This is quite an epic event for the city of Sacramento. Its know to be the largest Turkey Run in…read morethe country, and it generates 20% of the Sacramento food bank's yearly operating budget. I try to participate in community service at least once a year and on a recommendation from my friend Van, I decided to enroll as a regular volunteer with the Sacramento food bank. I drove to the food bank and signed up for work at the Feed the Hungry run in East Sac. This event was amazing in that I never imagined the community rallying together as I saw today. There were several small business who opened their doors (on the holiday) for this event. I observed coffee houses, bars and restaurants on J street who graciously set up tables with self serve watering stations for the Turkey Trot (5 or 10 K run) participants. As a volunteer I had to stand on a quiet little corner next to a barricade, which blocked traffic from driving on the course. The corner, however, was not quite for long as within 10 minutes after I arrived at my post I saw a large crowd of people wearing red tee shirts cresting the horizon of J street. It was like a wave of red...and it was so exciting to watch. I cheered them on as they swooshed by. I saw participants dressed in tutu's and others pushing baby carriages. Some people dressed up their dogs in red tee shirts so they also showed support for the cause. After the waves of people trotted by I put on my blue latex gloves and slowly and methodically picked up up every piece of trash I could find. When my extra large hefty bag was full my job was done. All in all this was a great way for me to get out of the house and work as a volunteer at this epic event. Perhaps you will join me next year. :)

What a great way to start the day by losing some calories before consuming a few thousand calories…read more This is an awesome event to support your local community and give to the less fortunate on a day that we are to be thankful for everything that we have. I have been participating in the RTFTH since 2011. You can run it or you can walk it; it's great for the whole family. There is a 5k or a 10k to choose from; 10k is typically for runners and typically starts about an hour earlier than the 5k. The race starts at the J Street entrance of Sacramento State and it takes you through the Fab 40s (the most elegant neighborhood in Sacramento) and up H street to the finish line. There are several restroom stations (yes, porta potties) and one water station between the second and third mile. All along the ways, you will see different bands playing and local residents set up I guess you can call it the "RTFTH Tailgating" parties. They would be outside with tables, chairs, friends, and/or their love ones, with breakfast, hot chocolate and/or wine, while cheering every passerby. Everyone is super excited and super nice. The cost is typically about $20 for 17 & under, $40 for adults for individual and about $55 for team participate. There are prizes for the top three runners; for more info, check out their website: http://www.runtofeedthehungry.com/faq/. This event has grown tremendously over the last decade. Before, it may have been nice and safe to bring your pet and small children in a strollers but I highly discourage that. Believe me, I want to bring my fury four legged child too but with the size of the group, it's just safer for everyone not to. With thousands of people, strollers are just hard to maneuver as well for others to get around. Plus, like pets, they sit low to the ground, so people are less likely to see them in time before running into them or slamming on the breaks and other people run into them. Parking: my rookie year I parked inside one of the garages in Sac State...big mistake...huge mistake! It took us hours to get out of Sac State. It's Thanksgiving so many, if not all, businesses will be closed. Best to find street parking or empty business parking lot off Folsom or H Street. Oh, I almost forgot, bring your best Thanksgiving hat and/or outfit!!!

If you're feeling antsy and am looking for a great way to burn off that extra energy....go run in…read morethe Folsom Lake Run Series!! Held at Beals Point in Folsom, CA, it offers a 3.1 mile run, 7 mile run and an 11 mile run. They had a nice set-up in place and if you didn't pre-register, no worries! Plus, the best part is, they give free B-12 shots! The run is actually out on the trails, so there will be some uphill/downhill and it was quite muddy when I went, but it just makes it more fun. Bonus? They provide free food and raffle prizes at the end.....yah for Rubios and Freebies!

