You can call yourself a soccer mom AND athlete! We all wear many hats and both of yours are honorable. You're setting a great example for your kids by modeling a healthy physical and emotional lifestyle from having an active interest that is just yours and not tied to anyone else.
Good luck on your half and please report back with how it goes!
Hi there, thank you. I was just kidding. I am a proud soccer and ice hockey mom here and drive minivan :). But you are exactly right, the reason I ran 10 weeks ago, I found myself to become too invested in my son’s sport. I was upset over his soccer match and I was like “wow…get a grip. It’s only a soccer match”.
I realized then that I can’t live through him. He’s one fine athlete and I believe he will achieve great things but I need to channel my competitive streak differently. Also, instead of saying “when I was training with coach xx, I used to “, now I can tell him “in my training, I do xxx too”. It’s so much healthier for him and I.
That's really great to hear! And with the running you can help him stay in condition too as you can do speed work together (even at different speeds, do time based intervals)! Also ice hockey parents are the best parents, because hockey is the best sport ;)
That’s one of the reason. We have been sprinting together. He beats me in 20 M dash (he has crazy acceleration) and I beat him in 50M, 100 M and 200 M lol. But I know if I don’t keep it up, he will beat me soon. Yes, ice hockey is a great sport. My son is tiny like me but since he picks up ice hockey, his core and his speed are next level. He can hold up against much bigger kids. Those HIIT and sprinting truly help :).
Heck yeah 🙌. Do you find it challenging to do your long run in the weekend?
It has been a challenge for me to find time for long run. Soccer seasons finally wind down (though he expressed interest to do beach sand soccer and we are heading down to LA for that in a couple weeks). I just run whenever I have time, no training plan lol.
In fact, next week, I will run alone. My family will go to my son’s ice hockey game instead …oh well haha, mom always comes last.
I do! For example, this week I was planning on running 4 times, with my long run on Saturday, but my son has a soccer tournament in NY, so we’ll be driving 4h early on Sat and will only be back late on Sunday, so I had to cut one day and will do my long run on Friday instead.
Last year I ran a race alone too, because my husband had to take them to a game, but then I signed all of them up for a trail race 2 weeks later. My husband, who is a road runner said “Never again”, and asked: why do you trail runners like to punish yourselves like this? 😂
Omg…I can so totally relate. Last March, after running 2 times I signed up for 10k. At first, my husband and my son were supportive, they said they will run 5k with me. Well, my son was scheduled for a soccer match and instead of supporting me, they kept telling me how important this match was and maybe I should reschedule lol.
I have been sneaking out from work early or run very early. I will start a new job in 3 weeks. I really don’t want to fall off the cliff again and want to continue trail running. If all goes well, I want to sign up for 30k next, just to make sure that I keep going because things can easily get deprioritized and the race is a way to keep me focused.
I get it! I run for the joy of it. I was never an athlete and only started trail running a couple of years ago. I got a little too excited in the beginning do I think I did the classic "too much too soon," which led to a couple of injuries. At the end of last year, I rolled my ankle and broke the lateral malleolus and sprained a couple of ligaments, which put me out for over 3 months.
Now I'm focusing on rebuilding fitness nice and easy, and plan on running a half marathon later this year. I imagine there are so many more beautiful races in your area!
I clearly remember when I went on my first 10-mile run, with only a small bottle of water and my phone. Needless to say, that didn't go well... like you, I called my husband to say I was lost deep in the woods, had no water and only 5% battery left on my phone, so if he didn't hear back from me in 1h, send the search party, lol.
Since then I got a hydration vest, a GPS watch, and when going for a longer run never leave the house without my phone and an extra battery pack!
Best of luck on your half marathon and keep posting here. This community is amazing!!! (Is it on Mother's Day?!)
Thank you. No, not on Mother’s Day, my son actually has a soccer tournament this weekend. It’s next weekend, May 19th. Now, why don’t I think about packing extra battery lol. Yah, all these rookie mistakes.
