Did I Do Any Running While I Was in Hawaii?

Are there cows in Texas? 

A week ago today I did a 10K race in my hometown. 

It began at my former high school and then took us through the Enchanted Lake neighborhood of Kailua. 

As you can see, it was for a very good cause. 

In addition, one morning I decided to get in a run in Honolulu before heading to the beach. 

The 3-mile loop takes you around Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island. 

I loved this course so much I ran it twice. Ain't Diamond Head purdy? 

As I ran I remembered: Every day I get to run is not an entitlement. It's a gift. Each day that I get to spend as a part of the wonderful running community is a day I can treasure. 

And I do. 

My Swiss Accomodations

Lord willing -- and I really mean that, it's all in the Lord's hands, not mine -- in exactly 3 weeks from today I plan to fly to Geneva to begin my 2025 Alps adventure. Believe it or not, I can fly directly from Raleigh to Frankfurt, and then it's just a short hop over to Geneva. From there I'll take the train to Zermatt, my home base for the next 8 days of running, hiking, and climbing. I'll be staying at this lovely hotel near the train station (bahnhof). It's called (for obvious reasons) the Hotel Bahnhof. 

I stayed here when I climbed the Breithorn, Oberrothorn, Matterhorn, and Mammut Klettersteig (Via Ferrata) 9 years ago. On my way home I've got an early Saturday flight out of Geneva so I'll get an Airbnb there on Friday afternoon. 

It's called the Chambre au Pâquis à côté du lac." The "lac," of course, is Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). It will be so much fun to speak two of my favorite languages again on this trip -- German and French. 

Do you think I ought to visit this unique monument again while I'm in Geneva?

What I Ate on Oahu

I left for the islands weighing 202 pounds. By the grace of God, I weighed 202 on the scale this morning. I chalk this up to being so active PLUS eating two and only two (hefty) meals each day. Yes, I had the exact same things to eat during my entire stay in Hawaii, with no snacking in between. 

Breakfast was a no-brainer. The Kailua Zippy's has the best and least expensive breakfast you will find on Oahu. 

Two eggs over medium. Bacon crispy. Two scoop rice. And the coffee? Oh my -- so ono! That meal provided all the carbs and protein I would need for hours upon hours of surfing that day. Then later I would have my second meal of the day, and this too was the same thing daily. It's called Kalbi and it's my favorite Korean dish of all time. I learned to love it during my 6 trips to South Korea to teach. In fact, I kid you not when I say that Korean food is my favorite cuisine in the world. Primarily because of its great taste. But also because it's super healthy. In fact, it took me several trips to Korea before I saw my first overweight person, young or old. Korean food is big on fresh vegetables, fermented foods like kimchi, and healthy cooking techniques. The Korean diet is low in processed foods and high in fiber. Korean dishes are often prepared through low-fat cooking methods such as steaming and have a very high vegetable content. Korean cuisine also provides ample supplies of vitamins and minerals while limiting unhealthy saturated fats. 

As soon as I arrive in Hawaii I start craving the amazing flavors and mouth-watering aromas of Korean food. Korean dining is especially healthy if you are on a high protein diet like I am. It includes a variety of protein sources such as beef, chicken, tofu, and seafood. And then there are the spices. Garlic, ginger, even red pepper flakes are used generously in Korean dishes and have antiinflammatory properties. Oh, and have I mentioned how it limits the use of sugar in cooking?

My favorite Korean dish in Hawaii, as I said, was a plate of sizzling hot Kalbi. 

Note the presence of "banchan" or side dishes that are always served with the main meal and provide additional nutrients and flavors to the meal. 

If only I knew how to cook Korean I would cook it every day at home! 

Do You Gym?

Back to the Y today to do some gymming. 

Yes, "gym" is a verb now. Didn't know that? 

• I gym. 
• You gym. 
• He gyms. 

Or in German:

• Ich gym.
• Du gymmst.
• Er gymmt. 
• Ich werde gym.
• Ich habe gegymmt. 

This also works in Spanish:

• Yo gimnasio. 
• Tu gimnasias.
• Él/Ella gimnasia. 
• Yo gymnasiaré.
• He gymnasiado. 

I really missed being able to gym while I was in the islands. 

So glad I gymmed again!  

Do you gym? 

