Embrace the Outdoors

May Events

2012-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things going on in May:

5/5 Western Pacific 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon at Quarry Lakes
5/5-5/6 The Relay
5/6 Peace Officers Memorial 5k, 10k in Modesto
5/6 Big Trees Trail 10k, Half Marathon, 30k, 50k at Joaquin Miller
5/6 Divas Half Marathon in San Francisco
5/6 Mermaid Run 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, 18 mile in Fremont
5/6 Delta Century Ride in Lodi
5/6 SF Sunday Streets bike event
5/12 CPOA 5k and 10k in Pleasanton
5/12 Cinderella Trail Run 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon, 50k at Joaquin Miller
5/12 Folsom Lake Triathlon
5/12 Ride for a Reason bike event
5/12 Ride for Mom bike event in Modesto
5/13 Mother's Day Duathlon and Triathlon in Folsom
5/13 Run Like a Mother 5k in Elk Grove
5/13-20 Tour of California cycling event
5/19 Wildcat 5k, 10k and Half Marathon at Wildcat Canyon Park
5/19 Scavenger Dash in Sacramento
5/19 Golden Gate Headlands 7 mile, Half Marathon and Marathon
5/20 Avenue of the Vines 5k, Half Marathon in Lodi
5/20 Daffodil Duathlon in Livermore
5/20 Ohlone Wilderness 50k
5/20 Bay to Breakers 12k in San Francisco
5/26 Danville Half Marathon
5/27 Wounded Warrior 5k in Manteca
5/27 Earthquakes Challenge 5k and 10k in San Jose
5/28 Stockton Rotary Run 5k and 10k

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Basic Cycling Basics
5/15 Stockton
Intro to Bike Safety
5/22 Stockton
Cycling Destinations
5/29 Stockton
Bike Maintenance Basics
5/1 Saratoga
5/2 Brentwood
5/2 Concord
5/3 Mountain View
5/31 Dublin
Half Dome in a Day
5/10 Brentwood
5/29 Saratoga
Marsh Creek State Park: A California Treasure
5/3 Brentwood

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
5/5 Berkeley
5/5 Concord
5/5 Mountain View
5/5 Saratoga
5/6 Fremont

Santa Cruz Half Marathon

2012-04-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

We ran the Santa Cruz Half Marathon for the second time. We first ran it in 2010. This year there were nearly 4000 runners that participated. There was a half marathon and a 10k. We picked up our race packet at a local running store two days before but had to wait for the finish before getting our shirts. Two years prior it had been cold and windy with rain welcoming us at the finish. This year it looked like it might be the same or worse. We camped at the nearby New Brighton State Beach the two nights before the race and saw rain on and off during that time. Surprisingly on race morning the sky was clear and there was no rain in sight. We packed up all of our gear and made the 20 minute drive to the race. The start was only a few blocks away from the Boardwalk as it had been in the past so we knew to leave extra time to navigate through the traffic and find parking. We parked in the designated lot for the Boardwalk, paying $12. We made our way towards the start just a short walk away. Although it was a little cold being by the coast, the sun was out and we were hopeful that the rain would stay away. As we approached the start we saw masses of people standing in lines and then realized that they were waiting for porta potties. Unfortunately the porta potties had been placed along the block leading to the start so it was really congested. We waited our turn then tried to get as close to the start line as possible but there were just too many people and there was no organization. Glad it was chip timed. As in years past, the course started out on a street along the coast. The street was wide but with the unorganized start it took a while to maneuver around slower people that started ahead of us and walkers. After a couple of miles it quickly narrowed and stayed that way for most of the course. The course had a few rolling hills and was mainly an out and back route with one loop in Wilder Ranch State Park. Once in Wilder Ranch the paved road was replaced by gravel and dirt and we had to be careful not to twist an ankle. The dirt path through the park was the narrowest part of the course making it difficult to pass other runners. There were also several large puddles on the trail since it had rained so much the days before. We could definitely feel the wind when running close to the coast but the views were spectacular. Once out of Wilder Ranch we re-traced our steps back towards the Boardwalk.
Back on the wide street it seemed that it was open to car traffic but there weren't signs or volunteers directing us out of the street so we continued on the street itself. The finish seemed very abrupt as we made a sharp right turn only a few steps from the finish line which is on the beach itself. Having the finish line on the beach is nice in theory but caused us to get sand in our shoes and socks and slowed us down. Once at the finish we received our medals and then picked up our shirts. The race shirt is made of technical fabric which we like much more than the typical regular cotton shirts so it was a pleasant surprise when we picked them up. Water and sports drinks were handed out at the finish line and booths were set up on the beach with food including bagels, granola bars and fruit. Although the ocean breeze kept the area cool, the sun was out the entire time, we didn't get one drop of rain during the race. The course and views are nice but organization at the start could be improved.

Race Website
Race Results
Podcast

April Events

2012-04-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things going on in April:

4/7 Grizzly Peak 10k, Half Marathon, 30k, Marathon and 50k at Tilden Park
4/7 American River 50 mile Endurance Run in Sacramento
4/14 Granite Bay Duathlon in Folsom
4/14 Run for Health 5k and 10k in Modesto
4/14 Hit the Streets 5k in Manteca
4/14 Run for the Parks 5k and 10k in Livermore
4/14 Footwear Festival at REI Berkeley
4/15 Icebreaker Triathlon in Folsom
4/15 SF Sunday Streets bike event
4/15 Diablo Trails Challenge 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, 50k at Mt. Diablo
4/19 thru 4/22 Sea Otter Classic bike event in Monterey
4/21 thru 4/29 National Park Week: free entrance to National Parks
4/21 Challenge Failure 5k and 10k in Lodi
4/21 Survivor Mud Run obstacle run in Lathrop
4/21 Cycle for Sight in Napa Valley
4/22 Earth Day
4/22 Capital City Classic 5k, 10k in Sacramento
4/22 Silverado Half Marathon and 5k in Napa Valley
4/28 Great Spear-It Run 5k, 10k in Stockton
4/28 Every Step Counts 5k, 10k in San Leandro
4/28 Parkway Half Marathon in Sacramento
4/28 Urban Bike Adventure in San Francisco
4/28 Dirtiest Duathlon in Folsom
4/28 Terrain Mud Run in San Jose
4/28 Ridge to Bridge hiking and biking event
4/28 Folsom Lake 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon and 50k
4/29 Urban Bike Adventure in Sacramento
4/29 Pleasanton Half Marathon and 5k
4/29 Big Sur Marathon, 5k, 9mile, 10.6mile and 21 mile
4/29 Best Ride Ever Ride in Lodi

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Kilimanjaro: "Everyman's Everest"
4/26 Dublin
4/27 Saratoga
Poles for Hiking and Outdoor Exercise
4/11 Concord
4/24 Fremont
Triathlon Basics-Try a Tri?
4/4 Concord
4/5 Dublin
4/11 Corte Madera
4/12 Brentwood
4/13 Berkeley
4/13 Fremont
4/26 Mountain View
Backpacking Basics
4/4 Corte Madera
4/10 Fremont
4/12 Dublin
4/12 Mountain View
4/17 Saratoga
4/18 Concord
4/19 Berkeley
4/26 Brentwood
Climbing Mount Shasta: Tips for the Novice and the Expert
4/24 Saratoga
4/26 Berkeley

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
4/7 Berkeley
4/7 Concord
4/7 Mountain View
4/7 Saratoga
4/14 Brentwood
4/14 Corte Madera

