Canuck Runner

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Once again it's that time of year to re-focus and re-commit. I haven't been running regularly for the last month due to illness, snow, festive season commitments, etc., etc.

It's time to put aside the excuses and get back at it. I haven't decided on a new race goal yet but I do want to make regular running a part of my regimen again.

I'll start tomorrow ;-)

What I read about when I read about running

2008-12-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm currently reading Haruki Murakami's book "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". It's a memoir covering his preparation for the 2005 New York Marathon.

I haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying it. It's not just about running; it's about gaining insights on life.

My first moment of self recognition came on page nine.

"Most ordinary runners are motivated by an individual goal, more than anything; namely, a time they want to beat. As long as he can beat that time, a runner will feel he's accomplished what set out to do, and if he can't, then he'll feel he hasn't. Even if he doesn't break the time he'd hoped for, as long as he has the sense of satisfaction at having done his very best -- and, possibly, having made some significant discovery about himself in the process -- then that in itself is an accomplishment"

That pretty much tells the story of my first marathon. I originally felt that I didn't accomplish what I set out to do and the satisfaction of having done my very best and realization that I didn't give up when it would have been easy to do so came later.

I'm looking forward to finishing the book.

A blog about nothing

2008-11-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

I know that I've been a bad blogger recently but there hasn't been much interesting going on.

I think I'm at a crossroads with this blog. I haven't got a new race goal in mind yet so the only running that I'm doing are short maintenance runs; certainly nothing worth blogging about.

I could expand upon the topics that I blog about but, then again, there's not much going on otherwise either. Geez, I live a boring life.

Stay tuned. Really. Hang in there. Something interesting is bound to come up.

Is it supposed to be feel like this?

2008-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back to running regularly but so far I've been keeping the distances pretty low. In part, this is because I haven't been feeling totally comfortable while running and it's been tougher than it should be to run for such a short time. I haven't been able to get into the zone that I'm used to after warming up.

I'm going to keep plugging away at it but I hope the pure joy of running returns soon.

Short track speed skating

2008-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much running lately because I've been busy volunteering at the Samsung ISU World Cup Short Track speed skating event here in Vancouver. It's the first of a series of pre-Olympics events being staffed by VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games). In one sense, it's a set of trial runs for VANOC in the Olympic venues.

I'm hoping that by volunteering for these events I'll have a better chance of being chosen as a Games time volunteer.

I'm on the Technology team in radio distribution. It's not the most glamorous or challenging of positions but I have had the chance to work with some great people. And, since it's not busy during long portions of the shifts, there's time to check out the FOP (field of play) from great vantage points (especially during practice). My camera's shutter speed wasn't fast enough to get a good picture...

It was pretty interesting to see the building transformed from a hockey arena into the configuration for speed skating. Unfortunately, I didn't do before, during and after pictures.

I've watched speed skating on TV before but like many sports, you get a much better appreciation of things watching it live. I don't really know any of the skaters except Apolo Anton Ohno of the US. Some of you may know him best from Dancing with the Stars which he won.

I'm putting in long hours and the 6:00 am shifts are a bit early for my liking but it's been fun. The actual event takes place over the weekend.

Running again...

2008-10-18T12:31:00.001-07:00

I ran for the first time today since the marathon. I had intended to run earlier but never found the time. I only ran a couple of miles but it felt good to run again.

I realized that I never published my splits from the Portland Marathon so here they are. The first mile is an approximation since I forgot to start my watch. The last column is the split time I "should" have run in order to reach my 4:15 goal time. The splits are based on running at an even effort level and account for hills, etc.

Mile Actual Goal
1 9:30 9:33
2 9:35 9:45
3 10:04 10:08
4 8:20 9:40
5 9:35 9:30
6 9:33 9:36
7 9:35 9:42
8 9:07 9:42
9 9:28 9:42
10 9:28 9:42
11 9:31 9:42
12 10:15 9:45
13 9:18 9:42
14 9:38 9:42
15 9:37 9:42
16 10:00 9:42
17 11:10 10:03
18 10:09 9:51
19 10:23 9:42
20 11:05 9:42
21 13:03 9:42
22 15:41 9:42
23 10:45 9:25
24 11:15 9:59
25 10:35 9:31
26 10:07 9:42
26.2 2:17 2:03

You can see where I started pushing things too hard in Mile 4, where things fell apart in Mile 20, and where I got going again in Mile 23.

