Hello! How was your July 4th weekend? Mine was a whole lot of fun. I spent Friday through Sunday in Eugene, Oregon for our annual Brooks Running Blog Ambassador Weekend. This year, we had the opportunity to spectate the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials, which was the coolest thing ever.
Pictured above: Women’s Chariot Heritage Shoes//Women’s Go-To Running Capris – both of which I have worn NON-STOP lately!
I arrived in Portland mid-morning and joined the rest of the blog ambassadors for a road trip to Eugene, which was about 2 hours away… well, more like 3 hours with traffic, but it was the perfect opportunity for all of us to catch up.
(After a long morning of travel, I was especially thankful to have lunch waiting for us!)
Our accommodations for the weekend were on-campus at the University of Oregon in a fraternity house that Brooks took over for the week. It was right next to Hayward Field, where the Olympic Trials were taking place, so our location couldn’t have been more convenient!
It was just like living in a college dorm!
Brooks went above and beyond to make sure our stay was comfortable.
Once we had a chance to get settled in our rooms, we walked over to Hayward Field to watch the Olympic Trials. Brooks Running Blog Ambassadors:
- Anne – Fannetastic Food
- Tina – Carrots ‘N’ Cake
- Kristen – Fit Bottomed Girls
- Emily – Daily Garnish
- Lora – Crazy Running Girl
- Dorothy – Mile Posts
- Janae – Hungry Runner Girl
- Jessica – Run Lady Like
- Meghann – Meals and Miles
- Ashley – A Healthy, Happier Bear (not pictured)
Watching the athletes, live and in person, was absolutely incredible and one of the coolest sporting events I’ve ever watched. I was truly in awe watching these athletes speed around the track.
They were cruisin’!
After the events concluded for the day, we headed to Excelsior Inn for dinner.
Dinner was delicious and concluded with the most amazing Coconut Cream Pie I have ever eaten. I was already pretty full and the portion was massive, but I came really close to finishing the entire thing—that’s how incredible it was!
The next morning, Brooks hosted a run for anyone who wanted to join.
The frat house was bummin’ at 9 AM!
There were runners of all abilities in attendance, so people broke up into smaller groups to run their choice of pace and distance around campus.
I ran about 4.5 miles with some of the blog ambassadors.
I felt really great and enjoyed the lack of humidity!
Post-run, there were smoothies waiting for us! The best.
After that, I had the opportunity to give Brook’s Run Signature a try and see what shoe was best for me.
I’ve run in the Glycerin for as long as I can remember and trained for the Boston Marathon in them. I also recently fell in love with the Launch and where them all the time, so I was surprised to learn that a more supportive shoe was recommended (Ravenna and Transcend), especially after using the online Shoe Finder, which nailed my current footwear. But, hey, I’m open to trying something new, so maybe I’ll give one of the suggested shoes a try in the future. Maybe I’ll like them even more?
After showering up and getting ready for the day, we headed back to the track to watch more of the Olympic Trials.
Run Happy Spirit Squad!!
After a few hours of spectating, it was time for lunch. We took a limo to the restaurant! So cool!
Brooks definitely knew how to show us a good time!
Lunch was at The Cannery, a gastro-pub with a focus on local fare.
At lunch, we had the pleasure of chatting with Brooks Beasts, Garrett Heath (blue shirt) and Riley Masters (gray shirt – I loved hearing about his running superstition). They both competed in the 500o meters at the Olympic Trials and advanced to the finals!
I can’t wait to see them run on Saturday and hope they both make it to Rio!!
That evening, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at King Estate Winery.
I love this group of women runners so much!
Brooks really spoiled us with this dinner! It was epic.
After a seriously incredible dinner, we headed back to the fraternity house. I said goodbye to everyone, packed up, went to bed, and then woke up 2 hours later to take a shuttle to the airport with Emily. Rise ‘n’ shine! Haha!
And just like that, the Brooks Blog Ambassador Weekend was over. It was a whirlwind weekend for sure, but I enjoyed every single second of it so, so, so much.
Thank you, Brooks, for planning such a phenomenal weekend. Spectating the Track & Field Olympic Trials was most definitely an experience I will never, ever forget!
from Carrots 'N' Cake http://ift.tt/29uhLTL
