I'd paddled before only twice, but though I liked the workout, the group I paddled with years ago…read morejust didn't seem cohesive enough to add a newbie member. I happened to see a Meetup notice, and joined LightWave. By the 2nd practice, I went online and joined. It's hard work paddling, and I find and learn my weaknesses, but with the group camaraderie it is encouraging and FUN! It wasn't until the 3rd practice I found out about the EATING part! That's the reward after paddling for an hour and a half, getting wet, sore body, and braving the winds! For $10 /month, I can't imagine where ELSE I could get such a good combination!

Lightwave is a FUN team who works hard and eats well. A truly fantastic group of people who are…read morevery open to newcomers. Thanks for welcoming me so warmly. Go Lightwave!

I was looking for a local marathon to ramp up my miles for the NYC marathon. I was happy to find…read morethat LivingSocial had a deal for $40 to the NorCal Full Marathon (regularly $80). The marathon course itself was ok, I would give it 3 stars. It starts off as small loop in downtown San Jose. But the majority of the marathon is on the Guadalupe River Trail. I've ran on Guadalupe before with SJ Fit and it is a great trail for training. But on race day with all the extra runners, it was dusty and crowded. Also, since I've trained on Guadalupe before, the marathon felt longer and boring. What made me give NorCal Marathon 4 stars was the volunteers! The volunteers were awesome and they were constantly cheering, clapping, and dispensing much needed water. At one point the gels were gone but one volunteer told me to hold on and ran to her personal stash to get one for me. That was freaking awesome and much appreciated. The post-race area was nice, they were dispensing burritos and awarding prizes to the fastest runners in every age category. I discovered one of the runners I had been pacing for a few miles was 75 years old! Overall the marathon was very well organized and the volunteers were great. Only thing I would recommend is changing up the course.

Inaugural Northern California (NorCal) Marathon and Half scheduled September 18, 2011…read more The fast course begins and ends at the Arena Green, adjacent to the HP Pavilion Arena. Starting on Santa Clara Street right in front of the HP Pavilion runners and walkers will be treated with fantastic support. Route: Heading down the Alameda, then making a large loop you will head back into downtown San Jose. You will proceed north eventually entering the Guadalupe Trail system. Heading North the Half will turn around and make a straight shot back to the finish line. The Full course will continue North near Alviso, turning south working its way back to the Arena. Both courses finish together! Updates to come for the 1/2 marathon.

I had been to several 'camps' in the area when I bumped into a group called hillercise in Bernal…read moreHeights: Hillercise is a self organized boot camp that meets 3 times a week at the top of Bernal Heights hill in San Francisco. The group is wonderful, friendly, engaged and experienced: all had previously participated in various boot camps in the area and decided to self organize when their trainer retired. Different people volunteer to lead the program each week and the workouts are both creative, challenging, different each week and have pushed me to the next level. I feel great, met wonderful people and the cost is free!

My 16 year old son trains with runTAM and we are ecstatic to have found them. My son is already…read morevery active and experienced, but we had never quite found the right fit for training. Tom and his team are exceptional. They deal with all types of people and needs, each at their own personal level. They are personable, knowledgeable, flexible and intuitive. This is the first time my son has been challenged but not injured. 10 stars for runTAM!

"Running" to me used to mean a 3 mile jog in Golden Gate Park, followed by tacos at Gordo's on 9th…read moreAve. The run would take me over 35 minutes; the tacos about 5. So I was doing 12 minute miles and 2.5 minute tacos. :) After 10 weeks of runTam training, I just ran my first half marathon in 2:06! Ok, sure, that's an hour slower than Tom's personal record... but I'm darn proud of myself! Magda is so warm, enthusiastic and inspiring! At the end of every training run she'd greet me with a huge smile and shouts of praise, even though my times were never impressive. I'm pretty sure that if she came across a snail trying to cross the sidewalk she would drop to the ground, cheer "You can do it!", and crack a packet of Gu over it... And Tom is so... tall! ;) Despite all the 6:30am training runs when I was gasping for breath while he chattered away like a school girl and never broke a sweat, he's also a great motivator. And you wouldn't guess it by looking at him, but he knows a ton about running and physiology! Seriously though - he's an awesome coach. I also liked meeting other people who were training. Although I ran on my own on the long runs, it was fun to do warm ups and post-run exercises with some company. Definitely easier to stick with a training plan when you're not alone! Life is short... Treat yourself to a good pair of running shoes and world-class training with runTam!

Coach Jim and Coach David are good coaches who complement our parental style and values. They…read morefocus on developing our swimmer who owns her swimming practice and inner drive. Yes, I have to shuttle my child to the swimming practice on time but she is developing her inner drive and motivation thanks to the positive and realistic expectations set during the week. I love the fact that the coaches remind the swimmers that your results are the consequences of your time. This has motivated my daughter to swim with intention. I always liked the smaller clubs just because the swimmer gets more attention and instructions from the coaches. At a larger club where we were at, hundreds of swimmers get lost in the shuffle and their levels are categorized before they are fully developed. My daughter asks to go to practice (most of the time) and only skips the session due to major tests or hardship for transportation due to my work. Both Jim and David are also educators so they are aware of influencing in a positive way and not bullying kids into discipline or motivation. I have seen different styles from coaches in the past and found myself gravitating toward Jim and David's styles. Your swimmer should practice at least 5 times or minimum of 4 times a week to see any results, as per all swimming club's expectations. In the end, it is all abut the kids. My daughter likes both her coaches and are motivated by both of them. As a swimmer, she is improving her time as well as maintaining her excellent academic achievements which is the highest priority. I appreciate that coach Jim understand our concurrent priorities to balance the athletic AND academic effort and not penalize my daughter during her swimming practice. This is one major reason why I sought out a coach and club similar to Lynbrook Aquatics. I would have given LA club a 5 stars but we do have to use two pools due to the recent rental challenges. But it is a minor issue since my swimmer gets to practice on Saturday. Quality - 5 (coaching style and attention) Locations - 4