The Midnight Mission's mission is simple: To offer a bridge to self-sufficiency for homeless people…read morethrough counseling, education, training, and job placement, while also making available life's necessities: food, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene needs, and medical care. Now, this is definitely a charity I'm wholeheartedly on-board with. I mean, if you really want to help those in need, help those who help those in need. Places such as The Midnight Mission are really doing the work: they, in fact, served over one-million meals last year! My running for them, then, is the least I can do. So the run... This one burns! Although for whatever reason not quite 6.2 miles (at least according to my Garmin) this run through Hahamongna Watershed Park requires some grit. You'll love the trees and the shade and the greenery and serenity, but it takes work to get through this. It's hilly, a climb at times. And while it's a great trail--one that resembles more of what you'd expect on a hike--you must keep an eye out: divots; potholes; rocks and loose gravel; and very slim, one-laned routes. But, again, the park's beautiful. It's peaceful. And the run: energizing! This 5K/10K run was The MIssion's 2nd Annual (for this scenic run, stick to the 10K) and I hope to be included again next year! Mine -- 1:02:08.770 Placing -- 142/197 =]

Fun 5k with fellow Yelp buddies (Regina W and Joey B)…read more I wish the run time started earlier, echoing Regina's sentiments, it got HELLA hot on the course. Earlier start means less heat. The course itself was okay, they hills and dirt track made it interesting. Two water stations, the last one needed better staffing, they had people waiting for water, not good for those trying to keep time. Overall, it was pretty fun. Getting FroYo was easy, you choose your flavor and toppings from the slip attached to your race bib and present it at the station. I wish I had gotten a fruit flavor versus the cupcake flavor, too rich after a run! Swag was nice, the hat will be useful for camping since it's incredibly lightweight.

The inaugural DC Wonder Woman Run Series came to Sacramento in September, with future stops in…read moreOakland, San Jose, LA, and San Diego. This year they had 5K and 10K distances (1 vs. 2 loops) but next year they might add the half marathon. Registration was pretty pricey even with a 15% off discount provided through their Facebook/Instagram pages. Included with registration kit were either a WW technical unisex tee or women's tank top, the wrist "cuff" sweatbands, a reusable bag, and later a plastic reusable cup and of course the race bling, coast-sized spinner medal, red and gold. E-mail communications leading up to race day were not frequent, or did not contain much useful information until the Thursday before the Saturday evening race. Packet pickup was held at the same location as the race rather than at a sporting goods or running store, which meant having to use metered parking or what since it was downtown at Capitol Mall. Same parking issue for the race day. Unfortunately it was 90 degrees F that evening, but all the ladies still showed up! I'd done similar runs before with themed costumes such as the Sacramento Santa Run, but it's always fun to see everyone around you en masse dressed alike. To complete the look (only the top and wristbands were provided), I supplemented with some blue running shorts with stars, and Wonder Woman socks and a metal tiara from...wait for it...Amazon, of course. Others' costumes were all-out with capes, lassos, old-school and modern Wonder Women, some other DC characters represented like Superman, Batman, and Flash. 5K and 10K runners started together rather than staggering. Corral at the start was not divided by race pace so a lot of walkers crowded the first 0.5 mile. The race course/route itself was nothing too new for me, from Capital Mall into Old Sacramento then following the river to Miller Park, past Front Street and finding the way back to Capital Mall. The mile markers were the vertical "flag" style rather than A-frames so they could be easily missed. The split between 5K and 10K before the finish line was pretty clear. Sacramento PD were trafficking the route. One pet peeve of mine was when one cop decided to stop the group of runners to let cars/truck through the intersection. Granted, this was only a 5K "fun" run but still timed and it was hot so that was literally a roadblock. Whatif I were going for a personal record? At the end of the race, the awesome medal and a plastic red cup were given to all runners to fill up on water (no single-use plastic bottles, nice!). There were also patriotic cake donuts, bananas, SweetTarts sour strawberry "ropes" candy and many many photo opportunities/backdrops. Step and repeats with logos, Wonder Woman comic book covers, and two live Wonder Woman cosplayers. Race photographers were scarce on course but there was video at one checkpoint and some hanging out in the expo area; free race photo downloads and a certificate afterward available. Some nice sunset shots of the Capitol and Tower Bridge too since it was in the evening. Race results were posted very quickly the next day, and race photo indexing was quick too. Overall, a "super" fun Sacramento 5K to end the summer. Shoutout to Gisele!