Beyond the finish line

2008-10-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

As I crossed the finish line at the Portland Marathon, it wasn't with a sense of euphoria. It wasn't satisfaction either. Relief is probably the closest emotion that I can think of. The thing I remember focusing on the most was trying not to fall down as I received my medal and space blanket. I was pretty wobbly as I watched a lady in front of me nearly collapse before she was caught by two volunteers. I told myself to keep moving.

There was plenty of food. Since Portland is the "City of Roses", each finisher gets a rose. A volunteer offered me one but I declined, telling her "It's too heavy." She laughed. You also get a pin, a finisher's shirt and a tree seedling which I also declined.

I went to look for my wife, struggling through the crowd. I think my first words to her were "I need to stretch." and "I want to sit down." I told her about how I was disappointed that I had been reduced to walking for a couple of miles. But she didn't care; she was so proud of me. I finished and that was what mattered.

It took a few days but I had more time to reflect on things. I now can look back and not focus on the negatives. No, I didn't reach my goal time and I wasn't mentally strong enough to keep running but I could have packed it in. I gutted it out and finished strongly.

It was hard, really hard. For days after the race, my legs weren't just stiff, the joints hurt. But, it was all worth it. I faced a challenge that I've been dreaming about for years and got the job done.

On to the next challenge... whatever that may be.

Portland Marathon race report

2008-10-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back after hobbling around the Oregon Coast the last few days so it's time to write this epic. Simply saying "I completed a marathon in 4:29:00" doesn't do justice to how things really unfolded.

The day started out well. I had a good night's sleep for the first time in days and the weather looked good. It was cloudy but dry.

We got lost on the drive to the start area and arrived later than planned. The lineups for the porta potties were incredible and I worried that I wouldn't make it to the start line in time.

In fact, I didn't make it to the starting corral before the gun went off but because it was a wave start I reached the 4:15 group just before we were ready to go.

I guess I was a bit flustered since I forgot to start my stopwatch and I didn't put on my knee strap which was still around my ankle. I noticed both about 2 minutes into the race.

I had decided that my goal time was going to be 4:15 and that I would stick with the 4:15 pace bunny. That plan lasted 4 miles. The 4th and 5th miles are downhill and I found the pace too slow. I felt that I was expending energy to slow down on the hill so I decided to break away from the pack and run at a comfortable pace (for me).

I thereby broke Marathons for Dummies rule #1: don't go out too fast (can you sense the foreshadowing?).

Anyway, I felt good as I ran past my wife as she cheered and took photos around the 5 mile mark. By this time I was feeling quite warm and, looking at the skies, it didn't look like it was going to rain (there's that foreshadowing thing again) so I gave her my hat as I passed her.

I soon decided to turn on my iPod. The course entertainment was fine (some really good) but I decided to take advantage of any edge I could.

Miles 7 through 11 are an out and back so on miles 7 to 9 you can see the leaders as they come back from the turnaround. I saw the 4:00 pace group coming back and I was about 8 minutes behind them. That surprised me a bit. I had had brief fantasies about catching up to them. I missed seeing the 4:15 group as I ran back so I had no idea how far ahead of them I was.

I took my first gel at 7 miles. Up until that point I had taken Ultima, Gleukos and water from the aid stations. Portland is a bit funny in that they serve an electrolyte replenisher (Ultima) which is distinct from their carb drink (Gleukos). Gleukos wasn't available at every aid station.

They also distributed gummy bears on course and I grabbed some. They were sticky so I stuffed all 5 into my mouth. It didn't take long for me to decide that this wasn't a great idea while trying to breathe normally. I decided I didn't like sucking on them and since I had just taken the gel I figured I had enough carbs for the moment so I started spitting them out. At the next aid station, I used more water to wash my hands than I drank.

Around this time it started to sprinkle. My decision to toss my hat was going to come back to haunt me. The rain progressively got worse over the next few miles but it wasn't too, too bad, perhaps even refreshing.

I passed the half marathon mark at 2:04:37. I was slightly ahead of a 4:15 pace and feeling good. Half way to the finish is a significant milestone in the mental game.

