Coaster Run

Renegade Race Series Coaster Run 5k & 10k

This event has held a special place in my heart since I first ran it in 2011.  This was the first event my parents wore a race bib.  This is also my happiest place on earth.  Knotts Berry Farm is filled with many happy childhood memories and has always been my favorite amusement park.  Being able to share my love of running with my family only added to my love of the park, the sport, and all things Snoopy.

In 2013, Renegade listened to its runners and worked closely with Knott's to make it so we could start going through the park.  This was a major turning point in the coolness factor for not only myself, but most participants.  And the signature boysenberry pie at the finish line is the lasting reason to lace up your shoes.

I am honored to be a part of the Renegade Race Series family for a second year in a row.  I am honored to toe the line with all of the families who take part in this event.  I am grateful to all of the volunteers who make this event (and all others) possible.  I am humbled to be a part of the running community and have so many wonderful people as my friend because of this great sport!

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Thank you to all of the faces who have helped make this event so memorable for me over the years.  I look forward to all the years to come with each and every one of you.

Renegade Racing iTRYathlon 5k

iTRYathlon 5k, sprint and youth triathlon with Renegade Race Series
Crown Valley Community Park in Laguna Niguel, CA
http://www.renegaderaceseries.com/
Please use discount code JULIADISCOUNT when registering to save 10% off your entry fees and be entered for a chance to win entry to a future Renegade event.  And make sure to drop by the booth and say hello!

I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Renegade Racing family.  They were gracious enough to ask me back to be a part of their Renegade Racing Representative team for a 2nd year in a row.  The iTRYathlon 5k in Laguna Niguel on February 8th was my first Renegade event for 2015.

I was coming into it with virtually no training in (cross training or even just walking miles).  My students seem to be sharing all their cooties with me and I had been struggling with bronchial issues for about a week going in to this event.  Could not have asked for a better morning or a better location.  Course was well marked and had a little bit of something for everyone.

Great event all the way around.  Great, helpful, smiling volunteers all around.  Great, giving vendors with something for everyone.  Looking forward to the iTRY in Irvine in September!!  Hope to see you all out there at a future Renegade Race Series event.  (feel free to find me on FB, twitter, or instagram if you have any questions about an event).  Happy running!!

Hanging out in the Instagram window after the race.  Left bottom:  Veronica (fellow Ren Rep runner who was the winner of her AG for the 5k), Andrea (all around extraordinary person and MC for the event), and ME!  Top row:  Taite and Jonathan Pauley (two of the best race directors ever) and their son Emerson.

Hanging out after the event near the Renegade Race Series booth.  Left to right:  Veronica, ME, Andrea, Taite with Emerson, and Jonathan.  Love having time with my Renegade family.

Julie, a Renegade Racing Rep, hanging out in the transition area while she waits for her some to come in and pick up his bike.

Veronica posing with the Coaster Run shirt and Medal.  Come on out March 8th if you would like some boysenberry pie and a chance to have your photo taken with Snoopy and the crew.

ME, posing with the Laguna Hills half marathon, 10k, 5k.  Not sure what I was doing.  Maybe I was remember how hot and sweaty I was when running it in 2014.  Julie is in the background waiting for her son to arrive.

Veronica getting her age group award.  Not sure why she isn't looking at me since she knew I was there.

Was so much fun spending most of the morning getting to know this beautiful face.  Pleasure to call such an amazing woman, and runner, my friend.

Shot of the 5k medal all finishers received.

Winter Break 2014-15 Events

So many trails, so little time.  Finally had the opportunity to run with two great Bay Area race directors.  Pacific Coast Trail Runs and Troy's California Trail Runs.  In addition, had the chance to return to complete 2 more great events with Brazen Racing.

Can not say enough positive things about these three race groups.  Please visit the following sites for more information about future events with each of these great groups.

http://www.pctrailruns.com/
http://www.brazenracing.com/
http://www.tctruns.com/

And now, for some images of these 4 amazing events.....

At the finish of the Brazen Racing Almost New Years Eve 10k.  Photo credit to Chris Jones.  Always enjoy seeing his face at a race.

From the top of the hill after visiting the turn around during the Almost New Years Eve race.  Love how I randomly got the same runner in the photo.  Just wish I knew who she was so I could share it with her.

Shane, looking both ways, before coming in to the finish of the Almost New Years Eve half.

One of the amazing views during the Woodside Trail Run with Pacific Coast Trail Run.

Chris Jones coming down the hill during the New Years Day event.  Had to get a picture of him since he always gets one of me.

