Reasons to Run Bay to Breakers 2018 & Discount Code

Bay to Breakers is one of my favorite races. Whenever I think back to the race it makes me smile. It's such a fun run. This year I have been lucky enough to be chosen as one of their ambassadors and have a discount code to share.

California International Marathon (CIM) Race Recap 12/3/17

What a race! I completed my 2nd marathon at the California International Marathon last weekend! The race was held in the Sacramento area. It's a point to point race starting in Folsom and ending at the State Capitol. It was a tough one with the rolling hills and I struggled especially in the last few miles but I still came out with a great PR! 

CIM Training Week 19 & Weekly Wrap: 11/27-12/3

CIM training came to an end last week. 19 weeks of training for the California International Marathon (CIM) paid off! I ran the race on Sunday and came away with a pretty awesome PR! A little more on that later.

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan leading up to CIM:

CIM Training Week 18 & Weekly Wrap: 11/20-11/26

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Week 18 of marathon training is done! It was a great week visiting my sister in Oregon. Had a great time with family on Thanksgiving but I think I ate way too much! ;) I got in all my runs so I'm happy about that. I can't believe training is almost complete and I'll be running the California International Marathon this coming Sunday! 

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Training Week 17 & Weekly Wrap: 11/13-11/19

Week 17 is in the books! I can't believe that CIM is two weeks away! I got in all my scheduled runs this week even with Hubby away at a conference. I didn't get a good cross training workout with the girls but I did get some bike rides with the kids and some great runs with my 8 year old!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 16 & Weekly Wrap: 11/6-11/12

CIM training week 16 is done! It was another good week with all of my scheduled runs completed. I did have to move my long run around with Hubby away for work but I got it in! I recapped my run at the Run The Parkway 20 miler and you can check out my post here.

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Run The Parkway 20 Miler Race Recap 11/5/17

Last weekend I ran the Run the Parkway 20 mile race in Sacramento as a training run for CIM. I ran it with a friend and it went really well. It's a great run along the American River Parkway. The course is pretty much the same race I did last April (American River Parkway Half Marathon) but with almost 7 more miles added on. You can check out the recap for that race here.

CIM Marathon Training Week 15 & Weekly Wrap: 10/30-11/5

Week 15 of CIM training is in the books! It was a high mileage week at 42.5 miles! I think that's a high for the year when it comes to weekly mileage for me! Lots of miles and even got in a cross training workout with the girls. Sunday was the Run The Parkway 20 mile race that went really well. Just 4 more weeks until CIM!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 14 & Weekly Wrap: 10/23-10/29

Week 14 of marathon training is done! It was a cutback week so less runs this week. I did get in a cross training workout with the girls. Only 5 more weeks until the California International Marathon!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 13 & Weekly Wrap: 10/16-10/22

Another decent week of training is in the books! I can't believe we are about 6 weeks until my second full marathon. Happy I got in all of my runs and even a cross training workout with the girls, something I have missed. 

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 12 & Weekly Wrap: 10/9-10/15

Week 12 of marathon training is done! Had to run indoors one day due to the air quality being bad because of the fires here in Northern California. So sad how so many lost their homes. My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by the fires. On a brighter note, I did get my Rock'n'Roll San Jose race recap up on the blog and you can check out how the race went here.

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Rock'n'Roll San Jose Half Marathon Race Recap 10/8/17

I ran the Rock'n'Roll San Jose Half marathon last weekend and it went as great as a race can get for me. I ran this half marathon last year but I ran it as a training run before Chicago. You can check out last year's recap here. It's not often I can say that I actually am happy with my results. However for this one, I'm exceedingly happy with how it went. The last time I tried for a PR, I was disappointed because I knew I could have done better. This time I exceeded my expectations and finally got that PR I have been hoping to get for a while. 

CIM Marathon Training Week 11 & Weekly Wrap: 10/2-10/8

Week 11 of CIM Marathon training went great! It was an easy week of running due to the San Jose Rock'n'Roll half marathon race on Sunday. Coach was kind and gave me a mini taper and it worked. I took it easy and the race turned out to be an awesome run because I finished with a PR! :)

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Urban Cow Half Marathon Race Recap 10/1/17

I ran the Urban Cow Half Marathon last weekend and it was a great run! I had heard it was a good race in Sacramento and even signed up early for the race while I was at the CIM expo with a friend last December. The route is a good one and I was impressed with the course and how well organized the race was. 

