Deadwood Mickelson Trail full and half marathon

This has been one of my favorite destination races so far.  We had been watching the HBO series and were looking forward to being able to see where some of the famous historical figures were buried and where some of the shoot-outs had occurred. 

While the expo was small, it had everything you needed.  There were plenty of gear from both the current race and discounted previous events.  They had all of the basics covered with vendors as well as having a couple of local massage people there.

Right across the street from the host hotel and packet pick-up was the Tatanka museum.  This is a must see when visiting Deadwood.  The Tatanka, story of the bison was built because of the generisoty of Kevin Coster.  While was not a fan of Dancing with Wolves, I found a new respect for the movie after visiting Tatanka.  Please visit  http://www.storyofthebison.com/ for more information.

Please visit  http://www.cityofdeadwood.com for a complete list of all the places to see when visiting Deadwood, SD.  A must see for us was the Mt. Moriah Cemetery.  Here we were able to see where Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane, and all of the other famous (and not so famous) Deadwood residents rest for eternity. 

I would highly recommend spending some time on the Mickelson trail when you are in the area, either for a race or for fun.  Please visit http://www.deadwoodmickelsontrailmarathon.com/ for event information.  It is held the first weekend in June.  Or for general trail information please visit http://www.mickelsontrailaffiliates.com/ for more information about the trail itself.

This is about half way for the half marathon.  Please be aware of the 1000+ feet in elevation gain for the full marathon trail.  While gators are not required, if you tend to get things in your shoes while running on trails, this one does have loose gravel that may cause problems. 

Rocket Racing double weekend

Spring Blast & Mother's Day run's with Rocket Racing.....

Saturday didn't start off the best for me.  I didn't see a GPS address on the website so I went by my sense of direction when I couldn't get my computer to log on the morning of the race.  After showing up 20 minutes late to the Huntington Beach location and finally locating the RD, I knew I was not going to get in my half marathon I was registered for. 

When I mentioned this to the RD he said just to keep track on my Garmin and keep track on when to turn around.  Decided on the 10k since I was just not feeling it and the humidity seemed to be more than I was ready for.  Felt good, despite the dripping by the one mile marker. 

This was a very low key event with registration open to only 25 people.  There was bling involved!  Not sure what I am trying to say in this picture but love my leg muscles!

Sunday took my to Santa Monica, a location I am a little more familiar with and there was a GPS location, so I was more than on time and ready to go.  Had made the mistake of watching the news the night before, confirming my suspicions of high humidity.  I knew before leaving the gate I would not be doing the 15K I was supposed to, opting for another 10k instead. 

Met a lot of great people and look forward to taking part in another Rocket Racing Productions event.  This new friend was finishing her 1st 5k and I like to think I helped make her miles a little more enjoyable for the final mile in.  Please visit www.rocketracingproductions.com for a complete list of their events. 

Go Nola Granola, wild blueberry wave

I have never been a big granola fan.  Doesn't matter if its a granola bar or if its loose or a cereal, just don't care for it.  I recently received a package of Go Nola from Nature's Hand and I must admit, I liked it.  The product can be found at GoNola | Freaky Good GraNola!

There are only 2 flavors in this ready to go, 140 cal. package.  If you are willing to bag up your own servings, try Nature's Hand | Healthy, low fat and low sugar granola from ... 

You can either order it online or they give you a list of stores who carry it.  While I can't explain why I enjoyed Go Nola, I know that I have already ordered more.  I am always looking for healthy snacks, and this one fits perfectly.  I did email and ask if they were Gluten free, and they are not at this time.  The blueberry one I tried had sunflower seeds in it so I am thinking they are not an allergen free facility if you have to worry about nut allergies.  Drop them an email if you have any questions, their response time was super quick.