Road Trip!

After all our hard work last week, we decided it was time for a little road trip. The Road to Hana is a noted tourist destination on Maui. . .that and Haleakala, but we already tried our luck there. This Saturday, however, the weather forecast showed some strange golden orb that has been notably absent from virtually all of our rides over the last two weeks. So, we loaded up on some yummy snacks (gels and Clif bars), a few bottles of the good stuff (h2O, with an electrolyte mixer of choice), and set out on the famously scenic and twisty Road to Hana.

After 4.5 hours of riding (. . .or 4 hours and a few minutes, as Linsey, Magali, and I may or may not have stopped for more than our Coach Lance alotted "one to two photo ops max"), we arrived in Hana. Fortunately for us, a car with run gear and our very own local guide, Aaron Altura, met us at the end of the ride so that we could treat our legs to a little 40' transition run. Not being familiar with the trails, we let our fearless guide lead the way on what he promised would be a spectacular run. It was memorable, alright. . .we somehow found ourselves bushwacking through overhead bamboo grass. Fifteen minutes and many grass cuts later, we toppled out onto the road, just in time to see the boys trot by, regimentedly clipping off their 6:20 miles. Good job, guys.

Once the gals had pulled ourselves together and gotten the run in, it was time for a little fun. What do triathletes do for fun? Why, something involving more physical activity, of course! We set off on a hike known as the 7 pools, this time, making sure to stick to the designated trail.

We climbed trees, chased waterfalls, and shimmied up bamboo shoots until it was time to head home.

Finally, the only missing element from our road trip was the food stop. On college road trips, this always meant a In-N-Out drive thru, but on the backroads of Maui, there were no double-doubles with grilled onions to be found. Instead, we "settled" for a smoothie at the road side organic farm stand.
Not only do they not use pesticides at this organic co-op, they also don't use any electricity. The bike-powered blender was the perfect opportunity to log a little more time in the saddle!