Surfing (and Bodyboarding) at Waikiki

I went to Kailua Beach every morning during my Hawaiian holiday. After all, my beach cottage was only a stone's throw away. But I spent as much time at Waikiki as I did anywhere else on the island. (I never did surf Diamond Head. The waves were blown out while I was there.) Here I am walking to Queens along Kalakaua Ave. 

You can view about a gazillion videos on YouTube of people walking along this famous sidewalk. I especially enjoyed watching all the tourists and the families with small children as they romped on the sand and enjoyed the placid waters of Waikiki. Because I park in the Honolulu Zoo parking lot, it takes me only a few minutes to get to where I'm headed. 

The waves at Queens weren't huge while I was there but they were certainly rideable, and you even saw a set or two of larger waves. 

Now, just as much fun as surfing at Queens is bodyboarding at the Waikiki Wall (also called Walls). Surfboards are strictly prohibited here. 

All you need is a boogie board and a pair of fins. 

It's a great spot and it typically has pretty mellow regulars as long as you maintain basic etiquette and say hi. Walls is not the same as anything you've ridden on the mainland (whether west or east coast). It's a reef break and the wave is also a bit thicker so it can have some punch to it. 

Coming up ... bodysurfing Sandy Beach and Makapu'u. 

The Solution to the Synoptic Problem (It's Easier Than You Think)

Now this one was really fun!

By the way, I found out that Paul also shares my view on the authorship of Hebrews. That interview will take place on August 25.

Thank you, Paul, for the joy and honor of being on your program! 

Kailua Beach: Medicine for the Soul

I admit: I have a Type A personality. I suffer from the "hurry up syndrome." Every trip to the islands shows me the error of my way. Here time doesn't exist. Traffic is, yes, a bit of a hassle, but no one honks their horn. People are much more likely to let you into their lane than cut you off. A simple "shaka" in return is all that's expected.

As you know, I just spent 8 days surfing on Oahu. I basically lived in the ocean the entire time. Surfing is a great exercise for the body. But even more it's an exercise for the soul, a time for unparalleled mental restoration. Poet William Wordsworth, who was a prodigious walker, once said that poetry was "emotion recollected in tranquility." Take, if you will, my experience at Kailua Beach, the two and a half mile stretch of pristine white sand I once called home. 

I have discovered that my tranquility develops about one second after my toes touch the sand. It takes that much time to detach myself from all my worries and my cares. I have a new awareness of myself, my world, and my God.

Carrying a surfboard into the ocean is not the only place this occurs, just the best. Monks take to their cells. Hermits to their shells. Writers withdraw to secluded spots. Grownups from Hawaii go to the beach, where motion makes time stand still. At "my" beach, I am totally and completely in the present. It's like that strange experience when you get so absorbed in reading a good book you are unaware you are reading. There are no discussions, no arguments, not even any emails to answer. You've stepped out of time into a new, reposeful now.

The union of body and mind reaches its highest height in sports such as surfing. Here there are no sophisticated debates, no squabbles about text types or "best" translations of the Bible. While surfing, the common man reaches excellence by making demands on himself. We are about the business of creating a unique self as we discover the stony strength that is there in all of us. For me, surfing has narrowed the distance between the person I am and the person I can be. When I head back to the shore after my final wave, I am twice young. True, I have little in common with the young Dave. 

He thought school was a bore. I love studying. He had no career aspirations. I have been blessed with a career that can only be described as unbelievably satisfying. He was content to be island-bound. I suffer from an incurable Wanderlust. And so it goes. Yet there remains one thing that young Dave and the not-so-young Dave have in common. Both responded to a primal call to be one with nature by getting on top of a piece of fiberglass-covered foam. Only when I look in the mirror am I aware of any change. Today I am in my body as it was and is and shall be forevermore. 

And now, in my 70s, I am convinced more than ever of the untapped potential resident in my body. Some may think that I operate at a level physically that others may consider unusual. I don't. All I know is this: If we are to outwit old age, we have to remain active, whatever it takes. For me, surfing is the secret of youth. The waves awaken the same feeling they did when I was a kid. Their grandeur and beauty have never changed. When I come out of the water, I feel larger than life. And for just a little while, I return to the glory days of my youth.

The message: Go to the beach. It's medicine for the soul.