California International Marathon Race Recap 12/2/18

Happy New Year! This recap is pretty late, but as always better late than never. I ran CIM as my 4th marathon earlier this month. It was my second time running this run. You can check out last year's recap here. This year it wasn't a goal race for me so I figured I'd run with a coworker as it was going to be her first. Turned out to be a pretty fun run until I got calf cramps but we'll get to that later.

Turkey Trot on the Ranch 5K Race Recap 11/22/18

I ran the Turkey Trot on the Ranch 5K in Rancho Mission Viejo, on Thanksgiving day with my 9 year old son and my 11 year old nephew and it was a great race! I'm so glad my sister-in-law mentioned there was a 5k on Thanksgiving and that both boys were up for it because we all ended up with PR's. :)

Run The Parkway 20 Miler Race Recap 11/4/18

I ran the Parkway 20 miler earlier this month as a training run for the California International Marathon or CIM. It was my second time running it as I ran it last year as well. You can check out last year's recap here. I enjoy this run because it is the best way to get 20 miles in if you are training for the CIM.

Tunnel Light Marathon Race Recap 9/16/18

I pulled it off! I ran my 3rd marathon and came away with a PR and BQ at the Tunnel Light Marathon! Sorry for the late recap. Yes, it's been over a month since the marathon but I figure it's better to post late rather than not at all. Anyway, the race was held in Washington State and is a point to point course starting at the Hyak parking lot near Snoqualmie Pass ending in North Bend. If you read my goals for the race, I had to run a hard race to get my A goal but I got my B goal and am very happy with it!

Goal for Marathon #3 - Tunnel Light Marathon

Yep, I'm still here. I know I have been totally slacking from the blog but ever since our trip to Europe it kinda just fell to the wayside. I had some posts set up especially weekly wraps of my workouts but I just never ended up finishing them, thus no posts. Anyhow, here I am in Seattle at the airport waiting for my friend to arrive and about to partake in my 3rd marathon, The Tunnel Light Marathon (on Sunday), and I figure I should post my goals.

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 7: 6/11-6/17

Week 7 of marathon training is in the books! Again I got in all my scheduled runs and workouts. It was the first week of the kiddos out of school. We didn't have any camps for them their first week out so it was nice not being on a set schedule. I got some things done that I had been meaning to do, so that was nice too. I also got my review of LocoModiv's Neo32 pack up on the blog and you can check that out here.

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

LocoMödiv Gear Untrakt Backpack Review

I was provided the opportunity to receive this product without charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.    

I had been thinking about getting a new backpack, especially one that would be able to carry my laptop around in. LocoMödiv Gear is different from other bags due to their straps. The straps make the pack customizable which is really neat! I was able to choose any bag from their site and my needing a backpack with a padded computer sleeve made the choice easier. I ended up with the Neo32 Pack.

Kaiser Permanente Women's Fitness Festival 5K Race Recap 6/3/18

This was my second time running the Kaiser Permanente Women's Fitness Festival. Last year I ran my fastest 5K time. You can check out last year's recap here. This year I was hoping to beat last year's time since training had been going well but unfortunately the stars did not align on race day.

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 6: 6/4-6/10

Week 6 of marathon training was good! Got in all my workouts and runs in. It was also a busy week with it being the last day of school, end of year parties, birthday party, and end of soccer season party. 

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

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 5: 5/28-6/3

Week 5 of marathon training is done! Again I got in all my scheduled workouts and runs in. I ran the Women's Fitness Festival 5k on Sunday and it went ok. I didn't PR which was a bummer but I still enjoyed the post race activities. This week is the last week of school so everyone is a little excited especially the boys.

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

Bay to Breakers Race Recap 5/20/18

Another fun Bay to Breakers is in the books! This one was my 3rd year in a row and it's always a good time. You can check out my past two recaps here and here. I went with a bigger group this year and we went with a fun theme, the Unicorn Squad. :)

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 4: 5/21-5/27

Week 4 of marathon training is in the books and it's still going well. I got in all my scheduled runs and workouts. School is starting to wind down for the boys. A little less than two more weeks to go. Crazy how fast it has gone. Anyway next weekend I've got a 5k to race so I'm excited about that. 

Let's take a look at what I did over the week. Here's a recap of what I did following Coach Dawn's plan:

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 3: 5/14-5/20

It's been another good week of marathon training! Got in all my scheduled runs and strength workouts. I did get a chance to post my trip report of our hike up Angel's Landing. If you haven't checked it out you can read about the amazing hike here. Highlight of the week was running Bay to Breakers over the weekend. It was a lot of fun!

Hiking Angel's Landing 4/29/18

The day after running the Zion Half Marathon we ventured to hike Angel's Landing in Zion National Park. I had heard about the hike before, but did not realize how mentally challenging it would be. I'm not usually afraid of heights but with the amount of people, wind, and steepness, I almost backed out of doing it at one point but realized it was my chance to do it at that moment. I had to give it a shot because who knew when I'd be back. I'm so glad I did because it was an unforgettable experience.

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 2: 5/7-5/13

Week 2 of marathon training is in the books and it went well! Got in all my workouts as planned and hit all the prescribed paces. I did post my race recap last week of the Zion Half Marathon I did a couple weeks ago and you can check it out here. 

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

Zion Half Marathon Race Recap 4/28/18

A couple weeks ago, I ran the Zion Half Marathon put on by Vacation Races and it was so much fun! What made it so fun was the company and of course the beautiful scenery. Me and my friend Erin were reunited with our good friend Lenora that we had not seen since last summer so it was great that we were all able to catch up and do this race together.

