Running Between the Vines

This is my 6th half marathon for 2014 and the first one of the 4 upcoming halfs that will moon me up in the Half Fanatics.

We found this race by talking to another runner at Fleet Feet and she mentioned a run up in Michigan that goes through a vineyard. Rick found this one online and we thought it was the one she mentioned, but it turned out that she was thinking of another one.

We drove up to Michigan Friday, checked into the hotel and picked up my bib and shirt at the vineyard. Went to bed early and made sure our alarm clocks were set on the correct time zone We got up early to go through my race routine. The manager of the Holiday Inn was nice enough that he had the staff start the breakfast early so Rick got some food to eat.

It was good that we left really early to go to the vineyard, because getting into the parking area tool awhile, and of course I had to go to the bathroom. The corrals were wet up by people holding pace times. I went into the 10 minute mile corral and waited there until they had the national anthem and the start of the race.

When we left we ran down the street where the entrance to the parking area was and it was backed up. The majority of the course had us run through gravel roads. There was a long stretch that had rock and bumpy surfaces that i was mostly looking down at the road to make sure my footing was secure and avoid a possible injury. Another course challenge was all the hills. This is the first race that had so many hills. That really gave my calves a workout.

The course brought us all around the countryside of Jackson and it was a beautiful morning for a race. Sunny with a light breeze kept me comfortable throughout the race. When I came up to the finish I heard a group of people yelling “Go Chaddieboy!” Apparently Rick made some friends while waiting fir my return. I finished the race in 2hrs 40min 34sec. Keeping me within my average.

The racers called Running Between the Vines, we really didn’t run between them. They had us finish by the vines and we were able to walk through the vines. They gave us the finishers medal and a etched wine glass. During the after party they had a wine tasting and had food from local vendors.

This was a nice run, beautiful scenery and we had beautiful weather for the run. I would run this one again if it aligns with my scheduling.