today i ran my 6th half marathon and probably my worst executed race to date… but it was VERY fun, at least the post race part.
i was planning to just run this race by feel, i didn’t really think i could PR, but really who knows sometimes coming race day.
well i didn’t PR, didn’t get close. i did however get very close to a PW. my splits are kind of embarrassing but i will post them below as i usually do with my race reports.
my friends from high school were visiting for the race, so we caravaned over to napa with tara and maritza at the VERY early hour of 4:30am. this meant for a 3:30am wake up call – sooo early. i did my normal pre-race/long run routine… toast + peanut butter, coffee, and a banana. we were all out the door right on time to head north to wine country.
we got to the shuttle location just before 5:30 and got on the first bus which was pretty empty. we were at the start line before 6am, just over an hour before the start, so we were able to hit the porta potties a couple times before they got too busy. we posed for a pic too of course.
it was a beautiful morning and i just love these destination races. the locations are always so beautiful and watching the sun come up over all the vineyards is amazing.
it wasn’t long before the area was filling up with lots of runners! it’s always fun to people watch before races and we also ran into holly and ms. v while walking around! i always love meeting people face to face after following their blogs and tweets for so long 
maritza, me and tara pre-race
it wasn’t long before it was time to drop off our bags and head to the start line! we made our way up closer to the front and before we knew it we were off. the race starts with a short steep decline, followed by the biggest incline of the race. i was feeling pretty good and was just running by feel and not paying much attention to my garmin…. maybe i should have been! we rounded through the vineyards and the beautiful scenery of wine country. there were 2 horses in a field galloping away and were awesome to watch. i could tell by mile 1 it was going to be a warm day.
us again
my girls from high school
in our roho gear
we found audrey too!
we got to meet up with amanda all the
we eventually went and got some food which we all very much needed and then headed home. i am WIPED out right now! running in the sun isn’t for me, but we all knew that already. i am not disappointed in my time… sure i wish i could have gone faster, but every race isn’t going to be a PR and that really wasn’t my intention here at all. i wish i would have recognized that earlier and just took it easier, ran with someone, or at least started a little slower so i didn’t hate life so much during the later miles. that is definitely what i will be doing next weekend!
nothing beats hanging out with my friends and running races with them, plus it was so great to meet some new friends too!
What an awesome attitude you have…you did great and had fun, that's what matters!
My worst 1/2 to date came courtesy of Napa-to-Sonoma two years ago. It ain't an easy race – especially if the temps start getting up there.
PR or PW, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself out there. A PR's just the cherry on top – the rest of the Sunday, er – sundae, is all about friends, the sights and all that other good stuff!
Great job out there Aron. I'll see ya one week from now!
ps- will someone tell me what the hell is the deal with the lamb?!
Looks like a great time. Great job Aron!!!
I'm proud of you my dear! Wish I could have been there to cheer you on! So glad you had fun afterwards, just wish it wasn't so warrrrm along the way. GOOD JOB!!!
Good job and looks like you had fun after, congrats on another HM!
Good job on the half, even if it wasn't your best…sometimes racing is just fun, even if it's the post-race part that's the best.
Sounds a lot like what my race report will be! Heheheh. So glad to meet you in person.
Oh man, I missed meeting Audrey! Boo!
I don't think there will ever be a day when I say that running a mile in the 8's is horrible!!! Embrace and enjoy that!!! Love it and never be disappointed!!
The post race festival looks like a great time even if the race wasn't quite what you'd hoped. Now you know what to really look forward to next weekend – enjoying the whole thing with friends! You're so fortunate to have such friends!
It has been waaaaay hot– so good job. I almost ran this race– too bad I didn't, we could have run together!
Looks like you had a blast! Really a pretty good finish!
Great job on the half! that is still a great finishing time! Hopefully next weekend you will enjoy those last few miles better!
nice job on the race…it may not be your best time, but it is still a very good time…glad you had fun.
Congrats on your half! Very nice pics too!
That is still a great time!! That medal looks really neat!
Very cool that you got to meet up with so many bloggers!! I really hate that feeling of running alone too when you are kinda not feeling the run. Way to hold strong and finish. Kylie looks so proud wearing the medal.