CIM Marathon Training Week 10 & Weekly Wrap: 9/25-10/1

Week 10 of CIM Marathon Training is in the books. Another good week of great runs! It was busy with work and fun (my parents visited over the weekend). I didn't get any cross training workouts with the girls due to work so I miss them especially the battle ropes but it looks like I've got to cut down this week as well due to Rock and Roll San Jose coming up on Sunday! 

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Chimney Rock Trail Point Reyes National Seashore 8/5/17

After our short hike to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, we decided to check out the Chimney Rock Trail. It is only about a 6 minute drive from the Lighthouse parking area to the Chimney Rock trailhead. It was neat trail to check out and we were happy that it wasn't as foggy as at the lighthouse and we got to see more of the ocean and nearby cliffs.

CIM Marathon Training Week 9 & Weekly Wrap: 9/18-9/24

Another solid week of training for CIM! I got in all of my running workouts and even some cross training. I also started working again. I got a part time job at the local running store and so far so good. It's pretty awesome working at a store where I'm learning about running shoes and gear while also helping people! I'm busier but I'd say it's a good busy. :)

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Point Reyes Lighthouse Hike 8/5/17

We ventured to the Point Reyes Lighthouse a weekend in August. While there were bright blue skies in Davis, it was a different story at the Point Reyes National Seashore along the coast of California. We were a bit disappointed but should have known the weather could be iffy when getting closer to the ocean.

CIM Marathon Training Week 8 & Weekly Wrap: 9/11-9/17

Week 8 of CIM marathon training is done and went well! I got in all my running workouts along with some good cross training workouts with friends. I really think that the cross training (arms, core & sometimes leg work) I've been doing is helping me get faster. 

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 7 & Weekly Wrap: 9/4-9/10

Week 7 of CIM Marathon training is done! Another good week getting all my runs in. I only got in one cross training workout this week but I'm ok with that. It was an active Saturday for the boys with the Coyote Crawl fun run at the boy's school and back to soccer games for 8 year old. Next week will be even busier with two soccer games to go to and my In-laws will be in town.

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

My Five Favorites at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a big park. I was amazed at how much it had to offer. From geysers and geothermal, to the wildlife and even a fire lookout. There was lots to do. Here's a list of the things I enjoyed most at Yellowstone National Park.

My five favorites:

CIM Marathon Training Week 6 & Weekly Wrap: 8/28-9/3

Week 6 of marathon training is a wrap! It's been another good week of running and workouts. We even got in a fun hike to Sierra Buttes this weekend before soccer officially starts up again for the boys next Saturday. 

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Mt. Washburn Hike at Yellowstone National Park 7/21/17

I am a big fan of hiking to fire lookouts so when Hubby saw that Yellowstone National Park had one, we knew we didn't want to skip out on it. We actually attempted this hike twice as the first time we started the weather turned sour so we turned back. A hike isn't fun when it rains and there is nothing to see but clouds at the top. We were glad we turned around because on our second attempt, the weather was perfect. The hike did not disappoint as we got great views and even saw some cool wildlife along the way.

CIM Marathon Training Week 5 & Weekly Wrap: 8/21-8/27

Week 5 of marathon training is in the books! It's been a busy week. The boys started school on Wednesday and it was also me and Hubby's anniversary. We also got in a spur of the moment weekend trip to Tahoe. I still got in all my running workouts and even a couple of cross training workouts with the girls so I'm very happy with the week!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 4 & Weekly Wrap: 8/14-8/20

Week 4 of CIM Marathon training is done and it went well! We got back from Lassen on Monday and back to training I went. I got in a all of my runs and a couple of good cross-training workouts. I can't believe school starts up for the boys on Wednesday!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Backpacking to Surprise Lake - Grand Teton National Park 7/17/17

Hubby planned our backpacking trip at Teton National Park. He had heard good things about Surprise Lake so he reserved the permits online ahead of time on the National Park Service website here. There are only 3 sites for camping so it is best to reserve early. We were excited to get up in the mountains. It is a nice climb to the lake and we even ventured to another lake (Amphitheater Lake). The kiddos did amazing! 