I planned to take my second gel at 14 miles. I ripped open the package just shy of 14 since I thought there was an aid station coming up (you have to drink water with a gel to avoid stomach problems). I ended up carrying the gel pack for almost 2 miles before I encountered the next water station.

Miles 16 and 17 are uphill leading to the peak of the St. Johns Bridge. That's a cruel place to put the steepest part of the course.

After mile 17, most of the rest of the course is downhill. I tried to think of this to keep my spirits up but I could feel myself noticeably slowing down.

Shortly past the 19 mile mark I was passed by the 4:15 pacer and his group. They didn't just pass me; they blew by me. This was very discouraging to say the least.

I reached the 20 mile mark and told myself that there was only 10K to go. However, I was feeling drained and rather than feeling good about that, I felt discouraged. Up until then, I had only taken short walk breaks at aid stations as I drank fluids. But, shortly after 20 miles, I took what turned into an extended walk. I tried a couple of times to start running again but I only lasted a few seconds.

I decided that I was done and figured I would walk the rest of the race. I even thought about the emergency money in my pocket and briefly considered finding a taxi ;-)

I took my last gel at mile 21 and also drank more Ultima to try and get in more electrolytes to ease the cramping. By this time my calves were killing me and I stopped to stretch them a couple of times.

The course goes more steeply downhill after mile 22 so I sucked it up and decided to try running again. I figured the downhill run would stress different muscles. I felt better and decided that running was less painful than walking. For the rest of the race, I only stopped at one more aid station before deciding I was done with walking.

With 5K to go I decided that 4:30 was still possible so I kicked it up a notch (as much of a surge as possible at that stage) and started passing people.

As we crossed the Broadway Bridge back into downtown Portland I continued to press forward. I was passing runners with many reduced to walking (much like me just a couple miles back) despite knowing that my running form must have been pretty bad.

I finished relatively strongly with the last mile being my fastest mile split of the last 10. I waved as my wife cheered me as I turned the corner down the finishing chute. I heard my name announced (amused as he struggled to pronounce my last name) as I crossed the finish line.

26.2 miles. 42.2 km. 4 hours and 29 minutes.

It wasn't pretty but I finished. I am a marathoner.

I am a marathoner!

2008-10-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'll do a full race report later but here are some of the stats:

Gun time: 4:35:06
Chip time: 4:29:00
Result in entire field: 3483 out of 7488
Result in gender (male): 2253 out of 3587
Result in division (M4549): 287 out of 423

Week 18 - Ready to race

2008-10-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Over the last 18 weeks, I've been following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program. I have run over 66 hours, covering 367.5 miles (591 km). Today I ran just two easy miles and that's it. I have completed my last training run in preparation for the marathon on Sunday. There's nothing left to do except just do it.

She Who Makes Waves added a few items to my marathon checklist including inner strength, determination and a positive attitude. I think that I've got those checked off but I guess we'll find out on Sunday. I have to admit that I'm starting to feel a bit nervous and I'm not sleeping as well as I'd like. It's difficult not to think about all the stories I've heard about how hard the last 6 miles are and of hitting the wall (the point where you've utilized all glycogen stores in your muscles and your body starts burning fat. This causes you to suddenly feel very weak. Without proper carbohydrate intake, many runners will hit the wall around the 20 mile mark).

Anyway, I've put in the training miles. I have a re-fueling plan. I have a realistic pacing plan. I am ready.

I'd like to thank everybody for their support along this journey. I'm off to Portland!

Making a list...

2008-09-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my checklist in preparation for next weekend's race.

Shoes - Asics Cumulus 10
Running socks - WrightSock
Patellar tendon strap - Pro-tec
Compression shorts - Sugoi
Running shorts - Lululemon
Technical shirt - Nike
Hat
Watch - Timex
MP3 player - iPod
Gels - 2 chocolate PowerGels, 1 vanilla
Advil
Bandaids
Vaseline
Money
Throwaway sweatshirt
Race bib
Timing chip
Pace bands

The long range forecast is calling for rain on Sunday morning so that sucks. If it rains, I'll add:

Long sleeve technical shirt - Lululemon
Throwaway poncho or garbage bag

My post-race gear:

Sweatshirt
Sweat pants
Shoes
Socks
Sports drink - Gatorade
Meal replacement shakes
Granola bars - Kashi

I can't help but think that I'm missing something.