Congrats on pushing through this one and still averaging 8:25!! These races definitely test us; that feeling of "ugh, when am I dooone?!" is so trying.
but wine at the end with friends is hard to beat!
Oh my gosh…you did great!! I can't believe you didn't feel good because your time definitely doesn't show that! Get some rest.
Way to tough it out Aron! I also find it very difficult to know what the correct pace is on a hot and humid race! No sweat! The next one will be better. Hope you enjoyed your wine. The after-party festivities sounded like so much fun. Glad you got to run into so many bloggers!
You still had a great time, nothing to be upset about for sure! Way to stick with it and live it up at the end!
looks like a great day!!!!!!!!! you had a super fast start, i totally hear you on the heat. and such an early start, too!!!! agghh!!! so many people were there- you guys are the epitome of social running meet ups
nice work on the half!!!!! it's never a bad day when you run a half marathon 
Awesome half! You are a rockstar, Aron!
Great job! embarassing splits? seriously? You did awesome!!
Congrats on the finish Aron! A hot hilly race is not the place to PR but you really held it together and had a couple fast splits right at the end. I'd say it was pretty darn good. And it sounds like a very fun day. Great job out there.
Woo-hoo! I want to do this race someday. I did the SB Wine Country race and liked it as well.
That's still a great time even though you were done at mile 6. Congrats on pushing through and not letting your mind convince you to stop.
Girl, that is a great time!! Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?
Looks like a fun race and congrats on another halfy!
still a great and fun race! way to stick with it! i'm sure the wine tasting was amazing
I'll take your PW as my PR!
Congrats on another HM and it looks like a fun race!
great attitude. you definitely earned that wine you rockstar!
I love how you & your girls always wear coordinating outfits.
Cute!
Nice work – running in the sun is NOT easy! You did a great job!
It is funny because your slow splits are fast for others.. I hate the heat and hills too…and it is the WORST to feel your legs are zapped when you are not even mid way that happened to me on Marathon day. You look super CUTE in all the pictures, as always.
You know, I think we could do a half together and help eachother PR… Maybe someday
FYI, I know you are swamped with Blogs, but I have a fun giveaway you need to enter
Congrats on another great half! Looks like you managed to have a fun time!
Way to push through a tough race. Must be good training though, both physically and mentally, for the full marathon, no?
I would kill to be within 10 minutes of your PW so don't be too hard on yourself! ;o)
Fun race and fun race report! Kylie looks smashing in your hardware and you know I always appreciate a puppers pic!
I am very excited to meet you on Friday!! Woo hoo!
Hey Aron,
Although it feels like your race was poorly executed, it may not have been. I think you may find that the pain and suffering that you experienced are going to be very helpful to you in future races, particularly in the marathon. The more you experience this type of fatigue/suffering/pain, the more your brain will be able to habituate to the sensations. I think running a race like this, where you push yourself, is much more helpful in the long run than running a nice easy race, although I know it's no where near as much fun! So, I say, nice job pushing through!
way to go on another great attitude day and serious fun with some awesome people. I am finally starting to meet people who do races around here and you are so right, it makes getting to the finish line a little easier when it's feeling tough
Great job, Aron! Looks like an awesomely fun time, running & meeting up with all those peeps!
good job girlfriend. I know what you mean about your pw and prs.
we are so the same runner sometimes. Hope you are ready for fun this weekend!!!! Ps i'll email you back in a little bit 
Your almost PW is still faster than my goal for my 1/2 in Sept. :p Super jealous that you did this race, I'm for sure putting it on "my list." Great job running in the heat. Uff. SUPER CUTE pics. I love that you guys usually dress alike-ish. Hah
What a beautiful run! You did awesome!
I did a run in Los Gatos yesterday and the heat started even early there! I ran my fastest 1/2 marathon ever just because I wanted to get out of the heat! One thing though, I don't think they maped the run right, my Garmin only said 12.7 miles and I had a huge PR! 1:36:35, crazy!
Anyway, good job on the run, see you in SF next weekend!
