This year, I made a couple of goals for running:
- Run 6 half marathons
- Run a total of 1000 miles
Avenue of the Giants was #3 on my list for half marathons. I was really excited for this one because it has a good reputation of being a well organized event, it is located in a ‘bucket-list’ beautiful location, and it is the first one I am doing that is not considered “local”, so the ‘awesome’ factor goes up.
Since this was a special family trip, we decided to splurge a little and stay in a nicer property. We booked the Family Suite at Carter House Inns. This is a boutique hotel, with a couple cottages and a Victorian house. Our room was in the top floor of the house. It is a two bedroom suite. Here is the house, and the master bedroom.
The view from the master bedroom is of the historic Carson Mansion, which is currently a private club. The photo on the left is from our bedroom window, the one on the right was taken while on a walk. They light it up at night from the outside, and makes it look creepy-cool.
The town of Eureka is about 45 minutes north of the run. Carter House is located in the historic district and contains a few block of shops and galleries to explore. DH and I spent a few hours doing that and stopped for delicious halibut and chips at Gallagher’s Irish Pub. While this area is historic and charming, there is also an element of either homeless and/or street drug culture. Just an observation, since it was not something I was expecting for this small town.
There is so much (or little) do do around here. Between the ocean, the redwoods, and the smattering of little towns, it’s a great place to get lost for a while.
We arrived Saturday evening. It was about a 5.5 hour drive. Much of it was winding roads. We were all ready to be still and rest the remainder of the evening.
Sunday morning, I left early to drive to the run. The Carter House was kind enough to pack me a (requested) toasted peanut butter sandwich, banana, and coffee to take with me since I was not going to be there for their breakfast. They had someone meet me at six a.m., even though the restaurant does not open until 7:30. I had made a request over the phone, but did not expect it of them. It was much appreciated that they made it happen.
The drive down was beautiful. It was a misty morning, with clouds trapped like a ribbon, running horizontal across a hill. Cows and horses on the fields below.
Parking for the run was located on a dry riverbed. It made for a short, slow, bumpy ride, but the proximity to the start was appreciated. I also noticed a good number of people who parked RVs along the road and camped instead of booking a hotel, motel, or other form of lodging.
It was cool, but not cold. I picked up my bib and swag and went back to the car to stay warm. The swag included a tech shirt, a cinch backpack/tote, a steel water bottle, and a packet of forget-me-not seeds. So charming.
This race (Avenue of the Giants) has staggered start times. The marathon starts at 7:45am, the half at 8:45am, and the 10K at 9:00am. It is almost unheard of in the Sacramento area to have a race start that late (usually due to heat). It felt decadent to have a slower paced morning to get ready.
Prior to the run, I met up with some people from one of the running clubs I belong to. Hogwarts Running Club is an international group of runners all over the world who enjoy running and raising money through Charity Miles, all under a Harry Potter theme/fandom. House competition between the four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin), makes it fun, all while doing so much good, both for yourself and others. (BTW, you pick the house you want to be in and can do this based on a quiz you take or whichever you feel you align with most. I’m in Gryffindor. Community is built through private house Facebook pages. There is also a ‘Great Hall’ where everyone communicates, as well as a local NorCal group.)
Some of the NorCal HRC members…1 Gryffindor, 3 Ravenclaw, and 1 Hufflepuff)
I had planned to meet up with a sole sister runner from our local ‘Moms Run This Town‘ chapter, but we did not connect. However, I did see someone with one of our local shirts on, but she was going the opposite direction and I could not tell what chapter she was in. Also, someone called out my name, but she was also going the other way in passing and I could not tell who it was. No one has come forward to say it was them, so now I wonder if I was mistaken in hearing my name being called.
This race is an out and back. All runners run the same route with the 10k runners turning sooner, the half marathoners making one out and back, and the marathoners making two out and backs, like a bow. They actually shut off a stretch of the incredible ‘Avenue of the Giants’ road and that is all we ran! I can’t describe the feeling during the run. Even though there were many other runners, and I felt the community all around me, at the same time, I felt completely alone, but not in a lonely way. The quiet of the majestic gigantic redwoods absorbed most noise and created a feeling of reverence, almost sacred.
