the weekend started thursday night when my 2 friends arrived at my house. we were very excited for the upcoming weekend but got a good nights sleep friday night. my schedule called for an easy 6 miler + strides friday morning, so i got up and did an easy 4.5 and called it a day. i wanted to loosen up my legs but also wanted to save them for the race the next day. i felt great that morning which i was hoping was a good sign. we got breakfast and ran some errands and were on our way to healdsburg around 1pm.
we hit a bunch of traffic but made it to the packet pick up around 3. the expo was pretty small so we were only there about 10 minutes or so. i was hoping to have a number 3 in my bib somewhere but got #404 which sounded familiar. first it made me think of an accounting code (yes i know im a dork) but then i realized 4:04 was my marathon time from SFM! so i thought that was good luck 
once we left we wanted to drive the race course to see what we were in for. the course map had an elevation profile box, but it was kind of hard to read. the only thing we got from it was that there were a lot of rolling hills, the biggest hill being at mile 2 and a big downhill at mile 4. we drove it and it really didn’t seem so bad which was definitely a confidence booster. it was also incredibly beautiful so i was so excited to be able to run through that kind of scenery. we stopped to take a couple pics and had to get one in the vines of course have to love camera timers!
we found a local deli and had a late lunch outside enjoying the weather. it was in the low 90s during the day, thankfully the mornings were really cool. we checked into our hotel after and got some relaxing in before another meal (seriously we ate non stop all weekend). we then hit up the hot tub to loosen up the muscles and then did some stretching before getting some sleep. i woke up in the night and was wide awake sure it was almost time to get up but when i looked at the clock it was only 1:30 – still had 3.5 hours more to sleep! gotta love that the alarm went off at 5 and i wasn’t so excited about waking up then but we got up and moving quick. i ate my english muffin with peanut butter and a banana, got ready and before we knew it it was time to head over to the race. it was really dark out and very chilly, but i will take the cold before the hot any day.
we made it to the start area around 6:30 which gave us plenty of time for bag check, 3 trips to the porta potties, meeting alisa and kristen, and lining up at the start with time to spare (especially since they postponed the start 15 minutes… gotta love inaugural races). i decided to fore go the long sleeves so i was pretty chilly standing there waiting and was very anxious for the start to happen. it was so awesome to watch the sun come up over the hills with the vineyards, and the moon high up in the dark sky also. it was a beautiful morning and i felt so lucky to be able to be there running.
finally the race started and we were off! i had told my friend i was planning on running around an 8:30 mile to start off and then go from there. my schedule called for 15 miles with 12 at goal pace so i was shooting for a 1:50 half, or if i was feeling good i would definitely try to be faster. mile 1 we were leaving the winery we started at and it had a nice decline out, and i was feeling awesome. it was really cold, i could see my breath, but i got warmed up pretty quick. before i knew it mile 1 was over and when i looked at garmin it was 8:08 – i had a feeling it was going to be a good day. i decided to just stick to the pace since i was feeling pretty good. the longest hill/incline came at mile 2 and i had no problem with it coming in at 8:10. somewhere in here i saw a couple that had a beagle puppy and i had a feeling it was alisa’s puppy zoey (found out later that yes i was right!). she was barking away and cheering for the runners and it definitely made me smile i continued to feel really good so i was just keeping my pace up as the miles were flying by. mile 3 was 8:10 again and then the big decline came at mile 4. i have been practicing my downhill running more since i sucked at it at SFM, and i know there are declines at CIM. i was able to just let myself go, lean forward, pick up my feet fast and fly down the hill, it was so fun! mile 4 was 7:58.
after the big decline i knew everything else would be rolling… when you went up, you went down and then you would go right back up again. i was really enjoying all the scenery and just trying to soak it all up. i don’t think i have ever felt this great and happy to be running a race as i was feeling, so i wanted to just keep that up. there were a bunch of people dressed up since halloween is just around the corner, and for a few miles in here rainbow brite and i would continually pass each other. i got her on the uphills and then she would pass me on the downhills. after a couple miles of this i finally got rid of her for good and never saw her again. i was really enjoying the rolling hills on the course, and also the windy road we were running on. it made it so you couldn’t see too far ahead which i was really enjoying… i hate staring down a long straight road. mile 5 and 6 came in at 8:10 and 8:13.
i started getting a little tired in the next couple miles, but not too bad. the rolling hills weren’t bothering me but there were a couple of steeper ones thrown in there which slowed my pace a bit. usually around mile 8 or 9 of a half i find myself getting tired and just wanting to get it over with, but today i was still feeling good and i couldn’t believe how fast the miles were going. so i continued to run a comfortable pace and miles 7, 8 and 9 came in at 8:21, 8:19 and 8:21.
