A new week is here and Sunday’s Columbia Gorge Half Marathon is but a memory. While I’m excited that the race is over and I don’t have to run 13.1 miles (in a row) any time in the near future, I’m also thrilled to have nailed every single one of the Five Race Goals I posted earlier in the week, including #2. (I actually achieved a new PR, which I do not understand at all.)
The goal I really nailed was #5, in which I vowed to take pictures of the event, including snapshots during the race. How I managed to do this while also PR-ing is beyond me. It may sound like a #humblebrag, but it’s truly an enigma that’s likely never to be answered. (Unless the race organizers admit the course was actually a mile short, in which case, mystery solved.)
The Columbia Gorge course is magnificent and I’m thrilled I was able to document my experience via smart phone. Here are a dozen of my favorite photos from race day:
The Columbia Gorge Half Marathon was an outstanding event and one I’m not likely to forget about. If you live and run in the Pacific Northwest, you should seriously consider registering for next year’s race. And if you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, you should seriously consider a change in locale.
The Reluctant Runner 
[…] Key #5: Positive Mindset If you can think it, you can do it. Some overly positive person once said that. And it’s a nice sentiment. However, I’d like to suggest that sometimes not thinking about it can be better. Lackluster training led me to believe a race time regression was a foregone conclusion. So I didn’t think much about it. And I didn’t worry about everything I ate. And I didn’t worry about climbing hundreds of stairs. I relaxed and drank a little beer and ate a little pizza (okay a lot of pizza) and vowed to simply enjoy the race. In fact, I was so interested in “enjoying the race” I made several quick stops along the course to take a few snapshots of the picturesque course. […]
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