Badger Cove Trail Race

2012-03-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

We ran the Badger Cove race at Del Valle Park. It was a trail race put on by Brazen Racing and had 5k, 10k and Half Marathon distances, with about 800 people participating. As always, the entry fee for the race depended on the race distance and date you registered but ranged from $29 to $60. As with other Brazen Racing events there was an option to register for $5 less if you did not want the race shirt or pay $6 more for a technical fabric shirt if you registered for the 5k or 10k. If you registered for the Half Marathon the technical fabric shirt was included. We had been to Del Valle Park in the past to camp and hike and knew that there was really only one entry lane to the park so we left with plenty of time. We paid the $6 entry fee and followed the rest of the cars to the designated parking lots for the race. It had rained the entire week leading up to the event so we expected it to be wet and muddy, which it was. There was plenty of parking with some porta potties in one of the parking lots as well as park bathrooms nearby. We had picked up our race bibs, shirt, etc a few days before the race so we got to skip that on race day. But this all seemed very well organized. There was some pre-race food too like coffee and danishes. The most difficult part of the pre-race morning was deciding what to wear for the race-gloves or not? jacket or not? I decided on no gloves, no jacket and hoped that it didn't rain during the half marathon. It was my first trail half marathon so I was nervous to start anyways and the unpredictable weather didn't help. The race was timed using D-tags which I really like because they are easy to use, disposable and not noticeable when I'm running. Races started on time with the half starting at 8am, 10k at 8:30am and 5k at 8:45am. The courses for all three distances were similar.

The 5k was an out and back. The 10k was a lollipop course, with the loop being shared with the half marathon except the half marathon course covered the loop twice and had an additional out and back section about two thirds of the way on the loop. The second out and back portion of the half marathon was a last minute change since the original course was not easily accessible by the rangers to disperse aid station supplies after the heavy rain the night before. The first half mile or so of the course was paved road/sidewalks but the rest of the race routes were dirt. The out and back portion shared by all three distances consisted of some rolling hills. All distances passed an aid station twice, the half marathon passed it a third time by doing the loop twice. Initially everyone ran past the aid station and while the 5k participants turned around soon after passing it, the 10k and half marathon participants continued straight on East Shore Trail where the real climbing began. The trail at this point was very muddy making it tough to move at a quick pace and then it turned into single track for a little while with some low hanging trees. Then it was back to a wider trail on Ridgeline Trail where the climbing continued and the mud was on and off. I have hiked in muddy conditions before but hadn't run in this much mud so it was an interesting challenge. It was tough going uphill because my feet would get stuck in the mud and then downhill was a bit slippery and so I had to focus to stay upright. It was a little more climbing to the next aid station that was fully stocked with water, sports drink, GU, candies and salty snacks. Then it was a detour to the out and back section that was added to the route with the course change. More mud, more small rolling hills, and then the turn around to head back to the loop. The rest of the loop back to the first aid station was packed dirt and was overall downhill but there was one slippery muddy portion. Hetch Hetchy Trail led back to the aid station and it was a right turn to get back on the course where we had been before but this time had to share with the 5k walkers. It was a tight fit since the trail was muddy and it seemed like everyone was avoiding the mud. Some quick maneuvering got me past the 5k walkers and onto the loop again. The second time around the loop I was able to push a little more since I knew what was ahead. Some of the muddy areas were better because there was some areas that were packed down after the 10k and half marathon runners had passed through. After the second loop and to the intersection where the main aid station was it was a left turn back towards the finish. There was very little mud for the rest of the route, it was mostly packed dirt with rolling hills and then paved trail back to the finish. Soon after passing through the finish I got my finisher's medal, then water and postrace food. As always with Brazen races there was plenty of post race snacks such as fruit, bagels, coffee, hot chocolate, water, cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. Age group medals could be picked up from the awards table once results were posted. The mud made for a fun and difficult race and the fact that the rain stayed away was great. Hopefully more trail half marathons to come.

Race Results
Race Photos
Brazen Racing Website
Embrace Running Podcast #11: Badger Cove

March Events

2012-03-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things going on in March:

3/10 Romancing the Island 12k and 25k at Angel Island
3/11 Shamrock'n Half Marathon in Sacramento
3/11 Union City Fun Run 5k and 10k
3/11 SF Sunday Streets bike event
3/17 Canyon Meadow Trail Run 5mile, Half Marathon, 30k, Marathon, 50k
3/17 Badger Cove 5k, 10k and Half Marathon at Del Valle Regional Park
3/17 Shamrock Run 5k in Stockton
3/18 Shamrock Run 5k in Dublin
3/18 Modesto Marathon, 5k, 10k
3/18 Emerald Across the Bay 12k
3/24 Napa Valley Trail 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon
3/25 Oakland Running Festival 5k, Half Marathon, Marathon
3/25 Nutrition Fuels Fitness 5k, 10k in Elk Grove
3/31 Lagoon Valley 5k, 10k, Half Marathon in Vacaville
3/31 Ayala Cove 5mile, 10mile, 15mile run at Angel Island
3/31 Redwood Peak Trail Run 10k, Half Marathon, 30k, 50k
3/31 Mountain Bike Triathlon in Folsom

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Intro to Half Dome
3/20 Stockton
Traveling Solo Basics
3/27 Stockton
How to Adjust Bike Breaks & Gears
3/7 Brentwood
Walkabout Northern California: Inn to Inn
3/6 Saratoga
3/15 Brentwood
3/27 Fremont
Lightweight Backpacking Basics
3/12 Saratoga
3/21 Fremont
3/22 Dublin
3/29 Brentwood
3/29 Mountain View
Epic Rows: Across the Atlantic & North Pacific
3/7 Berkeley
Southeast Alaska by Kayak
3/14 Concord
3/20 Saratoga
Exploring Iceland
3/13 Fremont
3/15 Berkeley
3/21 Concord
Bay Area Backpacking Destinations: Ten to Begin
3/29 Berkeley
Backpacking Basics
3/27 Concord
Great Spring Hikes in Contra Costa County
3/7 Concord
3/21 Concord
Great Canyon Hikes of the Colorado Plateau
3/15 Mountain View
3/22 Berkeley

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
3/18 Dublin
3/24 Berkeley
3/25 Fremont

Coyote Hills

2012-02-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend we got outdoors and spent some time at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, CA. The trip was two fold. We wanted to do some trail running, and also to pick up our 2012 Trails Challenge T-Shirts. The shirts are light blue this year and not bad looking. See our previous post for more information about the trails challenge. As for our run we stuck to the Bayview Trail and then tackled the climb up Red Hill Trail. Only had a chance to take a couple quick pictures.

