Did I miss Fall?

One of the things about the Pacific Northwest is the wonderful Fall season with all the great colors. It seems our Fall season has come and gone in less than a week. Generally September is a great month for running because it's still dry on the trails and the leaves begin to fall creating a blanket of crunchy colors. The rains are already here with this September being a record rain fall since 1996 and that record was set in just a few days of rain which means it poured! I was woken up by the crashing sound of rain on the roof which leaves me busy wiping down wet dogs as they enter the house. It's just crazy but since there's no time to sit around and stay dry how about a run? On Monday's I have been going to the Gorge after dropping off Alex for school. Trisha and Susan have come along on the last two Monday's making for a perfect way to start the week. There is nothing better than friends and trails and when they can be mixed it's just plain fun! Ultra got a bit out of shape this last Summer while I was busy doing the SLAM so she has been out with me almost every run. She is quickly getting back into shape and dropping those unnecessary pounds she is sporting. The first Monday Trisha and I were out it was brisk and sunny but within just one week it got wet and lots of leaves were gone from the foliage. We marveled at how fast it happened.

Last weekend I met Tom and Susan for a run in the Coast Range. This area is within a 30 minute drive of Portland and has a ton of great trails winding through the hills. The maps for the area are not great so it's best to go with someone who knows the ins and outs of the trail system. Tom spends a lot of time exploring out there so he treated us to the Gales Creek Trail right off Hwy 6. The trails in the Coast Range are in great shape and seem to lack the general blow down of areas more east of the City so the trails are always open and mostly free of snow in the winter. Anything above 4000 feet out there will be covered but the lower areas stay clear all year. Warning........if it's raining in Portland it's then it's usually pouring in the coast range so be prepared to get wet! Susan is in WS100M this next year since she is two time loser. She is really committed to training and is already planning her Spring and how to juggle family and training. On Saturday she started practicing her downhill running and I believe she did a mini back to back. This will be her first 100M race so I am excited to see her go through the process and finish WS100M in 08.