park is a memorial park located on the Windward (eastern) side of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. It is a vast area of lush, rolling green hills at the foot of the Koʻolau mountains, overlooking the sleepy town of Kāneʻohe. Thousands of Buddhist, Shinto, Protestant and Catholic residents of Hawaiʻi are buried in this memorial park.

In guide books, this place is described as a peaceful spot located off the beaten path.  To some extent, that's an accurate description.  The Valley of the Temples is located far from Waikiki and other tourist hot spots, but the famous Byodo-In Temple has become even more popular among tourists ever since it was featured in an episode of ABC's television show LOST. The temple was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The temple is built entirely without nails. It is a scale replica of a temple in Uji, Japan, that was constructed over 950 years ago. The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths to worship, meditate or simply appreciate its beauty. The temple grounds are often used for wedding ceremonies for Hawaiians or visitors from Japan.

Inside the Temple.  You can light an incense at his feet

I wanted to visit this place ever since I saw a picture and found out it was constructed entirely without nails.  I thought that was pretty cool.  It also looked huge from the pictures and also appeared to be located in a secluded area of the mountains that might require even a little hiking.  Instead, it's right next to a big parking lot where there are a few tour buses and a little shack that charges $3 to walk on the grounds.  Don't get me wrong, the grounds of the temple are gorgeous.  But there is only one small room that visitors may enter (and can light an incense for prayer if you want).  There is also a giant bell that visitors are told to ring prior to entering as an appreciation for the gods.  Basically, this turns into everyone standing around in a line waiting to take pictures.

From the back

As you can probably tell from my tone, I think this place is overrated.  That being said, you should probably go.  I hate to say it, but it's pretty cool, the grounds are pretty, and it's only $3.  It's an area of O'ahu that not many people venture to and if you're in Kailua/Lanikai, it's only about a 10-12 minute drive away.  So go ahead and take some pictures and then just tell everyone back home that some Japanese monks invited you to their holy temple to pray with them (or something else interesting and creative).

Lanikai Pillbox Hike

One nice thing about visitors - no matter where you live - is that they encourage you to do "touristy things" or provide you with the motivation to do things you've "been meaning to do."  This week I have two friends in town from Chicago and over the weekend we hiked to the Lanikai Pillboxes.  I had been meaning to do this hike for a while and a number of people recommended it to me, but for some reason I just never made it up there.

Getting there wasn't difficult per se, but it wasn't easy, either.  From Waikiki, it only takes maybe 30 minutes to get here (if you take the Pali Hwy).  First of all, I discovered that everyone knows where the start to the trail head is, but no one can tell you how to get there.  When I asked directions, I was told multiple times, "it's next to the golf course."  Have you ever seen a golf course!?  It's not like, "oh, it's across from McDonald's."  Golf courses are huge and there are a lot of places that can be "across" from a golf course.  So let me explain in very simple terms how to get to the Lanikai Pillbox hike:  From the highway (rt 61) heading into Kailua, bear right when you get to the Shell Gas Station (on your left) onto Kailua road.  Note: Kailua road actually goes straight AND right.  You want to go right.  Continue along Kailua road until you come to a traffic light.  Turn left at the traffic light.  You are still on Kailua road.  Go to the end of the road and turn right onto Kalaheo Road.  You are now headed into the Lanikai Loop (where Mokolua Dr becomes Alapapa Rd).  At your first right on Alapapa Road, turn right onto Kaelepulu Dr.  Park anywhere along that road and the trail head entrance is directly across from the entrance to the Mid-Pacific Country Club parking lot.

The short hike up to the pillboxes (also known as Lanikai bunkers) on Ka'iwa Ridge offers one of the most breathtaking views of the windward side of the island. The hike itself is pretty easy.  It's uphill and there are loose rocks, but the view is definitely worth the hike.  The first part of the hike is steep and very slippery due to the dry dusty ground. There is nothing to hold onto other than tall grass and a few bushes, so it's probably a good idea to wear hiking shoes or be prepared to end up on your bum a couple of times on your way down. There is no shade on this hike until you reach the pillboxes so make sure to bring some water.  It took maybe 45 minutes to get to the top and about the same to get down.  I did not see too many older people on this hike, but it is not nearly as steep as Diamond Head or some of the more difficult (but popular) hikes in Honolulu.  I highly recommend this hike if you have a day to spend in Kailua/Lanikai.