We just ran the Rock the 80's race in Elk Grove and had a blast. We couldn't make the Saturday…read morebib/packet pick-up, so we went in early on Sunday before the race. We walked right up to the table and were handed our bibs & t-shirts. Parking was free and plentiful. They were playing popular 80s tunes before the race. We were one big giant sea of stretching neon green & pink. There was a pretty long line for the port-o-potties but someone pointed out 3 others on the other side of the lot and that seemed to ease up the congestion a bit. I have never seen a more empty starting line. We were just all spread out chatting and suddenly they asked us to move up, get ready and bam! Off we went. There was just the right amount of people that you could easily move into your own space and find your groove. The route was clearly marked and I couldn't help but smile as Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde directed traffic and cheered us on throughout the ultra flat course. Hearing your name being called out as your cross the finish line was oober cool. They had plenty of water, gatorade & goo stops. After the race, they had bananas, oranges & bagels. You will not find a more radical medal. Did I have a totally awesome time? Yes. Will I be back next year, heck yes I will.

I ran 3 races under A Change of Pace so far: Lucky Run, Capital City Classic, and Davis Moonlight…read moreRace. My main motivation to run didn't start out as wanting to do more physical exercise. It was for the Tour de Fit medal. If you run 3 of the 4 races, you get a medal. I guess you can say it's a glorified participation medal. Even so, I earned it! I mean I'm not going to get any half marathon/marathon medals anytime soon, so I aimed to earn this one. There are two series for the Tour de Fit. I finished part one and I'm now looking forward to part two, where I will run 3 more races to earn another medal!

Great local race inspiring those both locally and in California to get out and ride, swim and run!…read moreRun encompasses all of Rancho Cordova and a bit of the Folsom area. Certainly worth a venture if you're an old pro or a beginner. Open relay as well as Pro & elite divisions available too!

Easy sign up and option to pick up your packet on the day at $5 charge…read more $10 parking on the day. Bring cash!! This was taken over by Wipeout and was ROC Race. Bring on the Big Balls!! *Tip* You WILL get wet. Bring a change of clothes, towel and bag to put dirty / wet stuff in and don't forget to Go Pro it! **Update** Well that was one big let down. - Bib pick up on the day the lady I saw had no idea wehat she was doing. Where everybody else was picking their bib up in less than a minute mine took over 15. The lady had to call for help twice and said she didn't even know if she managed to assign my bib number to my name so I don't even know if when it comes to the pictures becoming public I will be able to find mine. Please train people and make sure they know what they are doing before the day. - Less obstacles since they took over from ROC Race. - Course was all over the place, we ran through the Parking lot, through closed Food stalls and Picnic area then the Water park. It felt like we were taking a tour of the parking lot for the most part. - Only 2 water stations. Simply not enough in the September heat with no clouds or shade. - Poor organisation at The Sweeper. We got to the obstacle and only 3 of the 4 entrances were open. We waited in line 20 minutes and with just 4 people ahead of us after all the waiting someone unfortunately got injured and they closed the entrance. Instead of opening the other closed one up we were told to join the BACK on of the other 2 lines where we waited another 20-25 minutes, only just as we were called to go through the obstacle they opened that other entrance. Seriously??! - Foam of Fury had no foam, just water. This was one of my favorite obstacles at last years ROC race but this just sucked. If you advertise something then make sure you actually have it. - Finish Line was kind of lame and I had to make sure it was actually the end of the course as aside from 2 small flags at the bottom of the last obstacle there was nothing going on... nothing! It would have been nice to have a photographer (like at last years) or a Water station.. something... anything. But no, we simply just made our way to the gate. I was a ''VIP'' registrant for this event which cost $65.71 after fees. This was with the ''VIP'' pre sale price and a discount code. Considering the price and that you also pay $10 for parking I feel like they could at least try and make the event a little better. After doing this 2 years running I doubt I will do it again.

