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My Journey With GLP-1s: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started
We’ve all heard about the GLP-1 medications—Zepbound, Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy, Trulicity, Saxenda. We’ve heard about the insurance battles, the skyrocketing costs, the shortages, and the endless TikToks, Snapchats, and Instagram posts praising their benefits. We’ve heard the government is lowering doses or making changes, yet most of us still don’t know how to access what we need. So, here’s my real, honest journey with GLP-1 medications—because maybe it will help someone
Mai Smith-Trau
4 days ago3 min read


How I Finally Found Time to Train While Working, Parenting, and Trying to Do It All
“How do you find the time?” If you’ve ever struggled with weight or tried to build a healthier lifestyle, you’ve probably heard every cliché in the book: “If it’s important, you’ll make time.” “Just do it.” “Stop making excuses.” People mean well, but comments like that never really help—especially when you’re juggling being a wife, daughter, mother, full-time employee, and everything else life stacks on your plate. As a woman heading into my 50s, I have struggled with my wei
Mai Smith-Trau
Dec 27, 20253 min read


Staying Motivated on GLP-1, Training, and the RunDisney Journey
Most of you know that our family has been on a GLP-1 at some point over the last 2–3 years. My husband and daughter are now on maintenance doses, while I’m still on my regular weekly dose—and for a few good reasons I’ll share below. What Maintenance Looks Like A maintenance dose happens once someone reaches their goal weight and no longer needs the full weekly amount. Instead of taking the medication every 7 days, they may stretch it to every 10–14 days or lower their dose. T
Mai Smith-Trau
Dec 20, 20253 min read


Let’s Chat About Running Gear: Starting With Shoes
When it comes to running, gear really matters. There’s so much to consider—what equipment to use, what clothes to wear, what shoes actually work for your feet, which apps to track your progress, where to sign up for races, even how GLP-1 use affects running and walking. Trust me, I could write for days about all of it (and I will!), so I hope these posts help you on your journey. My Brooks Adrenalines, except the purple ones. Those are Hubbs Start With Shoes—Because the Righ
Mai Smith-Trau
Dec 13, 20252 min read


My Lifelong Weight Journey & How RunDisney Helped Me Break My Plateau
As some may know, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Even at a young age, I understood I would never be the “skinny girl.” I wasn’t built like a ballerina—I was built like an athlete. In high school, I was incredibly active: basketball, volleyball, track, and softball . But as adulthood rolled in, everything changed. Work, responsibilities, parenting, and exhaustion slowly edged out my fitness routines. 🔁 The Cycle of Diets, Successes, and Setbacks Like many peo
Mai Smith-Trau
Dec 6, 20253 min read


✈️🏃♀️ Bags, Brooks, and a Bit of Pixie Dust
Prepping for Our Walt Disney World Run Weekend! It’s finally here! We’re leaving for Walt Disney World in just a day or two, and I can’t believe how fast this trip snuck up on us. We’ve been planning this for about six months, and yet somehow I’m still double-checking everything like it’s the night before finals. Hotels? Check. Flights? Check. Bags? Sort of check. Running gear? Probably scattered around the house somewhere. This trip has been months in the making, and I can’
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 29, 20253 min read


Our RunDisney Journey: How We Started & Why We Keep Going
As some of you already know, our family has jumped headfirst into the magical (and sometimes exhausting!) world of RunDisney . From 5Ks to 10Ks and now even half marathons, this journey has transformed our health, our habits, and honestly—our lives. This is how we got here… and why we’re still going. 💍 From a Disney Wedding to Realizing We Needed Change The photo below is from our wedding day in February 2022. We celebrated in our favorite place—Disney, of course! We were ha
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 22, 20253 min read


🍷✨ Wine & Dine 10K — “Embrace the Race”- Part 3
📍 Walt Disney World Resort — November 2025 Started in the morning with long sleeves At the Wine & Dine Race Weekend , there’s a challenge where you can run all three races —the 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon—over one weekend. I’ll be honest: doing that as your first race weekend is absolutely wild… but yep, we did it. My husband didn’t do the full challenge this time (he’s already regretting that decision), but after this experience, we decided we’ll be doing the challenges fro
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 15, 20253 min read


