When I was booking my flights for this trip, it was significantly cheaper to fly out of San Diego with a connection in LAX than to fly directly out of LAX with the same airline! I think that makes absolutely no sense, but I'm not complaining since it's such a pain in the butt to fly out of LAX.
At dark o' clock, I headed down to San Diego early enough to arrive at the Aladdin Parking Lot at the corner of Kettner Blvd and Laurel St right before 4 am. I was able to get a decent deal for rooftop parking via SpotHero. Normally I would park in the Pacific Highway Economy Parking Lot off of Washington St, but it was shut down just recently at the end of 2018.
Aladdin Parking Lot
It was a very short flight on an Embraer jet up to LAX. The flight was so short that there wasn't any time to serve any refreshments or snacks.
After boarding the plane for the second leg of my trip, one of the flight attendants asked if I wanted to move into an empty row as the flight wasn't too full. I took her up on the offer. It was rather nice to have a row all to myself. During the flight over to Kona, I tried to watch Smallfoot on my tablet via the United Airlines app, but I kept dozing off. I had to rewind a few times to watch scenes that I had missed. I thought the movie was pretty funny and entertaining for a non-Disney movie. I was just too tired to stay awake!
I love stroopwafel!
Smallfoot
After touching down at Kona International Airport, we got off the plane via the stairs and walking across the tarmac. I always prefer that over the jet bridge. As soon as I got out of the small open air airport, I crossed the street to board the shuttle over to the Thrifty Car Rental office. After taking care of the paperwork, I was given a red Nissan Versa. It was more than adequate to haul me and my bags around for the short weekend trip.
The Big Island
Rental car
Before driving up to the race expo, I first drove South on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to eat lunch at McDonald's and to buy some drinks and snacks at Target. I ordered the local deluxe platter at McDonald's. I love this stuff!
Local deluxe platter
At Target, I bought the usual Powerade, a gallon of water, veggie chips, and a bag of wasabi peas. I don't think any of the Targets on the mainland sells some of these products. Before leaving for the drive up to the race expo, I stopped by McDonald's again to buy 2 quarter pounders with cheese to save for dinner. I purchased those burgers early because there wasn't a McDonald's near the resort that I'll be staying at for the weekend.
Drinks and snacks
The race expo was held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. It was in the Kohala ballroom. The expo was pretty small, so I was out of there in less than 10 mins after picking up my bib, race shirt, and goodie bag. For once, the goodie bag was filled with a lot of goodies! The mylar blanket and gloves would come in handy as it was windy and quite chilly at the start area. Most races don't fill the bag with anything useful these days. On the way out, just outside of the expo, they were taking $6 for parking for expo attendants.
Expo
Race shirt
Back of race shirt
Expo haul
I then drove over to my resort. Fortunately for this trip, I was able to use my Wyndham Reward Points for free 2 night stay at the Paniolo Greens Resort. The check-in process took longer than expected. I'm guessing it was because I was using reward points. The employees working at the front desk had to call their supervisor for assistance to eventually get me checked in. While waiting for all of that, the concierge gave me a welcome packet which includes a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and a discount card for various restaurants.
Welcome packet
The first thing I noticed when I went into my room was that there was a flight of stairs up to the bedrooms and bathrooms. I was already dreading having to go up and down those steps after the race! Overall, it was one of the better places that I've stayed in for my marathon trips. It was definitely way more space than I needed for myself.
I'm going to hate these stairs tomorrow!
Is that Harry Potter's room?
View of the golf course
Master bedroom
Restroom #1
The other bedroom
Restroom #2
Need the key to adjust the thermostat
After I got settled in, I watched some TV and ate my 2 quarter pounders with cheese for an early dinner. I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's race before going to sleep.
Flat runner
Saturday 3/9
As part of our registration, we had to designate where we wanted to park our cars. One location was the Kilohana Girl Scout Camp which was specifically for those driving in from Hilo. The other 2 locations were parking at the Hilton Waikoloa Village for $30 or the Regal Cinemas Makalapua 10 parking lot down South for free. Even though it meant that I had to wake up earlier and drive an extra 30+ minutes, I chose the free option. The departure time from this lot was between 4 and 4:30 am. There was a person at the lot telling us which bus to take for our respective races. It was pretty dark still, so it was nice that he pointed out that there were portapotties next to the first bus. I used one before boarding the bus. Also before boarding the bus, I made sure to check that I got on the correct bus as each bus had a destination sign posted on the windshield. Still there were people that came on board the bus asking if it was headed for the half marathon starting line.
Making sure I got on the correct bus
We were dropped off on Saddle Rd near the intersection of Keekee Rd. There was a pretty good sized cache of portapotties there. Almost everyone that had arrived there earlier were huddled in the mylar blanket provided in our goodie bags. I opted for the blanket that I took from the airplane. I've always wondered if they're free to take. I think there were a good number us surprised by the chilly morning air.
Portapotties
Pre-race photo
Marathon Maniacs pre-race photo
As the start of the race grew closer, we were directed to head towards the starting line. They were collecting mylar blankets at the gear check truck. Even though my blanket wouldn't have interfered with the timing mats, I handed over my blanket as well.
I took the start of the race slower than I normally would, keeping each mile above 8 minutes. However I think it was still a bit too fast. It wasn't too long before I started feeling the effects of sustained downhill running. The most irritating thing was that I developed a blister on my left pinkie toe. It felt like it was being cut with a razor with each step! Still it was pretty fun to run about the first 10 miles with the Latino Heat. Unfortunately I hit the wall soon after that as my energy level felt like it took a nosedive.
