Vancouver BC Marathon Recap
May 12 2012 - My apologies for a late recap post here, of the race, which has been now, six days ago. Here is a picture of the new course this year, which was much better in my opinion, having ran Vancouver two previous times. This time had all the elevation changes in the first half of the race and a large amount of the race on or above the western coastline. Additionally, the conditions for the race on Sunday morning were, praise be to God for His blessing, just perfect: 54 degrees, 75% humidity, bright sun, and calm winds at the start. And special thanks to the Vancouver Marathon volunteers and staff for a wonderful race weekend!
I was much pleased to have my bud, Alex, come with me at the last minute, as my racing bud, Ethan and his wife, who were to come, had to bail at the last minute due to illness. Good thing Alex came too because he had us dining at better restaurants than I would've chosen otherwise. Kudos, Alex! Ethan, I look forward to our trail half-marathon later this summer. You'll be healed up by then and it will be rippin'!
The race: It began this year far south of the City Centre, in Queen Elizabeth Park. This is a medium-sized park in the residential neighborhood of Riley Park. As mentioned, the weather was perfect. I was a little cold at the park as I had not ran or warmed up yet, for I was waiting to hit the toilets with hundreds of other runners pre-race. This year was I believe the first year Vancouver did a wave start, as they didn't have wave starts the two previous years I ran here. (Waves are blocked by advance projected finish time). I was in the first wave. (Though I had originally signed up months ago with expected finish time of 3:30:00, by race day I had realistic expectations of 3:40-3:45. I knew this race wasn't going to be a PR).
After the singing of "O Canada" there was a brief minute before the starting gun, and about 100 feet back from the elites, the first wave was off! As you can see from the elevation profile, we began with a short climb and I disciplined myself not to be swept into the "race adrenaline" and kept off the pace for the first two miles. I think the first mile was at 8:15 pace. Turning southbound, I enjoyed being out in the streets and the open morning sun streaming down. Some runners were chatting a bit, as is often seen in the first few miles of a marathon. I would too, if I was running with someone, but just listened in on their conversations instead. Runners figure, "Dang, we're all going to be out here for about 26 miles, why not enjoy the first few and chat while starting the long haul?". By a few kilometers in I was warm in the morning sun and everything was pleasant. Turning west on W 49th Ave, we cruised for another 6 km past mixed commercial/residential neighborhoods I had never seen before, and approached Pacific Spirit Park. By this time, I had stepped into a slightly faster pace, clicking off 7:50 miles (and was mentally doing km conversions in my head too). (I always try to do too much math in my head while running: What was that last mile at compared to overall pace? How fast should each km be at if I want 8:00 miles, and how fast was that last one? Are these exact conversions?) .
Pacific Spirit Park was arguably the most beautiful neighborhood area south of the City Centre, and brought us right into the University British Columbia area to the west. Running on Marine Drive around the university, I saw how large this university is, which is huge! Coming out the other side of the university campus, placed us above the oceanic waters and provided a beautiful view of the bay, when it wasn't blocked by trees. This also had us all at the halfway point of the race (21km or 13.1 miles), and while I didn't see a 13.1 mile sign, I noticed I was ahead of 8:00 pace by a few minutes. I knew that it would be a stretch to stay under 8:00 pace for another 13.1 miles, but if I could do it, then not only would I have a great race, I would reach that 3:30 time.
There were arguably A LOT of water or gatorade stations along the course. I think I stopped at maybe 1/5 or 1/4 of them only. I was trying to hydrate/fuel up on the first half of the race and back off on it in the last half due to some new training advice I got recently. This is meant to super hydrate the muscles so that later when the muscles are working hard, you're not taking blood from them for stomach digestion. Makes sense to me, and I think overall it helped in this race. I could probably have done it more so.
