Well dang nabbit. I recently recorded this video clip in an effort to win a new bicycle from Bicycling Magazine. Unfortunately it didn’t make the cut. But it was a hoot to make and I’d do it all over again.
Enjoy!
Family
Next Up: 50-Kilometer Trail Run
This is POST 25 of my “fitness journey.” For backstory, see Post 1,
Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7,Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12Post 13,Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, and Post 17,Post 18, Post 19,Post 20,Post 21, Post 22,Post 23, and Post 24.
Howdy! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a fitness update. Let me try to catch you up. Right now I’m training for the Lake Tahoe 50-kilometer trail run on July 17. I’ve done 50ks and trail marathons before, including an attempt at a 50-miler. But, it’s been a while since I ran. :>
So this next phase of my training is focused on incorporating running into my training, as well as ramping up my endurance. Currently, I’m doing two days a week of foundation/strength work with coach, Steve Bechtel, of Elemental Training Center. I’m also doing high intensity workouts 2-3 times a week (running hill intervals or doing intervals and tempo work on the elliptical trainer or stepmill), and also fitting in some short trail runs or bike rides during the week if the opportunity presents itself. Then, during one weekend day, I’m spending 3-6 hours trailrunning, hiking, cycling or some combination of these.
One of the things I love most about training for an endurance event is the journey — the scenery I get to experience in my back yard, the foothills and peaks of Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range.
Scenes from my training:
In addition to the many miles I look forward to logging in our Wind River Range foothills and high country, and the Tahoe 50k event, I plan to pedal my road bike 100 miles during the Fremont Area Recreation Tour (FART), and also do the 28-mile Logan Peak Trail Run. I might also mention I hope to keep the weight off, possibly even lose a little more, but only if I can sustain the level of training necessary to complete all of the above. We’ll see how that goes. I will keep you posted here.
Thanks for your continued readership and support. I appreciate it very much!
Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown.
Hawaii’s Big Island Delivers Big
In early April we spent our spring break on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was our second time there. It is one of our favorite places in the world.
We had a magnificent time. We had seven days there, including the first three days in the Kona area, and the last four days in the Waikoloa region.
Our initial nights were spent at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, and it is fabulous. It’s located on the ocean and is literally a few steps from several tidepools. Our three young sons had a wonderful time starting and ending each of our days in exploring the pools, where they spotted sea urchin, sea turtles, crabs, and made other interesting discoveries.
The view looking out to the ocean from the bar and eating areas was magnificent. The breakfast, which is included as part of your stay, was abundant and delicious. Each morning we stocked up plate fulls of fresh fruit, eggs, pastries, pancakes, coffee, juice, etc., while watching the ocean hit the shore.
It was also nice to be located so close to many other restaurants and to the heart and pulse of the great town, Kona. Just a handful of miles away were many restaurants and bistros, as well as beaches and places from which to rent surf and boogie boards, snorkel equipment, etc. We loved Kona the first time we visited six years ago. We love it even more now.
While based at the Outrigger, one day we snorkeled and swam at the adjacent beach, Kahalu`u Bay, where water toys are available for rent, there is a beach shower and bathrooms, as well as a food truck complete with shaved ice, grilled lunches and other tasty snacks.
Another day we traveled a few miles north of the Outrigger to a beach called Keauhau Beach. I rented a stand up paddle-board and oar and gave standup paddling a try. It was a blast and I’m now hooked!
Here’s a video clip I captured while enjoying some stand up paddle-boarding. Watch toward the end and you’ll see a sea turtle:
As I sit here now in my hometown of Lander, WY, which is in the snowy mountains, I ponder how/where I can do stand up paddle-boarding in Wyoming. It was that much fun.
Mostly, stand up paddle-boarding provided a different way to “tour” the ocean. As I stood up and paddled out into the ocean, sea turtle would every now and then swim near me or right with my board. (See video for proof-it’s toward the end of the clip) Then, with a little more confidence, I tried catching a wave. That didn’t work out so well. :> But, it is a great sport that I will definitely look forward to doing again on a return trip to Hawaii.
In addition, the older boys and I went on an adventure where we got to swim in the wild with dolphins, and see humpback whales and a manta ray. This was an adventure of a lifetime we’ll never forget. (Provided by Barefoot’s Adventures and Sunlight On Water.)
Here’s a video clip of Wolf, our 9-year-old, during one of the swims:
Our Outrigger room was beautiful and clean, and after a day of adventuring, we could see and hear the ocean from our room’s balcony and its sliding doors.
Next stop: Luxurious Paradise
After a lot of adventuring in the Kona region, we headed north for luxury, what our boys later dubbed “as sort of a paradise” — the Hilton Waikoloa.