Latino Heat
I was able to get to the halfway point in under 2 hrs, but the second half involved a lot of walking and jogging. The headwind and crosswind during the second half was quite annoying. Every now and then the wind gusts were so strong that I had to take off my visor. During the final downhill to the finish line, the wind was finally successful at blowing off my visor. I was pretty happy to finish in one piece and upright, but I thought it was quite hilarious that they announced me as Emily as I crossed the finish line.
Happy to finish
Finish line
Finish: 4:25:17
Click here for my Garmin data.
I finished right where I thought I would finish and the continuous downhill as to be expected was quite rough on my legs! It also got a bit warm near the end as there wasn't any shade on this course. It was pretty rural where we ran, so I found it a bit amusing when I came across a small pack of goats on the side of the road during the last couple of miles.Relive 'Revel Kulia Marathon'
After getting my finisher medal, I grabbed a bottle of water and some chocolate milk. I shot the breeze with a couple of my friends before I started to make my way over to the shuttle pick-up spot to get a ride back to my car. It was cool to see a few familiar faces that I normally only see at the Honolulu Marathon.
Finisher medal
First time getting a bloody toe!
I love chocolate milk!
After getting dropped off at the parking lot, I drove across the street to eat lunch at Ultimate Burger. The vicinity of this post race restaurant was the other reason why I chose to park at the movie theatre. Thankfully there was public restroom at the strip mall, so I was able to empty out my bladder and clean up a bit before getting my food. I ordered their Ultimate cheeseburger with Tillamook cheddar. I also got an order of fries with the discount card that was given to me at my resort. The burger wasn't that big, but it was a very good burger! What made it even better was that the buns didn't disintegrate by any of the sauces or meat juice. The fries came with a delicious aioli dipping sauce.
Ultimate cheeseburger with Tillamook cheddar and fries
Not bad at all!
After I was done with the burger, I drove back to my resort. I vegged out and took a long nap after taking a shower. I was feeling pretty tired and didn't feel like going back out. However for dinner, I forced myself to meet up with my friends at the Tropics Ale House. I miss beer. I haven't had one since late 2016. I stuck with a non-alcoholic beer. The menu had mostly standard pub food, but I guess 1 item did stand out to all of us. All of us pretty much ordered the Fresh Island Catch Sandwich. The fish they used tonight was ahi tuna. It came with crinkle-cut fries. It took a while for the sandwiches to come out. Perhaps the fish was so fresh, they were still out catching the fish! :) The appetizers that my friends ordered were also delayed coming out. I think they were having some trouble in the kitchen. Overall the sandwich was good, however it was a little bland. It could have used more salt and/or aioli sauce.
Seared ahi tuna on toasted brioche with wasabi aioli, shredded lettuce, tomato, served with fries
The gang
Sunday 3/10
Originally I was planning to wake up early, check-out of my unit, and go do a little bit of sightseeing before heading over to the airport. However I was feeling quite exhausted and just opted for a little more sleep. The exhaustion just might have been from the back to back weekends of traveling to Japan followed by a trip to Hawaii.
I was dragging my feet, but I finally got ready and packed my bags for the trip home. After checking out, I drove back down to the same Target to buy a bag of Kona coffee beans for my coworkers back home. It was actually drizzling a bit, but the rain was pretty short lived. Then after buying the souvenir, I stopped in at the McDonald's to eat one last local deluxe platter!
Kona Coffee to take home for my coworkers
One last local deluxe platter!
After my meal, I drove to the nearby Queen K 76 gas station to fill up the tank before returning the rental car. Their gas here was slightly more expensive than back home, but not by much. Once I dropped off the car and got my receipt, I hopped on the shuttle for a ride over to the airport.
Fill 'er up!
Since I had a couple of hours to pass, I sat near the restroom, guzzling the rest of my water. I've noticed that I feel better and recover faster if I give the kidneys a good flush the day after running a marathon. I think the birds at the airport were used to being fed by humans as they kept hopping up close to me. Too bad I didn't have any food for them.
Birdie thinks I have food
As the departure time grew closer, I hopped into the line for the TSA. My friends were checking in their bags nearby and was able to spot me. I waited for them on the other side as our flights were on different airlines but leaving at about the same time. We hung out a bit in the little deli-type restaurant. Before we could get to our gates, we had to go through agricultural inspection. All carry-on bags had to go through the scanner. One lady in front of us didn't understand the rules as she had practically an entire fruit stand in her bag! :)
Time to go home
Flying out of gate 1
Boarding the plane
During the flight home, I only watched one movie before going to sleep. I finally watched A Star is Born. I thought the acting in the movie was pretty top notch. No wonder it was nominated for best picture. However even without seeing the previous versions of this movie or any spoilers, I thought the movie was way too predictable. Bradley Cooper's singing and Lady Gaga's acting were a bit over-hyped by the critics. Both were adequate, but nothing spectacular. Still overall it was a good movie. It was a good reminder to be careful with your words... the mind is quite fragile.
A Star is Born
The plane landed in LAX just a little past 9 pm. My layover was a couple of hours before catching the remaining short flight back down to San Diego International Airport. That was a bit of a drag.
After landing in San Diego at about a quarter after 11 pm, I was more than ready to go home. I was able to catch the Aladdin shuttle back to the parking structure without having to wait. Once we were dropped off at the parking structure, I showed the guy at the desk that I had pre-paid for parking on SpotHero. He then gave me an exit ticket so I could exit the structure. It felt like a very long drive home. It didn't feel this long when I was a young whippersnapper going to UC San Diego. :)
Overall I enjoyed my short visit to the Big Island as my second Hawaiian island. Prior to this weekend, I've only visited Oahu. The Big Island was much more rural and laid back. I definitely would like to return to explore more of the Island. I also want to visit the other Hawaiian Islands and perhaps run a marathon on the ones that are big enough to host one.
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