Posts Tagged ‘savannah rock n roll’

How To Celebrate

In case you’re just now getting the chance to catch up, I thought I would clue you in on the awesomeness that was this weekend:

And you better believe the fun didn’t stop there. I had to celebrate such a great experience! In other words, I had to eat some good food and drink some beer.

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After crossing the finish line, I went off to find Peter and then headed over to the party area to eat a banana, gulp down two water bottles, stretch out my sore legs, and grab my free beer. Totally understandable for shortly after 10 am, right? Winking smile

We hung out for awhile in the sun trying to warm up a smidge and listening to Carolina Liar perform.

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Don’t think I have heard of them before, but I liked their music well enough.

Eventually my hunger started kicking in, so Peter and I got up to walk around and find a place to eat. Don’t ask me how my legs managed to walk around for an hour before finally setting on The Distillery for lunch.

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The Distillery was my kind of place…

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Although I don’t hate on the Blue Moon.

Immediately after getting seated I asked the waitress for a recommendation on what to order for a drink. You all know I crave beer hard core after long runs and I had no shame in getting another. She asked if I liked coffee and then recommended the Founder’s Breakfast Stout for a beer.

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It did in fact taste very similar to coffee! I sipped it over the course of my meal, in between huge gulps of water. I was thirsty! And hungry.

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I ordered the Savannah chicken salad which included fried chicken, caramelized onions, sweet potato fries, tomatoes, cheese, and mixed greens. The interesting combination worked really well. I loved the caramelized onions on it!

Once we finished lunch I wanted nothing more than to head back to our hotel room for a nap, which is just what we did. As soon as I got back in the room, I tossed on some pajamas and crashed in bed for a couple of hours. I probably could have slept even more, but had an important date with some super awesome friends to get to.

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Paula, me, Julie, Michelle, Allison, Meghann, and Katy

We met up at the Moon River Brewing Company, a haunted pub in downtown Savannah, for a celebratory dinner.

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Paula and Michelle had run their first full marathons. Allison had run her second marathon and killed it. Julie had rocked out a sub 2 hour race. Katy came back strong in this race after some injuries earlier this year. And Meghann helped her brother Ben achieve an amazing PR in the full. We all had great days and deserved a fun night on the town!

Which, of course, included another beer. Call me a lush if you want, but a few beers over the course of an entire day ain’t no thing!

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This time I went very “hoppy” with a Swampwater IPA. Loved every sip!

Although, not as much as I loved all the conversation!

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moon river brewery 052

For my dinner, I ordered the only thing that sounded perfect. A big burger!

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The black and blue burger with some fries. It wasn’t the best one in the world (slightly dry), but I didn’t complain. I had reached the super-hungry stage of post-race and devoured 3/4 of my plate. Only 3/4 because I had to save room for the second part of our blogger date.

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Love you Meghann for the funny pose for my picture! And the action shots from everyone else. Can you tell we like our ice cream?  Winking smile 

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For the record, if you ever go to Savannah, you must get Leopold’s ice cream. Unbelievably creamy and delicious!

Sadly, from there, we had to all head our own ways and say goodbye. The night (heck – the entire weekend!!) flew by way too fast. It certainly was a fantastic experience. How could it not be? A weekend away with my husband. Killing my first half marathon. And fun with great friends. That’s a weekend to remember and the perfect way to celebrate. Smile

Speaking of celebrating – I never announced the Champion Sports Bra giveaway winners. Guess I shouldn’t have said I would over the course of a traveling weekend. Please forgive me! Now, without further ado, the winners for the Champion Sports Bras (using the random number generator from random.org) are:

#154 – Liz @ Little Bitty Bakes and #98 – Heather @ Better With Veggies !!!! Congrats! Please email me so we can get you all squared away!

  • What’s the last thing you celebrated? How do you like to celebrate?

Posted by on November 7th, 2011 46 Comments

I Did It!!!

One year ago, I heard about the Rock N Roll race series coming to Savannah. One year ago, I was pregnant, uncomfortable, and not feeling very much like myself. One year ago, I craved a challenge. I let the idea of signing up for this race roll around in my mind, although I seriously doubted it would happen. I wasn’t a runner and didn’t think I could take on such a goal.

Nine months ago I started the Couch to 5K program. Nine months ago, I fell in love with running. Nine months ago, I felt the allure and couldn’t get the thought of this race off my mind. Nine months ago, I determined I would race this race.

Two days ago, I ran my first half marathon. Two days ago, I witnessed my body do something a year ago I thought impossible. Two days ago, I shocked myself.

It all started bright and early with a 4 am wake-up call. I fixed myself up a cup of coffee in the hotel and got dressed before heading to the mall shuttles to take us over to the race course. Our bus got lost for a bit, but I didn’t mind the extra long drive. In my mind, it kept me out of the cold and allowed me to leisurely eat my pre-race meal.

Once we finally arrived (after quite a few detours and  confusion), Peter and I walked around to kill some time before the race and attempt to stay warm. The couple of hours we had passed relatively quickly and before I knew it, I needed to head over to my corral for the start.

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Despite the large crowds, the race itself didn’t feel too packed and the wave starts made everything a lot less hectic than I anticipated. About 10 minutes after the official start, I made my way up with my corral to take on my first half. And I was off!

I instantly felt fantastic. It didn’t take the typical mile or two to feel warmed up. I settled into a groove and when I saw my pace felt very comfortable at 8:40 minute miles I kind of got nervous. I didn’t want to go out too fast! But I couldn’t slow down. And I didn’t slow down. In fact, my pace kept picking up.

  • Mile 1 = 8:41
  • Mile 2 = 8:37

The race atmosphere, bands playing, cheerleaders cheering, and locals coming out to give their support kept me going with a smile on my face. Miles 3 through 7 passed by in a blur as I just took in the entire experience.

  • Mile 3 = 8:35
  • Mile 4 = 8:36
  • Mile 5 = 8:31
  • Mile 6 = 8:22
  • Mile 7 = 8:27

Then we hit miles 7 through 9. Almost that entire stretch was wall to wall people cheering as you ran past. Truly amazing!

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I can’t even describe the surge of energy and drive I felt during that portion of the race. I wondered if I would hit a wall soon, but I kept on trucking.

  • Mile 8 = 8:21
  • Mile 9 = 8:16
  • Mile 10 = 8:11

After the ten mile mark, I glanced at my Garmin. I knew I would hit my secret goal of under two hours, which comforted me because I thought there was no way I could keep the pace I had going. I had never run this fast for such a distance.

I ran mile 11 in 8:21 and noticed how good I felt. At that point, I decided to just give it my all. Things had gone well so far and I felt really good, so why not let my body achieve something unimaginable for me? I didn’t have much longer and told myself I could handle anything for just a couple more miles. I bolted.

  • Mile 12 = 8:02
  • Mile 13 = 7:49 (holy cow!!!)
  • extra .2 on Garmin = 1:28 (7:07 min/mile pace)

I wanted to finish strong and finish strong I did. I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes from the overwhelmed emotions and my arms held high.

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With an official chip time at 1:50:08. 1:50:08!!!

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I completed my first half marathon. And I can’t wait to do another…then another…then another. Who knows what is next? Smile I just know I want to celebrate this sweet victory a little longer…

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  • What’s a goal you used to view as impossible, but have since accomplished or work towards now? Or what’s a goal you secretly want to accomplish?
  • How was YOUR weekend?!

Posted by on November 7th, 2011 163 Comments

 

 
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