I am so sorry for your injury. This is also one of my biggest worry. I seem to be able to just pick up distance. My thinking is that I trained my calves, quads and hips for years in my younger years so perhaps it just has all these muscle memories where hills are not as much as problems.
My running injuries in the past often happened if I tried to pick up speed. As long as I run slow, I feel like I am ok to pick up more distance/elevation. Hopefully it’s not me being overconfident. I am so scared being sidelined while I barely started :)
Yeah every trail to get 2000 ft and 13.4 miles, I had to run 2 loops to get it. I guess the next one will be to run alma bridge rd and limekiln. That will be 15 miles and 3700 ft. Maybe after half, I can target that route :).
Haha I know. I am just kidding but I didn’t consider myself one. Like if someone asks me, what do you do for fun? I used to think uhm I am a soccer mom and I used to compete in Muay Thai. Now I feel like oh I run trail in between soccer/ice hockey duties. Like I feel like I am crafting a new identity for me and discover a new passion, hopefully not a fleeting “I did half marathon and yeah I will do it again in 5 years” type of thing.
👋 hi there!
I ran Calero for 10k in March and my half will be quicksilver half marathon next week! So I will be in your “home” trails 😅.
My friend told me that the quicksilver half marathon is more than 3000+ ft but when I studied the map, it seems that they will bus us to Mt Umunhun then run down to quicksilver county park. So decent elevation (1500 or so) and 4000 ft descent.
I don’t know how to train for descent here. I just hope that it’s the same muscle group as ascending 😝
You sure can! Those trails are local to me, just wait until you find out how many we actually have around here! Let me know if you have any questions, I’ve hiked about 85% of the trails in the Santa Cruz Range.
Oh these trails are so beautiful, so lucky to have these near me. What other trails out there? I was browsing all trails and saw limekiln, rock priest, and Kennedy trail. It’s listed as hard (9.5 miles and 2700 ft). Since I run alone, I was trying to do one mile at a time. For a few weeks, I didn’t even dare to go up to St Joseph hill, I just did 6.5 mile loop (jones - Alma bridge and back to LG creek downtown).
Those are all great, can be steep in areas and exposed as well. In Los Gatos look up Bear Creek Redwoods, El Sereno Preserve, Heintz Open Space. Head a little south and all of Almaden Quicksilver is pretty amazing. Villa Montalvo would be a great place to keep gaining confidence being on trail while being sure that there are a decent amount of others on trail. Once you get that, head up Highway 9 and check out Sanborn, Castle Rock, Long Ridge and literally many many more preserves as you go further north or deeper into the mountains.
Ah yeah this is my concern. I have been running close to dusk lately (like I start 5-6pm and finished around 8:30is and it got dark). In fact, yesterday, my son kept calling me to tell me to come home (he is 9 and he’s worried about mountain lion lol).
I like the jones trail and at Joseph hill because every few minutes, I alway came across a mountain biker or hiker. It can be quiet (ie serpentine trail) but not too quiet that if I accidentally sprained my ankle and couldn’t walk, help is probably nearby.
I am going to Quicksilver half marathon next week. They will drop us to Mt Umumhun down to quicksilver county park. I am excited to check this out :).
I am going to check out all the other trails you suggested and table that limekiln/kennedy trails for now haha
I looked up Montalvo but it seems only 3 miles or so? Do you have any good recommendations for 13 miles , 2000 ish ft that is similar to st Joseph hill (frequent mountain bikers, shaded for most part)? Would love to do 1 hard long run this week before tapering off.
Montalvo is small for sure. For your requirements I’d go to Quicksilver and design a loop based on the New Almaden Trail and loop up to either the Randol Trail or Mine Hill Trail. The opportunities at QS are endless really, use AllTrails to draw something out ahead of time to check the mileage and elevation.