The route was for the most part quite flat. This is a Boston qualifying route and I can see why this is a popular one to race. The beauty, the shade and cool provided by the trees, coupled with the opportunity for making great time is a perfect combination.
This was the start of the race, within the first half mile. This was the only time it was slightly crowded, although never a factor for time…everyone had enough space.
Because it was out and back, we crossed with elite marathon runners, as well as walkers. The elite runners had their own bicycle escort go before them to clear the path for the runner (not sure if they provided their own or if the event provided them). It was amazing to be able to pass by the runners and cheer them on and have an occasional marathon runner actually reciprocate (most are in ‘the zone’).
Wild ferns and iris covered the forest floor. It was precious. It was lovely. It smelled earthy and good.
Speaking of smells…OH.MY.GOODNESS!! While passing a small campground tucked back in the woods, someone was cooking bacon and eggs over a campfire. The combination of the redwood smell, the damp forest floor smell, the burning campfire smell, the bacon and eggs smell, LORD HAVE MERCY!!!!
That moment was probably the closest to heaven I was going to get any time soon…the visual, the aural, the olfactory, the rhythm of the shoes on pavement…bliss.
This race has been going on since 1972 and they have pretty much worked out any and all the bugs there might be. Aside from their website that can use some TLC, this experience overall has been pretty perfect.
Porta potties galore at the start/finish and plenty along the route. There were still a few runners I saw run off into the bushes (watch for poison oak), but this route is a runner’s dream, if ‘runner’s trots’ are your nightmare.
The same goes for aid stations. Because of the out and back configuration, the event did not need to staff as many stations as a different type of route would. All stations had water and electrolytes, and most had oranges, bananas, and watermelon slices.
I was a little concerned about proper hydration because this was the first time I was going to run this distance with my hip belt instead of my hydration pack. I joke that I am the “mini van mom of runners” because I will pack enough fuel and hydration for myself and anyone else that might need something. But, I needed to keep my back visible (will explain later), so went with the hip belt. The aid stations were sufficient and I only went through 1.5 of my two small water bottles.
With this being my third half marathon of this year, I think I have hit upon the good balance of appropriate fuel for pre-race, and during. I am finding that fat and/or dairy do not serve me well the day before and I cut dairy out after that cup of coffee the day before. The best dinner for me the night before is either something like a teriyaki chicken and veggie dish over rice, or sushi.
Breakfast two hours prior on the day of the race: Peanut butter toasted sandwich, banana, and a small cup of black coffee.
During the race: for the past two races, I ate a Honey Stingers waffle between miles 5 and 6, and a Huma gel between miles 9 and 10. The gels come with or without caffeine, and if with caffeine, there are different levels of caffeine. I have had issues with the higher levels of caffeine and am now trying to stay away from those.
For this run, I had packed a waffle and a gel that had the lower level of caffeine. I just could not eat the waffle at mile 5; my body wanted nothing to do with it. So, I was a little peeved with myself for not packing an extra gel, but I had no room to put it. So, instead, I slowly sucked on half of the gel between five and six and then the rest between nine and ten. I felt pretty good with this, having decent energy and no digestive issues at all. Still, no matter what, that last mile (or three) is hard.
For the first half marathon, I had filled my hydration pack with electrolytes, (I like Ultima Replenisher), drank that through the race, and drank water at the aid stations. By mile 10, I was ‘electrolyted’ out and was dying to get to the remaining aid stations for water. The last two half marathons, I have packed water and drank whatever electrolytes were at the aid stations, (for sure at the early aid stations. Towards the end it seems I just want water.) This seems to work well for me.
There was no music or bands along the way, except for one guy with a ukulele or something like that near one of the aid stations. I am pretty sure he was local flavor and not a planned event musician. Props to him for staying and singing for hours. He definitely brought smiles to many.
