Portland has one of the best ways to get into and out of an airport. No need for a vehicle at the airport, just buy a Tri-Met pass, hop on the train, and head close to your destination. The trip to Beaverton was about an hour and stress-free. We disembarked the train at the Beaverton Creek Station, the closest one to the Nike campus where our son was working.
The sign in the Nike woods next to the Tri-Met tracks
Kris found us even though I was busy exploring the Nike running trails next to the tracks. We headed to lunch before checking into our room at the Marriott. One of the great things about the Portland area is there is no shortage of good brewpubs or restaurants. We stopped off at the Fireside Grill. The food was fantastic. I had my first burger of the weekend.
My burger and homemade chips at the Fireside Grill in Beaverton, Oregon
After our great lunch, we checked in to the Beaverton Marriott then headed to the Value Village thrift store a few miles away for a couple of hours of bargain hunting before dinner. I did find vintage copies of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, and Lord Byron's work published between 1895 and 1905. I got all three for under 10.00.
The closest place we could find that served decent food that wasn't packed on a rainy Friday night was McMenamins. Pizza and beer the night before a race has always worked for me, and this night would be no different. We ate heartily preparing for tomorrows adventure and Kris dropped us off at the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Barbeque Chicken Pizza at McMenamins
Kris picked us up in the dark on Saturday morning and off we went South towards Salem, then East into the mountains to Silver Falls State Park. We arrived shortly before 8:00 A.M. The first race of the day, the 50k had already started. The marathon was scheduled to start at 8, and our race, the 7 miler was scheduled to start at 9:00 A.M. We headed to the check-in tent, and picked up our bib numbers and swag. One of the many things I liked about this race was the t-shirt purchase was a 10.00 option. The race directors didn't force us into buying the shirts. After we checked in, we wandered around the check-in tent and there was a portable bar set up serving free shots of Fireball whiskey. Not the type of people to disappoint, we did partake in small shots of Fireball to warm us up on a cold morning.
The check-in area prior to the start of the Silver Falls Trail Races
Course Map of the 7-mile race at Silver Falls State Park.
Doing our Fireball shots prior to the start of the Silver Falls Trail Race.
It was nice seeing the marathon start promptly on time at 8:00 A.M. This meant everything else would probably be on time, and it was. I did my warm-up, hit the porta potties a couple of times, and was soon ready for the start. I told Kris and Robin I would see them at the finish and lined up towards the front. I wasn't sure how long it would be before we hit single track trails and I didn't want to get stuck in the pack. I wasn't in great shape since I haven't trained too much due to plantar fasciitis issues so I didn't push myself too much on the initial hills. Soon the course went downhill towards the water which meant we had to come back up to finish. The weather was about 40 degrees, overcast, but no wind. Perfect for running. There was a chance of rain in the forecast, but it held off for the race.
The race description told of beautiful waterfalls along the course, and we weren't disappointed. The first couple wasn't much to see, but before long we were running along and under some of the most fantastic scenery I have ever seen. We actually ran under the waterfalls. In one of them I had to duck my head as I ran, and in another, it was so dark I couldn't see the ground, but I could feel the moisture through my Nike Terra Kiger shoes.
Waterfalls like this were everywhere along the course.
We ran under the waterfalls
At some point in the race, Robin caught up with Kris who was busy stopping to take pictures.
Note the cool waterfall in the background.
I checked my watch and we were nearing mile five, and still running along the river. The stairs and switchbacks out of the canyon would be upon me soon enough, so I slowed down a little hoping to make the best of what was to come. What came was I the fact I wasn't in good enough shape to run up the stairs and switchbacks. I did my best power walking up the stairs, using the banister to help propel me up. When we got brief downhill or flat sections I ran at a reduced pace, fearful of the infamous "nutbuster" hill I had heard about that was close to the finish. I was soon out of the canyon and running towards the finish area. I had survived the switchbacks by walking with purpose. My mistake was, I thought the switchbacks was the "nutbuster" hill, but I was mistaken. I could see the big white tent and hear the announcer, but the course took me suddenly to the right and straight up. This was the hill, and I was relegated to walking with purpose again. I got passed by a masochist who tried running up the hill, and I got passed again on the downhill which was wet and grassy. I survived the descent with the rubber side down and proceeded to pass back everyone that had gotten by me in the short but steep up and downhill section right before the finish. I finished 69th overall, third in my age group in a time of 1:12:27. I took my finishers medal and headed to the beer truck for my first post-race IPA. The beer was supplied by Seven Brides Brewing and was fantastic. One of the great things about this race was there was no limit on how many beers one could drink after the race. Since my son was driving I decided I would enjoy a few of the tasty IPA's, and I'm not known for liking that type of beer, but on this morning they were great.
Seven Brides Brewing provided the post-race refreshments.
