Minnesota · Runner · Reader · Mom of two
Runner.
Reader.
Random life
things.
I’m Taya. I write about running, reading, and all the little moments in between that I don’t want to forget. Blogging since 2012.
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Latest Posts
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Running, Reading, & Random Stuff | Weekly Roundup | July 19, 2026
A week of smoky air, work stress, feeling sick, and a last-minute trip to Sioux Falls.
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One Year in Our Home
It has officially been a year since we moved into our house, which feels both impossible and completely accurate. In some ways, it still feels new. In other ways, it’s hard to remember our daily life anywhere else. We really hadn’t been planning to move. Jessica, who already lived in the neighborhood, told us a…
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Running, Reading, & Random Stuff | Weekly Roundup | July 12, 2026
A hot and hectic week with softball tournament games, a great race-pace long run, a Great Wolf Lodge field trip, work presentations, a new Mac, lots of swimming, and plenty of summer chaos.
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Grandma’s Half | One Year and Almost 53 Minutes Difference
Comparing my 2025 and 2026 Grandma’s Half training blocks side by side, same start date, same race, wildly different results.
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Running, Reading, & Random Stuff | Weekly Roundup | July 5, 2026
A sweaty summer week with post-Grandma’s running, Miles’ last baseball games, a very late Usher and Chris Brown concert, Fourth of July prep, a finished driveway, lots of neighbor time, and one very unfortunate frog situation.
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Fourth of July | 2026
Our first fourth in this house, the best neighborhood!
The reading archive
Browse book reviews by genre
Mysteries are clearly winning, but there is a little bit of everything mixed in. Browse by genre or head to the full review archive.
Mystery & Thriller
02Cozy Mystery
03Historical Fiction
04General Fiction
05Romance & Rom-Com
06Fantasy & Sci-Fi
07Nonfiction
08ARC Reviews
Miles worth remembering
Recent race recaps
Race weekends, finish-line feelings, and all the details I will absolutely forget unless I write them down.
Grandma’s Half Marathon 2026
One of the best race weekends of the year, with a course, crowd, and day that all came together.
Duluth, Minnesota · June 2026
Read the recap Race recapWomen Run the Cities 10 Mile
A hot, hilly morning that did not go quite to plan, but still showed me how much progress I had made.
Minneapolis, Minnesota · May 2026
Read the recap Race recapGet in Gear Half 2026
A cold race day that ended up being exactly the confidence boost I needed heading into the rest of the season.
Saint Paul, Minnesota · April 2026
Read the recapFrom the archive
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