The Runner's Rec: Portland, Oregon

Runners of the world, I know we've all been in some variation of the following situation. You've got a non-running related trip coming up, and all you want to know is the best local trail to squeeze in an amazing run and grab a local coffee or beer afterwards. Sure, you can open 20 tabs and compare and contrast Strava segments with AllTrails and Google Earth and gpx tracks, and then try and cross-reference that with top-ranked TripAdvisor and Yelp reviews of cafes nearby, or you can just get straight to the point from a local. Introducing The Runner's Rec column, where we'll share our recommended running essentials and trail tips from a member of our global Runcation community. To kick things off, Jaime shares her Portland, Oregon Runner's Rec!

Q: Name/Handle/Town
A: Jaime, @jaime.michaela, Portland, OR

Q: Where's your favorite local running spot?
A: Forest Park! Forest Park is one of the largest urban forests in the United States and supplies more than 80 miles of trails. I usually stick to the Wildwood Trail, which measures almost 30 miles in length end-to-end. It's great for long-distance training! There are a few different access points, so elevation gain varies. In general if you plan on running more than 10 miles, expect a gain of 2,000-3,000'.

Q: Best time of year to run it
A: Fall is the very best time of year to run anywhere However the nice thing about Forest Park is you get shade in the summer and a decent canopy for rainy winter runs.

Q: Favorite nearby post-run snack/beverage
A: You can access Forest Park from NW Portland, which has a ton of places to eat and drink!
Just coffee: Dragonfly Coffee House or Groundwork Coffee Co.
Brunch: Stepping Stone Café or Besaw's
Beer: Breakside Brewery
Cocktails: Freeland Spirits (one of very few women-owned distilleries!)
Carb-load: Grassa or Serrato

Thank you Jaime for sharing! This makes us want to fly to Portland and run 30 miles followed by brunch/beer/cocktail/carb-loading ASAP. Have a recommended hometown run and a favorite spot to grab a coffee or beer? We want to hear from you! Send us an email at RuncationTravel@gmail.com, or message us on social.

Travel Tip: Argentinian Asados

"Al Asador" by _miglesias is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Asados are everywhere in Argentina. From roadside food stands in Buenos Aires to parrillas, or steakhouses, to countryside asados over open fire, they come in a variety of forms and locations throughout the country. These special barbecues began with gauchos and have permeated Argentinian cuisine.

Typically these asados are events that can go for hours, complete with family and friends, music, food, and drinks (especially a glass of Malbec or a Fernet and Coke). Below are our top 3 recommendations for experiencing Argentinian asado.

1) In Buenos Aires, try the high end parrillas in the Palermo neighborhood Don Julio or La Cabrera.

2) El Calafate is the gateway to the Perito Moreno Glaciar as well as El Chaltén. Enjoy asado in the lakeside town at the parrilla Don Pichon, or at one of the nearby estancias for an open air asado and (if you're luck) some folkloric music.

3) After a day in the mountains getting up close and personal to the Fitz Roy skyline, enjoy parrilla in town at Parrilla Argentina. We recommend going early, or be prepared to wait in line.

Interested trying out one of the Argentinian asados and parrillas in Patagonia above? Join our New Year's or March Runcation in Argentinian Patagonia!

Experience Argentinian Asado on our Patagonia Runcation

Cheap Flights!

We love sharing recommendations for finding cheap flights. This week we're recommending checking out Scott's Cheap Flights. Their Flight Experts discover flight deals and mistake fares and send them right to your email. Using the link below, you get a discount for 10% off a Premium membership when you sign up by 11/30 for the free trial membership. They say the average savings is $550 per ticket!

Cheap Flights!