Honolulu Marathon -- Sun., Dec. 9

Yes, Bob made it up at 2:30 a.m. to get himself ready for the Honolulu Marathon. He had to meet the Runners Hi group at 4:00 a.m. at Kapiolani Park. The marathon started at 5:00 a.m. for the fastest runners to the fanfare of a large fireworks show. Bob and the people he walked with started at 5:20 a.m.

The weather improved over the past few days when there was vog (volcanic fog, i.e., heavy amounts of ash in the air from the Big Island volcano). Overnight, the wind kicked up and blew the vog away and the temperatures cooled. That's really good for the people doing the marathon today.

For the first few hours of the marathon, there was cloud cover and a nice breeze blowing. Bob said the breeze was a tailwind on the way back toward the finish line. He walked with his friends Mike and Lani. It took them just about eight hours to finish. I'm so proud of them and all the other Runners Hi finishers. 26.2 miles is such an accomplishment!

I slept in until 9:30 a.m., then spent the day relaxing. Bob made it back here at about 3:30 p.m., spent some time socializing, then went upstairs for a nap.

At 6:30 p.m., Iain, Tess, Doug, Bob and I went out for dinner at Maple Gardens, a family-owned Chinese restaurant. We had sizzling rice soup, spring rolls with plum sauce, Mongolian Beef, sweet and sour chicken, and chicken fried rice. Just enough without over-stuffing ourselves. Thanks, Bob, for the yummy dinner, and to Iain and Tess for recommending the restaurant.

Tomorrow, Bob and I have a couple of errands to run before we head to the airport and our flight to Portland, Oregon to visit my family for a week.

Iain and Tess, thank you for your hospitality. You are most generous. We enjoyed our stay.

Travel Bug out.