Week 17 - T minus 1 week

2008-09-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

This was an easy week as part of the taper leading up to the race. The long run today was an easy 8 miles. I tried to keep the intensity up this week, at or near race pace. I'm finding, though, that when I'm running outside, without the treadmill to dictate my pace, that my "natural" pace is faster than what I'm going to want to run the marathon at. I think I'm going to follow one of the pace bunnies to help set my pace during the race.

With one week to go, the runs will be short with the longest one being 4 miles. It's all about resting and carbo-loading. You want to ensure that your muscles are stocked with fuel efficient glycogen.

Runnin' in the rain

2008-09-24T16:20:00.001-07:00

I think it would be fair to call me a fair weather runner. As most of you know by now, I do most of my training on a treadmill. If it's cold or wet outside, I'll just run indoors. Heck, half the time it's nice outside I still run inside.

But today, when I saw that it was raining, I decided a run in the rain was in order.

The Portland Marathon is in 11 days. They say that it has only rained once on race day in the last 27 years. That's actually one of the reasons I chose Portland over Victoria. I figured it was more likely to rain in Victoria in mid-October.

Despite this history, I thought it would be prudent to do a practice run in the rain since I can't remember ever doing so before.

I only had to do 3 miles. It was cool but the rain wasn't coming down too hard. I was torn between sprinting to get out of the rain and practicing trying to maintain marathon pace. I ended up doing something in between.

All in all, I didn't mind the run. It was refreshing and more enjoyable than running into the headwinds I encountered earlier in the week. Yes, my feet got wet and I noticed some potential chafe points but mission accomplished: I feel that I'm better prepared if it rains on race day.

Week 16 - taper time

2008-09-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

I completed week 16 of Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program. This was the first week of tapering which is a reduction in the training load to allow me to rest my body after the last 15 weeks of progressively tougher training.

I'm maintaining a good pace for my runs, especially the shorter ones. The intensity remains the same; only the distance is reduced. I worry, like a lot of runners it seems, that I'll lose some conditioning as I cut back for three weeks but all the experts agree that this is not the case. Anyway, my key goal right now is to get to the starting line injury-free.

One of the pitfalls the experts warn about is weight gain during the taper. Many runners maintain their calorie intake that they are used to while their workouts are reducing. I'm not experiencing that so far. In fact, I've lost two pounds in the last week. This is certainly not intentional and I didn't think I have been eating less. As I mentioned in a prior post, I'm not running to lose weight. I don't want to put on too many pounds prior to the marathon but I certainly don't want to lose any more. Post marathon, I'll probably focus a bit more on bulking up a bit.

The taper continues next week with the mileage going down even more. Only two more weeks to race day.

Hundred push ups

2008-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge lately. I hate to admit it but I fell off the bandwagon. I managed to complete week 5 and began week 6 which is supposed to be the final week leading to the ability to do one hundred consecutive push ups. I was failing miserably at the week 6 work outs so I simply didn't keep it up.

I do really want to take another shot at this, especially since the program has been modified recently to make the progression from week to week easier. However, I think I'll wait until after my marathon since I'm in taper mode now and not supposed to be adding more exercise to my regimen.

Week 15 - 20 miles seems much farther than 18 miles

2008-09-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

I completed week 15 of Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program. This is the peak week of the 18 week training schedule with a total of 40 miles. I ran 20 miles this morning.

The 20 mile run is the longest run in the whole training program. While it's only a couple more miles than the 18 miler I did a couple of weeks ago, it seemed much more difficult. I felt pretty comfortable doing the 18 mile run during week 13 but I was already feeling tired today at the 15 mile mark and had to gut out the last 5 miles. I'm hoping it was just an off day today. Perhaps I went too hard earlier in the week when I ran a couple of fast (for me) 5 milers.

I can understand how they say that the 20 mile mark is like the half way point of the marathon and that it becomes as much a mental challenge as it is physical. I think that I will carry my iPod during my marathon just in case I really need a boost late in the race.