the last 3 miles were the only thing i really didn’t like about this race. we came back on the main road around mile 10, but both lanes were still open to cars, so we had to be in the bike lane. the roads were pretty slanted on the side, which made it harder to run on, and it was at an incline for what felt like 2 miles straight which made it difficult also. i was really ready for a downhill, and it just felt like we didn’t have one for a while. once i hit mile 11 i wanted to pick up my pace a bit more, but it was really hard to pass people since we only had the bike lane. i was able to go around the cones a couple times to get around people but it still wasn’t the easiest thing to do. plus i had a cop telling me to stay to the right of the cones on his loud speaker. 10-12 were definitely the toughest ones for me but i kept the pace strong at 8:19, 8:18 and 8:06.
one mile to go! the whole course i had been spot on with my garmin at the mile markers. i was really trying not to do a whole lot of weaving and wanted to see if i could get closer to the 13.1 mark instead of around 13.2 like my other halves. there were a couple mile markers that were even early (mile marker 11 and i was at 10.96), so i thought i was going to be pretty close. the mile 13 marker came up and we crossed a bridge and then had to turn left to get to the finish line. i was pushing harder at this point and mile 13 was 7:59.
the last .1 seemed like the longest .1 mile ever… i could see the finish line but now we were on this really loose gravel and it was so hard to run on! i was so annoyed because i really wanted to have a strong finish but i felt like i could never get the right footing on the gravel. i heard my name as i crossed the finish line and stopped my watch feeling really great about my race. then i looked at garmin and it said 13.21 – where did the extra .1 come from? must really have been the longest .1
official results:
13.10 miles/1:48:14/8:16 avg pace
overall: 153/1016
AG: 7/117
women: 57/676
garmin results:
13.21 miles/1:48:07/8:11 avg pace – almost a 3 minute PR
i drank a bunch of water and ate a bunch of grapes and waited for my friends to come through the finish. the bost had big PR’s and came in soon after. we then went and stretched and hung out in the grass for a while enjoying the nice weather. it was getting warmer out by the minute and was such a beautiful day.
once we got up we went to get our wine glasses. with this wine country series you get a wine glass with your race fee and can wine taste from all the wineries who are at the finish festival. on our way to get our glasses i ran into alisa and kristen again and got to take a pic! they both did awesome also and i was so glad i got to meet them
we ended up hanging out at the festival enjoying the sunshine and tasting wine until almost noon. the weather was amazing and it was just so relaxing being outside.
we caught the last shuttle back to the car and hit downtown healdsburg for lunch, then checked out of the hotel and headed back to my house. we rewarded ourselves with some yummy pizza and a couple pitchers of beer for dinner, then relaxed watching the sex and the city movie.
happy sunday everyone – hope you all had great weekends too!
Congrats Aron!! I knew you’d pr. Great pace, esp on the last mile. What a fun day!
GREAT JOB! I was in Healdsburg last month for some kettlebell training — it’s a great little town, isn’t it? So happy you ran such a strong race!
Great race report & awesome pics, Aron. Ran strong then wine-tasting afterwards. Sounds PERFECT.
Congratulations!
congrats on a great PR. I love Healdsburg–one of my favorite places to spend the day when we lived in Santa Rosa.
whooo hoo you rocked it!!!! Great job and what gorgeous pictures!!!
So, when am I allowed to have a run date with you again? <- slow poke
Congrats Aron on your PR! The pictures were wonderful and great race report too!
What a great race report, awesome pics, and you are able to top it all off with a rockin PR. Woo Hoo!!! Congratulations.
Sounds like a great weekend, lots of fun!! You are PRing every race- I love that! Congrats on the super time cut here! You are rocking! Great pics too!
Awesome PR, your hard work is paying off! 3 minutes in a half is huge!
Awesome, awesome, awesome! You ran an amazing race. You were so speedy. Congratulations on the PR.
Sounds like a fabulous weekend.
I see nothing but good things in your future.
awesooooooome job Aron!! I KNEW you’d PR!
I had you pegged for 1:45 so I came close. Bet you could have pulled that off on a flatter course..
Now rest up, let’s finish off this godforsaken training program and go kick some a$$ @ CIM!
Congrats! What a great race!
Congrats on the PR! Sounds like a beautiful race and a great weekend.
I’m superstitious about my race numbers, too. I always look for a 7 in there somewhere.
What a great race!! Congrats on the PR, and that is some awesome bling. What can I say…I’m a medal whore.
Hahaha…I always look to see if there is an 8 or 14 in my race number!
Awesome job on the run!!
Great race!!! You booked! That race looks amazing. I am dying to do it next year.
how awesome! and it looks like the wine tasting afterwards was way fancier than the race i worked at! hehehe. ours was put on by locals, the one you went to was a destination series. poor race people had no idea they double booked the weekend! so crazy.
looks like i’ll be running a relay at CIM so i hope to meet you then!
congrats on the PR! Sounds like an awesome race.
i’m so glad your race went well! what a beautiful coarse. and to top it off with wine tasting??!! that really really rocks. i did the wine drinking without the running this week
congrats!
