After almost 25 miles on Saturday, I knew I needed to eat a lot and try to get to bed really early in order to be successful at this marathon. I did the best I could at both, but sadly I didn’t fall asleep as early as I hoped. Even though this was a “training run” for me, it was still a marathon and I still got nervous! It doesn’t matter how many of these I do, the butterflies still happen.
My alarm went off at 3:15am and my eyes did not want to open. But the first thing I noticed when I woke up was that my legs didn’t feel too tired or sore at all and I was so glad! I got up and got moving though and after a cup of coffee I was feeling more awake and excited. I got dressed and got all my things together, then made my toast with peanut butter for the ride to meet my friends. I was right on time at our 4:30am meeting spot.
We drove to Napa with no traffic and I ate my Clif Bar as we were getting closer. Somehow we ended up following the busses and pretty soon we were on the Silverado Trail where the marathon would take place! We drove past the start line and pulled off on a side road, literally yards from the porta potties and maybe a half mile from the start line. It was so perfect. We sat in the warm car for a while, then got out with about 20 minutes to go. We used the bathroom one more time and said bye to our amazing driver Kim who got up so early to take us to the start.
Me and my Clif Bar running buddy! 
We walked over to the start line and were able to make our way to our spots very easily. This isn’t a huge race and you could definitely tell. I love smaller races! A couple of minutes later, we were off!
I started running and my legs actually felt pretty good considering. I could tell I had run a ton of miles that week and also could tell I had been pounding the pavement quite a bit. I made sure to keep it easy and was enjoying being in a marathon while being able to take in the scenery and the runners around me without worrying about pace.
It was upper 30s/low 40s at the start, but it was supposed to be a pretty warm day for March. I definitely took advantage of the cooler first 10 miles and enjoyed the cool air and shade. I was in a tank and shorts, but kept my gloves on for a lot of the first half and it felt perfect temperature wise.
I started eating my Shot Bloks at mile 2 and planned to try and eat them every 2 miles as I went. I was carrying my smaller handheld and tried to remind myself to drink early and often since it was going to be a warm day. No dehydration allowed!
Within a couple of miles I had to pee which was annoying because that has never once happened to me in a marathon! I figured I should just stop and get it over with. Sadly that stop ended costing me almost 4 minutes. I wasn’t worried about my time though, so I just continued on my way.
It was getting warmer and we were fully in the sun at this point. I knew we would be running right into the sun a good part of the race, so I was happy I had my sunglasses with me which I ended up wearing most of the race. Around mile 11.5 I was expecting to see Kristin and she was right where I thought she would be! She had a long run to do, so hopped in to keep me company. I was very happy to see her and to have someone to chat with.
We continued on winding our way through wine country. The course was SO beautiful with all the wineries, hills, and wild flowers. It’s definitely a scenic course that we were soaking up. There were some hills, but nothing too bad. Just a few real noticeable hills and then mostly rollers after that, with some extended stretches of slight incline, with a total net downhill.
I looked at the clock when we crossed the half and I think it said around 2:10 which I was very happy with, especially with the bathroom break. From there the miles ticked on by and Kristin and I were just chatting away like any normal run. Pretty soon we looked up and saw two guys riding towards us on bikes that looked awfully familiar. It was Chris and his friend Eric! We were definitely happy to see them.
Happy runners! 
We chatted with them for a few minutes and then they rode off and we continued to make our way down the Silverado Trail.
We kept on running and pretty soon we were in the 20s! I was getting pretty warm at this point, but knew it was really good training for AR50 since I will be running in the middle of the day.
At this point I was filling up my bottle at each water stop (every 2 miles) just to make sure I was getting enough water. I was still eating my Shot Bloks but not as frequently as before. I had also taken salt caps every hour, so I was pretty happy with how my fueling was going and my energy felt great!
My legs were getting tired and my feet could definitely feel all the pavement I had been pounding the last 2 days, but I didn’t feel the need to stop. Kristin kept saying “if you need to walk or anything just let me know” but I didn’t. Besides the bathroom and filling up my water bottle, we ran the whole thing!
We were in the late 20s now, and I was actually feeling really good at this point so we started picking up the pace a little bit. Around mile 25 we were greeted with some homemade sorbet which was amazing. I had peach! Then we just kept on pushing, getting a little faster as we went. There were lots of people around us that were hurting and we were the annoying runners running by with big smiles on our faces while speeding up. It was so nice to feel like this at the end of a race!
Pretty soon I was making the final turns, I said bye to Kristin and really picked it up. My legs felt good and it felt really good to move a little faster. Turn, turn, turn and there was the finish line!
