I was in the car for several hours on Monday driving through the Columbia Gorge which is an amazing drive. I was traveling for work but had my family with me which was great, except I knew I couldn't sneak in a run. Yes, we were going on a short hike which I was excited about but I kept thinking about the missed run.
We were just driving past the parking lot at the trail head for Beacon Rock and there was a runner headed out on a run to the top. Full running gear and setting a nice and determined pace. I was instantly jealous.
For those of you who don't live in the area, Beacon Rock is a huge monolith with a really fun trail to the top. This runner was going to climb, suffer, truly understand "the burn" and feel a huge sense of accomplishment. This isn't the kind of run to do if you are focused on keeping a fast average but is a great run for Strava (there currently aren't any records!).
I know most people wouldn't want to run with so many switch backs but it is really steep and the turns feel like rest.
So while we drove by, someone got an awesome workout and I now have a plan for my next trip.