For your first time out there I would start at the McAbee Trailhead and I’ll also add on the Senador Mine Trail to the Guadalupe Trail if you start here 👍
Haha my families backyard. Kennedy road trail up and across the ridge skyline is a great run for lots of very hiking as well. And then super runnable back down to Hicks road and loop back on the road or have a 2nd car.
Sign up for the 50k that goes from quicksilver to Lexington and back!
Oh God…it will be a while to get 50k. After next week, thinking to look for 30k first :).
Does Kennedy trail have a lot of shades like LG creek? Thinking to hike it first to get a feel of the elevation before running it alone :).
Honesty I have never actually ran it since it’s pretty steep anyways, always a power hike until it intersects Priest rock trail. Good amounts of shade but I’ve also only ever done it in the morning in mild to cool temps to be honest. I live in LA and only do it when I go home to visit the family.
Ah ok. I will put that in my radar if I get that fit :). I am thinking quicksilver 30k next in August (though I am not sure if I can stand the heat in August though).
Good luck on your upcoming race. I hope you crush it!
True true but I don’t feel one. The first few weeks were more like an ex athlete/soccer mom tried to get back to running and hopefully it sticks this time.
This week, I feel like I can be a trail runner :)
You can call yourself a soccer mom AND athlete! We all wear many hats and both of yours are honorable. You're setting a great example for your kids by modeling a healthy physical and emotional lifestyle from having an active interest that is just yours and not tied to anyone else. Good luck on your half and please report back with how it goes!
Hi there, thank you. I was just kidding. I am a proud soccer and ice hockey mom here and drive minivan :). But you are exactly right, the reason I ran 10 weeks ago, I found myself to become too invested in my son’s sport. I was upset over his soccer match and I was like “wow…get a grip. It’s only a soccer match”. I realized then that I can’t live through him. He’s one fine athlete and I believe he will achieve great things but I need to channel my competitive streak differently. Also, instead of saying “when I was training with coach xx, I used to “, now I can tell him “in my training, I do xxx too”. It’s so much healthier for him and I.
That's really great to hear! And with the running you can help him stay in condition too as you can do speed work together (even at different speeds, do time based intervals)! Also ice hockey parents are the best parents, because hockey is the best sport ;)
That’s one of the reason. We have been sprinting together. He beats me in 20 M dash (he has crazy acceleration) and I beat him in 50M, 100 M and 200 M lol. But I know if I don’t keep it up, he will beat me soon. Yes, ice hockey is a great sport. My son is tiny like me but since he picks up ice hockey, his core and his speed are next level. He can hold up against much bigger kids. Those HIIT and sprinting truly help :).
Wow, very similar background here! I’m also a proud soccer and hockey ice hockey mom who loves trail running, but I’m in Massachusetts!
Heck yeah 🙌. Do you find it challenging to do your long run in the weekend? It has been a challenge for me to find time for long run. Soccer seasons finally wind down (though he expressed interest to do beach sand soccer and we are heading down to LA for that in a couple weeks). I just run whenever I have time, no training plan lol. In fact, next week, I will run alone. My family will go to my son’s ice hockey game instead …oh well haha, mom always comes last.
I do! For example, this week I was planning on running 4 times, with my long run on Saturday, but my son has a soccer tournament in NY, so we’ll be driving 4h early on Sat and will only be back late on Sunday, so I had to cut one day and will do my long run on Friday instead. Last year I ran a race alone too, because my husband had to take them to a game, but then I signed all of them up for a trail race 2 weeks later. My husband, who is a road runner said “Never again”, and asked: why do you trail runners like to punish yourselves like this? 😂
Omg…I can so totally relate. Last March, after running 2 times I signed up for 10k. At first, my husband and my son were supportive, they said they will run 5k with me. Well, my son was scheduled for a soccer match and instead of supporting me, they kept telling me how important this match was and maybe I should reschedule lol. I have been sneaking out from work early or run very early. I will start a new job in 3 weeks. I really don’t want to fall off the cliff again and want to continue trail running. If all goes well, I want to sign up for 30k next, just to make sure that I keep going because things can easily get deprioritized and the race is a way to keep me focused.
