Running in Portland, OR

It’s beautiful  running weather here in Portland Oregon right now.  The temperatures range from 65-75 in the morning and feel comfortable.  Some mornings are even a little chilly for an islander like me.  Portland offers plenty of running on both road and trail.

My son and I have been going out on our runs just outside of the door in this runner friendly neighborhood around Reed College in Southeast Portland.  There are a nice golf course and a park and it’s very peaceful to run under huge trees shading the sidewalks.  On our longer runs, we go out to Sellwood Park area by the river.  Just a few miles away, Mt. Tabor is a nice place to enjoy a little feel of trail running.

Here is a list of free group runs offered by running stores around the town.

-Nike+ Run Club at the Nike Store in downtown Portland on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays.  For more information, visit their website and reserve a spot for the free sessions.

–Foot Traffic in downtown offers a group run on every Tuesday at 6 p.m. for walkers and runners.  Foot Traffic stores in Northeast Portland and Sellwood locations have their own group runs.

–Portland Running Company offeres a variety of group runs in different locations for runners of all levels.  For more information visit their  website.

–Pace Setter Athletic on Woodstock in Southeast Portland is a local store and hosts group runs and events for runners and walkers.

For trail running, my favorite  place to run is Forest Park which is located west of downtown.  It’s one of the largest urban forest reserves in the US and there are several different trails for running and hiking.  One of them is Wildwood trail  which stretches in northwest/southwest direction for 30.2 miles.  The park can be accessed from several different places.

Near Reed College

Forest Park

Around the Neighborhood