In August 2013, I went to Oregon for the first time. I was invited to run the Hood to Coast Relay, a 200-mile relay race across the state from Mt. Hood to Seaside, with an extraordinary group of female runners. If it’s possible for a race to change your life, this one left an indelible mark on me. Moments that change our lives tend to be experiences like weddings, the birth of a child, mentorship from a special teacher or leader, a death of a loved one or something more profound. But a race across the state of Oregon was a defining moment in my life, as it was the first time I learned to believe in myself as a runner and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It was a breakthrough experience in my running journey, which in turn seeped deeply into the rest of my life, bringing empowerment, confidence and the ability to defy limits.

That short trip out west was the first and only time I had visited Oregon. Although I got to experience some of the best places to run in Oregon, what I really saw of the beautiful state was limited, at best. I viewed secluded paths in the middle of the night with a headlamp guiding my vision while running miles so fast for fear the boogie man would jump out of the bushes and snatch me. I caught glimpses of my surroundings while peeking out of the back of a van as the landscape whizzed by, and gazed with bleary-eyes at the coast after being up for 30 straight hours and simply wanting to collapse in a heap in a hotel bed. It was great and amazing and life-changing, but despite traveling 200 miles across the state, I didn’t really see Oregon.

That is, until last week.

Once again, running brought me back to this special state as I made the cross-country trip to attend the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials with my friends at Brooks Running in Eugene, Oregon. Mr. rUnladylike and I decided to take advantage of my travels out west, and he met me at the tail-end of my time in Eugene for a week-long trip around the state. After eight days in Oregon, I can safely say it is one of my favorite places on Earth. In addition to a weekend in Eugene, we spent time in Portland, Brasada Ranch/Bend, Crater Lake and driving up the coast. It was a magical week.

One of the things that connected the journey together was running. I made a point to run in every place we traveled, as there is often no better way to appreciate a new city than exploring it on foot in a pair of running shoes. These were my unique views from some of the best places to run in Oregon.

Eugene

My first run in Oregon was a 4.35-mile run on the paths and trails surrounding the University of Oregon with my fellow Brooks runners. The weather was slightly cool with low humidity, but the sun streamed brightly overhead. There were few clouds in the sky, and nearly everywhere I looked, I could see someone running. You can read more about this run and my weekend in Eugene here.

Portland

After an amazing weekend at the Olympic trials, I headed back to Portland to meet Mr. rUnladylike. We spent the day exploring the city on bikes, visiting breweries (Deschutes, Rogue and 10 Barrel Brewing) and pedaling all the way to the International Rose Test Garden. The next morning, we went for a 3.2-mile run along the waterfront. Although the sky was overcast, the temperatures were in the high 50s, a true relief from the Florida heat. I even had some special guests join me for my run.

Here are a few of the highlights from our visit to the rose garden the day before our run. We biked about eight total miles around the city, and my heart nearly exploded out of my chest after the steep ride up to the garden.

Brasada Ranch

After leaving Portland, we made our way to Brasada Ranch to celebrate the Fourth of July. This amazing, five-star ranch is located about 25 minutes from Bend, Oregon, in the middle of gorgeous fields overlooking the mountains.

We celebrated the Fourth with a live band around a campfire and the most amazing s’mores I’ve ever tasted. The marshmallows and graham crackers were HOMEMADE(!) and the chocolate was sourced from a local artisan. They provided them in a custom bag with enough ingredients to make four s’mores.

On our last morning, Mr. rUnladylike and I went for a 3-mile run, followed by a 20-minute arm strength training session in the gym. Brasada Ranch was HILLY! We climbed uphill the first part of the run and then got to come back down the last half of the run. The weather was, once again, beautiful, and the sky was a cool clear blue.

Brasada Ranch also had a great gym. One of the days we were there I did 6 miles on the elliptical machine. Not a shabby view!

Crater Lake 

The next stop on our Tour de Oregon was the crowned jewel: Crater Lake National Park. On our quest to visit every National Park in the United States, we couldn’t take a trip to Oregon without going to the state’s only National Park. And it didn’t disappoint. Crater Lake was possibly the most beautiful National Park I’ve been to thus far. While we didn’t get to run here, we did get our fix of hiking. We hiked 5.5 miles, including 1,500 feet of vertical climbing. I’ll share more about Crater Lake later this week, but here are some glimpses of our miles here. There was tons of snow on the ground, which I of course loved!

Oregon Coast, Bandon Beach

Last but not least, we spent two days driving up the Oregon coast from Bandon Beach to Cannon Beach before returning to Portland to fly home. On our first morning on the coast, we went for a 3+ mile run along the beach. The sand was hard packed and mostly flat, unlike the banked beach surfaces here in the Tampa Bay area. The weather was mostly overcast and misty during the majority of our time on the coast, and it was coldest on the coast of everywhere we traveled due to the biting, whipping winds.

Knowing the kind of running that was awaiting me back in Florida, I begrudgingly boarded my plane on Saturday night for 12 hours of travel back to Tampa. But the memories of this special state will always be with me. I already can’t wait to go back.

If you’ve run here before, where do you think the best places to run in Oregon are? What summer travel plans do you have coming up?