Trails Challenge Shirt

Rock 'n' Roll Pasadena Half Marathon

2012-02-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

We ran in our second Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. This time it was the inaugural event in Pasadena. We didn't decide to participate until just a few weeks before the race. Having had a good experience at the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon and knowing that we could just drive down to Pasadena over the holiday weekend we decided to register. Knowing we would get a special double medal after completing the two races was a little added motivation. When we registered we had the option to purchase a parking pass for the race for $10, we paid for one parking pass. Since the start and finish were at the Rose Bowl there wouldn't need to be any transportation from one to the other. We had never been to Pasadena so we were looking forward to spending some time there. The day before the race we went to the race expo at the Pasadena Convention Center. We paid for parking at one of the public garages and made a short walk to the expo. Bib, shirt and parking pass pick-up were all very well organized and easy. It was very similar to the set-up in Arizona. We then picked up our race bags that would double as our sweatbags and then walked through the merchandise area. There was race merchandise and Brooks merchandise. After this we made our way into the health and fitness expo itself. When we got to this area we were very surprised. Although there were booths with food samples and gear, there really weren't many. It was about a third of the size of the Arizona expo. There weren't that many giveaways or that many interesting booths. A large portion of the expo was taken up by the Dodge advertisement, Dodge being one of the main sponsors. There was a section advertising future RNR races with computers for people to register for them at a discount. We made it through the expo fairly quickly. We had time after to walk through downtown Pasadena and do some shopping. We headed back to our hotel early and got our gear and food ready for race day.
Race morning we had to get up really early because we had to be parked at
the lot before 6:30am, an hour before the race start. It took us only about 15 minutes to get to the Rose Bowl area from our hotel and we were among many cars making their way to the designated lots. We ended up in a car line that got us to the parking lot closest to the race start. We actually parked very close to the start and the corrals. We could actually see the corral numbers from inside our car. Since it was so early we stayed in the car for a while, and those around us did the same thing. We slowly got our gear ready, ate and made a few bathroom stops before it was time to head to the corrals. It was really great that we were so close that we could just wait in our car longer than usual. As usual with RNR races there were portapotties, prerace food with bagels and water, and UPS trucks for sweatbag check. We had planned to check a bag but didn't since we parked so close. With the Pasadena race being an inaugural event there were only ten start corrals. For comparison RNR Arizona had over twenty. We lined up in our designated areas and got ready for the start. The race began on time. It took us out of the Rose Bowl and into the surrounding neighborhoods. Even though the street was closed it was narrow for a race start and it was difficult to get around people.
The street went uphill so many people slowed down. The course then went out of the residential area and into Old Pasadena via a more significant uphill . We crossed a bridge and went onto Colorado Blvd, a main street through town. We had driven through some of this area the day before when exploring the town so it was nice to see it from a different perspective. Miles three through nine took us up and then back down the main street with three out and backs along the way. When we first saw the race course we weren't excited about the shorter out and backs, it just seemed like an easy way to add mileage to the course. When we actually ran the race we ended up really liking the out and backs since we were able to see several other fellow runners that we wouldn't have had the chance to see otherwise. When we were headed out on the main street we were able to see the race leaders coming back on the opposite side of the street. It's rare in a half marathon that you get to see the leaders and it was very exciting and motivating. We definitely liked that about the course. Right after the last out and back the route led us back onto the main street where we were able to see even more runners. These several miles were rolling hills, nothing too steep. We ran across the beautiful Colorado Bridge, which is on our finishers medal. Then it was a short steep climb before a steep downhill where we went under an overpass. We were then back to the residential area before we got back to the Rose Bowl area. The last few miles consisted of a loop around the Rose Bowl. These last few miles seemed to be the toughest. RNR races typically have bands along the course but I don't remember seeing any in the last few miles and there really weren't many spectators here either. Plus the first mile by the stadium was a consistent incline before we got to go downhill towards the finish. Finally we could hear the music from the finish line.
There was great crowd support as we crossed the finish line. There were volunteers giving us our finishers medal along with water and gatorade too. Then we were all divided into different chutes to take our official finisher photo before getting to the postrace food. Here was another obvious difference between this race and Arizona. While there were energy bars, bagels and fruit, it was much more limited than the Arizona race. Maybe in several years it will match what is offered postrace at Arizona. There was a medical tent just after the food that was clearly marked with volunteers ready to help. Then there were more volunteers handing out mylar blankets to those that wanted them, one perk that was not done in Arizona. The area with the mylar blankets marked the end of the runner only area and once we walked out there was no re-entering. The course had several water stations, some with sports drinks and one with GU. Medical booths were clearly marked along the course and there were several bikes going up and down the route checking on runners. The gathering area past the finish line was on a big grassy area. There were merchandise and food booths as well as a stage for the race headliner which was Sugar Ray. On the grass there were signs with the letters of the alphabet so that people could plan to meet up with family/friends at a designated letter. After the busy Arizona race we did pick a specific letter to meet up at after this race but since there weren't as many people as we had planned for we didn't actually need it.

The sun was out and it was just slightly warm which was perfect for a race, couldn't have asked for better weather for a February race. We took advantage of the nice weather and sat on the lawn to enjoy Sugar Ray for a few songs before we made the very short walk back to our car and headed out. The Pasadena race was a good race but much smaller than expected which wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it did feel like we missed out on some typical RNR perks. It was well organized and the weather was great but not sure if we would make the drive back down there for this race again. However, with it being our second RNR race, we should be getting a special medal in the mail in a couple of months, can't wait for that.

Davis Stampede

2012-02-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

We participated in the Davis Stampede for the first time. There was a 5k, 10k and half marathon. It was the 30th annual event so there were a few special perks. They included a finishers medal for all three distances, age group medals that were 5 deep instead of the usual 3, post race pancake breakfast, post race beer, personalized bib numbers for those who registered by a certain date and pacers for the half marathon. The half marathon is part of the California Half Marathon Series where you complete 4 of the half marathons in the series including the championship race in Walnut Creek in order to receive a special series medal. Anyways back to the race. We participated in the 5k and the half marathon. All three courses were flat. Race registration fees ranged from $27 to $55 depending on the distance and registration deadlines. There was also an option to upgrade from the typical cotton shirt to a technical fabric t-shirt for $5. We opted for upgrade. More on the shirts later. There was early bib pickup for a few days leading up to the race at the local Fleet Feet. There was also race day pick up starting at 7am. The event was based at Central Park which is downtown, with parking available on the streets and on in a few public parking lots in the area. We made sure we left with plenty of time to look for parking and glad we did because we had just enough time to do everything we needed to do before the race. As we drove to the race and got close to the freeway exit we found cars were backed up onto the freeway.

There is really only one exit off of the freeway to get to downtown Davis so we just sat and waited. It was stop and go but traffic moved a bit quicker than we had expected. Once off of the freeway there wasn't a back up on the city streets so we drove through some of the downtown streets and found parking a few blocks away from the race. Once at Central Park we picked up or bibs which contained the disposable timing chip attached to the back of the bib. Shirt pick up had a long line so we split up, one took the bibs to pick up our shirts and the one with the earlier race start stood in the bathroom line. There were several portapotties but there should have been more. We had heard in the days leading up to the race that the technical shirts were way too small. The race did offer shirt exchanges on race day as available. When we picked up the shirts we noticed that the womens shirt defnitely ran small. I had to exchange mine to a men's size because the women's larger sizes were out, probably because so many people were exchanging for the larger sizes. Unfortunately we assumed that the mens sizes were fine until we got home and realized that the mens ran small too, darn it, too late to exchange.
The start line was right by the park and the 10k and half marathon races started together at 8am, although we started a few minutes late because of some problems with the timing system. There were pacers for the half marathon and I lined up between the two that I thought I would finish between. We took off on the downtown streets of Davis and at first had a tough time maneuvering around people that really should have started further back. It took about a mile and a half for people to really spread out. At about half a mile we went right and saw a sign where the 5k runners were to turn left. We ran alongside railroad tracks through an industrial area of Davis. Not a great view but I've have gotten used to these sights on half marathons. There wasn't a mile marker at mile one but there was one at every mile after that. Just after mile two we turned left and the 10k participants had to make a sharp turn to go across an overpass while I continued straight before turning onto a gravel path. The course took us on a loop around some parks and schools on concrete, which I was happy to be off of when we did a loop on loose gravel around a golf course. After this the course took us back to where we split from the 10k participants and then it was my turn to climb up the overpass. The rest of the half marathon course was the same as the 10k course, heading back onto a bike path before being back in downtown and the finish. This bike path was my favorite part of the course because it was paved, flat and had some shaded areas. Once back in downtown it was just a few turns before crossing the finish line. There were water stations about every 2 miles on the half marathon course with one having cliff bars and sports beans. There were also a few portapotties along the course. The course was well marked with many ROTC volunteers keeping us on course.