Lanikai Triathlon

You may have noticed on the right side of the blog that I have a list of things I want to do before leaving Hawaii. One of my goals is to compete in a triathlon.  Well, I just registered for the Lanikai Sprint Triathlon.  It consists of a 500m swim, 20k bike, and 5k run and takes place on April 17, 2011.  There are a few races that take place earlier in the year, but I wanted to give myself plenty of time to train.  Even though this race isn't particularly long or grueling, I also have not trained for a triathlon before.  If any readers have suggestions for a training schedule (or even a bike), that would be much appreciated.  Right now, I have downloaded a few training schedules I found online and plan to start training seriously after the New Year.  For now, I think I am just going to start swimming as much as possible.  I can already run the 5k without any problems.  It's putting the swim, bike, and run together that presents the challenge.  I'm looking forward to it, though.  It should be fun.  If you're interested, you can click here to see the Race Map.

Also, since I have no idea what a good "time" is for a sprint triathlon, I looked up last year's race results and filtered by my demographic: Individual Male 25-29 (can I just say, btw, that I don't remember entering this age group...what ever happened to 18-24?).  Anyway, the top finisher for this division finished with a time 59:02 (he placed 7th overall).  The person who finished last in this division did so in 1:42:09.  He finished 335th overall. There were 366 total finishers.  You can see the complete list here, if you're so inclined.

What should my goal time be?  If anyone says, "you should win" I will automatically disqualify your opinion as ill-informed and ridiculous.  I would like to finish in the top 10 of my division.  Last year's 10th place finisher for the M25-29 division finished with a time of 1:07:41.  He was 39th overall.  That might be tough.  I was thinking my time would be somewhere around 1:15:00.

Ala Moana Beach

Ala Moana Beach

This is a beautiful 76 acre park located along the south shore just west of Waikiki and on your way to downtown Honolulu and Chinatown. Ala Moana is a 100-acre park that has a wide gold-sand beach over a half-mile long.  There is also a big grassy area, banyans and palm trees that make the park a good place to picnic, barbecue, and play all kinds of games.  A good 2.5 mi. paved path that is good for running encircles the entire park.  There are lifeguards, showers, bathrooms, phones, tennis courts, picnic tables, food concessions, and a music pavilion.  Ala Moana Beach Park is a favorite among Honolulu residents because it offers a large enough space to picnic and barbecue and is away from tourists (for the most part). The beach itself is protected by a reef so the water is insanely calm.  There are none of the waves you'll see at Waikiki or Sandy's (the other nearby beaches on the South Shore).  As a result, it is a great place to bring kids.  It's also really big with plenty of space to run around.  On the weekends, A LOT of people come here with their whole ohana (family) to picnic, swim and hang out.

There are two downsides to this beach, in my opinion.  The first is the crowd.  If you're looking for a quiet, relaxing day at the beach, you can find it here IF you don't mind screaming kids EVERYWHERE.  Obviously I accept that it is a beach and it is a family-friendly beach park.  That doesn't mean I necessarily like hearing kids scream.  With so many of them, though, this is more of a family beach than a place to relax for the day.  The second "downside" is the coarse, rough sand.  The sand at Lanikai, Sandy's, and even Waikiki is much nicer.  There are a lot of small rocks and sticks strewn all over this beach, which makes it less enjoyable.  The advantages, though, are that the water is much calmer (i.e. better than Sandy's) and there are full facilities and a big park (i.e. better than Lanikai).  I'd still pick Lanikai any day of the week, though.  The water at Ala Moana is very nice, to be sure, but some parts have jagged rocks, which make wading in some parts of the water uncomfortable.  As a result, everyone tends to congregate in the same area (i.e. lots of kids).  If you come for the tennis, picnics, barbecues, or running, though, then this spot has everything you need.

Ala Moana Park

There is, however, a cool back story to this beach.  Ala Moana (and Waikiki actually) is an area of Honolulu that used to be a swamp. It was a wetland that the city used as a garbage dump. Wanting to develop the Waikiki area, though, hotel moguls needed to divert the water.  So they hired a dredging company to build the Ala Wai canal.  Then, a boat channel was created to connect the Ala Wai Boat Harbor with Kewalo Basin.  All of the land over by Ala Moana, including the beach park is man-made.  It was created by the owner of the Dillingham Dredging Company, hired to dredge the Ala Wai canal, who was looking for a place to dispose of his dredged earth.  So in the 1950s, sand was dumped at this park, which created the beach. Today, in addition to the beach park, there is a really nice mall, high rise hotels, restaurants, and a fishing village (anyone familiar with Streeterville in Chicago should understand this concept).

