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Planning the 2026 Race Season: How We’re Choosing Our Runs
As the 2026 race season begins, many of us are asking the same question: Which races do I want to do this year? For new runners, this can feel overwhelming. When I first started, I had no idea where to find races , how to keep track of them , or that there were so many running communities, challenges, and goals to choose from. Honestly, I didn’t even know half of what was out there. Auburn Resolution Run 2026 How My Running Journey Started My running journey really began i
Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 145 min read


Kicking Off the Year: Our First Big Races of 2026
We’ve officially completed our first run of the year —well, technically our second. We started 2026 strong with a New Year’s Day run on January 1st in Auburn, California , and followed it up with what felt like our first big race of the season: a 10K and a Half Marathon . After coming home, we took a well-earned recovery week. That doesn’t mean we stopped moving entirely—we still focused on stretching and light gym workouts—but we did step away from structured treadmill trai
Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 72 min read


Get Ready to Run: Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Awaits!
The Stressful Art of Getting Into RunDisney If you’ve ever tried signing up for a RunDisney race, you know that getting into the event is a challenge all by itself. Registration day is a sport . You need to: Know the exact date and time registration opens. Be logged in early. Have your credit card ready. Know your race distances. Know who you’re signing up with. If you hesitate—or misclick—there’s a good chance you won’t get in. Most races sell out in under an hour , sometime
Mai Smith-Trau
Jan 243 min read


The 99% You Don’t See
We’ve all heard the saying that people only see the 1% —the finish line, the medals, the before-and-after photos—but they don’t see the 99% of effort it takes to get there. And that 99%? That’s where the real work happens. There are plenty of days when I’m not motivated to exercise. I’ve had a long day at work. I still have mom and wife duties waiting for me at home. And somehow, I still have to figure out when and how to fit training into my day. That’s where Runna has tru
Mai Smith-Trau
Jan 103 min read


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
Jan 33 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, 20254 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
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