The 5k course was basically a big loop around the downtown area. There was one water stop which seemed a little early as compared to other races.
Finishers medals were handed out right after the finish line. After the race there was water, gatorade and fruit. The pancake breakfast was a short walk from the finish but just like everything else there was a long line. The pancakes were fresh and good. There was a booth with coconut water-my favorite. Needless to say I made several stops at that booth. There were a few other booths as well, typical of what you see at other races. The 5k race results were up but results for 10k and half marathon were still missing so we made the walk towards our car, stopping at Fleet Feet. We made the stop at the store because they were having a New Balance giveaway. We got a pair of socks and a plastic cup. We made our way to the car and parked about a block from the event and checked the half marathon results before heading home.

Race Results
Race Website
California Half Marathon Series

February Events

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things going on in February:

2/4 Gumby 5k and 10 in Folsom
2/4 Dirty Duathlon in Folsom
2/5 Kaiser Permanente 5k and Half Marathon in San Francisco
2/5 Super Bowl Sunday Run 10k in Sacramento
2/5 Super Sunday Relay in Modesto
2/11 Valentine Run 1.8 mile and 4 mile in Sacramento
2/18 Bay Breeze 5k, 10k and Half Marathon in San Leandro
2/18 Escape from Folsom Run 5k and 10 mile
2/18 Double Duathlon in Folsom
2/25 Almond Blossom Run 1mile and 8k
2/26 Getty Owl Run 5k and 10k in Sacramento

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Great Canyon Hikes of the Colorado Plateau
2/7 Fremont
2/9 Brentwood
2/15 Concord
2/23 Dublin
Muir Ramble Route: San Francisco to Yosemite
2/21 Saratoga
2/23 Berkeley
Snowcamping Basics
2/2 Brentwood
2/8 Berkeley
Southeast Alaska by Kayak
2/23 Mountain View
2/29 San Francisco
World Travel 101: Tips for Independent Travel on a Budget
2/8 San Franicsco
2/21 Fremont

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
2/4 Berkeley
2/4 Concord
2/4 Mountain View
2/4 San Francisco
2/4 Saratoga
2/5 Fremont

Embrace Running

2012-01-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

We have spent almost three years blogging about our outdoor adventures, including hiking, camping, running and biking. We are embarking on a new project - podcasting. We have created a podcast called Embrace Running. As you guessed the podcast will be dedicated to everything running, including marathons, 5k's, training, gear, etc. So if you are interested in running then give the podcast a listen and communicate with us on Facebook. The podcast is available on iTunes or go directly to the website. Nothing is changing here on Embrace the Outdoors. We will still be blogging about all our hiking, camping, running, and biking adventures here.

Embrace Running Website
Embrace Running Facebook Page
Embrace Running on iTunes

Trails Challenge 2012

2012-01-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is back with their Trails Challenge for 2012. The self guided hiking program is to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy their regional parks. The program is free for Alameda and Contra Costa County residents. It is also free for Kaiser Permanente employees who reside in Northern California. Upon registration you will be able to download the guidebook and pick up your free t-shirt at select park visitor centers. There will also be iphone and android apps coming soon that will have the guidebook. To complete the challenge you either travel five of the trails or travel 26.2 miles of the featured trails from the guidebook. Upon completion you submit a trail log and will receive a commemorative pin. Remember t-shirts and pins are available while supplies last. So get out there and embrace the outdoors in the East Bay.

EBRPD Trails Challenge

Montezuma Castle National Monument

2012-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

While in Arizona for the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon we took a detour to see Montezuma Castle National Monument. Montezuma Castle is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. The 1000 year old 20 room dwelling built along a limestone cliff gives a glympse into the lives of the Sinagua people who lived there.
To reach the monument we drove north on 17 from Phoenix for 1.5 hours. We took exit 289 towards Montezuma Castle and after half a mile turned left onto Montezuma Castle Road. We drove another 2 miles to reach the monument. We parked in the lot in front of the visitor center. Upon entering the visitor center we paid the $5 per person entrance fee. We proceeded to the doors on the opposite side of the center and onto the 1/3 mile loop. The loop is completely paved and is handicap accessible. The path loops around a beautiful sycamore grove. On our right there was a great view of the incredible five story cliff dwelling. Along the self guided walk there are several benches allowing people to sit and imagine what life there must have been like 1000 years ago. At the end of the loop trail we got a great up close view of the Springfield Beaver Creek, one of only a few perennial streams in Arizona. We finished our loop by checking out the exhibits at the visitor center before leaving. Ranger programs are offered daily. Montezuma Castle is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. A great place to stop if like us you're traveling from the Phoenix area to Sedona. Also note the Tuzigoot National Monument is also in the area although we didn't get a chance to go there on this particular trip.

Montezuma Castle National Monument
Tuzigoot National Monument

New Years Races

2012-01-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

On New Years weekend I spent my mornings at Lake Chabot Regional Park for back to back new years races. I participated in the New Years Day race at the park on January 2, 2011 (See New Years Race for 2011 post) and was planning on doing the race again on 2012 but in the months leading up to the race I saw that the race organizer (Brazen Racing) was also going to have a New Years Eve race. It was a perfect year to do this since New Years Eve fell on a Saturday and New Years Day on a Sunday. What better days to do back to back races. I was intrigued but wasn't completely convinced about doing back to back races, both at Lake Chabot. Then Brazen announced a special double medal for those participating in both races. At first I thought it would only be for those competing in the half marathon distances both days but like their other race medals they announced that the double medal would go to all who participated in both races, regardless of the distance. This really interested me so now it was just deciding which distance to run. I have really only done a couple of trail races and haven't done much trail running (although it is one of my goals for 2012) so I knew I didn't want to do the half marathons. I decided to do the 10k for New Years Eve and the 5k for New Years Day and managed to convince one of my family members to do the same. Actually I think it was the double medal that convinced him. As with other Brazen races the entry fee depends on how early you register and varies by distance. I registered a few weeks before the races and paid $34 for the 10k and $29 for the 5k. If I had chosen to get race shirts then I would have paid $5 more for each race. Brazen gives the option of deducting $5 from the race fee if you select to not have a t-shirt or paying an additional $6 to get a technical fabric race shirt. Another nice thing about the back to back races is that those competing in the the half marathons on both days ran the same course but in opposite directions. So they ran it counterclockwise on New Years Eve and clockwise on New Years Day. The 5k and 10k courses were the same on both days. Start times were a bit later than usual, which I don't think people minded since it was the holiday weekend. The half marathon started at 8:30am, the 10k at 8:55am and the 5k at 9:05am. Parking fee for Lake Chabot is $5 for the main paved lot and a dirt lot. There is also plenty of street parking just outside of the park on Lake Chabot Road. We got there early enough on both days to park in the paved lot. From the paved lot it was a short walk to the race but some of those who parked on the street had quite a walk. Bib pick-up was easy and was organized into race distances and alphabetical order. They also had course maps to take with you that also reflected the course distances. With it being trail races the distance was not exact, for example the 10k distance was 6.48 miles and the 5k was 3.3 miles. Next stop was to pick up the timing chip, then goodie bag, then race shirt if you ordered one. There were park bathrooms available for use just as last year but this year there were also additional porta potties available. The additional porta potties was a good idea since there were a lot of people, especially for the sold out New Years Eve races.