Nice PR!! And on a rolling course too. Sounds like you’re on track for a strong performance at CIM too. Thanks for the lovely photos!
Congratulations on the PR! Wow, shaving off 3 min from your last PR is fantastic! I’m so thrilled for you!!!! Your intense training has really paid off! Omg, what does this mean for CIM???
Wow…what an inspiring race report. Super cool. Congrats on your PR! The race sounded so much fun. I’m glad you’re reaping the rewards from your hard training. Watch out CIM!
congrats on your PR! whoa – look at the elevation map! sounds like a fun race!
I eat english muffins with peanut butter before my runs/races too!!
Sounds like it was a very pretty race scenery wise!
Congrats on the PR! Great Race!! Its awesome when a race goes so well and you get hooked to continue running it each year!!
Gorgeous pictures, and great race report. It’s great here this time of year…nothing better!!
WOW – you are getting super duper fast!!! Congratulations. I so wish I could’ve been out there for this… though, I would’ve been a spectator only for this one.
Congrats!!
Great pics!
Great race– congratulations! It is so motivating reading your race reports because you seem to have such mental toughness when racing AND because you’re so intuitive early on about what kind of pace you can keep on race day. Those are two things I’m working on and it helps me to see how you accomplish them. Great to see you feeling re-energized…and no soreness? Way to go!
The miles were flying cause you are so damn speedy!!! Great job!!!
It sounds like such a beautiful run! I would love to do a race in wine country sometime. J and I stayed in Calistoga once and LOVED it!
California is so funny though with it’s freezing temps in the morning and 90 degree temps in the afternoon!
OMG chica you rocked it! 7th in our age group (which to me is known as the fast age group)!
So good to meet you! All the bloggers I’ve met so far are sooo friendly! You all inspire me to keep running. I wish I could spectate at CIM…it is in my hometown and all…I will be sending you good luck vibes!
I’ll be posting my race report too…at the moment catching up on work emails…ugh!
Congrats on an awesome race!
Congratulations on a smokin’ PR, Aron! You’re speedy!!
Sounds like you ran a strong race. You’re going to rock the rest of your training AND CIM!!
The wine-tasting after sounds like it’s right up my alley.
YAY ARON!!!! You did FABULOUS!! ;D ;D ;D Awesome, awesome job chica! CONGRATS!
You’re totally right. You get (in results) what you put in. And you’ve been rockin!! ;D
Wow you are a speed demon! Great job. I am soooo jealous. I miss wine country! That sounds like a fabulous, relaxing girlie weekend.
whoooohoooooo on the PR!!!!! you rocked it!!! looks like you had a fabulous weekend!i’m definitly putting this race on my to-do list
such a great race report! loved all the pictures!
Way to get a pr too! 
I’m doing the wine county half marathon in march next year and this post got me excited 
Congrats! Sounds like you had a great time!
Wow, more ass kicking. More name taking. Great job and PR! Congratulations. Don’t think I’m not envious looking at that weather…I’ve been scraping frost off windshields again lately.
Nice job! I like that you made your race into a training run for your marathon. I have a half this coming weekend!
Wow! What a great race you had! And wine tasting afterwards must have been such a treat. Thanks for the report!
Nice job on the race! Sounds like a fun event with the wine tasting afterward!
Wow! Great pacing and great time! I’m glad you had such a wonderful experience!!
Great job on the race! Way to stay strong and keep on at it!
Awesome job Aron! That time is sweet! You rock! I cant believe its 90 out there in cali. Sadly it snowed last night in michigan. Is it May yet? I’m dreading snow and cold weather and its not even hear yet!
It looks like you had a great time with your friends and you ran really well! Good job!
Sounds like such a great race, and what a sweet combo, a half marathon and wine country… why are there not more of these?!?
Awesome job too… you’re really getting out there and kicking ass.
Wow! Sounds like an awesome race and way to go on your time!!!
Oh my gosh, how exciting!!! Congrats on an incredible race and new PR. I love those kinds of days when you feel great. I agree though – long straight roads suck, and, if they know what’s smart, next year they won’t have you running in a bike lane like that. That’s crazy! I’m jealous of the wine tasting, too. Glad you had a great day. I hope this won’t sound crazy, but somewhere in my 22-miler I was thinking about how you said you were doing the half and I wondered how it was going. I’m glad to find out it was a good day for both of us!
Way to run! Great time!!
I hate it when races are just a little long, and that makes the finish seem less as strong. I run for that strong finish too. Boo.
Way to break 1:50! Congrats!
That sounds like a great day! Congrats on your PR.
Wine and running and a PR? I am SO jealous! CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations Aron on that PR! What a grea race and you did it with a smile!! LOVE IT!
Sorry I’m so far behind! You rocked that, congratulations! Great pictures too!