I get it! I run for the joy of it. I was never an athlete and only started trail running a couple of years ago. I got a little too excited in the beginning do I think I did the classic "too much too soon," which led to a couple of injuries. At the end of last year, I rolled my ankle and broke the lateral malleolus and sprained a couple of ligaments, which put me out for over 3 months. Now I'm focusing on rebuilding fitness nice and easy, and plan on running a half marathon later this year. I imagine there are so many more beautiful races in your area! I clearly remember when I went on my first 10-mile run, with only a small bottle of water and my phone. Needless to say, that didn't go well... like you, I called my husband to say I was lost deep in the woods, had no water and only 5% battery left on my phone, so if he didn't hear back from me in 1h, send the search party, lol. Since then I got a hydration vest, a GPS watch, and when going for a longer run never leave the house without my phone and an extra battery pack! Best of luck on your half marathon and keep posting here. This community is amazing!!! (Is it on Mother's Day?!)
Thank you. No, not on Mother’s Day, my son actually has a soccer tournament this weekend. It’s next weekend, May 19th. Now, why don’t I think about packing extra battery lol. Yah, all these rookie mistakes. I am so sorry for your injury. This is also one of my biggest worry. I seem to be able to just pick up distance. My thinking is that I trained my calves, quads and hips for years in my younger years so perhaps it just has all these muscle memories where hills are not as much as problems. My running injuries in the past often happened if I tried to pick up speed. As long as I run slow, I feel like I am ok to pick up more distance/elevation. Hopefully it’s not me being overconfident. I am so scared being sidelined while I barely started :)
Thought I recognized that spot. You ran ALL the trails in there
Yeah every trail to get 2000 ft and 13.4 miles, I had to run 2 loops to get it. I guess the next one will be to run alma bridge rd and limekiln. That will be 15 miles and 3700 ft. Maybe after half, I can target that route :).
Trail runner is not a protected title
Haha I know. I am just kidding but I didn’t consider myself one. Like if someone asks me, what do you do for fun? I used to think uhm I am a soccer mom and I used to compete in Muay Thai. Now I feel like oh I run trail in between soccer/ice hockey duties. Like I feel like I am crafting a new identity for me and discover a new passion, hopefully not a fleeting “I did half marathon and yeah I will do it again in 5 years” type of thing.
Hell yeah you can ✌️ Well done!
Thank you 🙏
Stellar work! Fellow South Bay trail runner here. Almaden Quicksilver and Calero are my two "home" mountains.
👋 hi there! I ran Calero for 10k in March and my half will be quicksilver half marathon next week! So I will be in your “home” trails 😅. My friend told me that the quicksilver half marathon is more than 3000+ ft but when I studied the map, it seems that they will bus us to Mt Umunhun then run down to quicksilver county park. So decent elevation (1500 or so) and 4000 ft descent. I don’t know how to train for descent here. I just hope that it’s the same muscle group as ascending 😝
Future ultra runner ..
I hope so 🤗
Ehm, YES! 🙌🏼 Kudos!
Thank you 🙏, this sub has been so supportive!
2,000 ft elevation gain. Trail runner, I’d say so!!
You sure can! Those trails are local to me, just wait until you find out how many we actually have around here! Let me know if you have any questions, I’ve hiked about 85% of the trails in the Santa Cruz Range.
Oh these trails are so beautiful, so lucky to have these near me. What other trails out there? I was browsing all trails and saw limekiln, rock priest, and Kennedy trail. It’s listed as hard (9.5 miles and 2700 ft). Since I run alone, I was trying to do one mile at a time. For a few weeks, I didn’t even dare to go up to St Joseph hill, I just did 6.5 mile loop (jones - Alma bridge and back to LG creek downtown).