I got third in my age group, the guys that beat me must have been in the beer or porta potty line.
My beer cup was empty when my son Kris finished, but that was easily remedied. Not too long after he finished Robin came in. It was at this time that I learned that a runner had had a medical issue out on the course. For the second time this year, Robin came upon people performing CPR on a runner during a race. We later learned the runner passed away from an apparent heart attack. our condolences go out to his family.
Not only did the race have great beer, but they also had all of the homemade chili we could eat. We had chili and beer, waited around for the awards, and picked up our race receipts. I'm not sure what else to call them, but when I went to look at the results posted on the wall a guy with a laptop and printer called out my name and handed me a slip of paper with all of my race statistics on it. This was another cool feature of this race. It was time to head back to Beaverton.
The race may have been over but the weekend wasn't. Kris dropped us off at the hotel. We hit the indoor pool for some cool down exercises in the water, showered, and Kris picked us up so we could hit the town. Our first stop was the Thirsty Lion. We all had a beer and split some appetizers. From there we went to Orenco to hang out at the Pizza Schmizza to watch the Ducks game. The game wasn't great for Oregon fans so we headed back towards the hotel, stopping at Room 122, a taphouse, for a nightcap.
Appetizers and beers at the Thirsty Lion
Sunday morning found us heading to the Tri-Met station for a quick run into downtown Portland where we would spend the day. Our first stop was at Jakes Grill for brunch where we would be meeting some friends of mine from high school 40 years ago. The food and drinks were great, but the laughter and memories were better. The meal ended way too soon and I can't wait to sit down and catch up some more with those two.
I met up with Judy and Scott from high school at Jake's Grill in Portland
Robin had one more spot she wanted to hit, and it was a bucket list place for her. Hanna Andersen is one of her favorite clothing lines and there was a store within walking distance. Off we went, it was only a few blocks. Fortunately for Kris and I, there was a fine looking pub called Life of Riley across the street for us to kill time in. Robin went one way, and we headed into the Life of Riley for a pint and appetizers.
Beers and appetizers at Life of Riley. Note the Hanna Andersen bag, Robin was successful.
From Life of Riley, we headed to Tilts for some more burgers and beers. It was a three block walk. Downtown Portland is full of fun places to eat and drink, and we were trying to hit as many as we could. The cool thing about Tilts is the decor is old school machine shop. I went with the jalapeno burger and a beer and it was very tasty. There were no paper napkins, just orange shop towels. I checked mine for metal chips before wiping my face. Old habits die hard.
My jalapeno burger at Tilts Portland
Tilts didn't have just burgers and beers. Check out the pie selection.
The final stop of the night would be near the Portland Timbers stadium to watch the Timbers playoff game in a bar. If you've never been to Portland during a Timbers game you don't know what you are missing. Everyone is dressed in the team colors, and all the screens in bars are tuned to the game. NFL takes a back seat during Timbers games. We ate at Henry's Tavern, and the food was again delicious. Soon enough the game was over and we all headed to the nearest Tri-Met Stop for the ride back to Beaverton. Kris took us back to the Marriott where we said our goodbyes until Christmas.
Monday morning I did an easy run, then we hit Einstein Bros. Bagels next to the hotel for breakfast. The food was good, and they had the largest selection of cream cheeses I've ever seen.
My bagel sandwich at Einstein Bros. Bagels
After breakfast, we packed our bags and checked out. Since Kris was working we used the bus to get us to the Tri-Met station for the ride to the airport. We didn't have to wait too long for the bus, and luckily it wasn't raining. We got to the airport, checked our bags, and settled down for some lunch at Henry's PDX.
The beers at Henry's PDX were about the same price as Henry's in downtown Portland,
Our flight boarded on time, and if any passengers were wearing Portland Timbers shirts they got to board with the first class passengers. Unfortunately, I had a passenger sitting next to me that wasn't a runner, and he took up his seat and overflowed into mine a bit. I'm just glad the flight to Burbank was a short one. When we landed we got on the wrong shuttle, so that was exciting. Twenty minutes later we were on the proper shuttle headed to our car. You got to love small airports. By now we were hungry again so we decided to stop at Hoke Poke in Santa Clarita on our way home. Thank you, Bobby, for starting this place. It was nice to finish our weekend off with some healthy food.
My spicy tuna poke bowl from Hoke Poke in Santa Clarita, CA
Starting next year I have decided to give the races I do a rating. I'm going to rate them on all aspects of the race from the ease of check-in to course difficulty. Flat courses will be lagers, and trail runs will be IPA's. The rating will consist of one to six beers, with six being the best. If I were to rate the Silver Falls Trail races it would easily be six IPA beers. Stay tuned in 2018 as I work out the kinks in my rating system and travel around to various races.
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