Tunnel Light Marathon Training Week 1: 4/30-5/6

It's been a while since I've posted a Weekly Wrap post but I figure since I'm starting up marathon training (yes, I'm now on to marathon #3), now is the best time to get back into posting regularly. After CIM and especially after our trip to Japan, I kind of just took a break with the weekly wrap posts. It's been nice to take a break, however I'm excited to post again and hope you enjoy following along on my journey, training for the Tunnel Light marathon in September.

I'm working with Coach Dawn again. I'm on a 20 week training schedule. Here's a recap of last week's workouts following her plan:

Table Rock Hike 4/21/18

It was really nice to get in a hike last weekend. With no soccer game and no work, it was the perfect opportunity to get in some good family outdoor time. Hubby picked out a hike to Table Rock located near Calistoga, CA and it was a fun one!

Rock'n'Roll San Francisco Half Marathon Race Recap 4/8/18

This was my third year running Rock'n'Roll San Francisco Half marathon! You can check out my recaps of my past two races here and here. It was another fun one and it was neat to see the changes they made with the course! Turned out to be a perfect day to run on the Golden Gate Bridge!

Davis Lucky Run 10K Race Recap 3/24/18

A little over a week ago I ran the Davis Lucky Run 10K and it turned out to be an awesome run for me. I ran the race last year but did the 10 miler. This year they did not offer the 10 mile race but only the 5K or 10K. I opted for the 10K since I knew I had it in me to possibly PR having done Shamrock'n two weeks prior. I knew I had the endurance but wasn't sure about the speed. Another special thing about this race, it was also a big birthday for me, the big 4-0.

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Race Recap 3/11/18

A couple of weeks ago I ran the Shamrock'n Half marathon in Sacramento. It was a fun one. I decided to not race it for time because ever since I got back from our Japan trip, I'd been feeling not as speedy and with the time change (moving clocks forward an hour thus losing an hour) I just felt I needed to take it easy. Turned out to be so much fun running it with one of my coworkers.

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 7: 2/12-2/18

Last week was a busy week with getting ready for me and Hubby's trip, Valentine's day, and our youngest son's birthday. I didn't get all my runs in last week as I had to move the long run to this week due traveling. I slacked on cross training again, but with how busy the week was, I'm ok with it. For those that don't follow me on Instagram or Twitter, I tagged along on Hubby's work trip to Japan. It's actually our first trip without the kiddos as my parents are taking care of the kids. :)

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

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 6: 2/5-2/11

It's been a good week of running! I got in all of my scheduled runs and even a little more because I felt like I needed to make up a few miles from Hubby being gone last week. I still need to work on some cross training, but I did get in a couple of good core workouts in. 

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

Black Chasm Caverns National Landmark 1/6/18

We wanted to get a fun adventure in after the new year before the kiddos basketball and soccer started up so we ventured to the Black Chasm Caverns, in Volcano, CA. We had heard from a friend that they were pretty neat so we decided to check them out. 

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 5: 1/29-2/4

Week 5 is in the books! It was a busy week with Hubby gone for most of it but I managed. The week started out not so great, getting a cold and not feeling well, but I recovered quickly and got some runs in. Cross training was bad this week but I'm hoping the upcoming week will be better with Hubby back from his work trip.

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

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 4: 1/22-1/28

Another week of training is in the books! I got in all of my runs and did more cross training so I'm happy with how the week went. I did get my running race schedule for 2018 up on the blog. If you missed that post you can check it out here. 

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

2018 Running Race Schedule

I'm excited for the races I've got lined up for 2018! This is what it looks like as of now:

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 3: 1/15-1/21

Week 3 of training for the Shamrock'n Half marathon has been good. I got in my runs, even a little more than scheduled but still lacking on the cross training side so I'm not as happy as I could be with the week. I did a core workout but really need to add more. Hoping I get more done this week!

Here's a recap of what I did:

2017 Year in Hiking Review

I'm really behind in posting my year in hiking review for 2017, but it is always better late than never. 2017 was another great year of hiking! We got a late start in hiking due to lots of rain in Northern California during the winter but still managed a good number of hikes. 

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 2: 1/8-1/14

Week 2 of training for Shamrock'n is done and it went well! Got in lots of running but I'm not happy with only one cross training workout. I'm hoping to add more core exercises into my routine this coming week. However, it was nice to get a run in a run with the boys twice this week and even a hike on Saturday!

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

Shamrock'n Half Marathon Training Week 1: 1/1-1/7

It's week one of Shamrock'n Half marathon training! I took a break from my weekly wrap posts after CIM. I continued running but since I wasn't training for anything, I just didn't blog about it. Also with the holidays and all, it was nice to take a little break. For this training cycle, I signed up for Fleet Feet Davis's half marathon training group. It's a perk for work and I figure it's a great way to meet more runners in the area. The training has coaches and they provide a training schedule, but since I am not starting from scratch and have already built a base (many who join these groups are beginners), I am modifying the schedule a bit. 

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

2017 Year in Running Review

Happy new year!! It's been another amazing year! My second year living in California has been great. I've got my neighborhood routes pretty much figured out depending on the miles I do. I love that I run in a place with beautiful running paths and so many options. I didn't run as many races as last year but it was still a good year. If you want to see what I did last year, you can check out last year's review here. However, I think the best part of the year was working with a coach for the first time, improving my times in the half marathon/marathon, making new running friends and meeting people from the Interwebs!