Now that the school sports year has come to a close, it’s time for athletes of all teams to begin preparation for next season, if they haven’t already. Afer all, the offseason and individual workouts often are where championships and roster spots are won.

I’m long past the days of school competition, but like many people I’ve set a goal to get back into decent shape this summer. I started a few weeks ago with some very light workouts at Mo‘ili‘ili Field, dusted off the surfboard and finally got back in the water for a few sessions after almost two years, and started shooting baskets at Alewa Park in preparation for our upcoming Media League.

Then last Wednesday, I stepped it up a big notch by attempting the Koko Crater Trail for the first time. I’ve always wanted to try it, because a friend had been telling me for a couple years that it’s her main workout spot and a co-worker also mentioned exercising there often. They both live in Hawai‘i Kai, so I guess I considered it kind of a Hawai‘i Kai thing to do and never got around to it.

But then another friend told me she did it with a bunch of co-workers last week, and yet another friend did it separately that same day, so I decided it was about time for me to experience for myself what seemed to be a very popular fitness spot.

I’m glad I did.

It’s not real fancy or intriguing — just a straight line of railroad tracks (maybe 1,000 ties) going almost all the way up to the peak, then a short but steep dirt trail leading to the summit. It starts out with a steady incline of about 500 ties, then there’s a bridge of about 40 or 50 ties over a ravine maybe 10 or 15 feet deep.

The first time across the bridge can be spooky, because your eyes tend to focus in between the ties to the drop below. There’s also a couple missing ties and others that are badly termite-eaten.

After the bridge, the incline gets steeper, and then the last 50 or so ties are at a really steep angle.

I’m still out of shape, so the first time up I took little over an hour and had to stop many times to catch my breath. But stopping also gives you a chance to look back at the view of Hanauma Bay, Hawai‘i Kai and all the way to Diamond Head and beyond. Once at the summit, the view is spectacular, going out to Sandy Beach, Hawai‘i Kai Golf Course and Kalama Valley.

Going down can still be treacherous at times but obviously less strenuous and faster with less stops for rest. I know people who run down, which I still find amazing because the steps are not even and the footing can be slippery.

Anyway, I went back Saturday and it was a little easier this time, though still very challenging and strenuous. Took me 57 minutes to get from the bottom to top. The bridge was easier, since I focused more on the ties and not the gaps in between.

I can feel myself slowly getting back into shape, so I plan on going back this week to see if I can shave a couple more minutes off the time. It’s a good place to challenge yourself and measure progress, and to get motivated about fitness.

Which brings me to another interesting thing about the place. There was a box at the base of the trail Saturday, with a petition inside asking people to sign in support of keeping the trail open. Apparently the City Parks and Rec department closed the trail very briefly in February and still is looking into possible closure in the future, citing maintenance and safety issues with the shooting range nearby.

I signed the petition, which supposedly will be brought to a Neighborhood Board meeting tonight (Tuesday).

In two visits to Koko Crter trail, I’ve become a fan and see it as a valuable spot for the community. There’s people of all ages and fitness levels using it, including a 58-year-old guy who reportedly can get from bottom to top in 16 minutes. Then there’s slow pokes like me.

But I even see it as a good place for high school athletes to get in shape and develop their leg strength and stamina and mental toughness. It is a physical and mental challenge to get to the top, especially if you set time goals, and there are benefits for both aspects once you get to the top or complete the hike back down.

I’ve never lived in Hawai‘i Kai so I don’t know how popular the trail is with high school athletes there, but if I were one of them I definitely would take advantage of the proximity.

If you are a football or volleyball player, I can see it as a great spot to get yourself into prime condition for practices starting in a couple months.

For this weekend warrior athlete and out-of-shape adult, it’s a great fitness venue that I hope to frequent in the next several weeks in the hope of trimming pounds off the body and minutes off the time.

I hope they keep it open.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 1:18 am and is filed under Prep Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.