The races started on time and were on a grassy area of the park. Even though it did not rain much in the days before the race the grass was muddy. All three courses started on the grass and then headed onto the paved East Shore Trail along the lake. The 5k course stayed on this trail the entire time with the turnaround at 1.65 miles, right after an aid station. The paved part of the course consisted of rolling hills. The 10k continued on the dirt trail past the aid station. It continued on the East Shore Trail crossing a narrow bridge to Live Oak Trail and then quickly climbing. This steep trail is well known to mountain bikers in the area who usually bike down it-we were going to run up and then down it. We climbed for about a mile and most people walked in this section. I tried to run for as long as I could but had to walk in two different areas. Finally after about 500 feet of climbing we hit another aid station and our turnaround point. I was so glad to be going downhill but it was fairly steep so I really had to focus my energy into staying controlled and not tumbling down the trail. I made it down without any mishap and after crossing the bridge again and then the aid station I was back on the paved East Shore Trail. The rolling hills didn't seem as bad now, after surviving Live Oak Trail. The 10k course had a total elevation change of about 658 feet while the 5k had about 165 feet. Back across another short bridge and then it was back on the grass to cross the finish line. Once across I got my finishers medal, gave up my timing chip and got water. On New Years Day there was also a separate booth to pick up the special double medal that would combine with the two separate race medals to form one mega medal. There were 271 people who participated in both races. As always there was plenty of post race snacks such as fruit, bagels, coffee, hot chocolate, water, cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. Age group medals could be picked up from the awards table once results were posted. The course was good, weather was great for this time of the year and the mega medal was awesome. I have enjoyed all of the Brazen races I have done so far and am hoping to do more trail running this year so I am sure I will be participating in more. Maybe I'll even do a trail half marathon by the end of the year

New Years Eve Race Results
New Years Day Race Results
New Years Race Photos
Brazen Racing Website

January Events

2012-01-01T13:49:00.001-08:00

Here are a few things going on in January:

1/16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
1/21 Kickstart Duathlon in Folsom
1/21 St. Josephs Fun Run 5K
1/26 Bicycle Dreams on the big screen in Oakland
1/28 Coyote Hills 5k, 10k and Half

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Discover Lassen in Winter
1/11 Concord
1/12 Mountain View
1/18 San Francisco
1/19 Dublin
Snowshoeing Basics
1/10 Fremont
1/10 Santa Rosa
1/11 San Carlos
1/11 San Francisco
1/19 Mountain View
1/26 Brentwood
Avalanche Awareness: Tips for Safe Winter Backcountry Travel
1/18 San Carlos
1/19 Berkeley
1/25 San Francisco
1/26 Mountain View

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
1/14 Berkeley
1/28 Santa Rosa

First Day Hikes

2011-12-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

Start the New Year off with a hike. Many state parks across the country are participating in the First Day Hikes program. The program is aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles throughout the year and recreation at state parks. Participating parks will have guided hikes on Jan 1 for people to begin the year. Local parks include Big Basin, Henry Cowell, Ano Nuevo and more. So get out there and embrace the outdoors in the new year.

http://www.americasstateparks.org/first-day-hikes

California International Marathon

2011-12-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row I ran the Calfornia International Marathon (CIM) from Folsom to Sacramento. It was my second time running CIM, and my second time running a marathon. When I ran CIM last year I was very nervous with it being my first marathon. Although I did feel much better at the finish than I thought I would, it was the most physically and mentally grueling thing I had ever been through. As my sore legs carried me back to the car after the race I was asked if I would do it again. I think I said something along the lines of "Nah, I'm glad I did it once and now I can say I did a marathon but I don't think I'll do it again". Well, as the soreness dissipated and time went on I started thinking about doing it again. Maybe if I continued to train I could beat my time. That thought became more and more appealing so after a few months I registered for CIM again. Aside from the marathon there was a four person relay and a 2.62 mile marFUNrun in Sacramento. Over 14,000 participants took part in the events. Bib pick up was at an Expo at the Sacramento Convention Center. It took place the Friday and Saturday before the race. Bib pick up was well organized but there did seem to be a lot of stops. First I got my bib and timing chip, then made another stop to check my timing chip to make sure it was programmed correctly, then made another stop to get my shirt and goody bag which doubled as my sweat check bag. Along with bib/shirt pick up there were various vendors at the Expo selling running clothing and gear. There were also several booths promoting upcoming races. There were also free cliff bar samples of new and popular flavors which were good. There was also a Medical Symposium and Marathon Speaker Clinics where speakers discussed various topics related to marathon running such a preparing for CIM, avoiding injury and motivation. After the Expo we headed out to Folsom and did a little shopping before dinner time. Last year we had eaten at a well known Italian restaurant but we ended up waiting about 40 minutes and were disappointed with the food so this year we opted for pizza and it was great. After dinner we headed over to our hotel to check-in. We stayed in a hotel in Folsom again this year and glad we did because they had the VIP warming tent for Folsom guests again. The night before the race I laid out my clothes and gear and went to bed early. Weather for the weekend was expected to be cold and clear. I was thrilled since it was a rainy weekend the year before, even though it didn't really rain during the race. On the day of the race I got up really early after a bad nights rest. I kept waking up during the night worried that I would oversleep and miss the race. My plan was to wake up at 4:30am to be on the shuttle bus at 5:15 but I was wide awake at 3:30am and just kept going through my mental list of things to take. I finally got out of bed and got dressed. I had packed my extras like sweats, water and peanut butter sandwich in my sweat bag so I wouldn't forget them on race day. Just before 5am I made my way down to the hotel lobby where they were serving breakfast. They started it at 4:15am, much earlier than usual, because of the marathon. It was great for the runners participating in the race. I sat and ate my peanut butter sandwich and grabbed a banana for later. When registering for the race there was an option to pay $10 to take a shuttle bus from the hotel to the race start and I had opted for that. The "shuttle bus" (school bus) arrived at about 5am and seats began to fill soon after. It left the hotel at about 5:20 and made the drive over to the start. Last year when we had arrived we were one among several buses but this year we were the first ones to arrive. Although it was still dark, I could see Folsom Dam from the bus itself. We were given the option to stay on the bus as long as we wanted but most of us got off the bus and made the short walk to the warming tent. It wasn't too warm to start but warmer than just standing outside in the 27 degree air. Several chairs were set up in the tent and 6 portapotties were lined up just outside the tent. Like the warming tent, the portapotties were for use only by the Folsom guests. If I continue to run CIM the VIP Folsom area would be reason enough for me to stay in Folsom again. Back to the race. Race start was scheduled for 7am so I ate my banana at about 6:15 and started getting my gear together soon after. After a couple of bathroom stops I made my way out of the tent into the cold. I shed some layers of clothing and packed it in my sweat bag. There were three big rental trucks used to transport the sweat bags to the finish, they were organized by bib number. I gave mine to the appropriate truck and then started making my way towards the starting line. The sun was just starting to come up as I found the pace group I was planning to run with the 3:55 group which included Diedre Fitzpatrick.

My goal was to finish under 4 hours. Someone sang the national anthem and just as we were about to go I took off my last long sleeve shirt and tossed it away from the crowd. It took me about a minute and a half to cross the start line and then made a quick right turn. It was right then that I got a little ahead of the 3:55 pace group and never saw them again. The course was the same as last year, the same as it has been for the last 29 years. As I went through Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks and Carimichael I passed several spectators cheering on family members, friends and strangers. There were a couple of firetrucks with fireman hanging out of windows and offering high fives. I ran along Fair Oaks Blvd, close to the American River. The weather was great-cool and sunny. It was perfect. As I kept running I noticed that I was on pace to finish closer to 3:50. I was exhilarated. Even though the first 17-18 mills consisted of rolling hills I was still on pace to finish close to 3:50, if I could just keep the pace. At the 20 mile marker there was a fake brick wall that represented hitting the wall in the race. Thankfully I felt surprisingly good. After crossing the Fair Oaks Bridge the course headed through the streets of downtown Sacramento leading to the finish at Capitol Park. There were about 18 aid stations on the course route, each with water and Ultima sports drink. The first few stations were very crowded but this year it was much easier to distinguish between which volunteers had the water and which had the sports drink.
It was always water first, Ultima second. Last year I had a difficult time finding those with the water in the first half of the race. GU energy gels were provided at around mile 13 and 20. Gels were supposed to be offered at about mile 23 as well but I must have missed it. I had GU's and Honey Stinger energy chews of my own so I was fine. There were also a few areas in the last half of the race where orange slices, banana slices and licorice were offered. Portapotties were sparse in the first several miles but as I got closer to the finish they seem to be everywhere. Spectators lined much of the course with the usual cowbells and motivational signs and there were bands at certain points, ranging from high school marching bands to local rock bands. There were three relay exchange zones which were very busy with the relay participants as well as spectators. Race organizers did do a good job of keeping the course clear for the runners and making it clear where to go if you were a relay participant. Relay chutes were always on the right and marathoners always continued on the left side of the course. The finish line at the Capitol was great and there were tons of spectators. There was a separate finish chute for men and women. After crossing the finish line I looked at my time-just under 3:50, woohoo! A volunteer put a finishers medal over my head while another gave me a blanket, someone then removed the timing chip off my shoe, and then I was ushered towards some chocolate milk, it tasted spectacular.