On the north side of the coast, we had passed the majority of the elevation change and made our way down to the coastline, running on and off the road right in front of the small beaches there. Then at the 29km marker we turned to cross Burrard bridge into the City Centre. Many runners were slowing at this point, either jogging slow or walking, and fortunately, I still had the energy to run across the bridge, putting me 3/4 of the way done, with another 11 km to go! Last objective was a tour around the outside of City Centre and Stanley Park. We ran along Pacific Ave and the fans were great! Lots of smiles and applause for all of us crazies! When I was in the mood, I let out a big hoop and holler and said thanks to all the volunteers nearby. Pacific became Beach Ave and we turned off the main road onto a paved park trail (the seawall path), putting us far away from any portable toilets anymore (so I noticed because this was the main time I was considering a pit stop), between only a bit of sand from open water. This continued into Stanley Park along the seawall and the weather was still surprisingly calm (5mph winds only), at about 58 degrees. At about the 34 km marker I was noticing my body getting tired, and while I still had a ways to go, this was further along than originally anticipated for that to occur. I knew I only had a bit further to go and was approaching the 3 hour mark in my run. This was both exciting (as I was still holding a good 8:00 pace) and saddening (as I'm still learning to bump hitting the wall closer to 26 miles). At 36 kilometers we ran under the Lions Gate Bridge (which crosses from Stanley Park to West Vancouver), and this was the final turn back south, where we could all see the City Centre skyline again. I knew if I could hold on, I could totally smash the 3:30 goal I had renewed early on in the race. But by 39 kilometers I knew it would prove a great challenge to attain as my muscles would not deliver. My quad's started locking up and trouble, she was a brewing.
The last 3+ km's were a challenge with my leg muscles, to fight for a PR. While my mind was incredibly strong toward that goal, I was falling victim to what I had in every race before, muscles which don't like pushing past 23 miles. *This means my training is going to take a significant turn. And while the PR was fading fast, I somehow made it back into City Centre and towards the finish line at Vancouver Convention Centre with a new PR of 3:32:19 (beating my previous PR by 19 seconds). This was a really solid finish compared to how I thought this race would go. And I simply have God to thank for great weather, the opportunity to have fun and run, and a decent finish time to boot! What can I say, but simply, and greatly, God is good!
Stay tuned for more information forthcoming via twitter: @brycemark
Bryce
I was much pleased to have my bud, Alex, come with me at the last minute, as my racing bud, Ethan and his wife, who were to come, had to bail at the last minute due to illness. Good thing Alex came too because he had us dining at better restaurants than I would've chosen otherwise. Kudos, Alex! Ethan, I look forward to our trail half-marathon later this summer. You'll be healed up by then and it will be rippin'!
The race: It began this year far south of the City Centre, in Queen Elizabeth Park. This is a medium-sized park in the residential neighborhood of Riley Park. As mentioned, the weather was perfect. I was a little cold at the park as I had not ran or warmed up yet, for I was waiting to hit the toilets with hundreds of other runners pre-race. This year was I believe the first year Vancouver did a wave start, as they didn't have wave starts the two previous years I ran here. (Waves are blocked by advance projected finish time). I was in the first wave. (Though I had originally signed up months ago with expected finish time of 3:30:00, by race day I had realistic expectations of 3:40-3:45. I knew this race wasn't going to be a PR).
After the singing of "O Canada" there was a brief minute before the starting gun, and about 100 feet back from the elites, the first wave was off! As you can see from the elevation profile, we began with a short climb and I disciplined myself not to be swept into the "race adrenaline" and kept off the pace for the first two miles. I think the first mile was at 8:15 pace. Turning southbound, I enjoyed being out in the streets and the open morning sun streaming down. Some runners were chatting a bit, as is often seen in the first few miles of a marathon. I would too, if I was running with someone, but just listened in on their conversations instead. Runners figure, "Dang, we're all going to be out here for about 26 miles, why not enjoy the first few and chat while starting the long haul?". By a few kilometers in I was warm in the morning sun and everything was pleasant. Turning west on W 49th Ave, we cruised for another 6 km past mixed commercial/residential neighborhoods I had never seen before, and approached Pacific Spirit Park. By this time, I had stepped into a slightly faster pace, clicking off 7:50 miles (and was mentally doing km conversions in my head too). (I always try to do too much math in my head while running: What was that last mile at compared to overall pace? How fast should each km be at if I want 8:00 miles, and how fast was that last one? Are these exact conversions?) .
Pacific Spirit Park was arguably the most beautiful neighborhood area south of the City Centre, and brought us right into the University British Columbia area to the west. Running on Marine Drive around the university, I saw how large this university is, which is huge! Coming out the other side of the university campus, placed us above the oceanic waters and provided a beautiful view of the bay, when it wasn't blocked by trees. This also had us all at the halfway point of the race (21km or 13.1 miles), and while I didn't see a 13.1 mile sign, I noticed I was ahead of 8:00 pace by a few minutes. I knew that it would be a stretch to stay under 8:00 pace for another 13.1 miles, but if I could do it, then not only would I have a great race, I would reach that 3:30 time.