CIM Marathon Training Week 3 & Weekly Wrap: 8/7-8/13

Week 3 of CIM marathon training is in the books and it was a decent one. I got in all my scheduled runs but unfortunately no workouts with the girls due to the boys soccer camp all week. Also no long run this week due to our fun adventure in Lassen Volcanic National Park over the weekend!

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

CIM Marathon Training Week 2 & Weekly Wrap: 7/31-8/6

Week 2 of CIM marathon training is in the books and so far so good. I got in all my runs and did some good cross training with the girls. I'm loving the variety of exercises we are doing. It was also a good weekend as we ventured to the coast to explore Point Reyes.

Here's a recap of what I did last week following Coach Dawn's plan:

Bodega Bay Trail Hike 7/1/17

Bodega Head trail hike was added to our day trip one weekend. Hubby had been wanting to visit Russian River Brewing Company  to check out their beer. He's a fan of Pliny and wanted to get some growlers to take home. It was actually neat to check out the town of Santa Rosa and have lunch there. Russian River is about halfway to the coast and we knew we wanted to check out the coast, so we decided on Bodega Bay. We saw the Bodega Head trail hike online and decided to check it out.

CIM Marathon Training Week 1 & Weekly Wrap: 7/24-7/30

I have started training for my second full marathon! I will be doing the California International Marathon in December and I'm pretty excited. Due to our road trip, I'm starting a little later than I was supposed to, but Coach Dawn said it was ok. Yes, I've got a coach for this marathon. Coach Dawn helped me get my half marathon PR and hopefully she'll help me get my marathon PR. This wasn't a full week of training but since I started on Friday with Coach, I am still counting it as my first week. :)

Here's a recap of what I did last week:

Castle Peak Hike 6/18/17

We have had a tradition of trying to do a hike every Father's Day, so we headed out to the north Lake Tahoe area to hike Castle Peak. Hubby of course picked the hike out and knew there would be snow so we were prepared but didn't expect the snow to start at the trailhead. :p

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 7/17-7/23

Unfortunately I didn't get many runs in last week due to our road trip to two National Parks (Grand Tetons and Yellowstone) but I did get a lot of hiking in. Our road trip isn't finished as we are now in Utah visiting Hubby's mom. It's been lots of fun but I'm looking forward to getting back home and sleeping in my own bed.

Here's a recap of what I did last week:

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 7/10-7/16

It's been another good week of runs and workouts. I'm happy I got in two cross-training workouts with the girls and a really good 7 mile run on Thursday! I'm not sure how much running I'll get in next week as we are on a road trip to both Tetons and Yellowstone National Park along with visiting Hubby's mom in Utah. I'm excited for this fun adventure!

Here's a recap of last week's workouts: 

Eagle Rock Hike at Lake Tahoe

A friend invited us out to Lake Tahoe for a day trip that included a hike and of course I was up for it. She had actually heard about this hike from another blogger friend of hers, Hither and Thither. We hiked the Eagle Rock trail and it turned out to be the perfect short hike with amazing views.

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 7/3-7/9

It was another busy week! I'm happy that I got in some good runs in even while away in Seattle. We took a short trip to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. It was a surprise party so it was fun to see his reaction. It is always good going back to the Seattle area. I don't have any races scheduled until October but I will be running my second full marathon, CIM in December and I will start training in a couple of weeks.

Here's a recap of what I did last week:

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 6/26-7/2

Another week is done and I got more running and workouts in as I felt better. I ended up with 79 miles for June so it wasn't my best month but with getting sick and taking it easy I'll take it. The cough is slightly there but it is mostly gone so I'm looking forward to getting at 100%. I finally posted a recap of the awesome waterfall hikes we went on while at Yosemite National Park and you can check it out here. 

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Awesome Waterfalls to Visit at Yosemite National Park

We were lucky enough to go to Yosemite National Park Memorial Day weekend with good friends. We even got a pretty awesome camp site, thanks to Hubby and his patience on the computer in January months before to reserve the spot. Due to the record amount of rainfall and snow this year, we were very excited about the trip because we knew the waterfalls would be amazing. Let's just say they did not disappoint.

