I took a class with Cyndi through a different scuba shop, and highly, highly, highly recommend her…read more She is absolutely great. She's incredibly patient and takes the time to make sure you are familiar with your gear and you know what's going on. I struggled a lot at the beginning with getting used to breathing through a regulator and going through little what if scenarios like what if your mask gets kicked off. She was very helpful and walked me through my mini-panic attacks of "Oh no, my mask is off, I'm going to die!". And most importantly, she pushed me to not give up when I thought my life really sucked. All in all, CYNDI IS AWESOME. Dive and learn with her.

I took dive training with Cyndi through a different dive shop. She is fantastic. I would highly…read morerecommend her as an instructor and guide. She has a encouraging and engaging teaching style. And is very knowledgeable about marine life. If you have the opportunity to dive and learn from her, do it! You will not regret it.

I only signed up for this race so that I can officially say I completed the Run the Bay Challenge…read moreseries. I ran the 408k (8k) in March and now the 415k (5k). The last in series is the 510k (10k) in October. Coming from the south bay, I needed to get to the race earlier for bib pick up since the pick up day locations were both in the north bay. No problem, I'm used to that. However, the pick up on race day was not too organized as our bibs didn't have our names printed already and they were scrambling to locate additional bibs for the runners. Parking was not too bad. They had provided a map of lots garages that offered free parking so it pays to get there earlier. If not, I was able to find parking nearby on the streets. There is only one start time so you need to arrive here on time. I believe there was over 1100 runners that day. I've ran many 5ks in the past and I can honestly say that this one was one of the more difficult ones due to the hills. I wasn't prepared for that and didn't realize the amount of uphill running I would be doing... even if the hills were gradual, unlime crazy SF hills. The first mile was almost all up hill. Thankfully, the last third of the race was downhill so you could make up your time. Mile two was both up and down. There was only one water stop from what I can remember. Volunteers were spread out directing runners where to go. It was a pretty uneventful run since there wasn't much to see or listen to in the entertainment department. You do receive your medal once you cross the finish line and results are listed online quickly. As for post race goodies, there were a handful of vendors and food. You are given Hint flavored water since they sponsored the event as well as pop chips, bagels, and bananas. Two down, one more to go. See everyone next at the "Let's go 510k" this fall.

Despite the pain from running the half marathon without proper conditioning, I still consider it a…read morefantastic race experience! The course was incredibly well-marked. There were cones, signs, and flag-waving volunteers at every turning point, so it was practically impossible to make a wrong turn or go the wrong way. There were also signs and volunteers letting you know which route to take before you hit the turning point. Mile markers were also spread throughout the course. The course itself was mostly flat with some small hills, but nothing horrible. You follow the Coyote Creek Trail that was a mostly peaceful route through lots of trees, around a lake, and alongside barren hills. Be sure to put on sunscreen because not all of the trail is shaded the San Jose's heat will be beating down on you later in the morning. Aid stations didn't include snacks, only water and electrolytes. One aid station did offer some gels though. Bring your own snacks if you think you'll need extra fuel during your run. The volunteers were what made this a truly fantastic experience. They were energetic and encouraging, and they were loud and clear with directions. Some were even equipped with microphones at trickier turning points, making it easy and clear about where to run. Most of them were high school students, and I was so impressed with their spirit and enthusiasm, even if they were standing alone. There were even high school students stationed throughout the course not at turning points, but just standing there to cheer, and they did such a fantastic job at it. Race swag was nice. I like the blue drawstring bag, and the black tech tee is one of the better designed race shirts I've seen. The medal was one of the biggest out of the 15 I've gotten, if not the biggest. Snacks at the end were just bagels, Lara Bars, bananas, and small oranges. Various sponsor booths offered small giveaways like Nestle chocolate milk bottles, protein bars, trail mix packets, and discounts from sports equipment stores. My only complaint was that I wish they offered packet pick-up on race day. The race emails and website explicitly stated we had to get our packets on the pick-up days with no mailing option, so I had to go into San Jose the day before to pick up then book a hotel for a night. The overnight trip was a fun one, but I still would have enjoyed saving that money instead, especially after paying the half marathon race entry. I wish it were closer to San Francisco where I live, but I would totally do this race again next time!