Shane coming into the finish of the New Years Day half.

View during the TCTRuns event.

Think my hat is on a little crooked but I had to get a shout out to Renegade Racing.

Another panaromic during the TCTRuns event.  This trail was packed with great views.  Too bad I had to take a spill about half way.

From the TCTRuns event.

From the finish of the New Years Day event.  Photo credit to Chris Jones.  Shout out to Calico Racing while wearing my Labor of Love shirt.

Shane during the Almost New Years Eve run.

Troutman Sanders Renegade Racing Santa Run

Ever since running the Coaster run in 2011 with my family, Renegade Racing events have held a special place in my heart.  This was my 2nd time running the Troutman Sanders Santa Run in Irvine.  My first run in 2012 seems like a blur but one thing I know for certain, it was fun for all in attendance.  Like all other Renegade Racing events, Troutman Sanders Santa Run was fun for the whole family.  I can't say enough about how fun this race is.  Any time you can get me in a costume you better take some photos of it.  While I was hoping for a strong run, there were some outside factors that made it difficult, but I am still very happy.  My time in 2012 was 37:51.8 and today it was 41:36.6.  The course had not changed and considering I am still working on my knee recovery I am excited to see this time (PR for a 5k is 36:08).  Look forward to the next Renegade Racing adventure.  Next up is the New Year's Hustle 5k: Your Next Step is the Cure on January 24th.  Visit www.renegaderaceseries.com for more information on all future Renegade events.  Now, time for a photo recap of all the fun!

Always love spending the morning with these two beautiful ladies.  There is never a dull moment and you never know what random pose you might end up striking.

Always enjoy seeing Marathon Mitch at an event.  While he wasn't running this morning, he was there to support all of us who were.  Thank you for stopping by to say hello my friend.

With half of our dynamic RD team.  Taite, thank you for all you and JP do to keep us moving in a family friendly environment for all levels of ability.  It has been a pleasure to get to know you this year and to be a part of the Renegade Racing team.

All of the Santa medals waiting for the runners to finish and take them home.

Some of the costume contest fun between the 5k and 10k awards.  So many fun costumes out there today.  Was festive fun throughout the course from runners and volunteers alike.

12 weeks of recovery and the Two Cities Half Marathon

So after having learned a few things from my 6 weeks of recovery race, I knew this run would be epic.  I had planned on making it a target race, but I was now going to be happy with just not throwing up at the finish line.  I knew there would be plenty of time to finish since there was a full marathon also on the course.  I also knew I would have plenty of my running family out there with me to keep me moving.  

First thing I learned from the last race was I had to start out strong and with a specific goal in mind.  I had talked it out with a couple of people and knew what I needed to and hoped to do.

While it was not the PR celebration last years race was, it was still a great comeback event and I can't wait for the next round.

With my friend Emelia before the race.  She was a part of team Red, White, and Blue.  I am so proud to call this amazing woman my friend.  Thanks to her help getting in some extra training miles, my race day was the success it was.

With my friend Stefanie before the race.  This face I cannot begin to say thank you enough to.  I feel so blessed to have her as my friend again after so many years apart.  She is my rock in making sure I finish strong.  We spent many miles leap frogging back and fourth during this event.  

With my friend Josette before the race.  So proud of this lady.  She has pushed her limits in the last year and has become a stronger finisher with multiple sub-3 hour finishes under her belt.  She now runs when the urge moves her and she always finishes strong.

This amazing family has been through for me the last year for a lot.  Jason and the kiddos are always smiling when I stumble through the finish line and Stef, well she is always waiting there to cheer me through the end.

Our finish line photo with our new bling!  Our 2nd year in a row for this one.  Can't wait for the next one for sure with this cheesy face.  Thank you again Stef for all you and your family have done for me in the last year.

And to the people from Zensah and KTtape, I could not have made it this far through my recovery without you.  Just wish I had remembered to take a photo of the knee compression and tape during the race.

Next up is the San Dimas Turkey Trot (and volunteer for the Tri).  Will be my second time for this event and I can't wait to see my Renegade Racing family.

Walking my way through recovery (and the sites of San Diego)

I had not been able to do almost anything for 3 weeks after my injury and the 3 weeks after that were not much better leading in to the Wascally Wabbit Half on September 20th.  While I knew it was going to be a painful experience, I also made some rookie mistakes that only added to my suffering.  Since then I have still struggled to get back on the horse and get into a routine of moving again.  With the help of my BFF and his Fall Break, I knew it would be the perfect time to coach myself back into the daily routine of focused movement.