Ala Wai Canal

Kailua Square Shopping Center

On the way to Kailua Beach and Lanikai is the fairly cool Kailua Square Shopping Center.  It has a "Book Ends" bookstore with old and used books (as well as some new ones).  It has Mexican and Vietnamese Restaurants for lunch, two organic baby stores (they sell clothes made from organic cotton...insert sarcastic, judgmental comment here).  They also have a Lanikai Juice.  Now I've mentioned Lanikai Juice before as the place to get Acai (A-SIGH-EE) Bowls.  Here is a sample menu.  I always get the Extravaganza with no bananas.  The extravaganza comes with double acai, banana, apple juice or soy milk, and granola, topped with strawberries, mango, blueberries, and shredded coconut.  You can substitute anything.  You can also add honey for an extra $0.70.  These bowls are easily big enough to share and run about $9.  Definitely worth your time to stop in.

There is also a Kayak shop across the street from Lanikai Juice, next to the Napa Auto Parts store.  The kayak rentals are about $5-10 cheaper than the trucks near Kailua beach ($45 and $55 - half and full day).  If you plan to drive to Lanikai anyway, it's definitely worth stopping here to rent your kayak.  You can rent single or tandem kayaks at either place.  The shopping center also boasts a Terry's Burger place, a starbucks, bead shop (I guess there is a market for little girls who make jewelry?), bakery, grocery store, drug store, and other interesting places that are worth walking past while eating your acai bowl.

Kayaking in Lanikai

As I mentioned in my "Lanikai and Laird Hamilton" post, there are two Mokulua Islands about a mile off the shore of Lanikai and Kailua.  It cannot be overstated enough how Lanikai is a picturesque beach that seems like it was plucked right from a postcard.  Crystal clear water, white sand beach, two islands offshore, gorgeous houses along the beach, and a mountain range in the background.  While I recognize that I have not been to too many beaches here, Lanikai is so far my favorite.  It definitely beats the crowds (and dirtiness) of tourists in Waikiki.  There is a reason Oahu's Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach have been voted best in the U.S. for swimming, walking, kayaking, windsurfing, boogie boarding, paddling, snorkeling and a number of other water sports.

The Mokulua Islands are two bird sanctuaries now, but the one of the left also has a beach that is littered with kayakers and beach-goers who pack lunches and just hang out.  This weekend I decided to try kayaking out to the islands to see what they were all about.  To get to Kailua Beach Park is fairly simple.  If you're leaving from Waikiki, you simply take the H-1 (Interstate) Highway to the Pali Highway.  Stay straight on the Pali for 9 miles until you get into the town of Kailua.  The road eventually forks, but stay straight (left) on Kailua Road.  You'll pass Kailua Square (Aikahi Park) Shopping Center and Macy's.  Keep going all the way to the end of the road until you can only turn left or right. Turn right onto Kalaheo Rd. You'll pass some kayak stands on the right and the Kailua Beach Park parking lot will be on your left.  Keep going straight and you'll run right into Lanikai in about 2 minutes.  There is no parking lot in Lanikai, but you can park your car anywhere you find a spot.  Everyone just parks along the side of the road and you'll know you're in Lanikai when you start seeing all the cars parked along the road.

  

This weekend I decided to kayak out to the Mokulua Islands.  I did not have any recommendations for my first time, so as I get more experience, I'm sure I will update my thoughts.  A protective barrier reef allows for easier paddling and a chance to kayak from Kailua Beach to the Mokulua Islands, Flat Island and Lanikai Beach. When you kayak in this area, you go through sea turtle feeding grounds, sea bird sanctuaries and living coral reef, all with the majestic backdrop of the Kololau Mountains. Be prepared to see the native Hawaiian Green sea turtle, or Honu, tropical fish and other marine life in their natural habitat.  We actually saw a sea turtle and it was pretty awesome. 