I know I've been ignoring my Yelp responsibilities lately, but I just ran the race this past…read moreweekend and it inspired me to get off my butt and start writing. I ran the half marathon and really have no complaints about the pre-race organization and/or instructions. All necessary information was emailed out with plenty of time to plan. The half marathon had a 7AM projected start, with the gun sounding right on time. If I had ONE complaint pre-race, it was the course map. It was a little unclear as to where the South turn around was, so I had to take a "wait and see" approach to the race - not always the most comforting thing. Definitely a small race, from the results page, they accounted for 240 finishers. Considering this is a trail run, that's a good thing. And after all these large races of 20, 30, and 40,000+ runners, its nice to jump into some of these small local runs. The course itself starts at the Silver Creek Sports Complex, heads out to Silver Creek Valley Road (Blossom Hill), then on to Coyote Creek trail headed North. Loop around the lake at Heller Park, head South to (the Northern edge of) Metcalf Park, then back up the trail to the Sports Complex. Pretty simple as long as trial guides are in place, but its very easy to see how people could get confused on this course. Volunteers play a HUGE role here, so thanks to all of those that helped out! Oh, and seeing Stomper (Oakland A's mascot) and doing the "Bernie Lean" with him at mile 2 made my day!!!! For me, this is my "home trail" - this is where I train. You'll find me here 2-3 days per week, so for that reason, this became a personal run for me. It was a beautiful thing to be running the trail as the sun rose above the horizon. And I had never seen the lake at Hellyer Park look so beautiful. As I looped around the lake looking back at the sun just peeking over the mountains, the steam from the lake was visible as it rose into the crisp morning air. That vision, I'll carry with me for a while. Opening weekend for football, I was home, cleaned up, and plopped on the couch before the 10AM game kick off. Seriously, the best Sunday I've had in a long time.

A Ridge too Far…read more Máyyan 'Ooyákma ("Coyote Ridge" in the native Chochenyo language) is an 1,800-sq ft Open Space Preserve located in the South San José foothills adjacent to the scenic Hwy 101 freeway. Weekend reservations are required for weekend hikes in March - May (book through Eventbrite), and a Butterfly Pass is required to visit this park. The Good: * Free to visit * Private parking lot (no street parking) * Restroom (pit toilet) in parking lot * One of the few places in the Bay that you can (allegedly) see Tule Elk in their natural habitat, and it's the closest place to home for most of us South Bayers. We visited during a Tule Elk guided hike and didn't see bupkis. According to the guide, later in the day, closer to sunset (after 5 p.m.ish), is the best time of day, as that's when the herds start looking for food. * Access here used to be limited to guided hikes only, but now it's more freely accessible except for certain times of the year (see above). * Guided hikes are still available (see website). * Approx. five miles of trails which are in reasonable shape except for the Serpentine Spring Trail (see below). The Meh: * No running water in the restroom, only hand sanitizer. * Trails have no switchbacks on the uphill and downhill. Just straight up and down for 1,000' of elevation gain. The Ugly: * Absolutely zero shade on the entire property, so definitely avoid this place during hot days and in the summer in general. * Coming downhill on the Serpentine Spring Trail was an absolute nightmare; the entire trail is full of really loose pieces of shale that in and of themselves are no bueno, but combine that with a really steep downhill decline and you have a recipe for disaster. I highly, highly suggest if you're coming here to do the 5 miles of trails, go clockwise from the parking lot: Serpentine-to-Tule Elk-to-Butterfly Trail and then back to the parking lot. Conclusion: I rarely give parks a low rating, but honestly, this place was not our cup of tea. With the lack of shade and steep, dangerously slippery trails, I just don't foresee us ever coming back.

Second time at Coyote Ridge OSP Sat 3/28/21. For Covid19 they have self-guided hike, need to RSVP…read morefor your car pass. One pit toilet that was full already at 9am, why don't they bring 2-3 pit toilets because 1 isn't enough! We started on the Left-hand side which was bit steep but lots of poppies & goldfields on the purple line. Then did the blue line no flowers there, then down the green line, tidy tips, poppies. All 3 trails was only 5.8 miles. There is 1 more Fri-Sun hike scheduled if you want to check it out for Spring.

May 16, 2010. My Mom's 47th birthday.. and the day I did my first cycling event. Although we woke…read moreup to some dreary, cold weather.. we still were down to complete this event. It sprinkled a bit but thankfully stopped by the time we arrived for check in. We got our ride started at 8:30am. Several uphill climbs.. many little hills.. lots of strawberry fields. Hence the name, Strawberry Fields Forever. So cute.. We met a lot of nice folks along the way who were friendly, caring, helpful, and supportive. Many people would ask us if we were ok while we were stopped on the side waiting for others who happened to get separated from us which was really kind. I saw lots of older folks with some nice, stylish bikes! Actually, most of the people doing the event had pretty bikes! Makes me want to pretty up mine too =) For my first time, I found that the event was not organized so well. But being that it IS my first event, I don't know what else to compare it to so I'm only docking one point. We checked in at a parking lot near Pajaro Valley HS because the HS got full.. but we weren't able to pick up the shirts we bought since it was at the HS. Also, we weren't told about the colored arrows on the road at all.. so when our map blew away, we somehow got onto the 65 mile trail (following the large group of people) and that cut into our trip an extra 20 minutes or so. Luckily, we ran into other cyclists who were kind enough to give us the map but then told us about the colored arrows spray painted on the road. We didn't really need the map now that we knew about them.. but it was still handy in telling us how much further we had to go. After we completed the 25 mile ride, we had ONE last uphill battle to face before we were able to grab lunch at the HS. We were super happy to be nearing the finish, but our tired thighs could just barely handle the last little surprise climb to the HS. At the high school, they served a nice lunch of chicken, several salads, brown rice, beans, juice, and fresh strawberries with chocolate and whip cream. Later on in the day when the other cyclists doing the 65 mile ride had finished, they had massage chairs set up in the cafeteria ($1/min) where we were eating as well as other interesting set-ups. I got to touch a newt and a golpher snake from this nice man's informational table. I think it was a program for HS kids. Overall, I enjoyed my first cycling event and only wished the weather was a little warmer. Perhaps if the sun peaked out a bit from behind the clouds.. but there's always next year! PS. They had 25 miles, 65 miles, and 100 miles ride options. Hopefully I'll be ready for the 65 next year!

