My Profile
@JustKeepRunning
Sonoma, CA Raving since 2018 Active 5 years, 1 month agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Half Marathon
Marathon
Ultramarathon
(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
Other
Future Races
Personal Bests (2)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon | Marathon | Richmond, VA | 2003 | 3:00:10 |
| Vista Beer Run | Half Marathon | Vista, CA | Sep 30, 2018 | 1:28:37 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
|---|
Past Races (10)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon | Marathon | Calistoga, CA | Mar 3, 2019 | 3:09:03 |
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| Ragnar Trail So Cal | 120 Mile Relay | Warner Springs, CA | Nov 9, 2018 | |||
| Cloverdale Vineyard Races | Half Marathon | Cloverdale, CA | Oct 21, 2018 | 1:30:26 |
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| Vista Beer Run | Half Marathon | Vista, CA | Sep 30, 2018 | 1:28:37 | ||
| America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K | Half Marathon | San Diego, CA | Aug 19, 2018 | 1:32:10 | ||
| Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego | Half Marathon | San Diego, CA | Jun 3, 2018 | 1:30:10 | ||
| Diamond Valley Lake Marathon | Marathon | Hemet, CA | Mar 4, 2017 | 3:55:42 | ||
| Q50 Races Trails Extravaganza | Half Marathon | Franklinton, LA | 2013 | 1:33:33 | ||
| Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon | Marathon | Richmond, VA | 2003 | 3:00:10 | ||
| Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach | Half Marathon | Virginia Beach, VA | 2002 | 1:31:31 |
Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon
Great race in every aspect
Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon
This was first first marathon since 2003. Due to my work schedule, consistent training that is required always seemed to be very tough to achieve. Luckily, I just left that … MORE
This was first first marathon since 2003. Due to my work schedule, consistent training that is required always seemed to be very tough to achieve. Luckily, I just left that industry and and had this race as my goal to BQ for Boston 2020. First marathon was Richmond, VA and it was VERY well done. As this race was not a PR for me (3:00:10 at Richmond) I was still very happy to exceed by goal of 3:12 by three minutes.
Now, for the event. The communication from registration to race day was incredible. At no time did I have questions on how something was going to transpire. Many other pre-race events were available to include the “Shake Out Run” the day prior. Nice addition. Packet pick up and the expo were both easy to navigate and offered many great options. I am living local (Sonoma) so I was able to be dropped off less than a mile from the start with no problem at all. My wife found close parking near the finish about two hours after the start of the race. Great benefit. The course had ample aid stations and a variety of options for hydration and food including the ability to have your own drink placed at a station for you to pick up. Very nice!
At mile six or so I realized that although I had used the port-potty prior to the start, I was going to have to make a quick stop again before the finish. There was no getting around this even though I tried my best to not think about it. There were ports-potties at almost every, if not at every, aid station. I don’t remember which station I passed but it only had one, I was not going to take the chance in stopping, not knowing whether someone might be in there…. Pushed forward instead. I decided mile twelve would be my spot. I increased my pace just a bit to make up for time I would be losing and dipped in to one of the three available and all was well once more.
Now I could focus again on all the beauty that wine country offers. It was a cloudy day with a little drizzle occasionally. SO much better than the weather we were experiencing a couple weeks prior (early mornings in the low 30’s) or days prior (INCHES of rain falling daily). We couldn’t have asked for anything better as far as that goes. Mid 40’s at the start to maybe 50 or so by the finish.
The encouragement along the way was a balance of peaceful serenity of the vineyards and rolling hills and spectators when there were intersections that allowed nearby parking. As many have already stated there are more hills in the first six to eight miles than the rest. At times the angle of the road gets to be a challenge in the curves but those never last too long.
Tracking was available and updated at 6, 13.1 and 20 miles. For some reason mine didn’t record at 20, I crossed while in a pace group so maybe a possibility of too many runners at once…? Not sure. It did make my wife wonder whether something might have happened in the last half but alas… I was able to finish strong on the gradual downhill slope to the finish line that got me my BQ by almost eleven minutes.
Great event, great venue, great support, great scenery. I would like to say that I would be running it next year but I will be saving my legs for a late April race instead. I will be back though. VERY satisfied in every way. Thank you to all involved in making this a great experience for so many!
Cloverdale Vineyard Races
Spectacular Venue, Incredible Production
Cloverdale Vineyard Races
From start to finish this was a classy, well managed race. I have paid twice the price for a race and gotten half the satisfaction. First, the good stuff: Great … MORE
From start to finish this was a classy, well managed race. I have paid twice the price for a race and gotten half the satisfaction. First, the good stuff: Great swag from the long sleeve tech shirt, to the breakfast (pancakes and eggs were tasty!), beer and wine, snacks, live music, and many many happy faces greeting us. Free photos were a great addition. Proceeds going to charity, amazing. A lot of on-course support. Loved it. Many distances offered, very inclusive of all abilities. The folks at packet pick-up and Healdsburg Running Company were great as well. Once again, very smooth and easy process.
The drawbacks: agree with another reviewer in that all points throughout the race were well marked with the exception of the final trip out of the vineyards for the half-marathon. I spoke with someone on the staff after the race and was assured that they would look into that (I fully believe that it won’t happen again) He also apologized if it caused confusion. It certainly wasn’t enough that it would have affected my time by more than a second or two. Also, as this event increases in attendance and popularity, more porta-potties are going to need to be made available. In the hour leading to the start of the marathon and half, the line was pretty long and I would have to guess that the wait exceeded 20 minutes. Something else that will be easy to overcome at future events.
On the fence: I spoke with someone on staff about not having at least an elevation chart available for the longer races and he said that they are looking into having that for next year. There is a bit of an allure to “going in blind” for those that are first timers, however not knowing if it will flatten out or get more hilly as the miles wear on make it a little tough on energy use/conservation.
Out of control: The weather! The cool temp I didn’t mind, even coming north from San Diego where our daily low is still in the 60’s, but the fog stole what would have been even more spectacular views on this great course. Maybe next year I will be able to take more of it in. I’m sure I will be lacing up for this one come October.
Great event and many “thank you”s to all involved.