  

I have been to Lanikai a couple times prior to this weekend and there is nowhere to actually rent kayaks in Lanikai.  So if you think you might want to kayak, plan ahead.  You have to rent kayaks, windsurf boards, etc. from Kailua, which is the beach park right before you get to Lanikai.  Along the side of Kalaheo Rd you'll see a bunch of trucks with dozens of kayaks.  That's the only spot you can rent them near the beach.  These trucks are actually the satellite operation for several shops in downtown Kailua.  Renting a tandem kayak for half a day (4 hours) will cost $50-55 (total for 2 people).  Renting for a full day is $65-70. ALWAYS ask for the Kama'aina Discount, though!  It reduces the price by about $10.  Also, they are not sticklers about time, so always get the half-day.  They DO NOT care if you come back in 5 or 6 hours.  This goes for all rentals - surfboards, kayaks, etc.  

One thing you should know is that these truck vendors CANNOT accept cash.  It is a violation of park ordinances to accept cash in the beach park.  If you want to pay cash, you'll have to go back into town to the actual shops, which is annoying.  For people wary of giving your credit card number to guys on the side of the road, though, this may be worth the security.  Know this, though: some people operate illegally.  There are guys who accept cash.  If someone is willing to accept cash, then they are not affiliated with any of the shops in town and are actually despised by the legitimate businesses. However, their kayaks still float.  Further, knowing that they operate illegally is to your advantage.  They will still try to charge you the same rate as the legitimate businesses, but you have all the leverage if you know the rules.  You can easily talk them down to $30 or $40 depending on how confident you are.  No matter who you rent from, they'll help you tie it to your car.  

A picture from the island...this is how far you'll kayak

If you don't want to do this on your own, you can always get ripped off  try a guided tour.  For $95 (each; $190 for 2 people), you a get a 4-hour "eco-tour."  This means you follow someone through the turtle feeding grounds and have them explain what you're looking at.  The tours usually include some kind of snack and 2 hours on the beach.  If my stellar recommendation has you interested, I've heard that Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks are a good bet.  You can also try Hawaiian Water Sports.
   

Now that you've tied the kayak to your car, drive to Lanikai.  Don't try to Kayak from Kailua Beach to the Mokulua Islands.  It's far and not worth the added hassle.  Drive all the way through Lanikai.  Lanikai is a giant loop.  As you get into the town, it goes off the right.  Drive until it comes back around and park right there.  You'll see the beach access point.  This is the shortest distance to the Islands.  Now, the two islands don't seem too far offshore.  Originally, I thought even an average swimmer could easily swim the distance.  I was wrong.  When you're in the middle of the water and have been paddling for a half an hour, you realize that those islands feel like their the disappearing Island in Lost.  It just keeps moving further away.


When you finally make it, the islands create a weird tidal shift.  Waves some in from both sides of the beach and converge to make for a tricky landing.  If you're not careful, you could tip over.  This isn't disastrous as the water is knee-deep.  It's just embarrassing because the beach is filled with people who kayaked over and they're undoubtedly judging you as both an amateur and a tourist.  The trick is to know that the waves are there and just be prepared to paddle through them.  Pack a lunch.  It is pretty cool to see everyone on the island just hanging out.  Some guys were playing horseshoes and drinking beer when we showed up.  Other people had lunches and were lounging on towels.  Still others were snorkeling.  People brought their kids (no dogs are allowed on the island).

While the island is definitely an adventure and off the beaten path a little, it's not that relaxing.  The beach is not that big and it feels crowded because of its size.  There were maybe 50 people on the entire island, but with everyone so close together, it felt like more.  If you don't really care about kayaking and you're really just in the mood for a quiet, relaxing lunch on the beach, skip the hassle of getting to the island and just sit and enjoy Lanikai.  There is nothing to see on the island so the real appeal is just saying you did it (which, admittedly, is cool).

Here’s what to know before you go:

• You don’t need to be super fit to kayak Kailua Bay, but you do need to be in relatively good shape and have the ability to swim without a personal flotation device. Note that PFDs were provided.  We didn't wear them.

• You must 13 or older.

• If you take one of the guided tours, the company will provide transportation to and from Waikiki hotels. You should drive your own rental car, though.

• Snorkel equipment is provided if you ask.  It's free.

• Wear sunscreen!

• Wear sunglasses.

• Wear a hat or visor.

• Bring a waterproof camera.

• Wear your bathing suit

• Don't bother taking a guided tour.  Rent your own kayak and relax and have fun.