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Pain, Gain, and the Occasional Random Creak
Ah yes, getting older—the magical phase of life where you can injure yourself simply by sleeping. One minute you're fine, and the next you're wondering why your neck locked up because you dared to glance over your shoulder too enthusiastically. Pain, unfortunately, becomes one of those uninvited guests that tends to stick around as we age. And honestly? It’s one of the biggest reasons people hesitate to start exercising or focus on their health. I hear it all the time: “Exerc
Mai Smith-Trau
May 164 min read


Grumble & Grind: Reno Runs, Good Eats & Questionable Life Choices 😂🏃♀️🍀
Alright friends, buckle up—because this one is a two-for-one special: a little running, a little chaos, and a whole lot of “why did we sign up for this again?” energy. As most of you know, my family and I have a slight obsession with running—especially trail runs and anything in Reno. Why Reno? Because it’s close, it’s easy, and honestly… it keeps calling us back like a toxic ex with really good snacks. This year we’ve done two races hosted by the Reno Running Company, and le
Mai Smith-Trau
May 93 min read


Excuses, Time, and Choosing Yourself: A Real Talk on Starting Your Health Journey
Let’s have a real conversation—no judgment, just honesty. Why is it so easy for us to come up with reasons not to start? “I wish I had time.” “I wish I had your energy.” “My pain is just too bad.” I hear these all the time. And truthfully? I’ve said them too. Because life is busy. It’s overwhelming. It’s exhausting. When you’re juggling being a mom, wife, provider, daughter—and everything in between—it can feel impossible to add one more thing to your plate. So this isn’t abo
Mai Smith-Trau
May 24 min read


Training Updates: Building Strength, Endurance, and Confidence
We are still training consistently. While we do take one to two rest days per week, we are now following a structured routine that includes strength training every other day with running in between. My husband and I do different workouts based on our individual needs, but we follow the same overall schedule, which helps keep us both accountable. I am still using the Runna app to build and guide my training program. I’ve adjusted my plan to include one full rest day per week,
Mai Smith-Trau
Mar 283 min read


The Final Disneyland RunDisney Weekend: A Bittersweet Goodbye and What Comes Next
Sadly, I have to share that Disneyland will no longer be hosting RunDisney events . We do know this is temporary, but there’s no clear timeline on when they’ll return. For those of us who live in California, this means traveling to Florida to get our RunDisney fix. It also means that for runners dreaming of earning their Coast to Coast , that goal is being placed on the back burner for now. Our Metals from Wine & Dine 2025 You can feel sad about it—or you can use this time to
Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 223 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


🍷🏃♀️ 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
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