We had a week of exploring on our feet planned, something we had not done before but were looking forward to.  For Shane, it would be good recovery from his very busy month of September with his 2nd 100 miler and also a 50 miler too.  I just needed motivation to get me out the door, and what better way than with my best friend and the sights of San Diego.

First up was a trip to Old Town on Sunday.  While we had been here before, we had never really spent a lot of time just walking around.  We attempted to park on top and walk down, but soon realized it was not walker friendly to park at Presideo Park and site of the original San Diego Mission that was abandoned in 1837.  The Serra Museum is now the old mission, although we were there too early to take a tour.  We took a complete tour of the grounds here before starting out on the climb downhill to Old Town.  I soon became concerned about the lack of safe walking area along the side of the road and was afraid I would not be able to make the climb back up to the top.  The old Mormon Battalion Historic Site offered some great views of the city and some history before making our way to the car and down to old town.  We wondered through some of the shops and old buildings and found some great pumpkin coffee they were kind enough to grind fresh for us so we could enjoy it later in our room.  They were having an art fair as well this weekend so we were able to experience some of the local art while enjoying and taking in the historic sites too.

Statue from the Mormon Soldiers Tribute

Monday was Balboa Park and some of the trails they are known for.  While we knew it would be an easy day for getting in our daily goal, we had no idea just how winding the trails would be.  We made a stop in the Cactus Gardens before heading out on trail 23 that would take us to the top of the cliffs across the street from the park.   http://bit.ly/1z7QFu8 After finding our way back to the car for a quick snack, we made our way over to the Museum of Man so we could take the visiting tour of the Instruments of Torture, which was truly disturbing on so many levels.  http://bit.ly/1w0u0Ls  The Museum of Man was a relaxing tour through the history of Man and much of it we had seen in a previous tour of a different museum.  Both tours together will cost you $20 a person.

Panoramic view from the top of the cliff/trail across from Balboa park.  We followed #23 markers.

Tuesday took us out to the beautiful Coronado Island.  We had talked about spending the night there but opted to just explore on our feet.  We walked much of the length of the beach walk, around the Coronado Hotel and around the marina.  We considered going back out later that evening for a performance of Les Miserables but were too tired after over 24 miles of walking and exploring in 3 days (not to mention a flight and drive to get us there).  Were able to see some of the island we had not seen in our previous trip out.  http://bit.ly/1w0yCkP

Coronado Bridge

After having visited Presidio Park and the original mission site, we knew we had to make a visit to the currently standing San Diego Mission.  We have been to a couple of mission tours in the past and knew this wouldn't take long but we were well rewarded for our $5 admission donation.  The chapel here is still an active chapel and beautifully maintained building.  They have a spot roped off so you can see where an excavation of a part of the original building site is.  There is also an area where the local history is preserved and the tale of Father Serra and his grizzly and untimely death.  Upon leaving the main entrance, we stumbled upon what struck us both as an odd site, as we watch 2 priests with their smart phones taking pictures.  While we acknowledged they are only human after all, it just felt strange to see.  http://bit.ly/Uvwymr

Chapel

We also made our way over to Belmont Park so Shane could ride one of his favorite beach roller coasters.  I opted to sit on the sidelines this time around.  Before riding, we took a loop down the water front walkway to check out the sights.  We were both feeling a little tired from all of our miles and it was getting a little warm.  We were amazed by some of the vacation rentals available and for sale.  Agreed we were not sure we would want to live right in that exact location.  As an added bonus, we found (or Shane spotted I should say) new Snoopy decals for my car.  http://bit.ly/1gsIsqo

Giant Dipper Roller Coaster in Belmont Park, one of the best beach side coasters around

We were determined to find one last trail before leaving San Diego so Shane took to the internet to see what he could find along the 5 freeway so we wouldn't be too far out of the way.  He took us to Torrey Pines State Reserve.  Had we been there early enough we could have found free, beach front parking, but had to pull into the actual start park parking area for a $12 fee (stated $8 on the website).  To say the views were amazing would be an understatement.  While we were both exhausted by the time we made it down the hill and back to the car, we both agreed it was very much worth it and we were glad to have made the hike (and learned a little history along the way).  http://bit.ly/1z7VP9k

View of the famous Torrey Pines.  A must see for everyone.

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our walking history tour of San Diego.  Please make sure you make time to stop and enjoy the scenery when you are in the area.  And feel free to ask us any questions you may have.  Happy trails until next time!