There were arguably A LOT of water or gatorade stations along the course. I think I stopped at maybe 1/5 or 1/4 of them only. I was trying to hydrate/fuel up on the first half of the race and back off on it in the last half due to some new training advice I got recently. This is meant to super hydrate the muscles so that later when the muscles are working hard, you're not taking blood from them for stomach digestion. Makes sense to me, and I think overall it helped in this race. I could probably have done it more so.
On the north side of the coast, we had passed the majority of the elevation change and made our way down to the coastline, running on and off the road right in front of the small beaches there. Then at the 29km marker we turned to cross Burrard bridge into the City Centre. Many runners were slowing at this point, either jogging slow or walking, and fortunately, I still had the energy to run across the bridge, putting me 3/4 of the way done, with another 11 km to go! Last objective was a tour around the outside of City Centre and Stanley Park. We ran along Pacific Ave and the fans were great! Lots of smiles and applause for all of us crazies! When I was in the mood, I let out a big hoop and holler and said thanks to all the volunteers nearby. Pacific became Beach Ave and we turned off the main road onto a paved park trail (the seawall path), putting us far away from any portable toilets anymore (so I noticed because this was the main time I was considering a pit stop), between only a bit of sand from open water. This continued into Stanley Park along the seawall and the weather was still surprisingly calm (5mph winds only), at about 58 degrees. At about the 34 km marker I was noticing my body getting tired, and while I still had a ways to go, this was further along than originally anticipated for that to occur. I knew I only had a bit further to go and was approaching the 3 hour mark in my run. This was both exciting (as I was still holding a good 8:00 pace) and saddening (as I'm still learning to bump hitting the wall closer to 26 miles). At 36 kilometers we ran under the Lions Gate Bridge (which crosses from Stanley Park to West Vancouver), and this was the final turn back south, where we could all see the City Centre skyline again. I knew if I could hold on, I could totally smash the 3:30 goal I had renewed early on in the race. But by 39 kilometers I knew it would prove a great challenge to attain as my muscles would not deliver. My quad's started locking up and trouble, she was a brewing.
The last 3+ km's were a challenge with my leg muscles, to fight for a PR. While my mind was incredibly strong toward that goal, I was falling victim to what I had in every race before, muscles which don't like pushing past 23 miles. *This means my training is going to take a significant turn. And while the PR was fading fast, I somehow made it back into City Centre and towards the finish line at Vancouver Convention Centre with a new PR of 3:32:19 (beating my previous PR by 19 seconds). This was a really solid finish compared to how I thought this race would go. And I simply have God to thank for great weather, the opportunity to have fun and run, and a decent finish time to boot! What can I say, but simply, and greatly, God is good!
Stay tuned for more information forthcoming via twitter: @brycemark
Bryce
Raising donations for Vancouver BC Marathon now!
It is hard to believe that Vancouver BC is only a few weeks away. I finished my second to last long run a few hours ago and am feeling well on recovery, which is a big change from the last few long runs. What else can I say, but God is gracious! Bonus: It started to rain after I was done! Thanks to the good folks over at showHOPE, there is now a really easy way to donate to their organization as part of me running the marathon. Please click on the link below and that will take you directly to my fundraising page on their website! I am looking forward to this, and looking forward to all that we can do for these orphans!
Click here to go to Bryce's fundraising page.
Most sincerely,
Bryce
Click here to go to Bryce's fundraising page.
Most sincerely,
Bryce
February '12 update
2/20/12 - Marathon training is quite underway now, if lo, I have taken a few more "rest days" than anticipated the last few months due to fatigue and a few other issues which I think may be associated with my irregular sleeping on graveyard shift at work. However, that said, I have been fortunate to see decent gains in recent training, including Jan 30th's workout (3mi @ 6:46pc - 44deg,70%humid,dry at night,10mph winds) and Feb 6th's decent workout (16mi @ 7:50pc - 54deg,36%,dry in daylight,8mph). Luckily, I am in the homestretch to switching shift times at work, back to dayshift come March (only 10 days away!). While I know not all physical adjustments will be perfect or immediate, I am looking forward to more benefits of having a regular biological sleeping cycle in terms of melatonin and other hormonal production balancing out, like the majority of the American public who sleep at night and are up during the day. It's fascinating how working through the night and sleeping during the day for a year messes with one's body!