I'm unable to run in the 2026 race due to an injury. I started the process to defer my entry to…read more2027 before the deadline. The website wouldn't allow the change so I emailed, again this is BEFORE the deadline. I received a response that I could not defer as the deadline had passed. After I described the technical difficulty (again), received the same response.

Livermore Half Marathon is art of the ''Golden State Series'' where if you complete all 3 events…read more(Town's Half Marathon in Oakland and US Half Marathon in San Francisco also) you get an additional medal. It's for that reason that I signed up for this event, you also get Wine sampling after the event but I'm all about the bling. Sign up was easy and if you purchase the 3 event entries together you save a few bucks. as I was a Pacer for the US Half I didn't do this but still make sure you sign up early to get the best rates! This event also sells out so don't wait too long if you want to Run it. The weeks before the event I didn't get any information about the day or packet pick up but it is all located on the website. Packet Pick up: Located at the Performing Arts Bankhead Theater Plaza the day before it was easy to get to but is only from 2-8pm so if you work late or far away you need to plan accordingly. Everything is done by number so you just provide that and they look up your Bibs. As Wine tasting is part of the post race fun you get given a wrist band to prove you're of age to drink but they make you put it on right then so you ''can't give it to someone else''. Kinda silly as I had to walk around with it on for almost a day before the event. T-Shirt is cool but the sizes run large. Course: Lot's of scenery to take in as you go through various parks and Wineries, there are some mild hills but nothing too taxing. Volunteers: Fantastic! The group at mile 11 were so full of energy. Post Run: Chaotic. There were a few bites of food (Banana's, Chips, KIND bars) with drinks of Water, Coconut Water and of course 13 Wineries for those over 21. The medal is kinda cool (doubles up as a coaster but cannot be removed from the lanyard) but not very pleasant to look at, last years way much nicer. A Nice event to do for locals and if you like to collect bling.

Out of the six half marathons and one full marathon I've run so far, Run with the Jets is my…read morefavorite for its flat and scenic route. The route follows the Bay Trail towards Foster City and back, treating runners to scenic views of peaceful waters and open skies. One of my favorite sights was a huge clear sky with rays of sunlight bursting through slits in the clouds while the moon lingered nearby as morning rose. I was also enchanted by the sight of hundreds of birds fluttering through the air as a young boy chased them along the shoreline. As the race's name suggests, there are several planes flying overhead that are neat to gaze at, as well. The flat course makes this race easier to run, or at least as easy as running 13.1 miles gets. It's perfect for first-timers or those looking to set a personal record. There were markers for every mile, aid stations every two miles, one port-a-potty, and one actual restroom. Unlike other big city races I've done, there weren't any spectators along the sidelines cheering runners on and holding signs, but that seemed fit for this quiet and peaceful trail. Staff members were all really friendly and encouraging. The swag bag this year included a bright neon green shirt, packets of Emergen-C, a sample packet of BioFreeze that did wonders to my aching joints, and four boxes of Dove Clinical Protection Deodorant. After the race, other freebies included bottles of ZICO coconut water and huge beer mugs with equally big SoBe drinks. They also offered free t-shirts from previous years up for grabs, though it was mostly large and extra-large sizes. Bananas, bagels, candy, and cookies were offered in the food tent. Most importantly, finishers received a sweet medal. Half marathons are fun challenges that anyone can accomplish with hard work and determination. Don't miss out on this great race!

Run With The Jets 1/2 Marathon started at Coyote Point Park…read more $6.00 park entry/parking fee. I enjoyed this race. We started out at Coyote Point Park and walked along the San Francisco Bay Trail up, and past the San Mateo Bridge. The course was an out and back. Expo in the park before and after the race.....nice. Course was well marked and mile markers were at every mile. USTF Certified Course Plenty of water stations and a few provided Fruit Punch Gator Ade...nice. Enthusiastic water station aides...awesome! On course photographers Bathrooms at Coyote Point park and one port-a-potty en route. Course monitors patroled by way of bike...excellent! Awesome views. Race limited to 1200 athletes. Packet pick up was available at A Runners Mind in Burlingame, which included a nice preshrunk tshirt and a nice smoke colored water bottle and a few additional goodies. Onsite pack pick up was also available. Race started about 10 minutes late...not a big deal. Race MC was very perky and enthusiastic. Official chip timing. Race started a little late and there were no course monitors at the last leg in to the finish chute area so I got a little off course.

It was an amazing run. My last marathon was back in 2017 (Rock n Roll San Diego - Full), so it had…read morebeen a while I ran a marathon (or half). Was happy to know Rock n Roll has a half marathon in San Jose. The course was mostly flat. There were ample of water/feed and medical stations along with bands spread across the course. Overall I enjoyed the run a lot. Already signed up for 2026 :)

Amazing run! I love how there are ppl cheering us on along the way! We need more runners to join us!read more