I was feeling a bit sore and stiff after the run so I took an ice bath (actually just a cold bath). We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

It's only three weeks to the marathon so it's time to taper. With fifteen weeks of increasing mileage under my belt, my fitness level has peaked and my body has become accustomed to the rigors of distance running. Now it's time to allow my body to rest to be primed to perform on race day. Next week's mileage will be only 29 miles and the long run will be an easy 12 miles.

To iPod or not to iPod

2008-09-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Most major races ban the use of electronic devices due to safety concerns. However, the Portland Marathon bills itself as "MP3 Player Friendly" and actually promotes the use of MP3's.

I use my iPod during almost all of my training runs but I have not used it during a race before. I'm undecided whether to plug-in during the marathon.

I do find that an up-tempo song provides a lift when I need it. On the other hand, I'm tempted to go without it so that I can fully take in the marathon experience. I enjoy listening to the support of the crowd, the variety of bands on the course, even the panting of fellow runners as I pass them ;-)

There are supposed to be over 72 entertainment groups on the course so I don't think there will be long stretches of nothingness. Then again, I don't think they'll all provide the energy that I get from listening to my hand-picked song list.

Right now, though, I'm leaning towards going without my iPod.

Week 14 - Word of the day: chafe

2008-09-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

chafe - verb - to become worn or sore from rubbing.

I completed week 14 of Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program. It's a stepback week and today's run was only 14 miles. Once again, I finished strong with a negative split.

However, when I was showering I noticed that my skin was raw in my underarm area. Chafing is one of the hazards of running. You hear stories about guys who put bandages over their nipples to prevent them from bleeding. Typically it's worse when wearing cotton clothing which tends to absorb sweat and becomes more irritable to the skin. I was wearing a technical shirt which is supposed to wick the sweat away and be less prone to chafing but it didn't help in this case. I won't be wearing that shirt for my marathon. I'll also have to give more thought about using Vaseline or Bodyglide as a preventative measure.

The Portland Marathon is now only one month away! Next week is the peak week for my training with 40 miles total for the week and a 20-miler as the long run. After that, I'll begin my taper where the training load is reduced to allow my body to rest in preparation for the marathon.

How long is that marathon?

2008-09-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

A friend asked how my running was going. When I told him that I was training for the Portland Marathon, he asked "How long is that marathon?" From the way he asked it, I could tell he had no idea that a marathon is a standard distance.

A marathon is 26 miles, 385 yards (approximately 26.2 miles or 42.2 km). But, it hasn't always been that distance.

The name marathon originates from the legend of Pheidippides. Pheidippides was a Greek soldier dispatched from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greek had defeated the Persians in battle there. Marathon is about 25.4 miles (40.8 km) from Athens. It is said that Pheidippides ran the whole distance and then collapsed and died upon delivering the news of victory.

The first marathon event at the modern Olympics was run over a distance of 40 km (24.85 miles). Over time the distance was changed to 26 miles. However, at the 1908 Olympics, an extra 385 yards was added to the course so that the royal family would have a better view of the finish line from their royal box. This new distance was adopted by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as the official marathon distance.

So, I have Pheidippides and the royal family to blame for the extreme challenge I plan to put myself to. As Frank Shorter (1972 Olympic marathon gold medal winner) once said at the 16-mile mark of one of his first marathons, "Why couldn't Pheidippides have died here?"

Week 13 - 18 miles? No sweat

2008-08-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe a little bit of sweat.

I ran 18 miles today. That's the second longest run I'll do in preparation for my marathon. I felt pretty strong and I ran a negative split. That means I ran the second half faster than than the first.

I took two Powerbar Gels during the run along with some Gleukos sports drink and water. I felt sufficiently fueled but I still need to work on the mechanics of refueling. I tried squeezing out the gel with one hand while holding a drink in the other and continuing to run. Let's just say it wasn't effective. I think I'll take walk breaks when I take the gels during the marathon.

All along this journey I have been worried about whether my right knee would hold up to the training. It's been fine. Instead it's my ankle that continues to bother me. I took extra care to stretch it before the run but it is still sore. Next week is another stepback week and, once again, it's a welcome break. Still, the long run will be 14 miles (more than I had ever run a few short weeks ago).

