The USMC Birthday Ride

After a long hiatus, I am blogging again! As I mentioned in an earlier blog, when I got to the island I started going on training rides with a group of Marines with the goal of completing a 235 mile bike ride in early November to commemorate the Marine Corps' 235th birthday. Despite the fact that I fell off in my training toward the end, I decided to participate in the ride! After two riders had to drop out for last minute injuries, there were only four of us who set out at 0015 on the morning of 13 November to complete the ride. We rode an out and back course, starting in Waikiki on the southern side of the island, heading up the eastern coast, out to the NW tip of the island, and down toward the central part of the island until we reached 117.5, then retraced our steps back. Although we all had lights on our bikes, riding at night was the most nerve racking part of the ride, especially on the stretches of road without street lamps. It was close to 10:00 when we reached the turn around point. We had two support vehicles driven by friends and family who met us for our rest stops every 1.5 hours and resupplied us with food and drinks. Around mile 140 my right knee and glute had moved past just being tired to being painful, and I decided to stop at mile 160. I did seriously consider trying to ride through the pain though. At that point, I was thinking, "What's another 75 miles?? I can push through it!" I came to my senses though, and hopped into one of the support cars for the rest of the ride. The other three riders finished just after 8 pm, clocking in at just under 20 hours!
Only the first picture is actually from the birthday ride. The other two pictures are from the Honolulu Century Ride in September, which we rode as a team.
Not going to lie, I haven't touched my bike since the birthday ride! I needed a break from riding for a little while.
The birthday ride is going to become an annual tradition for Marines on the island, and the Marine who started the team is hoping to spread his idea to other bases and create other chapters of the "Marine Corps Birthday Cycling Team." If I'm on island for the ride next year, I suppose I will have to go for the full 236, to redeem myself for this year!

The Geckos

This is just a sampling of the geckos who invade my house at night. The last photos are a baby gecko, and the first one is the full sized version. They may look cute, but in reality they are gross and squirmy and poop on the walls! I hate geckos!

Pete and Marta's Wedding

Last weekend I ventured off the island to attend Pete and Marta's wedding in Colorado Springs. The wedding was beautiful and a ton of fun! And I got to be with Nick!
Also included are photos from our journey to the top of Pike's Peak (and by journey I mean train ride).

Parasailing!

My friend Cate and I went parasailing in Honolulu today! Really fun time, definitely recommend it (for when you all come out and visit me!!).

Sunset Horse Back Ride

This past Saturday my friend Cate and I went on a sunset horse back ride on the beach at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore! Turtle Bay Resort is where the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall was filmed. Cate and my other girlfriend Mike had made the reservations for the ride months ago and forgotten about it. So when Mike remembered the reservations, but couldn't go because of work, I got to go in her place. The ride was gorgeous! They took us on the beach and through the woods and jungle area. You may recognize some of it from Lost!! A lot of scenes were filmed in the area we rode through. That may have been my favorite part :)
We saw both a seal and a turtle on the beach, too. Overall, a very cool experience!

The Beach and Bruises

This is the first of many beach posts as I visit all of the island's beautiful beaches. Today I went to a beach in Waimanalo. The surf was too rough for swimmers, so there were only boogie boarders with flippers in the water. The beach is in a cove sort of, with rocky mountains behind and around it. There are some mini islands off the coast too that are neat.
I have joined a bike riding group that is training for a 235 mile ride to celebrate the Marine Corps' Birthday on Nov 10th (the first 24 miles will be for Megan's bday of course). We go on training rides every Saturday, and yesterday the weather was actually pretty crummy. It rained for a lot of the ride, so we were all filthy and the roads were very slick. With only 10 miles to go, the guy riding in front of me slowed down suddenly, and I crashed!!! I am mostly ok, just a big scrape and bruise on my hip (see picture) and scrapes on my arm and knee. I was actually pretty close to getting hit by a car... no more rainy day rides for me!
Needless to say, my gross bruises did not make me any new friends at the beach!