RAS Training Grounds

My Training grounds for RAS:
Ala Moana Beach Park/ Magic Island

Ala Moana Beach Park is a beach and park area approximately just over a half mile long located on the Makai(ocean) side of Ala Moana shopping center. With a closed swim channel just over 1k (1000 meters)long and a side park officially known as "Aina Moana park" but known among locals as "Magic Island" it is a good place to run, (both on the sand which is about 3/4 of a mile and on the paved walkway/bike path which once around is almost 3mi.)prone/knee paddle and stand up paddle. It is also a good place to test new equipment such as prone/knee paddle boards, stand up paddle boards, fins, etc... Given that I spend almost all my time there, I couldn't be happier to use the park as best I can to train. I also use it as a start off point for open water swims and paddling to Sans Soucci Beach/Kaimana Beach at the end of the Waikiki area. Sometimes I also go out to the Honolulu Harbor Buoy. {If you want to see my any of my routes that I mention here; follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/WatermnsJourney) there you can click on my twitter updates and follow my routes on Google Maps.}

Kewalos Basin to Diamondhead Point
This open expanse of water is great for training. Going towards Diamond head from Ala Moana you have to work against the trade winds when paddling or swimming. Given that I will be working against the wind most of the time from Kailua Beach to Kokohead point, its definitely needed! Coming back from Diamond head point towards Ala Moana I can practice "catching bumps" or paddling onto small open water swells to gain extra speed and decrease my time per distance. Even though this stretch is open water and currents/tides/swells do come into play with how I take my route to and from point A to B; it is pretty shallow between the Ala Moana Lagoon and Kaimana Beach. You can see the bottom almost all the time with depths ranging between 4 feet and 30 feet as I go over lava reef fingers sticking out into the open sea. When swimming across this stretch, you can really feel the difference with the currents especially on low tides. More about that on a future swim blog here at waterman's journey.

Ala Moana to Honolulu Harbor Buoy
When I want to see how blue water gets so deep it looks purple, I take a paddle out to the Honolulu Harbor Buoy. The buoy can be seen on the horizon from Ala Moana Beach. It's about just over a mile and a half out there. It has been a good starting point to paddling over open water. I usually take a 12' standard rescue board out there and knee/prone paddle it. Using the stock prone race paddle board I cut good 20 minutes off my time!

Hawaii Kai to Sans Soucci/Kaimana Beach
This is the typical downwind run paddlers of all kinds use from stand up boarders to One man canoes and downwind knee/prone paddle boarders. It is fun and a good place to really get into "catching bumps." With the wind at your back you can really get some speed going down from swell to swell. Once Blackpoint is reached you can get knocked around with swells bouncing off the cliff face. The water is very rough needless to say.

Moana Falls Run (6miles)
Running from Dole St. and the McCulley St. bridge, it is three miles up Metcalf to University Ave. to Manoa Ave. to the Manoa Falls trail head. From there it is an easy run back. It's my starter run to get used to going up steep grades.

Dole St. to Tantalus and back to Dole Street/McCulley (11mi)
This is by far probably one of the longest training runs I'll be undertaking. I am going to try and make it after a few runs up to the Manoa Falls trail. It is absolutely beautiful but also practical with a lot of tree cover to help keep me cool. I'll have to take plenty of water with me though as there isn't much on that long long run in the way of restrooms or water access. This is probably as steep as the Pali Hwy that I'll be running along.