I got some water and then waited my turn for my finishers photo to be taken with the official CIM backdrop. I met up with my family and made my way to the food area. I was in and out quicker than last year. There was fruit, bagels, cookies, tomato soup and freshly made pancakes. I got my food and ate as I walked towards the sweat bags on the lawn. Sweat bag pick up was a little further than last year but it felt good to just keep moving. The sun was out, it was in the 50's, it was great. I felt better physically and mentally than I expected and better than last year. After getting my sweat bag we headed to the car to head home. Once again, the race was very well organized, from the expo to the course itself, to the post race food and sweat bag pickup. The course is nice and despite the rolling hills it's a fast course with an overall elevation drop of just over 300 feet. Can't wait to do it again, maybe I'll set a new PR next time.

December Events

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things going on in December:

12/3 Bah Humbug 5k in San Ramon
12/3 New Balance Girls on the Run 5k in Rohnert Park
12/4 California International Marathon
12/10 Walnut Creek 5k, 10k and Half Marathon
12/31 Brazen's New Year's Eve 5k, 10k, Half Marathon races at Lake Chabot

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)
Snowshoeing Basics
12/1 Mountain View
12/1 Dublin
12/8 Brentwood
Avalanche Awareness
12/6 Saratoga
12/7 Concord
12/20 Stockton
Snowcamping Basics
12/7 San Francisco
12/7 Corte Madera
12/7 Berkeley

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)
12/3 Brentwood
12/3 Concord
12/3 Saratoga
12/3 Mountain View
12/3 Berkeley
12/3 San Francisco
12/4 San Carlos
12/10 Stockton
12/10 Corte Madera
12/30 Brentwood
12/31 Fremont
12/31 San Francisco
12/31 Mountain View

Quarry Turkey 10k

2011-11-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

We participated in our third Brazen Racing event over Thanksgiving weekend. Again, we were not disappointed. There were actually two Brazen Racing events over the holiday weekend, the Nitro Turkey race at Point Pinole on Thanksgiving Day and the Quarry Turkey race at Quarry Lakes two days later on Saturday. Each included 5k, 10k and Half Marathon distances. We did the Quarry Turkey 10k. We had been to Quarry Lakes once before when we biked on the Alameda Creek Trail from Coyote Hills Regional Park in Hayward to Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont but didn't get a chance to see much of the park then. (See Alameda Creek Trail Bike Ride post). This race let us explore the park a bit more. Registration fee for the race varied depending on the race distance and when you registered. As with other Brazen Racing events there was an option to register for $5 less if you did not want a race shirt, or pay $6 more for a technical fabric shirt. We opted out of the shirts. We had been warned in the days leading up to the race to get to the park with plenty of time as there are only two lanes to enter the park and it would be crowded. We were grateful that we were warned as we did leave earlier than usual and the lines to enter the park were long. Park entrance fee was $5 and once we paid we made our way toward the Brazen Racing banner. There was plenty of parking in the lots so we quickly found a spot. We made our way over to bib pick up and after a short wait and signing our waivers we received our bibs. We made our way over to pick up our timing chip and race bags which we could use as our sweat bag as well. There were copies of the race routes available for racers to take as well. There were park bathrooms as well as portapotties available. We had time to use them and check our bags before the races started.

As usual the Half Marathon started off first at 8am with the 10k fifteen minutes later and the 5k fifteen minutes after that. The race start was on the grass and then the route headed downhill onto the unpaved Old Creek Trail before turning left onto Californio Trail. This took us back to Old Creek Trail which crossed through two of the parks lakes. It was a clear day so the views of the surrounding water were great. When we got to the first aid station we made a right onto Western Pacific Trail, this was the place that the 5k and 10k routes split, with the 5k racers making a left. We turned onto Alameda Creek Trail and our turnaround point was at our next aid station. Half marathon racers continued past the aid station to their turnaround point further up the trail. We retraced the route back to the aid station at the 5k/10k split area and ran straight past it continuing on Western Pacific Trail. It was here that we joined up with some of the slower 5k racers and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get around the slower participants. We ran towards the parking area and stayed on the paved road for a brief time before seeing the finish line. To get to the finish we had to climb back up the grassy hill that was the race start and then just run through the cheering crowd. Most of the race route was unpaved-dirt and gravel. The aid stations all had drinks and one also had snacks like trail mix. After crossing the finish line we turned in our timing chips and received our finisher's medal. Like other Brazen races, all race finishers receive a medal, regardless of the distance of the race they participate in. One perk with this race was that if you participated in both this race and Nitro Turkey then you received a special double medal that would allow you to connect the two individual race medals creating the Thanksgiving Mega Medal. This was a great motivator for many people and there will be a special double medal for their upcoming New Years races. People who participated in both Thanksgiving races were able to pick up their special medal near the race finish. After crossing the finish line we got our water and then made the short walk to the covered park area where the post race food was located. The selection of food after the race was as good as always and included water, coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, fruit, bagels, danishes, candy, ice cream and even pumpkin and pecan pie this time around. After doing many races we have to admit that they have some of the best selection of post race food. We had our share of food and waited a little while before the 5k and 10k results were posted. After checking results we made our way back to the car to head home. As usual, race pictures were taken along the course and at the finish and were available online for free a few days after the race. This is yet another great Brazen perk. With it being Thanksgiving weekend, there was also a food drive benefiting the Alameda County Food Bank. This was another well organized Brazen Racing event and it will not be our last.