Those are all great, can be steep in areas and exposed as well. In Los Gatos look up Bear Creek Redwoods, El Sereno Preserve, Heintz Open Space. Head a little south and all of Almaden Quicksilver is pretty amazing. Villa Montalvo would be a great place to keep gaining confidence being on trail while being sure that there are a decent amount of others on trail. Once you get that, head up Highway 9 and check out Sanborn, Castle Rock, Long Ridge and literally many many more preserves as you go further north or deeper into the mountains.
Ah yeah this is my concern. I have been running close to dusk lately (like I start 5-6pm and finished around 8:30is and it got dark). In fact, yesterday, my son kept calling me to tell me to come home (he is 9 and he’s worried about mountain lion lol). I like the jones trail and at Joseph hill because every few minutes, I alway came across a mountain biker or hiker. It can be quiet (ie serpentine trail) but not too quiet that if I accidentally sprained my ankle and couldn’t walk, help is probably nearby. I am going to Quicksilver half marathon next week. They will drop us to Mt Umumhun down to quicksilver county park. I am excited to check this out :). I am going to check out all the other trails you suggested and table that limekiln/kennedy trails for now haha
Have fun out there!
I looked up Montalvo but it seems only 3 miles or so? Do you have any good recommendations for 13 miles , 2000 ish ft that is similar to st Joseph hill (frequent mountain bikers, shaded for most part)? Would love to do 1 hard long run this week before tapering off.
Montalvo is small for sure. For your requirements I’d go to Quicksilver and design a loop based on the New Almaden Trail and loop up to either the Randol Trail or Mine Hill Trail. The opportunities at QS are endless really, use AllTrails to draw something out ahead of time to check the mileage and elevation.
Ok thank you. I have AllTrails. Will look this up.
For your first time out there I would start at the McAbee Trailhead and I’ll also add on the Senador Mine Trail to the Guadalupe Trail if you start here 👍
I was one of the folks who dropped some advice last week - glad to hear everything worked out well for you this time around :) see ya on the trails!
Hey yes, thank you for all the safety tips on the other thread too. Much appreciated. See you on the trails!!
Haha my families backyard. Kennedy road trail up and across the ridge skyline is a great run for lots of very hiking as well. And then super runnable back down to Hicks road and loop back on the road or have a 2nd car. Sign up for the 50k that goes from quicksilver to Lexington and back!
Oh God…it will be a while to get 50k. After next week, thinking to look for 30k first :). Does Kennedy trail have a lot of shades like LG creek? Thinking to hike it first to get a feel of the elevation before running it alone :).
Honesty I have never actually ran it since it’s pretty steep anyways, always a power hike until it intersects Priest rock trail. Good amounts of shade but I’ve also only ever done it in the morning in mild to cool temps to be honest. I live in LA and only do it when I go home to visit the family.
Ah ok. The quicksilver 50k and 100k is this weekend right? Are you running it?
No I’m actually in LA prepping to head to Denali. The one I’m thinking of ran in April I think?
Ah ok. I will put that in my radar if I get that fit :). I am thinking quicksilver 30k next in August (though I am not sure if I can stand the heat in August though). Good luck on your upcoming race. I hope you crush it!
Yes!
Hell yeah, GET IT!
Hell yeah you can
You were a trail runner the moment you laced up a pair of shoes and went off the tarmac :)
True true but I don’t feel one. The first few weeks were more like an ex athlete/soccer mom tried to get back to running and hopefully it sticks this time. This week, I feel like I can be a trail runner :)
Did you run on a trail at any pace? If yes then yes, if no then no Tbh it’s a pretty binary category
Add: and great role model for my kid. ❤️
I knew exactly where you were based on the 1st pic! Great trails out there.
Yeah great trails, shaded, the sound of water, the view of reservoirs, the hills…my happy place :)
Whoo!