🍷🏃♀️ RunDisney: Wine & Dine 5K Weekend Recap- Part 1
📍 Walt Disney World Resort — October 2025 So here we are at Walt Disney World for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend ! Of course, we couldn’t help but compare it to our Disneyland Halloween Villains Run . I know, it’s not really fair to compare California to Florida—but it’s what runners do, right? We just had to see what the differences were between the two magical parks. DL Villain Half Marathon 🏁 The Start: Our Family 5K We kicked off the weekend with the 5K , and th
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 8, 20252 min read


✈️ The Adventure Begins: Heading to Walt Disney World for Wine & Dine Weekend- Part 6
Well, the time has finally arrived — we’re heading to Walt Disney World ! Our bags are packed, airline tickets printed, and hotels booked. (Yes, hotels — plural. Thanks to my questionable planning skills, we ended up doing a split stay with our Disney Vacation Club. Fingers crossed this goes smoothly!) Family after we landed in MCO. Pre-Travel Prep Because we live a couple of hours from Reno, my husband booked a free night at the Grand Sierra Resort so we could sleep in bef
Mai Smith-Trau
Nov 2, 20253 min read


Tips, Tricks, and a Dash of Pixie Dust for RunDisney on a Budget
As most of you know, my family and I have a slight obsession with Disney runs. Okay, fine — it’s an expensive habit . Between the costumes, shoes, travel, hotels, flights, park tickets, and registration fees, the magic can really add up. But don’t worry, I’ve learned a few tricks to keep our wallets from completely crying. Let’s break it down — Pugaloo style. 🐾✨ Widelux F7 at Disneyland 2025 🏅 When the Race Is Sold Out: Go the Charity Route So here’s the deal: if you’re s
Mai Smith-Trau
Oct 19, 20254 min read


🍷🏃♀️ Running, Wine, and Mickey Ears — Oh My!- Part 5
Disney World Wind & Dine 2025 Our Next Adventure: Disney’s Wine & Dine Run Weekend Alright, friends — pack your ears and your running shoes because this momma is heading to Disney World! That’s right, it’s time for the Wine & Dine Run Weekend , where we trade our everyday chaos for pixie dust, pasta, and pretending running is fun. We’re also diving into the Halloween season at Disney, which means spooky snacks, villain vibes, and me sweating through my Haunted Mansion leggi
Mai Smith-Trau
Oct 10, 20253 min read


🏰 Preparing for the Disney Villains Half Marathon 🎃👟- Part 3
2025 Disneyland Villains Half Marathon Has anyone ever thought about doing a half-marathon? Better yet—a Disney RunDisney half marathon ? When I first signed up, I wasn’t in shape, I wasn’t a “runner,” and honestly… I half-assed the training. But here we are! My husband, daughter, and I jumped in anyway, and it’s been a journey. If you’ve read my earlier blog, you know how we got into this crazy idea . If you read the follow-up, you’ll see how it all ended . But this post? Th
Mai Smith-Trau
Sep 23, 20253 min read


🎉 The Ultimate Disney Half Marathon Adventure: A Journey to Remember! 🎉- Part 3
OH. MY. GOODNESS. The time has finally come, and I am beyond excited! Honestly, I don’t even care how long tonight’s drive is—I’m running on pure adrenaline (and probably caffeine). Let’s rewind to January when I casually asked my husband if he’d be willing to: Run a half marathon (when neither of us was in shape), and Run one at Walt Disney World in the same year… so we could earn that shiny Coast-to-Coast medal. His face? Priceless. Like, “WTF are you talking about?!” H
Mai Smith-Trau
Sep 5, 20254 min read


From Couch to Castle: Our Magical (and Muddy) Road to RunDisney - Part 2
After spending a solid year working off decades of “fun” (read: snacks, celebrations, and zero regrets), I decided it was time to make my grand return to the RunDisney universe. So naturally, I went all in—signed myself, my husband, and our daughter up for a half marathon at Disneyland and the entire weekend of running events at Disney World’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Because why sign up for one punishing-yet-magical experience when you can double the blisters and medal
Mai Smith-Trau
Apr 20, 20252 min read


Will Run for Medals (and Mickey)- PART 1
I’ve been wanting to start a blog for years . Like, actual years. But I kept dragging my feet—mostly because I have too many passions and the internet kept shouting at me that I needed a niche. Spoiler alert: I still don’t have one. So instead of overthinking it any longer, I’ve decided to just share what I love: Disney, fur babies, and our new “passion”—running. And I say “running” in the loosest sense possible. Let’s be real: I’m in it for the bling. If there’s a shiny me
Mai Smith-Trau
Apr 13, 20251 min read
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