Dig deep like Whitfield

2008-08-28T10:07:00.001-07:00

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are over now but there were some memorable moments: the opening ceremonies and performances in the pool and on the track. But, for me, the events that held the most interest were the marathons and triathlons.

I didn't get to see the men's marathon but I watched parts of the women's. Watching Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain veer off to the side of the road, squat and relieve herself was amusing, especially in light of my recent musings on mid-run bathroom breaks.

The agony on the faces of some of the women was certainly sobering but, then again, I don't intend to push myself to finish the marathon in two and a half hours.

The men's triathlon was the most memorable race at the Games. Canada's Simon Whitfield was in fourth place during the run (the last segment of the 1.5k swim/40k bike/10k run race) with the three leaders pulling away from him with about .5k left to go. It looked like he was fading and a podium finish wasn't possible. Then, he threw off his visor and I thought, "He's going to go for it!" Remarkably, he refused to quit, digging deep to find another gear and he reeled in the leaders and took the lead on the final stretch. Germany's Jan Frodeno eventually also managed to find something left and he passed Whitfield in the final 100m to take the gold. Whitfield took the silver but it was a remarkable and inspiring run nonetheless.

While my goal isn't much more than simply finishing my upcoming marathon, if I find that I'm struggling during miles 20+ I plan to remember the determination and grit that Simon displayed and dig deep like Whitfield.

I've got bradycardia

2008-08-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

During my incident in the emergency ward, I was hooked up to an ECG. As I spent hours on end watching the ECG, I was surprised at my heart rate. In general, it was around 52 or 53. When I focused on it, I could get it down to 48 (at which point the numbers on the ECG all went red). I'm pretty sure that a year ago my resting heart rate was in the mid to high 60's.

Over the course of the afternoon, several nurses and doctors checked in on me. Several times, one would explain to the others "He's a runner." I guessed that that was to give them the context to explain my heart rate.

I googled "low heart rate" today. I have a condition called bradycardia. Basically, it simply means a heart rate lower than 60. It's completely normal for fit athletes (and obviously, that's the category I'm in ;-). "Too slow" is relative to your current medical condition.

I've been monitoring my resting heart rate each morning recently. An increase would indicate over training but I'm still consistently in the low 50's so I guess my body is managing to adapt to the ever increasing miles I'm running.

I've got bradycardia. And, that's a good thing.

Week 12 - only 6 more to go

2008-08-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm two thirds of the way through the Hal Higdon's Novice 1 training program. Week 12 was another stepback week with reduced mileage and, once again, it was a welcomed break. I still ran 29 miles this week since the "shorter" runs are getting longer but the long run today was only 12 miles.

My ankle was pretty sore from last week's 16 mile run but it wasn't painful and, if anything, felt better the longer I ran. It feels like a sprain but it's getting better so that's promising.

I have been using my new shoes for the shorter runs and should have somewhere around 100 miles on them for the marathon. That sounds about right for breaking them in.

The Portland Marathon is on October 5 so it's only 6 weeks away. I have three more weeks of 30+ miles each and then I'll begin to drop the mileage as I taper in preparation for the race. Next week's long run is 18 miles.

Hundred push ups - week 5 again

2008-08-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Since I failed to complete week 5 last week, I repeated it but this time I stepped down to an easier workout.

Day 1
Required: 35, 28, 25, 22, at least 35 (60 seconds between sets)
Actual: 35, 28, 25, 22, 20

Day 2
Required: 17, 17, 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, at least 35 (45 seconds between sets)
Actual: 17, 17, 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, 25

Day 3
Required: 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, 12, 10, at least 35 (30 seconds between sets)
Actual: 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, 12, 10, 28

While I did better than last week, I still didn't manage to make the 35 push ups required for the final set for each day. I'm going to repeat week 5 again but once again I'm going to drop down to the easiest workout.

I'm confident that I'll complete week 5 on the next go.

I'm going to Portland

2008-08-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

I did it. I signed up for the Portland Marathon. There's no turning back now.

I wanted to wait a bit longer before registering but they started a countdown on their website as they get closer to selling out and the spots are going pretty quickly. My ankle is bothering me a bit but I'm confident it's not anything serious.

I'm excited but a bit scared too. What did I get myself into?