I read some great running articles tonight on www.active.com regarding distance-running instruction and advice. Though I've been running/training regularly now since Jan 2008, I still am constantly learning and looking for how to run healthier, better, faster, and longer. Notably, a few takeaways from tonight's reading: mix up your routine by trying new intervals, new workouts, new run locations. Also, focus on the mind, it controls much of your outcome for long runs and races: positive thinking, thinking past the wall, focusing on your breath, and focusing on your form. All of these are important and good.
Please be a part of helping orphans via showHOPE by clicking on this link, then on "Donate," and then "Most Urgently Needed," enter your donation amount, and select "Honorary Gift," then enter my email "brycerunsforhope@gmail.com" with your dollar amount so I can keep a tally of my efforts to help showHOPE raise $2,000 USD by the time I run on May 6th! Vancouver BC Marathon is approaching and it promises to be a great race, though my training bud Ethan has extended his recovery from a shoulder injury, and won't be running with me this time. Keep faith, Ethan! God loves you and will encourage and comfort and heal you in His timing, which yes, I pray, is SOON!
Please feel free to follow me on my twitter account for running updates and showHOPE stuff!
Bryce
I read some great running articles tonight on www.active.com regarding distance-running instruction and advice. Though I've been running/training regularly now since Jan 2008, I still am constantly learning and looking for how to run healthier, better, faster, and longer. Notably, a few takeaways from tonight's reading: mix up your routine by trying new intervals, new workouts, new run locations. Also, focus on the mind, it controls much of your outcome for long runs and races: positive thinking, thinking past the wall, focusing on your breath, and focusing on your form. All of these are important and good.
Please be a part of helping orphans via showHOPE by clicking on this link, then on "Donate," and then "Most Urgently Needed," enter your donation amount, and select "Honorary Gift," then enter my email "brycerunsforhope@gmail.com" with your dollar amount so I can keep a tally of my efforts to help showHOPE raise $2,000 USD by the time I run on May 6th! Vancouver BC Marathon is approaching and it promises to be a great race, though my training bud Ethan has extended his recovery from a shoulder injury, and won't be running with me this time. Keep faith, Ethan! God loves you and will encourage and comfort and heal you in His timing, which yes, I pray, is SOON!
Please feel free to follow me on my twitter account for running updates and showHOPE stuff!
Bryce
A New Year, A New Goal, and Vancouver BC Marathon!
1/11/12 - Happy New Year! I anticipate a new update for the website in February (stay tuned for that!). Also, marathon training is now well underway for the 16+ weeks still until I will run Vancouver BC Marathon on May 6th! Yes, I am excited and yes, it is a big deal to run 26.2 for your first race of the year. So there's a lot of training ahead, new technique development (making the slow transition from heel to mid-foot striker), more weight workouts, more core workouts, more long days at work, hopefully getting more rest/sleep on my weekends to compensate, and am encouraged by some strong times on my long runs in the last month! What can I say to that, but simply, God is good!
The one thing I am most excited about besides all of this is looking forward to what God will do through moving people's hearts (you) to donate to showHOPE and help change the lives of many orphans who need vital medical/emotional care and also greatly need a family. I have personally been blessed to have been raised with two parents from birth in a home where I always had food, shelter, clothing, and care. Many, many children are not so fortunate. And that's why I believe God wants us to give to them.
I have been so happy about being a monthly supporter of showHOPE since 2011 and look forward to giving more as I am able to in 2012! Please, won't you join me, and in association with me running the Vancouver Marathon, make a donation direct to this organization via their website? Please go to www.showhope.org, Click on "Donate" and then "Most Urgently Needed," enter your donation amount, and select "Honorary Gift," then enter my email brycerunsforhope@gmail.com with your dollar amount so I can keep a tally of my efforts to help showHOPE raise $2,000 USD by the time I run on May 6th! This is an ambitious goal but I believe our God can do anything and I look forward to giving along with you to this very worth cause.
Sincerest Regards,
Bryce
@brycemark
The one thing I am most excited about besides all of this is looking forward to what God will do through moving people's hearts (you) to donate to showHOPE and help change the lives of many orphans who need vital medical/emotional care and also greatly need a family. I have personally been blessed to have been raised with two parents from birth in a home where I always had food, shelter, clothing, and care. Many, many children are not so fortunate. And that's why I believe God wants us to give to them.
