Kicking Off the Year: Our First Big Races of 2026

Mai Smith-Trau
Feb 7
2 min read

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 training. That officially starts back up this week.

Our 2026 Race Calendar & Where We’ll Be Running

This year, we actually sat down and planned out our race calendar in advance (go us!). We’ll be running races across Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Nevada. Since we live close to Nevada, many of our races are nearby—but we’re excited to travel and explore new courses too.

I’ll be adding our full race list with links soon in case you want to join us at a race. We’d absolutely love to meet you, hear your story, and cheer you on. This journey is so much better when we do it together.

Post run, and the Brooks Ghost Trail shoes did amazing!

Trail Runs vs Pavement Runs

Some of our races this year will be trail runs, which we’re finding we enjoy more and more. For us, trail running has been easier on our joints and a nice mental break from pavement.

That said, we’re still mixing in road races, because balance matters—and so does variety.

Our Big Running Goals

Here are the goals we’re working toward:

🏅 Abbott World Marathon Majors (the Abbott 6)
🗺️ A Half Marathon in Every State
✨ Me earning my Disney Coast to Coast Medal
🏃‍♀️ Little Rock Marathon (seriously—if you haven’t seen these medals, go look… they are AMAZING)
🎩 Training for Dopey Challenge 2027, which will also be my first full marathon

Training with Runna (and Reality)

This week, I’ll be restructuring my Runna app, since my next big race is a 30K. That means adjusting my training plan to reflect longer distances while still protecting my body.

I always make sure to schedule 1–2 rest days per week, which has been key to staying consistent without burning out. One of the things I love most about Runna is how it automatically includes strength training days alongside running.

Right now, trail training is limited due to rain, snow, and ice, so we’re playing it by ear. If the trails aren’t safe, we’re on the treadmill—no shame in adapting.