Napa Valley Run: The wine, the run, and more wine!
I had you at wine, didn’t I? That’s usually what catches my attention! And it sure did when my new running friend mentioned she was signed up for the Napa Valley Run. Mercedes was traveling all the way from Texas, so I figured I could make the short three hour drive to Napa. Since the race was only a few short weeks a way, the half marathon was unfortunately sold out; but I WAS able to snag a spot in the Rose 5K!
Napa Valley Run
California boosts for it’s clement weather, thus making it a great place to run most parts of the year. Check out Avenue of the Giants California run also for perfect weather. This run did not disappoint. The event was held in mid-summer and the weather had a slight chill in the morning. But it turned out to be a beautiful day. The Rose 5K was scenic (as I expected from a Napa Valley Run!) and went by very quickly. Sebastiani winery hosted a rest stop close to mile 1 that poured hearty ‘tastings’ of sauvinon blanc that was surprisingly refreshing during the run.
Although we could have continued mingling for hours, we proceeded with the easy run. We were definitely excited to get to the next part of the day, the wine!
Destination Races, Napa Valley run sells out quickly each year, so plan ahead and book early!
The Wine
I never realized how close I live to Napa Valley! For as much as I enjoy wine, I hadn’t been to Napa in 8 years! (insert shamed face here) We visited Artesa for a tasting and the views were stunning! Although Napa valley was hosting a half marathon weekend, we were the only ones silly enough to wear our running clothes wine tasting. Attire is business casual-formal amongst most of the valley; so dress accordingly. There was even a bachelorette party in very formal prom dresses.
There are countless INCREDIBLE options of wine tasting in this region, all of which can be explored here: https://www.visitnapavalley.com/wineries/winery-map/.
When you make the trip to California to visit wine country, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE a few extras stops. Take an extra few days to travel north to Lake County and stop by Gregory Graham wineries. Or head East 2 hours to Shenandoah valley. The wine is less expensive in these areas, but still produces the highest quality that the California sun has to nurture.
I fully anticipate more of my Destination runs to include wine tasting, and I can’t wait to share them with you here!