This morning I got up at 4:30am and got ready and packed up; we left at 5:30am and went straight to the airport afterwards so we had to have everything packed.
We arrived at the shuttle area at the Savannah Mall at 6am and waited about 20 minutes for a shuttle, but the lines were growing longer and longer by the minute. If we had arrived any later, I would have been really nervous.
As we left on the shuttle towards the start, you could see about a mile backup of cars on the road.
The shuttle took 40 minutes so we arrived at the start a few minutes after 7. I’m not sure how people on later shuttles (they ran until 7am) made it to the start on time, but this was one race I was really glad we gave ourselves enough time.
Why hello, you sexy bathrobe. I’ll see you tomorrow too.
Nevertheless, the race started right on time at 7:30. It was pretty chilly at the start and for the first few miles too. I wouldn’t have punched the person giving me gloves and a hat, but I wouldn’t have kissed them either since it wasn’t that bad.
So I had only had a half cup of coffee all morning unfortunately which meant I hadn’t “done the deed”. I knew before the race even started that I would be pulling over and having some alone time with a porta potty. I’ve never had this problem before but I’ve never drunk that little coffee before a race either.
Anyways, we start and I settle into 8:15-8:20 min/miles. I passed the 10k at 58:xx and felt fine except for the fact that I needed to go to the bathroom. You know how much fun it is to run with your cheeks clenched for more than an hour?! yeah, that fun.
I took my first gel at mile 8:75 and at 9 I started praying for a toilet to appear. Finally right before mile 10 I saw some and sprinted over and did my thing. This is my happy post-porta face:
I feel so much lighter! and unclenched!
Miles 14-18 were great miles: I felt good, had energy, was just cruisin’. I took my third gel at 18 and tried to keep the pace right under 8 min/miles.
I passed the 20 mile mark in 2:41 and figured that if I really picked it up, I could slide in under 3:30. Miles 22-24.5 were really boring: we ran on a freeway/highway and we faced a headwind the whole time.
not fun
The course is almost all flat and a large portion even felt downhill, but those couple miles with the wind were tough. I was really running hard from about 18 on, and with each mile I knew I was making tomorrow even tougher, but I couldn’t let myself slow down and not give it a good effort.
I took my 4th and final gel at mile 22 in the wind and struggled it out. Besides the wind for those couple miles, the weather was great – cold at the start but nice and cool the rest of the time.
The forecast called for mid-50s with wind, greasy face and extra nostril.
I was so done when the I hit the finish line – I finished in 3:29:30 (garmin time, official results aren’t out yet) but I really had to run hard to get that. I went into the race wanting to run about a 3:30 but not wanting to put that much effort in; I had wanted to save it for tomorrow. ooooops.
I grabbed some water, bananas, and Snickers energy bars and headed for a shuttle bus to meet my husband at the car. Like that would be easy.
Following the hectic theme that seemed to perfectly describe our entire time in Savannah, there was a 100 mile long line to get on the Mall shuttles. I couldn’t believe it and started worrying that I wouldn’t even make my flight!
But I improvised and jumped on an airport hotel shuttle with no line and had my husband meet me at the hotel drop off; I later found out that those shuttles had cost participants $22 for a shuttle armband. what?! No one asked me if I had one so I guess I lucked out.
I’ll save it all for the race review, but I was very unimpressed with the whole event – the worst Rock ‘n’ Roll race I’ve been a part of. I know it’s an inaugural event so I don’t want to be too harsh, but we both said we doubt we’d ever come to this race again. but that’s really because they only have 1 Chili’s. How are we supposed to get our El Presidente on with only 1 location?!
Oh well, #21 is in the books. On to NYC…
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{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, there is certainly something to be said for drinking more coffee tomorrow! Great finish and good luck!
Congrats on the finish, sucks that it was so organized for the race and stuff. Hope NYC is better tomorrow!
You are amazing!
Great job!!! Can’t wait to see how well you do tomorrow! You are truly a running inspiration!! Plus, very funny!
That is definitely the back of my head in the center of your picture at the starting line, and I think it’s me in your 10k picture in the hot pink top! I ran the half in 1:41:17, a little disappointing since I was trying to break 1:40 but have been deathly ill all week. Congrats and good luck in New York!
Well done, Skinny! Under 3 n a half!
Liked the race report too. I know one part of it Beth from SUAR is going to like, ha ha ha
that’s pretty much why i don’t like to run races that haven’t been going for at least 3 years!
Pretty unbelievable you can run that and do a marathon tmw! Good luck tmw!
sorry the lines were so crazy, but awesome job getting your sub 3:30. i hope you make your flight and love love love that you post a verse with every race.
love the poop update. Wouldn’t be SR without it! Great job and many running blessings tomorrow! Maybe NYC will have TAILwind?