Race Results

Race Photos

Brazen Racing Website

Old Koloa Sugar Mill Run

2011-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

While vacationing in Kauai we were lucky enough to participate in a local race, the Old Koloa Sugar Mill Run. The proceeds from the run went to scholarships for various programs at Kauai Community College. We hadn't originally planned on doing this but while waiting to pick up our luggage at the airport I picked up a brochure with "things to do" in Kauai and while flipping through it the next day I found out about the race. It was taking place in a few days and just a few miles away from where we were staying. It was a 5k, 10k and 10 mile. Online registration was available as well as same day registration. Since we would be flying home on race day we weren't sure initially if we wanted to do it, seeing as we would be in a rush to pack our bags, check out of the hotel, then go catch a late morning flight. Two days before the race we decided to participate. After all, when would we get another chance to do a race in Kauai? We both had planned on running about 6 miles on that day anyways so we signed up for the 10k. Online registration was easy except for the Wi-Fi connection at the hotel. We paid $30 each and surprisingly there was no additional fee for online registration. The registration included a race t-shirt or tank top (we got to choose) and a post race continental breakfast. Race packet pick-up was available the day before the race so we made the 20 minute drive to a shopping center in Lihue. There we were able to pick up our bibs and t-shirts. The night before the race we packed as much as we could knowing that we would be short on time the next day. On race day we got up early and packed a few more things before getting ready for the race. We headed out of our hotel and drove a few miles to nearby Anne Knudsen park which was basically race headquarters. About a block away was the race start and finish. There was a very small lot at the park so most people, including us, parked along the street on the narrow shoulder. We walked over to the start and waited. The 10 mile participants started first at 7am, the 10k was next at 7:15 and the 5k was last at 7:30. Quite a few people lined up for the 10k but it didn't feel crowded since the race was not chip-timed and there was no timing mat. The course for all three distances headed south on Ala Kinoiki Road, a two lane paved road that was closed for the race. We then turned onto a narrow dirt road towards the old sugar mill. The road was muddy in some areas from the recent rains (it rained daily while we were in Kauai) so we just had to be careful not to misstep, although I did miscalculate at one time and ended up stepping in a puddle. After doing a loop on this dirt road we were back onto Ala Kinoiki Road and continued south on it before reaching the 10k turnaround and heading back on the paved road to the finish. The course was well marked with signs and because there were very few turns it was an easy route to follow. There was lush green foliage lining the course and you could see the mountain in the background on the way back towards the finish line. There were three water stops for the 10k which were appreciated in the humidity of Kauai. The temperature was in the 70's for the race and it was definitely humid. We were glad we were doing this at the end of our trip since we had some time to acclimate. The finish line was marked with cones but there wasn't an official mat to cross since it wasn't chip-timed. There weren't separate chutes for the different races either which made it a bit confusing and also made for congestion at the end. We think this probably paid a part in incorrect race results too. After finishing we walked back over to the park where breakfast was being served from the snack bar. We lined up and got our breakfast burrito (vegetarian or not), fruit, croissant, juice/coffee and yogurt. It was a hearty breakfast and the best one we've had from a race yet. Awards were to start at 9:15 but we asked after eating and were told they would start at around 9:30 or so. Since we were pressed for time but didn't want to miss the awards we rushed back to the hotel, showered, packed and rushed back. We made it back in time. They were finishing the 5k results as we got there and they moved on to the 10k shortly after. We noticed something was wrong with the results when a few people returned their ribbons and when people we were fairly certain did not participate in the 10k had fast finishing times. Nonetheless I got my ribbon for my age group finish and rushed out to make the drive to the airport to head home. The race was really convenient and we were lucky it was so close. There were local participants, several participants from the mainland and even a few international participants. The course was well marked, registration and bib pick-up was easy and the breakfast was great. The only thing we would change is the timing of the course and the incorrect finish results. Regardless we can now say we ran a 10k in beautiful Kauai.

Race Website
Race Results

November Events

2011-11-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things going on in November:

11/5 Stockton Thunder Goes Pink 5k

11/5 Tri-City Healthy Run 5k in Fremont

11/5 Lake Chabot Trail Run 5mile, Half Marathon, Marathon, 50k

11/6 Diablo Trail Adventure 5k, 10k, Half Marathon
11/6 World Run Day
11/11-11/13 National Parks Fee Free Days for Veterans Day
11/12 Mermaid Run 5k and 10k in San Francisco

11/20 Big Sur Half Marathon

11/24 Modesto Turkey Trot 5k

11/24 Run Against Hunger 5k and 10k in Stockton
11/24 Nitro Turkey Run 5k, 10k, Half Marathon trail races at Point Pinole
11/26 Quarry Turkey 5k, 10k, Half Marathon races in Fremont

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)

Winter Paddling Destinations

11/1 Stockton

Exploring Patagonia

11/1 Fremont

Snowshoeing Basics

11/22 Stockton
11/29 Berkeley
11/30 Concord

Cool Weather Hiking Safety

11/8 Stockton
Polar Bears of Churchill, Manitoba
11/2 Concord
11/3 Brentwood
How to Adjust Bike Brakes and Gears
11/2 Brentwood
Tao of Everest
11/14 Stockton
Antartica: Barometer of Climate Change

11/8 Berkeley

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)

11/5 Berkeley

11/5 Concord

11/5 Mountain View

11/5 Saratoga
11/6 Fremont

REI Dublin Grand Opening

2011-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

The REI Dublin grand opening is finally upon us. The new store is located at 7099 Amador Plaza Road in Dublin, CA. Opening day is Friday, October 28th but they are celebrating all weekend long. They will be having a free continental breakfast Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting one hour before the store opens. The first 200 people through the door all three days will receive a CamelBak water bottle with a $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 REI gift card inside. They will also have a gear package sweepstakes. If you're not already a member and sign up during this weekend you will also get a free REI OXT Tech T-Shirt, while supplies last. Pedal to the store, and they'll give you a 15%-off coupon and a free bike maintenance check by REI techs. Doors open at 10am all three days.

REI Dublin Store Website

Wheels for Meals Ride

2011-10-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

We did the Wheels for Meals Ride for the second year in a row. The bike ride benefits the Meals on Wheels Program in Alameda County. Again there was a 15 mile ride, a 35 mile ride and a 70 mile ride. We did the 15 mile ride last year and had planned to do a longer one this year but because we would be doing this the day before a race we decided to do the 15 mile ride again. We pre-registered online for $20 per person and were glad we did because the event sold-out. We drove out to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area and paid the $6 entrance fee. There are several paved and unpaved parking areas at the park and we ended up parking in a dirt/gravel lot. We got our bikes and gear together and rode over to the check-in area. In attempt to avoid congestion, the three routes were given a designated hour to be able to check-in and start the ride. We were able to check-in and start our ride between 9am and 10am. At check-in we received bibs for our bikes and a color coded wristband that matched our route markers on the ride. The route markers for the 15 mile ride were green so we followed the green route markers on our ride. The wristband would also be needed after the ride for our t-shirt and lunch, both of which were included as part of the event fee. There was water and bagels available before the ride. After check-in we got back on our bikes and headed through the parking lot and up our first hill to make our way out of the park. The route for the 15 mile ride was very similar to last years route. First we headed east on Stanley Blvd which was under contruction. Because of the construction we rode on the street itself instead of on the bike path we used last year. We then rode through some quiet and beautiful residential streets in Livermore. After about five miles we reached our first rest stop at Charles Borromeo Church. The volunteers here were dressed up in a patriotic theme, even the dog had a costume. They offered water, lemonade, candy, fruit and PB&J mini sandwiches. We had some snacks and rested in the shade for a few minutes before continuing on our ride. After a short while we found ourselves riding on Vineyard and Wetmore bike paths where we were rewarded with great views. After climbing and descending we found ourselves at the second rest stop. This stop was at Sycamore Grove Park. The volunteers here had decorated the area with a Hawaii theme and wore island attire. They had Hawaiian themed music playing as well. There was water, fruit, candy, jerkey and PB&J mini sandwiches. After another brief break in the shade we hopped back on our bikes and on the bike path. After some turns we made a right onto Isabel Road and continued on the bike path until we reached Stanley Blvd. We turned left here and road back to Shadow Cliffs. As we rode back to the Lakeside Picnic Area there were volunteers cheering us on. We found a spot for our bikes in the "Bike Parking" area on the grass and then picked up our event t-shirts. We then lined up for our BBQ lunch which consisted of ribs, sausages, chicken, muffins, potato salad, coleslaw and fruit. We took a short walk to a shaded picnic table and enjoyed our food. We passed by the sponsor booths on our way back to our bikes and then rode back to our car to head home. It was a great event again this year. It was very well organized and the weather cooperated-it was wam and sunny. We will definitely participate again next year, maybe we'll even do a longer ride.

