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Monday, November 7, 2011

Rocking in Savannah

Can't you see me in the photo? Oh, that's right I was 1 of 23,000 people running in Savannah this past weekend. My very good friend, Cristin and I have been training for 12 weeks to complete our first half marathon. We did it! We also had a blast traveling together and I just wanted to record some of our "note to self" moments. I have such a terrible memory, I would like to have this to look back on one day.
The weekend started on Friday afternoon at the Talmadge St Bridge. Actually on the bridge for quite a long time and I have a fear of heights. Traffic was obscene! It was an hour wait to get to the Expo Center to pick up our race packets, swag bag, and bibs. Note to self - don't wait until Friday afternoon to pick up items (with the other 22,000 people) when you could get them Friday morning.

Thankfully, I called the hotel to see if I could cancel my second night reservation since we were only staying one night....did I mention that there were 23,000 people running this race and I stumbled upon a hotel room just 4 weeks prior to the race? One small thing, they wanted a two night minimum. Check, got the room, will settle that problem when I get there. Oh and by the way, that shuttle ride we promised you on race day, you know the one from the hotel to the start line.... well, the trolley service backed out of the deal. Good thing I called because we were able to reserve tickets on another bus for a ride to the start line at a whopping 35$ a head. At least now I had suffice reason to start my plea to cancel my second night reservation. Did I mention that it was estimated for Savannah to gross 23 million dollars from this event? You have got to be kidding me? Note to self - reserve room closer to event and give yourself a little more search time.

Port a potties can be your friend at 6:15 am in unseasonably cold and windy downtown Savannah. We were right on the river, the wind was whipping around at 15 mph and it was still dark outside. I was shivering to the core because I had a long sleeve shirt and shorts on....so I preceded to find a food tent and help pass out bagels just to stay warm. SO not only did I run the race, I was a volunteer for about an hour. That tent was so cozy and warm compared to the naked wind. I still had about 15 minutes prior to the race so I sought a port a potty to give me shelter from the cold weather. I'm not proud. Note to self - wear warmer clothes when windy conditions are advised.

Ok, so then we ran 13.1 miles - that was truly the easy part. The hardest part is the first 3 miles, the rest was a breeze. I just want to remember the people of Savannah that were outside standing in their lawns or along side of the road cheering on total strangers. There were kids and adults hanging out their hands for high fives as the runners passed them. People were enthusiastic and excited to be there. What a great host city for the first Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon I completed. The words of encouragement and signs made for individuals brought tears to my eyes multiple times. Individuals were running for different reasons.... some survivors, some in honor of friends and family members they lost to leukemia. One lady had a picture of her 6 year old son pinned to her back - she was a mom running in his honor. Note to self - live everyday as if it is my last, love my family and friends, and don't sweat the small stuff.
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