Following Heart: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

I'd been trying my hand in Rainshadow Running's lottery-only event, the Gorge Waterfalls 50k, for a number of years. About 6 months before the race, in late 2016, my name was pulled for the 2017 event. I planned my trip with fervor and was looking forward to my 6th ultramarathon and 30th long-distance event.

But life happens, and winter 2016 and spring 2017 ended up being packed with travel to family across the country, a marathon in Japan, and all sorts of work stresses. By the time the race rolled around, I felt burnt out. I was more inspired to take a trip to visit friends, drink loads of coffee, and consume my fair share of vegetarian-friendly PNW eats.

That's exactly what I did -- complete with a 20-mile run in the Gorge with my best friend to savor the sites I would miss by not going to the race. My weekend ended up being much more fun than just going for an ultramarathon.

Sometimes it's important to simply follow your heart.