This is my second time to take my granddaughter to Ride A Wave. I really like the buddy system…read more Last year she did the kayak once. Now at 8 she was excited to kayak and did so twice. I really appreciate the volunteers that give their time to do this special event. Next year we're determined to do the surfing.

I guess I'm one of those "hot humanitarian chicks in bikinis" Salty Von B. writes of in the only…read moreother review for RAW. While I'm flattered, I'm surprised no one else has shared the wonders of what it is that makes Ride A Wave so amazing. For a few weeks every spring/summer, Ride A Wave hosts children and adults with a range of disabilities from all over California to participate in the wonders of the Pacific Ocean at Cowell's Beach in Santa Cruz. On any given weekend in May or June, you will see a host of volunteers aiding in great kayaking, boogie boarding and surfing times! You don't have to be a water person to volunteer either. RAW is a completely volunteer based organization, and we can use you no matter what your skill set is. We always need folks on the beach to help keep our "campers" comfortable and safe. Sometimes it's just about being someone's special friend for the day. And trust me when I say this is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. I've helped calm the nerves of an Autistic child get over his fears of the water to watch him completely wig out at how cool kayaking can be (and then not want to leave the boat, but that's another story). Every year we host children with pediatric cancers... knowing full well that we may not see them again next year... and for a couple of hours RAW makes it possible for them to just be kids again. No worries about needles and doctors. Just kids splashing around, throwing sand, enjoying life. Ride A Wave is outfitted to handle the most challenging of disabilities, and we try and accommodate everyone who comes to our camps. Regardless of how much is going on in your life, I always ask people to just come down for a day and check us out. I promise you will leave completely changed.

Went jogging along the Guadalupe River Trail that runs parallel to the lake, against the backyards…read moreof neighborhood homes, with easy access and street parking on a dead end (Chynoweth Ave). It isn't really a park-like setting, which is probably why I didn't see any visitors in the area, nor litter. Besides the sounds of traffic on highway 85 bridging over the lake, it's a peaceful place to enjoy the views and surrounding nature. I spotted some ducks and geese swimming around, and simply adored the teal waters glistening in the sunlight on this lovely Saturday afternoon in July.

Race/event management services. Training, timing, camps,…read moreathletic running events. Duathlon, triathlons, 1/2 marathons, 5k's athletic events. They are about fun, safety, challenging great events. Clear information on their website about their events. Race results were posted the evening of the race. Minus one star...they were 30 minutes late getting the Livermore Grape Stomp 1/2 Marathon started on 10/21/12.

I recently ran the Dirt Inspires 5-Miler at Laguna Seca Recreation Area and it was the most…read morechallenging and therefore most satisfying event yet. See, I'm not a real runner; don't let the dozen half-marathon medals fool you. I jog for fun, peace of mind, some me time. I run in the East Bay flatlands, mostly San Leandro Marina with most of my races being urban flat races though I love the occasional Wine Country race. Hills can't be avoided if you do a San Francisco event. However, I was not prepared for the steep dirt paths this race throws at you. I had originally signed up for the 2012 Livermore Grape Stomp, another Finish Line race, but deferred my entry for a year due to tendonitis. That race got canceled and I couldn't pass up a free race in the Monterey Area. I originally planned to do the half-marathon but my recovery from surgery was extensive. Again, I had to change my race entry and Penny at Finish Line was awesome. What a beautiful area for my first event post-surgery. Pretty but I cursed for at least half the race. Still, I felt like the Bionic Woman when I was done. The folks at Finish Line are wonderful. Friendly, supportive, especially the poor woman at bib pick-up who had to deal with extra paperwork because of all the changes I had requested. I was weirded out by the porta-showers and was too starved to grab a free Heineken and sandwich. Overall, a well-run event.