I had to transfer my registration and miss last year's Ridiculous Obstacle Course (ROC) Race with…read moremy team from work due to bridesmaid duties out of town...so this year I was convinced to sign up for the WIPEOUTRUN reincarnation. Our team this year was much smaller, but still fun times. Packet pickup was easy, at the gates to Cal Expo where you got your race bib, shirt (cotton or tech), wristband, bag for sweat check, etc. They also had branded accessories/merch to complete your race-day outfit if you so desired, including a package that had a shirt, headband, and medal saying "I Conquered Wipeout Run!" (medal not available alone). Picked the earliest start time, 8:30am to tackle the course. The event was organized okay, I wish there were more official race photographers around the starting area with the Giant Red Ball backdrop. I would rate the obstacles overall as good. Not altogether lame, great, or awesome though. You do have to run a bit from the start until you reach any of the obstacles. First obstacle was "Sky's the Limit" which reminded me a little bit of Sky High Sports, super bouncy, tumbling and flips ensued. The next was the "Smash Wall" which provided two walls of varying heights to climb over. "The Drop" was climbing up steps then going down a big inflatable slide. The "Sweeper" was a challenge, where you run straight across to the other side while the big sweeping arm tries to knock you down, then there's a small slide. I did conquer that one! What did me in though, not-so-ironically, was the "Big Balls" obstacle (enclosed). Not sure if I chose the wrong foot to take off from the platform to jump, if I miscalculated how far away it was, or if the balls were fully inflated or what, but I stepped on the first ball then missed the second one. Putting my arms in front of me as I fell, I did a sort of "Superman" pose but landed right in between the two balls in a V, face-down. No bueno for my back. Halfway through the course too! I sat down for a few minutes but didn't feel the need for medic assistance, and was determined to continue. It hurt more to walk than to jog (also pulled something in my left thigh muscle) but I made it. The next obstacle was "Foam of Fury" which was a grown-up Slip 'N Slide essentially, with foamy bubbles and a big pool at the end. I didn't get a good enough running start so didn't actually slide all the way down to the pool. Lemme tell you, standing up on a wet inflatable surface is hard, I sorta had to crawl to the pool. The next obstacle was the cousin of the "Big Balls," the infamous "Wrecking Balls." This one required a life vest as the wrecking balls would knock you off the platform into a big pool -- at that point, I opted out of participating in this obstacle, instead stretching out while my team attempted it. The next obstacle was the "Tumble Tubes," where you ride an inner tube down a big slide (how many big slides so far?!). The final obstacle was the "Happy Endings" finish, another humongous slide to climb up to the top and slide down. There was plenty of room for spectators by each obstacle, would've liked more obstacle variety. Not too much backups at the obstacles. I was wary of Cal Expo as a venue since Electric Run last year felt very "spread out." Post-run I didn't notice any particular party with food provided, just the stands/vendors typically selling fair food near the sweat check. Music was plenty, competing DJs or something depending where you sat could hear up to 3 different songs blasting. My favorite part of the event was the feeling of conquering the Sweeper, but once the Big Balls defeated me that feeling didn't last long. I've done other themed/fun/obstacle runs (Warrior Dash, Color Run, Electric Run) and I consider those much better than WIPEOUT. Granted, I know I signed up knowing this course was inspired by the WIPEOUT TV show, and that the course is meant to attack you, but this was the first time I've almost injured myself at a race. This was supposed to be fun compared to my regular 5Ks, 10K, and half marathons! I did make it through with a smile on my face by the end, but man, I was so sore and in pain the following week. Required two deep tissue massages and I wasn't sure I was up for the 5K I had signed up for the weekend right after WIPEOUT (I did complete that though, and with a pretty fast time!). I'm not likely to sign up again for another WIPEOUT. If a friend asked me if I would recommend it, I would say that's up to personal preference. Mud and stable wooden obstacles, ropes, etc. are more my thing, otherwise solid ground under my feet. That unstable feeling of inflatable bounce-house type environs really threw me off (literally), and the slides and stuff felt too out of control for my liking.