I have been so happy about being a monthly supporter of showHOPE since 2011 and look forward to giving more as I am able to in 2012! Please, won't you join me, and in association with me running the Vancouver Marathon, make a donation direct to this organization via their website? Please go to www.showhope.org, Click on "Donate" and then "Most Urgently Needed," enter your donation amount, and select "Honorary Gift," then enter my email brycerunsforhope@gmail.com with your dollar amount so I can keep a tally of my efforts to help showHOPE raise $2,000 USD by the time I run on May 6th! This is an ambitious goal but I believe our God can do anything and I look forward to giving along with you to this very worth cause.
Sincerest Regards,
Bryce
@brycemark
Portland OR Marathon post-race report
10/13/11 - Hi everyone! First of all, thank you for you interest and donations to ShowHOPE! I ran the Portland Marathon on October 9, 2011 and was glad to again be able to participate (my 3rd time at Portland!) on their 40th anniversary of the race. I was encouraged to have my brother Michael along to encourage me at the start as we stood on the street and I downed my Starbucks drip coffee. I was also encouraged that I wasn't soaked by rain before the start, like I was last year. It stayed dry at least for a while. I started in the 2nd corral (or wave), and at 7am we were off! Though this year has been plagued with physical ailments and setbacks in training, I was optimistic going into this race and full of faith in God for whatever outcome He desired. Though I had foolishly eaten fish and chips from the frying Scotsman the day before, I didn't have any bad feelings, and the first half went great! (While I normally try to keep along an 8:00/mi pace, I was averaging 7:40pc for the first half).
The first hill up Barbur Blvd (115' climb) was easy at only 3 miles in, and I made short conversation with a guy younger than me who was yelling "Little hill here, people, no problem!" No, he was not a pacer. It was about Mile 8 that the rain started to come, not heavy, but yes, we were all soaked by steady mist and drizzle quickly thereafter. The out-and-back down NW Front Ave in the industrial district is always a daunting one. Because it's a straightaway for 6 miles it's a mental challenge, but once you turn at the end, it's an emotional boost, seeing the runner mass behind you, that you hadn't seen since before the start line. After we descended a short hill around Mile 12, there's another daunting mental challenge for the 4 miles down St. Helens Rd. before the approach to St. John's Bridge. The approach to St. John's is Mile 16 and it was there that my muscles really began talking to me. The climb to St. John's is the highest climb of the race (150' over .5 mile) and one I had mentally prepared for but realized my muscles were beginning to fatigue. (This is a little early for me to experience muscle fatigue). Luckily, I met up with a young lady I hadn't seen since the starting gun at the start of the climb. This gave me a boost to jog up 90% of the hill, stopping but briefly to stretch my calf muscles, which were beginning to lock up hard. But I quickly continued up and over St. John's bridge (spectacular views of the city!), and along the eastern plateau.
Mile 18 is the start of the daunting 5 mile plateau down Willamette Blvd. and the start of what quickly became the most difficult part of the race this time. (This is normally the make-or-break miles of the race because the runner has to push past complacency and chase instead determination, and quite possibly pain). Passing the University of Portland along miles 19 and 20, I realized my 7:40-7:45pc I had sustained until this point, was fading. I passed the 20 mile marker two minutes under 8:00 pc and had to take walk breaks often. I didn't have the energy and muscle wellness that I had last year at this point. In fact, the quads, calves, and feet were starting to exhibit what I believe was glycogen depletion. It is likely there were other pre-determining factors resulting in fatigue at this point. And the nice strangers who cheered me on from the sidelines didn't know when muscles start shutting down, you really can't "just keep running." But as I continued to speak to my Heavenly Father along the race, I again prayed for strength and energy and that God would be glorified, no matter how the race turned out. I had changed my mentality from a possible PR (here's to hoping!) to after Mile 20 simply wanting to finish in the 8:00-9:00pc window.
The last 6.2 miles were mostly jogging with walk breaks. I knew I had asked A LOT from my body, working on depleted leg muscles and was still asking them to power through and give me what they didn't have left, assuming there would be a few drops left in the tank. And by the grace of God, I crossed the Broadway bridge back into downtown, and made it to the finish line at 26.2. I'm not sure I've ever been so glad to be done with a race, considered stopping in at the Aid tent about 30ft after the finish line because my legs hurt so bad, but passed it up for food/drink and sat on the sidewalk to ease the pain. And I was so glad my brother was there at the finish to accompany me to the car. Mentally I was fine, but the body was taxed. Got back to the hotel for a much-needed ice bath and you really can't beat a Subway footlong sandwich for lunch. Other great eats in Portland included Coava coffee, Pine State biscuits, and Widmer brewery.
