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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019
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Photos by Ed Hunt
Memaloose Island and the Columbia River Gorge are beautiful in the fall.
OWNED
GOALS
What we learn along the way
Four runs in one year
before turning 50
By ED HUNT
For The Daily Astorian
”When I run, the world grows quiet.”
— Matt Inman, “The Terrible and
Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long
Distances”
‘I
t must feel good to be so close
to achieving your goal,” my
wife, Amy, said.
I was wary rather than excited, and
tired from working the night before. I
stared out the car window at the storm
clouds growing over the Oregon Coast.
My goal was as simple as it was arbi-
trary: I wanted to run four half mara-
thons in one year before I turned 50.
Each half is 13.1 miles, 4 x 13.1 = 52.4
— more than 50 miles, give or take a
stumble.
We were driving south to Newport to
run the fourth and fi nal half: the New-
port Resolution Run and Polar Bear
Plunge. Out of shape from the sugar sea-
son, I wondered if I would even fi nish
the race.
And if I did fi nish, what would come
next? What happens after you achieve a
goal?
When I set about this adventure, my
plan was that this would be a last big
hurrah for running. I love hiking and
vowed to do more, perhaps as a substi-
tute for these organized runs, which can
become expensive. Yet each run intro-
duced us to new places and got us out of
our rut of attending only local runs.
The Bridge of the Gods is narrow
and 99 years old. We ran fi rst across
the metal grate bridge and then up
onto forested roadways still charred
from the previous summer’s devas-
tating fi res that threatened the town
of Cascade Locks. Smoke from dis-
tant fi res was still in the air, smudg-
ing the August sun.
Oct. 21: The Gorge
Half Marathon
After the muted skies at Cas-
cade Locks, the weather in Hood
River was a postcard-worthy sunny
autumn day. A friend warned me,
“The fi rst two miles are all straight
up hill.” I was glad for the warn-
ing. The climb was psychologically
defeating, yet it soon leveled off
and was worth every step. Fall col-
ors and bright sunlight against blue
skies. This run follows the old cliff-
side highway yielding picture-per-
fect views around every corner. I fi n-
ished just short of my personal best
time but feeling great.
Then came the sugar season.
Baked goods, fancy dinners, candy
and cookies. Busy days, excuses not
to run. “I’m in shape. I just ran three
half marathons!” I told myself.
Cartoonist Matt Inman calls this
“the Blerch,” that inner voice that
gives you all the great reasons not to
exercise, to quit or not even try.
I all but stopped running more than
once a week and some weeks I didn’t
run at all. I gained eight pounds. I for-
got to ask for the right days off work, so
I had three 12-hour night shifts sched-
uled right before the fi nal run.
See Goals, Page C2
May 20: Run on the River
Astoria’s Run on the River was a great
way to start. I signed up as a walker so I
wouldn’t get in the way of more experi-
enced runners.
The weather was perfect, and I love
the waterfront. I took off at the start
running way too fast, passing most of
the slower walkers. When my phone’s
app told me my fi rst mile time, I was
stunned. I felt good and my pace was
eight minutes a mile — I rarely ever run
that fast. Nervous energy. Wow, I felt
really good — running without hills is
great! In fact, the fi rst seven miles or so
is absolutely fl at with great views along
the riverfront to enjoy.
The fl at running ended at the town’s
far east end. The course turns right
and goes steeply uphill into the Alder-
brook neighborhood. The real runners
had fl own by me long before I got to
the fi rst hill, but mine wasn’t the only
pace that slowed to crawl. I fi nished
with cramps in my legs and a decent
time of two hours and 15 minutes.
One down.
Aug. 12: The Bridge of the
Gods Half Marathon
Having grown up on the Colum-
bia River, I have a strange desire to
run or walk across all this magnifi -
cent river’s bridges some day. The
Great Columbia Crossing is one of
my favorite runs each year.
e of the Gods Half
Ed Hunt at The Bridg
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