A Scare on Needle Hill
Back to the Maclehose for sections 7 & 8. The kids are enjoying being kids.
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Moments of the Week (Mar 4-10)
F came home with a Walkie Talkie to talk to her friend down the street. How many times did we hear, "What did you say? over!"
M gave L a choice of running or choir. She chose the latter and had her first performance singing Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. It’s a good thing if we can’t hear her right?
Everyone brought home empty lunch containers on Wednesday. L said, "All my friends wanted some of my kimchi fried rice, but I told them no. It was all mine."
After our 6 hour hike, F said, "You know what’s the first thing I’m going to do when we get home? Read for 5 mins. Reading makes me happy. Nothing can replace it. I like it quiet when I read so I can picture it." F read The War That Saved My Life and the War The I Finally Won (Bradley) for the 7th time.
How humid was it? It didn’t rain but the floors were wet, the kids’ hair looked damp, and water pooled on the ceiling. By the weekend it turned monsoon cold.
J had a “science” field trip to Ocean Park, a theme park on the other side of HK with rides like Hair Raiser and The Flash. His group completed 95% of their work on the bus to hit the ground running, riding the best coasters multiple times and returning late after dinner in Yau Ma Tei. It’s good to be a teenager in HK.
I’m Writing a Memoir
I might have a cover that’s good enough and formatting is nearly done.
Pre-orders start this Friday (March 15th) and I’m targeting an official launch for either the last week of March or the first week of April. I’ll share the link next week.
On The Move
Run With Me on Strava - 53.85 mi, 5,482 ft
The Lantau 70 is next Saturday.
The bad: I've had hardly any trail time or elevation over the past few months. I don't and won’t feel comfortable pushing.
The good: I’m healthy, rested and not injured. I'll take it.
The forecast looks favorable. Last year’s race wrecked me. Goal this year is to pace it better and keep my stomach full. I hope I'm still smiling at the end.
Group Runs:
Typically we alternate between hill and speed work but I doubled up on the former because I needed it.
-Tuesday Firefighter Intervals
-Thursday GCR repeats
On Saturday, we did the Maclehose sections 7 & 8, a 12-mile hike with over 5,000 feet of climbing. It included Needle Hill (I did it 2X) and Tai Mo Shan, the highest peak in Hong Kong. The weather was cool with light rain and wind.
Lea's friend started with us but had painful and progressively debilitating headaches 30 minutes into the hike. She had to stop and lie down. After 20 minutes, her condition didn't get any better and emergency services (Police, Fire Services) was contacted and they brought her down. Over 20 people came to the rescue on Needle Hill. We had a bit of a scare, but everything was alright. I’m always hesitant to ask for help so I was impressed and thankful for all the other experienced hikers who stopped to provide their assistance.
Feris and Jero went in with heavy legs from sports day and a combination of HIIT and a full day at Ocean Park, respectively. There were few complaints and Lea even said that it may have been her favorite hike in HK thus far. It couldn’t have been the views because it was overcast the whole time.
It took us 6 & 1/2 hours and the kids hardly drank anything.
We will get back on the trail in mid-April and finish the last two sections. Fingers crossed it isn't too hot yet.