I am happy to have raised just over $200 in donations for ShowHOPE before the race, and expect a few more donations to come this month still. I am already planning to run the Vancouver, BC Marathon on May 5, 2012 and will be fundraising again.
For Christians, our eternal hope and joy is possible because Jesus Christ died for us while we were still sinners, allowing us once again to stand before a holy God (Romans 5:8). In showing hope, I intend to point all people to Jesus Christ, the Light of the world (John 8:12), and to love those entrusted in our care (James 1:27), specifically children, whom Jesus said "the kingdom belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:16).
Please follow me for updates on Twitter. @brycemark
Bryce
The first hill up Barbur Blvd (115' climb) was easy at only 3 miles in, and I made short conversation with a guy younger than me who was yelling "Little hill here, people, no problem!" No, he was not a pacer. It was about Mile 8 that the rain started to come, not heavy, but yes, we were all soaked by steady mist and drizzle quickly thereafter. The out-and-back down NW Front Ave in the industrial district is always a daunting one. Because it's a straightaway for 6 miles it's a mental challenge, but once you turn at the end, it's an emotional boost, seeing the runner mass behind you, that you hadn't seen since before the start line. After we descended a short hill around Mile 12, there's another daunting mental challenge for the 4 miles down St. Helens Rd. before the approach to St. John's Bridge. The approach to St. John's is Mile 16 and it was there that my muscles really began talking to me. The climb to St. John's is the highest climb of the race (150' over .5 mile) and one I had mentally prepared for but realized my muscles were beginning to fatigue. (This is a little early for me to experience muscle fatigue). Luckily, I met up with a young lady I hadn't seen since the starting gun at the start of the climb. This gave me a boost to jog up 90% of the hill, stopping but briefly to stretch my calf muscles, which were beginning to lock up hard. But I quickly continued up and over St. John's bridge (spectacular views of the city!), and along the eastern plateau.
Mile 18 is the start of the daunting 5 mile plateau down Willamette Blvd. and the start of what quickly became the most difficult part of the race this time. (This is normally the make-or-break miles of the race because the runner has to push past complacency and chase instead determination, and quite possibly pain). Passing the University of Portland along miles 19 and 20, I realized my 7:40-7:45pc I had sustained until this point, was fading. I passed the 20 mile marker two minutes under 8:00 pc and had to take walk breaks often. I didn't have the energy and muscle wellness that I had last year at this point. In fact, the quads, calves, and feet were starting to exhibit what I believe was glycogen depletion. It is likely there were other pre-determining factors resulting in fatigue at this point. And the nice strangers who cheered me on from the sidelines didn't know when muscles start shutting down, you really can't "just keep running." But as I continued to speak to my Heavenly Father along the race, I again prayed for strength and energy and that God would be glorified, no matter how the race turned out. I had changed my mentality from a possible PR (here's to hoping!) to after Mile 20 simply wanting to finish in the 8:00-9:00pc window.
The last 6.2 miles were mostly jogging with walk breaks. I knew I had asked A LOT from my body, working on depleted leg muscles and was still asking them to power through and give me what they didn't have left, assuming there would be a few drops left in the tank. And by the grace of God, I crossed the Broadway bridge back into downtown, and made it to the finish line at 26.2. I'm not sure I've ever been so glad to be done with a race, considered stopping in at the Aid tent about 30ft after the finish line because my legs hurt so bad, but passed it up for food/drink and sat on the sidewalk to ease the pain. And I was so glad my brother was there at the finish to accompany me to the car. Mentally I was fine, but the body was taxed. Got back to the hotel for a much-needed ice bath and you really can't beat a Subway footlong sandwich for lunch. Other great eats in Portland included Coava coffee, Pine State biscuits, and Widmer brewery.
I am happy to have raised just over $200 in donations for ShowHOPE before the race, and expect a few more donations to come this month still. I am already planning to run the Vancouver, BC Marathon on May 5, 2012 and will be fundraising again.
For Christians, our eternal hope and joy is possible because Jesus Christ died for us while we were still sinners, allowing us once again to stand before a holy God (Romans 5:8). In showing hope, I intend to point all people to Jesus Christ, the Light of the world (John 8:12), and to love those entrusted in our care (James 1:27), specifically children, whom Jesus said "the kingdom belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:16).
Please follow me for updates on Twitter. @brycemark
Bryce