Side note: Music is often a nice distraction, but this route did not need it. The quiet was its own music. They also have a no headphones policy, although I did see a fair share of runners not complying. They will call you out if you cross the finish line wearing them.
At miles 10-12, I leapfrogged with a 70-something year old man. He finished strong well before me. I lost him at the end. He was such an inspiration, not just for the fact that he was running a half marathon at his age, but also because he kept looking up at the trees and exclaiming how majestic, gorgeous, magnificent they were, and how wonderful it was to be there. He shared with me how he couldn’t wait to walk the Lost Coast Trail with his wife the next day and share this splendor with her. As I kept looking down those last few miles, watching him reminded me to keep looking up and around and soak it all in.
On to my shirt and the reason why I could not wear the hydration pack…
Through one of the runners I follow on Facebook (Derek Mitchell), I learned about the mother of a soldier who was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. She wanted to honor his memory by having someone run in his memory in all fifty states. I was given the opportunity to run for ‘California’. She sent me a custom made shirt to wear to the run and I was to send her a photo of me wearing the shirt at the run. Once she gets photos from runners in all fifty states, she is transferring the photos on to a memorial quilt. She has a memorial page for him on Facebook. If you are a runner, (of know a runner) in a state that is still open and is interested in participating in this, let her know!
Spc. Trevor A. Pinnick’s Memorial Page
I had debated about wearing sunglasses since I knew we would be in shade most of the time. It was still overcast when the race started (when we were in the open), and aside from a few little sunspots here and there, we really were covered in shade the whole time. I was glad I did not wear them because I did not need them. That is, until I crossed the finish line. You cross the finish line and go from full shade to full sun. And it was hot! And I felt weird. I became disoriented for a few seconds. I swear the guy that handed me a water bottle was Jeff Galloway! When I went back to confirm if it was him a minute later, he was gone. Spooky… 🙂
They had a few food trucks at the finish for items to buy. They were family type trucks. One offered tamales, and another, breakfast and regular burritos. The event also offered free: fruit, and whole wheat tortillas with pb&j or nutella. Nothing sounded good. I was hot. I decided to head for home.
Typically, for a post run meal, I like burgers or pizza, washed down with beer. For this run, while driving home, the craving for fish and chips hit hard! A new post meal option was born! Lunch was fish, chips, and beer. Then, back at our room, a good soak in the tub, and I was good to go for the rest of the night.
Carter House Inn has an upscale restaurant. This is where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast every morning. We also enjoyed a magnificent dinner the night after the run. David and I chose a multi course tasting menu with wine pairing. All the dishes were delicious and the pairings perfect. Two of the dishes, we both say are the best things we have ever eaten. I wish I took pictures. It might have been the ambience. It might have been the wine. It might have been the service. It might have been the company. It might have been the combination of these things, but for sure, the chefs who prepared these dishes are gifted and I look forward to returning. Appetizer: Shaved black truffle gnocchi / Dessert: Opera Cake.
We ended up spending three nights, relaxing, walking, exploring, chilling. We have already booked the room to return same time next year. I plan on running ‘Avenue of the Giants’ again and will register as soon as registration opens. We are already talking about making this a family tradition.
Last thing. I felt so spoiled at Carter House Inns. They kept referring to me in conversation to each other as ‘the runner’. I kept wanting to interject and say,”I don’t think I’m the person you think I am”. Every time I walked in the door, someone at either the reception desk or restaurant would immediately ask me how the run was, if I needed anything, and was so supportive and encouraging. I felt like a celebrity athlete. The odds of me returning to this property is pretty darn high 🙂 (They also let us bring our puppies, for a small fee, of course. Bonus!) This place is perfect for couples, but except for a couple of suites that are fine with older kids, it’s not really suited for large families or with young children.
Our friend Rachel ran with us the whole time. She is typically a fast little bunny, but she was recovering from an injury and took it easy. It was obvious we weren’t in it for time based on all the fun photos we took…
Thumbs up at the top!
