Country Run, Pumpkins, A Country Bumpkin

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to finally blog about an actual race! I'm finally almost back to my "normal" (whatever that is), & I ran my first 5K in about a month on Saturday. A couple of months ago I got an email saying the first few people to sign up for the Country Run 5K in Fort Worth would run the race for free. Obviously, I say yes to pretty much anything free and signed up! 

Since I signed up for free, I wasn't really expecting much, but was really just excited to finally pin a bib on and run after what seemed like such a long break from organized running! Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I picked up my race materials Friday evening, and got a super soft and comfy race shirt, fun red bandana, a cool personalized bib, & a fun hat! That in and of itself made my day! 

When I showed up Saturday morning to run, I paid $10 to park (the only money I spent besides gas to get there & back home) and went to the start line. There were surprisingly a TON of people! As a PT and runner, my heart just smiles when I see lots of people up early to exercise on Saturday mornings. The course started straight up a hill, which I hate but I know is good for me. Then, of course there was a beautiful downhill. :) The race took place around the Will Rogers Center near downtown Fort Worth (I think it's a big deal locally), and parts of the races were run through horse stables and pig pens, which was a funny touch. It made me feel like I was at the fair back home in Kansas! 

After the race was over, the runners were given a blue finisher's ribbon and a cool drawstring bag, and ushered into the Will Rogers center, where the event coordinators had set up a country fair, complete with carnival games and food, and a live cover band. I walked around and collected lots of free beverages to put in my new bag. I, of course, also got a free watermelon ICEE. All in all, I give this race 5 stars. It was well-organized, a challenging but neat course, fun "after-party", & did I mention I ran it for FREE? It was also very family-friendly, but good for competitive athletes too. I'd run it again in a heartbeat!

After the race I drove home and got ready to go to the Dallas Arboretum with a good friend who I went to college with and lives in DFW too. I had gotten many recommendations on going to the Arboretum in the fall, because the have tons of pumpkins, and I'm basically obsessed with autumn and pumpkins.

While I wanted to feel like it was a crisp autumn day, in reality it was about 90 degrees and I was sweating and wishing for water the entire time. That didn't take away from the incredible amount of pumpkins I saw! I'm going to let the photos below do the talking. :)

Playing Cinderella...because I pretend I'm a Disney Princess sometimes

 What you don't see is that the entire carriage is completely surrounded by probably hundreds or even thousands of various pumpkins.

Gorgeous infinity pool overlooking White Rock Lake

 White Rock Lake is one of my favorite places to run, so it was neat to get a different perspective of the water. I really wanted to just sit and relax in the pool, but I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon.

I call this "basic white girl sitting on pumpkin"

 These pumpkins had to weigh 100+ pounds, you guys. I'm 5'11" and literally using this guy as a chair.

Someone please find out how many varieties of pumpkins there are!

 I'd seen a few different pumpkins, but this really opened my eyes. I'm trying to figure out how people see the incredible variety of these fruits/vegetables (another question) & can't see that they are the handiwork of a Mighty Creator.

Of course they made Texas out of the friendly gourds

The Lonestar State is known for its pride, so naturally there is a giant pumpkin state of Texas with a heart where DFW is (you can barely see it if you look super close at the NE corner of the state).

So that was my fun-filled weekend! If you're ever down here, go to the Arboretum. Plan to spend some pesos though; it wasn't cheap, but I'm pretty sure you can take your own food/drink, so make a fun and educational day out of it. 

PS I'm serious, someone please find out the number of pumpkin varieties and tell me.
PPS What's your favorite season? Mine has changed many times throughout my life, but right now it's autumn. :)
Follow me on Twitter: @jen_being_jen & IG: @jenbeingjen