While this site moves along at a sloth like pace, a recent entry in a half marathon has kept me off my bike even more. It was my fourth 1/2 I’ve ever run, and I was curious to see if a recent 8 week stint in boot camp could propel me past my previous personal record of 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was also a chance to head up North and check out some killer breweries on the way.
The site of the race was the Humboldt Redwood State Park, located off Highway 101 just south of Eureka. The 1/2 marathon course was an out and back route on the Avenue of the Giants, home to some of NorCals finest redwoods.
Here is yours truly at the 12 mile mark. Don’t let the smile fool you, it was all hurt at this point. My socks were failing, giving me a blister on my left foot – and my leg muscles were tightening up, threatening me with a cramp at any moment if I were to push them.
As I crossed the finish line, the timer, to my surprise said 1:59:15. I didn’t think I would make it considering how much my pace slowed down during the last 3 miles. At the half way point of the race, I was at a 8:30 second mile, but that pace faded quickly towards the end of the race. With no watch on me, I had given up on my sub 2 hour goal, but my hard work in the first half of the race paid off. My final time was 1:58:33 – my best yet.
On the way up to the race, I stopped by the Anderson Valley Brewing Co., the North Coast Brewing Co., and the Lost Coast Brewery. If you can’t make the time to head that far north, at least make the time to head out to Boonville to visit Anderson Valley for some great beer and a round of disc golf. Here are a few pics of the fun.
Anderson Valley Brewhouse
What do you get when you cross a deer with a bear? A Beer.
They don’t serve food in the tasting room at Anderson Valley, but they are happy to let you bring your own in. They are plenty of tables to sit at if you don’t want a seat at the bar. There is also a vintage bottle filler on display that Anderson Valley had in use at one point in time.
The next stop in our journey led us to the North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg. Not only did they serve up some great beer, but the food was delicious too, especially the garlic waffle fries.
If you like sporting brewery gear, North Coast has you covered. Across the street from the brewery and restaurant is a shop full of North Coast schwag.