Beautiful pics and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself even though you don't feel like you raced well. It's hard to do other races when you're training for a marathon because you're running hard already and not tapering.
I had a very similar experience in Ottawa this year. Went into it wanting to just have fun, started too fast on a hot day and DIED half way through. I was miserable. Lesson learned, right?
Still an amazing time, even if not for you. Congrats on another HM!
Congrats on another 1/2 in the books! Despite it not being a great "race" as far as time goes it looks like a super fun post-race celebration!
Anything in wine country is going to be rolling =). I learned that in Healdsburg!
Congrats on another HM — it's still a really good time! And look at that last mile. Great!
Well, you had a blast afterwards so…so what. Enjoy the day and live to PR another time!
Sounds like a lot of fun! Hopefully we can meet next Sunday. Your time is impressive anyway.
congrats on #6!!! i had such a great weekend with you and cannot wait for the cool SF temps this weekend
Good job! It sounds hot and miserable! You did a great job staying focused… I can't tell you how many times I have dropped back to be with a friend because I was miserable. You did great and Kylie is a great model
Great job on another half marathon! I think you ran really well, especially considering the freakin' heat out there and rolling hills!
And just think! Now you have a medal with a lamb on it!
Half + wine + pizza + ROHOs = ♥
that looks like a really fun hm, but i'd probably wither in the heat! i might be able to PR in wine tasting, however.
the roho's all have the cutest tempo shorts on!!
What fun it must be to know and have so many friends as runners. I don't have many friends that also run but I wish I did. They think I'm crazy! Congrats on finishing! What is a PW to yous is still faster than many other runners out there! Great job!
Oh, it sound like such a beautiful course! But I do remember how hot that area can get. You did well to hold it together, nevertheless, and finish strong. And a very respectable time to boot — CONGRATS!!
Great report! It was really just a "whim" race, so I'm glad you're not sweating it too much. You had fun and that was your goal right? So, you achieved your goal.
congratsss!! i'm sure all the fun way outweighed the race time by far! i love the post-race team gear change.
i love your comment about amanda's accent. carolina girls…best in the world!
i also looove kylie. my parents and sister have rottweilers, they are the best. love to emma too, i'm not hatin'.
I wish I had a glass of wine right now.
If I do a 1/2 in Mexico, do they serve post race margaritas?
Beautiful pics and it looks like you had lots of fun. Ok, so Kylie is just too cute.
Way to finish out the race and get that hardware! I agree that destination races are the best. Loved all of the pictures!
btw, thanks for the FB add
Hi Aron
Congratulations on making the best of what sound like some pretty warm conditions. I really don't mind wind or rain too much, but warm conditions are a killer. Isn't it just the strangest thing how you can be feeling fine and then all of a sudden…. just no energy at all?
Great pics and you can tell that you have some great friends.
Take care.
I love that you pushed through!! You're such a great inspiration.
It's awesome you have a group of friends you run with. I love the pictures.
Lauren
http://www.teamgiles.com
It sounds like this was a fun race for all of you! And hey, they can't all be great days. We have to have both the bad and the mediocre days sometimes so that we truly appreciate the really good ones.
Sounds like you had a very successful day.
)
Even though it was a tough race, sounds like you had great company and fun afterward!
Hey you gotta have the lows to know the highs…pretty good for a low point nevertheless and you got to meet all your running peeps!
It sounds like you had a great time (at least after the race).
How ironic… your time, which is close to your worst, is what I am hoping for next month here in San Diego. One runner's trash is another runner's treasure
I know you will have a great time next week with your friends. I am just starting to get my friends to run and it is great!
that looks like such a fun race! and you still ended up with a fast time! i'm only HOPING i can get close to that time for my half in september!
Yay for another fun race! I wanted to do this one but the warm temps scare me off.
I LOVE the medal! Can't say I understand it, but I LOVE it!! Medal envy…
Congrats! I'd love to have those splits
And I'd trade a PR for wine tasting at the end any day!
I'm sore from those hills still! It was so great to meet you in person. I definitely started off too fast and slowed waaay down the last few miles. The course could definitely use some more spectators..the views were great but I did get a little bored, and hot!