The Perfect Spring Day 5K

I'll preface this with saying I'm sorry to all of you who are experiencing snow right now. That is some kind of cruel joke Mother Nature is playing on your cities. I suppose I should quit my whining about some wind and rain, eh?

Well, Saturday was down right perfect here. The manfriend and I both woke up early to get our respective exercising on. I don't even know what sleeping in feels like anymore. I opted to head to a power yoga class at Lifeforce Fitness while the manfriend went insane rode 100 miles on his bike.

With temps promised to be in the 60s on Saturday, I rode my bike to class. It was glorious. I reveled in what a Saturday should feel like...luxurious, relaxing and productive, not crazy and exhausting.


We're pretty lucky to have this paved 13 mile loop that goes around the Willamette river that you can bike, walk or run on year round.

After yoga (where I finally met Lindsey!), it was just too nice to ride home and be cooped up indoors. All I wanted to do was mosey around town. So being Saturday and all, I headed straight for the farmer's market where I grabbed fresh greens, goat cheese and bread, while trying not to whack people with my bike.


The flowers at the market and on the street corners are beautiful right now. It has me lusting after the days when I'll have these things growing in my own yard.

After a little baking project, I laced up for the King Estate 5K and even slathered on my first sunblock of the season (besides my daily facial spf).

The winery is about 20 minutes out of town and has the most gorgeous views and some delicious wine. About 400 runners showed up to race as well as lots of families and friends. The set up is great because who wouldn't want to support friends and family when the race is held at a winery? Brilliant!

The course started by their pavilion on the lower portion and headed through the gravel maintenance roads and up two HUGE hills up and around the main estate.


The two major hills lasted about two minutes each and then there were about 5-6 more rollers and lots of gravel. This was by FAR the hardest 5K I'd ever run. Generally, 5K's are known to be flat and fast, but not in wine country!

I finished with a time of 24:35. Not bad considering the terrain!

After a little cool down jog, it was time for a glass of vino.

The kids race was adorable. Just a little sprint around the building.

And don't worry, it's totally normal to let the sheep mow your lawn. I guess it's economical!

For $5, this was a STEAL of a race. It was in partnership with the Eugene Marathon so the event was well organized and a lot of fun. I'm always on the lookout for the perfect "bang for your buck" kind of race that includes the right combination of a great race course, unique qualities and extra goodies.

Final Stats:
Time: 24:35
Pace: 7:55
Overall Place: 31/379
Div Place: 3/54

What's your most memorable event/race you've participated in? For me, it's hard to beat the Country Music 1/2 Marathon. There are so many fun bands along the course, people having brunch on their lawn while watching cheering you on and a free music concert afterward.

Comments

Heather @ Dietitian on the Run said…
I don't think there is a more ideal Saturday equation! :) Lots of exercise, lots of sunshine and SPRING festivities. Plus vino after a race? Jackpot!

We had a great weekend at home, but drove through a LOT of snow and rain yesterday on the way back to Denver. UGH - I'm begging the Springy weather to come back soon...
Scarlett said…
What a fantastic Saturday! And your 5k outfit is adorable; I love that pink top.
Wow - what a tough course! Nice work on the time - and your 3rd place finish!! Way to go!

We are not getting snow here, thank God! Just rain and temps in the 30-40s. Bleh. But it was beautiful on Sun/Mon. Eventually it has GOT to get nicer!
Emily said…
5 dollars for a race at a winery?? jealous. looks like an amazzzing weekend.
Lindsey said…
I'm so glad it's starting to get nice in Eugene! I think this weekend is supposed to be even better than last weekend!

It's sounds like the 5K was really fun. I can't believe the manfriend rode 100 miles! I'm tired after 25...

My most memorable race is the McDonald Forest trail race I ran a few years ago (15K, not the 50K). It was my first trail race and it was really hard!

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