… the Bay Area in February apparently.
This “winter” (if it can even be called that) has been incredible. Although we really, really need the rain (we have had the driest couple months in a long time after the craziness that was December 1st), it’s been so nice to run around on dry trails through the green hills in shorts and tank tops.
You will find absolutely no complaining here.
I have sat down a number of times to blog, but didn’t have the patience to actually put a post together to publish. I don’t feel the urging need for this outlet like I used to. If I went almost a month without blogging a year or two ago, I would have felt like my brain was going to explode. But that’s just not the case anymore. Just like everything in life goes through phases, I figure this is another phase that I am just going to go with.
February is actually a pretty big month on this little blog, and a couple big dates that I typically would acknowledge, passed by without much fanfare.
February 9th marked my 5th year of running. 5 years since the day I ran my first mile of marathon training. 5 years since I committed to a training plan and a race. 5 years since I had no clue what a big shift my life was going to take simply by adding running into it.
I also met this girl 5 years ago on that day! 
February 14th marked 5 years since I started this blog. Just goes to show you how important Valentines Day is around our house. I still love thinking back to the beginning, and realizing how far my running has come in those 5 years, but also how much it has changed.
So February was a big month for the blog without much blogging. But I was running! Minus a couple sick days, I had a pretty great month.
267.8 miles with 29,845’ gain on a lot of trails with a lot of friends.
I explored so many beautiful places around the place I am lucky enough to call home.
I ran so many fun new routes I want to tell you all about.
I even set a PR in a trail race last weekend.
All those posts will happen as soon as I can peel myself away from memorizing maps, route planning, daydreaming of, and playing in the hills.
March is going to be an incredible month of races, exploring new places and enjoying my old favorites. Hopefully my blog posts will be able to keep up with my running.
Oh my! That trail is amazing! I thought the trail I ran was great, but this seriously tops them all!
*those trails…I should say
I can’t get over how beautiful those pictures are! I was in SF and Oakland before I started running and visited the Redwood Forest. Now I wish I would have had the chance to run there and all over SF. Seeing those pictures definitely makes me jealous that the trails here are mud pits with no green in sight
Your pictures are always so beautiful! It’s been so crazy gorgeous lately, though I do feel a little nervous about the no rain situation. Good to hear you’ve been out exploring and taking it all in
Oh my, these photos are beautiful as always! Do you just use your iPhone or a small camera?
Sometimes I use a small camera, but all of these were from my iPhone
So gorgeous. Allow me to live vicariously
I’m jealous. Want to trade weather?
Wow that’s a beautiful set of trails to run on. Congrats on hitting the 5 year mark! In December I hit 5 years since I stopped smoking and started running. right there with ya girl.
Your pictures are awesome as usual. This years “winter” in the bay area has indeed been bizarre – almost no rain since like December! 2011 winter was sort of the same I remember based on my blog notes – no rain a lot of the time. Then I think it went crazy in March or so.
Love the pictures!
The last one is great, I’m on Briones to Diablo trail 3-4 times a week and the hills by China Wall are so green right now! It was gorgeous this morning, and the frogs down in Pine Meadow were so loud. We are spoiled to have Diablo in our back yards, such a great playground!
Your pictures are amazing, you should consider sending them to Runner’s World for their Rave Run. Seriously!
Amaazing trails,
I love getting off road and running trails and checking out the scenery.
Art
I just recently started following your blog and instagram (think I saw a link from another running blog). I’m a new-ish Bay Area runner training for my first marathon (in five weeks!). I love the photos you post and hope you’ll write up some Bay Area trail running guides for us readers. Thanks for sharing!
I have a very high level bay area trail running post here: http://www.runnersrambles.com/2012/08/bay-area-trail-running.html
Hope to write some more in the future
Do you take those pictures on your phone?? That’s amazing.
This is making me miss home more than I thought I could! West coast = best coast