I ran the Portland Half Marathon. 13.1 miles through downtown Portland and along the waterfront. I hadn’t trained too well and was running this race more to enjoy Portland than to go for a PR. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.

I flew in Friday and hit up the expo with my parents. It was great to see so many vendors around. The expo is huge! It is one of the best that I have seen. I met a few friends and explored the expo. Then went over to Foot Traffic and scored some free socks! Runners can never have too many socks.

After the expo we headed home for an evening of family time in Salem, Oregon. Saturday evening we headed up to Portland to check into our hotel – the Marriott Portland City Center. It was a very nice hotel with excellent space and amenities and as an added bonus – was right near the race start and finish line. There isn't much parking at the start, so it is best to stay in a hotel.

I laid out my race kit the night before and prepped for the big race. The hotel’s fitness center had foam rollers so I got a chance to roll out both before and after the race. Then I went to bed around 10:30 and after a fitful night of sleep I woke up around 6am.

I sleepily got all my race gear on. (Thanks for the pre-race prep photo mom!) And we walked to the start just 15 minutes before the race began. For Portland – the race weather was perfect. It was just in the 50’s and 60’s during the entire half marathon. There is always a chance of rain and storms in Portland in October, so I definitely got lucky picking this year to race.

The race itself got off to a good start right at 7am. The course wound through downtown and then down by the waterfront. It showed gorgeous views of the city and there was lots of fun entertainment on course – from pirates to drummers, bands and cheer squads.

Most of the race went by without too much difficulty. I started slow because of my weak training and paced myself fairly well. All in all, I surprised myself with a time of 2:04 – far from my best but not too shabby either.

I have to say this was a very well run race and I would definitely like to do it again. I might even venture into doing the full 26.2 someday. If you’re looking for a great fall race, this is it!

Post race we headed to The Old Spaghetti Factory for a good old carb load and race replenishment. And of course, when a friend gave me a pass to the Nike Company Store, I could not say no to a little tax-free shopping at Nike! Portland – I love you. Thanks for a great adventure.