Garmin: 26.44 miles/4:17:54/9:45 avg pace
Official: 26.2 miles/4:17:55/9:51 avg pace
Just like that my 13th marathon was done!
I finished off my biggest week yet with 90 total miles and 51 miles over the weekend. I was so happy! I felt pretty great too, no real soreness, just some fatigue, which is to be expected.
This was a great race that I would definitely recommend to anyone! I love the smaller size, the swag and all the support. Wine country is beautiful, and although it was a bit warm today, it was still so fun and a great race to “race” too. So many of my friends had AWESOME races and I am so proud of them!
Add this one to your list if it’s not there already!
You are insane! In a good way, of course!
Aron–I am so happy for you! What a new journey you have started on! And you truly sound like you are thoroughly enjoying it. I’m sure that having a job you love also helps. Congrats, my friend!
Congrats! It is definitely on my list!!
I’m so glad you had a great race! I saw you this morning before the start, but at the time wasn’t totally sure it was you, otherwise I would have said hello. Today was my first marathon and it was tough, but I did it! It’s funny, I remember seeing two guys on bikes and thinking how sweet that they came out to cheer that way! Congrats on your big week of running
You are nuts and that is why I love you! You are going to run a 50 miler?! I am still running 3 miles….ha! You are so awesome. I love all your race reports. Great job!!!
Well done! I’d definitely like to run this one sometime.
You are incredible, Aron! So exciting to watch you do this so successfully
Keep up the awesome work!
Congrats
You’re an inspiration!
About your handheld water bottle – is that the Amphipod bottle you mention on your Products? Just curious – I’m looking for one myself.
YES that’s the one I use! I actually have the smaller one (12 oz) that I used yesterday but use the 20oz one all the time too.
Great, 12 ounces is even better
I’ll check it out.
I’m getting ready for my first marathon and I have soem fueling questions. How do you carry your fuel with you? Is it all in pockets or do you pin some of it to you? And, do you drink anything other than water? Finally, the salt tablets… Is there anything specific to know about taking them? Where do you find them?
Thanks!
I wear lululemon turbo run shorts and they have pockets in them that hold fuel. I also put some in the pocket of my handheld.
I don’t drink anything other than water, just because that’s what I train with and the other stuff messes with my stomach. Since I don’t drink an electrolyte drink, I take salt caps, which are something I have practiced with for a long time. I get them at running stores.
Definitely practice whatever you are going to do on race day a lot before hand! Everyone has different methods so finding what works for you is the most important
I love that you pretty much ran back-to-back marathons! Congrats on a great race and a great week of lots of miles!!!
Great job out there girl! So crazy that you can now run a marathon as a training run for something bigger!
Amazing!!! Great job.
A run through wine country? Sign me up!
Congrats on a huge week!
Wow – 25 and then 26.2 miles back to back! What an amazing 2 days and congrats on a race well fun! Neat you and Kristin could run together for a bit and enjoy that beautiful country! Would love to try that marathon out…amazing work!
Aron, your training is inspiring! I can’t imagine logging that many miles, but you are making it seem more do-able. I’m wondering, what measures are you taking to prevent injury? I think my biggest fear in logging such intense mileage is that my legs/feet/hips would somehow get hurt. Is there anything particular you’re doing toward injury prevention?
Love your blog!
What an epic training weekend! Congratulations on #13 and the massive training week. You are holding up so well!
It’s on the list for 2013!
Congrats Aron! Napa is definitely going on “my list.” Question – what else do you do to recover between your back-to-back long days (other than refuel and rest, obviously). Do you ice bath/ice bucket? Hang out in compression sleeves?
Good job & smiling in the last miles of a marathon is awesome!
Nice work! Extremely impressive two days of mileage. It must be nice to feel great at the end of a marathon, I hope someday to know how that feels!
Wow, your training is REALLY coming along! Congrats on the fun marathon and your big week!
Awesome high mileage weekend! I’m glad you finally got to run Napa, too! It is a great race and I can’t wait to do it again one day. So now that you’ve run it, do you agree with me that it is faster course than CIM (weather issues aside)? Just curious.
Congrats on an amazing weekend! You look like you’re having so much fun in the marathon and the course looks so pretty.
Hi! Congrats on your marathon! 90 miles in a week is amazing!
Found your blog while looking for info on the Amphipod handheld. I have a 12oz which I love, thinking of getting the 20oz. In your opinion, does the 20oz feel much bigger than the 12oz while running? Or pretty much the same? Thx!
Awesome! Loved reading this recap. I’ll be running this marathon again in 2 weeks so this was a nice reminder of what it was about…and hearing about your run.