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 6/19-6/25

Last week involved a lot of rest due to getting sick. I was tired most of the week and just did not feel like exercising. Good news is that my voice is back and I am mostly recovered. I say mostly because I still have a lingering cough that does not seem to go away. 

Here's a recap of what went on last week:

Kaiser Permanente Women's Fitness Festival 5K Race Recap 6/4/17

It had been a while since I raced a 5K so when my friend Lenora asked if I wanted to join her in a local 5K, the Kaiser Permanente's Women's Fitness Festival, I was up for it. We signed up about 2.5 weeks before the run. I didn't have any type of training plan but tried to get a couple of speed workouts in. I was in hopes of getting a PR but I wasn't sure I would get it when I decided to go out with friends the night before the race. :p

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 6/12-6/18

This week was the kiddo's first week off of school! There were no camps for them this week but I still kept them busy. As for workouts, the week started off great with tennis, running, and cross training with the girls, but I didn't get in a long run over the weekend due to getting sick. I'm still not 100% as I've got some coughing and I even lost my voice. 

Mizuno Wave Sky Neutral Shoe Review

This post is sponsored by Mizuno in partnership with Fitfluential. All opinions are my own.

Mizuno has come out with a brand new Neutral shoe, the Mizuno Wave Sky. I've tried Mizuno's before and thought they were decent shoes. The styles I tested out were the Enigma and Wave Rider 20's. The Wave Riders were a less cushioned shoe and the Enigma a max cushion shoe. I had heard that the Wave Sky's were also a max cushion shoe and with another marathon coming up in the future, felt these would be great to try for longer runs. 

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 6/5-6/11

Another good week of runs and workouts is in the books. It was a busy and fun week with school ending for the boys and birthday parties over the weekend. I did get my recap of Bay to Breakers up and you can check it out here if you have not already.

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Bay to Breakers Race Recap 5/21/17

This year was the second time running Bay to Breakers. You can check out last year's recap here. This is the best race to do with friends and have a fun time. No need to worry about pace or time for this run. It's all about the experience and seeing all the costumes. We even went with matching outfits this year. :)

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 5/29-6/4

This week was a busy week. The school year is winding down and there are lots of end of year activities and field trips going on. We also celebrated my older son's birthday. I didn't get a long run in this week and no cross training but I ended the week with a personal best in the 5K at the Kaiser Permanente Women's Fitness Festival race.

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 5/22-5/28

It's been a busy week which explains the very late post. I got in some good runs and workouts last week. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! Mine was a blast exploring Yosemite with good friends.

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Lynch Canyon Trail Hike 4/9/17

This post is long overdue but I'm happy to recap this hike, since it is always better late than never and I love posting our adventures. Our main goal on this day was to look for wildflowers. We started off our search by car. We drove on Bear Valley road hoping to see fields of wildflowers but came out with not much luck. We did see a small field and that was about it. The road also became very muddy so we turned around in fear of getting stuck. However Hubby had a hike planned on the Lynch Canyon trail as a backup. 

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 5/15-5/21

Last week was another good week of workouts! I got in some good running and a good variety of cross training. It was a busy but fun weekend. The spring soccer season came to a close and I ran Bay to Breakers with friends on Sunday which was a blast!

Here's a recap of what happened last week:

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 5/8-5/14

It was a great week of workouts. I can't seem to take more than a day off from running and when friends want to go run I can never say no. I got in some good runs and even got in a T25 workout. I forgot how hard T25 can be and I'm hoping to do more of those types of workouts while not having a training schedule right now.

Here's a recap of what I did last week:

Last Week's Workouts and Weekly Wrap 5/1-5/7

Last week was my first week free from any type of training plan after the American River Parkway Half Marathon. If you didn't see my recap, you can check it out here. I still got in some good runs and even got a good Tabata workout in with the girls. It's nice just running for the heck of it. I do have Bay to Breakers coming up on May 20th but it's going to be a fun run with friends. 

Here's a recap of what I did last week: