Avenue of the Vines Half-Marathon (San Joaquin County, California)

I've run a lot of half-marathons this year. In fact, today will be my sixth for the year and the third in the last 30 days. I learned of Avenue of the Vines from my friend, Chris, who is a fearsome runner and decided to join me on this trip, though he was running the 5k, while I wanted to run the half. We left one of Reno's premier beer events, Strange Brew, and drove down to Lodi, CA early Saturday evening. Chris has marveled on how well I run after beer festivals. Lets hope it holds true for this one. I was careful to not drink too much, as I'm hoping for a new personal record on this run. The drive to Lodi takes about two and a half hours, but we arrive around ten o'clock and quickly get checked in. 

Though I wake to my alarm at about 5:15, I was still able to get a pretty good night's sleep. Chris and I quickly get ready for the race. We need check-in and get our bibs before the run and we want to allow plenty of time. It's cool this morning, around 50 degrees, and its supposed to rain later this morning, but hopefully, it will hold off until I finish the half.

Chris goes for a warm-up and I start to stretch my legs. The half-marathon is scheduled to start at 7:00 AM and the 5k at 7:15 AM. As the start time approaches, I strip off my long sleeve zip-up and get into the corral. Due to the police taking a little bit longer than expected to get barricades up, we start about seven minutes late, but with a countdown and a call for a gun, that never sounds, we're off. 

Lodi is Zinfandel country (arguable the best in the world) and the race course travels through and around some of the famous vineyards. Woodbridge Winery, which was started by Robert Mondavi, is one of the primary sponsors of the event. The race starts and ends at their tasting room.

The course is almost completely flat and with the temperature being just about perfect, I'm really feeling hopeful for a good time this morning. I start out really strong and over the first five or six miles, end up passing a number of the other runners. At one point, we pass through some areas that are home to cattle. The air is thick with the smell of manure . . . it's almost overwhelming, and I'm forced to cough a few times as we pass through.

I end up using the port-o-potty at mile five and then return to my pace. At around mile six, the wind starts blowing harder and a light mist starts falling on us. I certainly won't overheat today, but as long as the rain stays at this level, we'll be good. As we continue on, the rain starts falling faster and harder. The wind starts gusting and after a right turn, I'm now running directly into a headwind. I think to myself that my chances of a PR today are shrinking fast. I continue pushing myself though.

By mile 8, I'm soaking wet from head to toe and with the gusty winds, I'm freezing. I consider just walking the rest of the way. I debate back and forth in my head, but finally, decide that if nothing else, running the rest of the way will keep me far warmer than walking would. My glasses are covered with water, which makes visibility really tough. I could remove them, but since my sunglasses are prescription to help my distance vision, I would be in just as bad of shape without them. 

As I run through the mile-11 aid station, I hear a friendly voice asking if I want a rain poncho. Chris has long since finished his race and run back out to pace me in to the finish. I take a minute to get the poncho on. It's tough, as my hands are cold and not want to work very well. One of the volunteers helps me separate it and I finally slip it over my torso. If nothing else, it will break the wind for me. 

As we start back out, I push myself. I'm fading fast, but Chris encourages me on. My breathing is labored, but I'm determined now. He mentions that I'm still on pace to break the two-hour mark, which also means, I've still got a shot at a PR. It was awesome of Chris to run back out to bring me in. I ask about how his race went. He won it, lol. Not his age group, but the whole race. This guy is phenomenal and what I do shouldn't even be called 'running' in comparison to him.

As we approach the finish line, Chris tapers off to the side and I force myself through the arch. . . oops, the arch was taken out by the wind. I cross the finish line regardless. The clock was not showing 2-hours yet and so, I must have broken that mark. After catching my breath, I head over to check my official time - 1:59:33. It's not a PR (I ran Napa less than a minute faster two months ago), but considering the weather challenges, I'm extremely happy with this time. We get back just in time for Chris to accept his prize for winning the 5k, a case of Woodbridge Wine, specifically made for this event. The Avenue of the Vines Zinfandel, which we get to taste at the finish line, is outstanding. Chris gives me three bottles from his case and we head back to the hotel to get dry. What a great day!!