Oregon! State 23

Oh Oregon! My new favorite state! I know I say that about every state but seriously Oregon. Forrests. Ocean. Mountains. Oregon has it all!

This race was in a small town outside of Portland and ran on the Banks Vernonia Trail. The trail is paved and runs through the forrest from point to point. 

Drew dropped me off at the high school where the race started. It's a tiny race and we hung out inside the school while the race director talked through a bull horn. Mostly he was just telling us the names and states of participants. I didn't pay much attention.

HAD I paid attention I might have realized that my blogging idol (from when blogging was a thing and I was obsessed.) was also running the race! Remember Skinny Runner? Hers was one of the first blogs I ever read and I loved it. And I loved her. And I missed her completely at the race. Oops.

"And then there's Skinny Runner, from Alaska."

 I loved this race from the get-go! I was literally in awe of the trees! They were so tall! So tall! I would just stare up at them and feel so lucky to be here.

 Around mile 4 I was joined by another gal who was lovely and running a similar pace and we ran and chatted for many miles. While company can be nice, I was sort of craving the solitude of running with the quiet and the trees. I know, I'm a complainer. But there you have it.

At mile 12 I pulled off to stop at a bathroom and wished her well.

I ran a couple of glorious miles alone with the trees before some dude popped out of the trees, returning from a bathroom break and decided I was his new running partner.

Having fun, even with the crowd!

I love running.

Somewhere along the way I ended up alone again. And that is how I finished the race. It was not fast, but it was running. And it was wonderful.

Which is better? A medal at the finish or an ice cream cone?

 We headed back to the hotel to clean up, then to Whole Foods for sandwiches and beer and then we were off to the beach! It was about an hour and a half drive through the forrests and mountains to get to the beach. How great is the beach? I mean, it's just the best.

Thanks Whole Foods for selling single beers.

Walking on the beach and standing in the ocean is hands down my favorite way to recover from a marathon.

Goonie rock!

And Drew is hands down my favorite person. The next day we drove into Portland where we stayed for a few days. We ate all the things and enjoyed all of the in-town nature that Portland has. Forrest Park was a favorite and we did a hike called Angel's Rest that was amazing. When can we move here?



The end.