Wheels for Meals Website

Ragnar Relay Napa Valley

2011-10-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

We recently got the opportunity to do Ragnar Relay Napa Valley. So what is Ragnar Relay? It's when 12 runners run about 200 miles, day and night, relay style. The Ragnar tag line is “Run, Drive, Sleep? Repeat”. Make special note of the question mark. So how about a few more details. The 12 runners split into two vans or other similar vehicles. Van 1 starts the relay and after each runner runs once, they then hand off to Van 2. Each runner in Van 2 runs once and then they hand back off to Van 1. This continues until each runner runs three times and the team as a whole completes 36 legs, passing a slap bracelet at every exchange. Each exchange has a parking area for the team vans and a designated area on the road for the two runners to hand off. Most also had porta potties which definitely came in handy. The exchanges where one van handed off to the other van were considered major exchanges and aside from the parking and porta-potties, many of them also had food for sale from local groups, water, sometimes coffee and hot chocolate and one had a sleeping area inside a high school gym. Each individual leg varied from the shortest being around three miles to the longest at about nine miles and have varying levels of difficulty. Each runner's total mileage varied from 13 to 22 miles. Most legs did not have any aid or water support but the team van was allowed to give aid to their runner. The few exceptions were those legs that were on roads where it would have been too dangerous for team members to provide aid and on those legs there were hydration stations. Most teams finish the race in around 30-something hours.
Ragnar Relay has been around for several years but this was the inaugural race for Napa Valley. The race began in San Francisco at Marina Green Park. The race took us from SF, across the Golden Gate Bridge, through the north bay and eventually ending 186 miles later in Calistoga. In San Francisco there were staggered starts every 30 minutes starting at 5:30 am until about 3pm. Slower teams usually started earlier as they needed more time to complete the race. We reached the start an hour before our start time. We had to check in, show our safety gear and go to a safety briefing. Come 8:30am our first runner along with runners from 30 other teams took off and the race for us was on. Now the thing about Ragnar is that it's not really a competitive race, it's more about having fun. Teams usually come up with creative and funny team names. Many get custom made shirts for their team. Some teams are even out there running in full costumes. Van decorating are also a must do. Running is normally an individual sport and as runners we spend a lot of time running the roads by ourselves. Ragnar provides the unique opportunity to get 12 friends or even strangers and run as a team, supporting and cheering each other along the way. The fun aspect along with the challenge of the day and night race is what attracted us to participate. This was our first Ragnar, so despite researching as much as possible beforehand we didn't really know what to expect.
First thing that surprised us was how rushed everything was. Not in a bad way. We thought that there would be a lot of time to kill, but there wasn't. It seemed like we were always in a rush to get ready to run, or get to the next exchange or get some food. Running in the middle of the night was something I had really looked forward to. Some members of our team were worried about the night running. After doing it, running at night was a non issue. No problems, but not that exciting either. Running with oncoming car headlights in your face gets old pretty quick. The other issue with running at night is if you're running then you're not sleeping. If you're doing Ragnar you should expect to only get a couple hours of sleep. In our team, Van 1 just slept in their van. Not exactly very comfortable but it was easy. Van 2 slept in a high school gym at one of the major exchanges. While it was a chance to stretch out in our sleeping bags, a gym with 100 other runners who are all coming and going at different times doesn't make for a peaceful nights sleep. Food was another issue. I personally didn't eat enough during the race, probably didn't hydrate enough either. I didn't exactly get to keep to my usual meal schedule. So it was a lot of snacking, cliff bars and gels. During the last leg for the runners in Van 2 the temps actually got pretty high and they struggled to stay hydrated. We saw lots of other teams having to walk during this stretch of the race. But eventually we all made it to the finish. For Ragnar, the whole team joins the last runner to run the last 100 yards so that everyone gets to cross the finish. After crossing the finish line everyone got their medals and a team photo is taken. I must say Ragnar has some very cool medals. There is a finish line expo to checkout as well with a few product samples and actually every team got two free pizzas. Much needed as everyone was pretty hungry. There is also a merchandise tent at the finish. But I think the trick is if you want to buy some Ragnar gear purchase it at the race start as many things ran out by the time we got to the finish.

Overall Ragnar Relay is a very unique running experience. We had an absolute blast doing it. We had a great time with the friends on our team. We had a great time meeting runners from other teams. And we had a great time cheering for and getting cheered on by complete strangers. We will definitely be back for Ragnar Relay Napa Valley 2012. Actually we will probably try to do one of the other Ragnar Relays located around the country.

Ragnar Relay Website

October Events

2011-10-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things going on in October:

10/1 Reach for the Stars 5k race at Del Osso Farms in Lathrop

10/2 Urban Cow 5k and Half Marathon in Sacramento

10/2 Bridge to Bridge 7k and 12k races in San Francisco

10/2 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose
10/2 Mount Diablo Challenge Bike Ride
10/8 Golden Hills Trail Marathon and 50k at Lake Chabot

10/8 Muddy Maul & Crawl 2 mile obstacle course in Lodi
10/9 Happy Fish 5k and 10k races in Fremont
10/9 Primo's Run for Education 5k and Half Marathon in San Ramon

10/9 Muddy Buddy event in San Jose

10/15 Redwood Park 10k, 20k, 30k and 50k trail races
10/15 Footwear Festival at REI Concord

10/16 Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon in San Francisco

10/16 Silicon Valley Brain Tumor Bike Ride in Palo Alto
10/22 Rocky Ridge 5k, 10k and Half Marathon trail races at Las Trampas
10/22 Out for Blood 5k race in Oakland
10/22 Wheels for Meals Ride in Livermore Valley
10/23 St. Josephs 5k and Half Marathon in Stockton

10/23 Golden Gate Bridge Vista 10k race
10/23 Grape Stomp 5k, 10k and Half Marathon races in Livermore
10/23 SF Sunday Streets Cycling Event
10/29 P.U.M.P It Up 5k and 10k races in Lodi

10/29 Down & Dirty Mud Run in Sacramento
10/29 Napa Wine Country 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon
10/29 Warrior Dash 3.15 obstacle course in Hollister
10/30 Warrior Dash 3.15 obstacle course in Hollister

10/30 Down & Dirty Mud Run in Folsom

10/30 Four Bridges Half Marathon in Folsom
10/30 Halloween Spirit Run 5k in Pleasanton

REI Free Clinics (all at 7pm)

Bike Palo Alto! 2011 (10am-4pm)

10/9 Mountain View

10/9 Saratoga

Exploring Patagonia

10/25 Berkeley
10/26 San Francisco
10/31 Saratoga

Best Bay Area Hikes with Kids

10/24 Saratoga
10/25 Fremont

Transit and Trails

10/5 San Francisco
10/11 Berkeley
Hell on Two Wheels
10/17 Saratoga
10/19 Concord
Circumnavigating the Bay Area Ridge Trail by Bike

10/18 Berkeley

10/26 Corte Madera

REI Used Gear Sales (all at 10am)

10/1 Concord

10/1 Mountain View

10/1 Saratoga

10/1 San Francisco
10/9 Fremont
10/15 Berkeley
10/15 Brentwood
10/15 Corte Madera

San Leandro Marina/Hayward Shoreline Bike Ride

2011-09-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to get the bikes and go for a ride. We headed to the San Leandro Marina. We hopped on the bikes and headed south along the shoreline trail. The first 1.5 miles is a paved path. This area close to the marina is pretty busy. Lots of walkers, runners and bikes. When the trail headed toward local housing we simply turned right to continue to follow the shoreline. The trail then turned to hard packed dirt with a bit of gravel. We continued to follow the trail as it entered the Hayward Regional Shoreline crossing several small bridges along the way. We found less people as we got closer to Hayward although we did pass a group of birdwatchers. The weather on this occasion was perfect with only a light breeze. But be warned it can often be extremely windy along the shoreline. We turned around just before reaching the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. We took a few pictures and retraced our tracks back to the marina. We ended up riding just over eleven miles.

On a side note, a brand new dog park just opened at the San Leandro Marina.

Hayward Regional Shoreline Website

San Leandro Marina Park