Blessed Runner

It's a misty wet Hawaiian morning. People say when it mists on you like this, it's a Hawaiian blessing. I think I've been blessed today.

Running in this weather can be awesome.

There is a run near my house that is absolutely my favorite. It goes through the incredibly beautiful and serene Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens. Ho'omaluhia means "peaceful refuge", and it is indeed just that.

I discovered this park when I first moved here 4 years ago... In an effort to find the best routes around my house, I studied maps looking for the roads marked with thin lines that looked like they went through neighborhoods and didn't have lots of intersections. The entrance to the park is just a few miles from my house, so I can start the run right from my door.

What the road map didn't show about this road was that it is full of hills. Like straight up and down hills at the base of the sheer Ko'olau Mountain range. A series of 7 of them over the course of 2.5 miles. And then if you want to get out of the park, 6 more on your way back out.

I spent a lot of time running those hills the first 3 years I lived here. Sometimes I totally struggled and ended up walking all the hills on the way back. Sometimes I felt like a rock star floating along and just enjoying the incredible scenery. If it's been a while since I've been there, I have a fear that it'll be the former. If I've been doing it regularly, the floating rock star is more likely the case...

Checking my log book, last time I did this run was Feb 17. Last time I was even in the park was May 17. It's where Scott and I promised each other forever.


I had it in my head that I wanted this run to be my Christmas present to myself. So today I gave myself my 10 mile gift, and as I floated along through the mist, I knew that I have indeed been blessed.