Take it from me, once here, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to leave the Hilton Waikoloa — ever. (Except maybe to return to work to start saving for the return trip)
There is a natural lagoon area, complete with sandy beach, ocean access, a waterfall, sea turtles, eels and other ocean critters, and water toys like bike and pedal boats, kayaks and stand up paddleboards to rent and explore.
Or, just suntan on the lagoon’s beach while listening to the ocean slap against the shores behind you.
Here’s a video clip of us playing the lagoon:
Then, after exploring in the lagoon each day, our mission was to swim, swim and swim some more in the many pools on the property. (Our routine was pretty stringent at the Hilton Waikoloa.)
Here’s what swimming looked like for Fin and I:
It basically went like this: Eat a bunch of fruit, head to the Lagoon to swim, look for turtles and ride toys until noon.
Then, move to the pools, but only after stopping for a great lunch at the grill in between the lagoon and pools. (Also worth mentioning, as we ate, we watched the dolphins swimming at the Dolphin Quest complex also located between the lagoon and the pools.)
A video of the “pool experience” at the Hilton Waikoloa:
Then, after re-fueling, we staked out chairs near the main pools. One pool is a baby pool that is sand-bottomed. Babies and young toddlers love it! The other pools are big and connected, eventually boasting a waterfall and a pretty good-sized slide, and a couple of hot tubs. There are bars everywhere, from which to treat your kids to a Green Gecko, or yourself to a Whale Watch, pina colada or Lava Flow. Take your pick. From my investigation into the matter, they are all more than satisfactory.
Longing for a little more direct ocean and beach time, one afternoon we drove a few minutes to Anaehoomalu Bay (called “A Bay” for short), where we did some more snorkeling, sand castle-building and played with a few sea turtles that were near the shoreline.
The older boys and I departed for another guided adventure when we did a “deluxe” parasail over the ocean for 14 minutes. By deluxe, I mean we were about 50 stories over the ocean. UFO Parasailing provided the adventure, and it was a hoot! The boys did it for me, and they ended up loving it as much, or more, than I did!
Some helmet cam video of the parasail:
Other Hawaii blog posts:
Swimming with dolphins in the wild.
Parasailing
Parasailing Far Above the Ocean for 14 Minutes off Hawaii’s Big Island
We just returned from a week of blissful rest and relaxation on the Big Island of Hawaii. What a magnificent place!
While there, one of the exciting adventures we embarked upon was a parasail over the ocean. It was amazing.
I talked our two oldest sons, Wolf and Hayden, ages 9 and 8, to join me on a tandem parasail. They weren’t that excited about it, and actually a little nervous about it. But, being good sons, they did it for me. I wanted to share this experience with at least some of our family.
My husband, Jerry, is recovering from a spine fusion so he stayed at the beach and in the pools with our 2-year-old son, Fin, while we went “flying.”
All told, we were up in the air — way up there, as in the equivalent of being 50 stories above sea level — for 14 minutes. It was thrilling and spectacular. The boys were yelling “woo hoo!” over and over again. They really got a kick out of it, as did I.
The view of the ocean was spectacular… turquoise in some areas and deep blue in others. As a bonus, we floated near a gigantic cruise ship that was docked in Kona.
The “deluxe” adventure was provided by UFO Parasailing, who provides parasail experiences off the Big Island, as well as Maui.
About mid-way through our flight, the crew lowered us to right above the ocean for a short bit before jerking us up, up, up again. It was exhilarating. Then, right before reeling us back into the boat, they briefly dipped us in the ocean.
Here’s some helmet camera footage of part of the flight:
I would highly recommend this as an adventure for you or your family to consider. This was my second parasail. The other one I did was a few years back of Lake Tahoe. It’s an incredible experience that although it’s short-lived, provides yet another great vantage from which to view your surroundings — and a little bit of an adrenaline rush.
The boys were asking if we could do another parasail. I said, not until the next trip. But definitely count us in for another in the future.
(Another adventure we enjoyed during our trip to the Big Island was swimming with dolphins in the the wild.)
Athlete, Gym Owner, Trainer and Mother, Ellen Bechtel, Shares How She Balances it All
Ellen Bechtel, along with her husband, Steve Bechtel, own and operate Elemental Training Center, in my hometown of Lander, WY. You may recall from my fitness journey blogs, that Steve is my coach, and I work out at Elemental.
Recently, Ellen and I took a hike in our Wind River Range foothills above town to interview Ellen about how she manages to be a mother of their 2-year-old son, a business owner, a trainer to several athletes and an athlete herself.
I think it’s a great interview with lots of valuable take-aways.
Enjoy!
Gym owner, coach & athlete Ellen Bechtel tells how she manages it all from Shelli Johnson on Vimeo.
Elemental Gym has a fantastic gym, some terrific programs and classes that will help you achieve better fitness. And, I might add, some great personal trainers: Steve Bechtel, Ellen Bechtel, Jagoe Reid, Sophie Mosemann and Lee Brown.