Awesome job! See you tomorrow
Congrats on the time! I live in Savannah and I’m pretty sure I won’t be running this again either. (I did the half!) Too much stress for so much money. Hopefully they can get it together in the next couple years, but I don’t hold out much hope with our city leadership! Sorry you couldn’t stay longer cause the city is actually pretty amazing! Good luck tomorrow!
Glad you had a good time, but sorry you didn’t like the whole event. I will say that from what I saw it was super unorganized and they probably didn’t think it through. But I can’t wait to do it next year! I want to say I can do a half marathon. Good luck tomorrow!
muchos respect!! Awesome. Best of luck tomorrow!! I’ll be thinking of you on my paltry 6 mile run!!!
I am so proud and glowing that you had poop talk in this post. I like to think you devoted it to me. And a 9:29 mile including taking a dump is phenomenal. You should get a spot on the podium just for that.
I gotta say I was impressed with the pace that mile too.
I was SO screaming profanities throughout miles 21-24. Seriously. We ran on an effing highway????
This was my first RnR race and I was really unimpressed. I’m hoping Vegas (just the half) proves me wrong. Regardless, I won’t be running Savannah again.
Good luck in NY!
Half marathon #2 for me– I was in the lines at the Savannah mall and let me tell you, they were long! We stood in line for over 30 minutes and didn’t get to the race until 7:30. Packet pick-up is a whole nother story :-/ The race went well, but I was also super unimpressed with it all. Have fun with your race tomorrow!
congrats and you are freaking amazing. cannot believe you are running NYC tomorrow. good luck!
Now I can check Savannah off of the list of places to live. The Hus couldn’t live with only one chili’s too.
Congrats girl! Bring the heat tomorrow too!
umm, so I ran the philly rock n roll half last year (also inaugural, they bought out a local race) and it was also soo poorly organized, the expo a disaster, and none of the bands were set up since I started in an early corral so they busted out the Eagles fight song at EVERY MUSIC STATION (silence would have been better). My friends that ran it this year said it was great, and Brett Michaels performed at the end. So I guess these things improve.
So excited about you and HRG doing NYCM tomorrow! Y’all are going to knock their faces off…in the best way possible, of course! Good luck!!
Awww, you hated it? I’m sad to hear that. I loved it, but it was my first so I didn’t know any better
. I also stayed .1 miles from the start, so I think that made a huge difference. The line for the ferry to get to the expo was terrifyingly long, but they ended up adding another huge boat, so it only took 20 minutes to get there. I was just glad they still had water/gus/food at the end — I’ve heard horror stories about inaugural races miscalculating that.
Congrats, and good luck tomorrow, you crazy jet-setter!!!
I always love reading these race recaps… motivates me to try harder. My Turkey Trot is a 10K and then I have the half-marathon (my first!!) in February. Have a great time in NYC!
Work it! Looking forward to your NYC race report!
So I follow your blog and think you’re a stellar runner. That being said You are totally RIGht about this race. Really, a expo on a island?!? Who came up with that!! It was hurry up and wait with everything!!! Like you said, it’s the inaugural but to many logistical issues, I won’t be back. On top of that, my buddy who also ran (oh we jus did the half, I ran Niagra falls 2 weeks ago and a relay the weekend before that, I’m not as hard as you..yet
anyway he had all his clothes stolen out of his bag!! I left my passport on the bus at Niagra and had zero issues. If the GBI really had to be at that stressful expo couldn’t they have secured the bags better? The race was fine, pr on my half time so cool, but the stress not worth it. Last year I ran my first half at the Solider marathon/half and wanted to do it again this year but decided on savannah….mistake. Anyway sorry about my rant, happy running NYC, it’s my friends 1st marathon and she’s lovesss your blog so she’s gong to try and bump into, she’ll disown me for saying so haha oh and if you’re ever looking for a great marathon the solider really is top knotch, really patriotic and well organized for its only 2nd year too!!
Congrats! Awesome race. Hope you get some rest for tomorrow!
I agree with you 100%. We took it all in stride but it was a very stressful weekend. I still had a 21 minute PR in the half so I’ll take it
You’re effin amazing,
I hate you had a hectic time with traffic in Savannah! I missed the traffic at the expo and the start line was right outside my hotel so I enjoyed my first marathon
Good luck in NYC tomorrow. You will kill it!!
I do know how much fun it is to run with my cheeks clenched for over an hour. Thank goodness for port a potties on the course
You are an awesome daughter and runner!!! Thank you for always calling me when you finish. I hope and pray that you have enough strength, stamina, endurance, and guts to finish NYC tomorrow. Finish the race and Keep the faith!!!!! I love you, MOM
love you MA!
PRECIOUS!!!!!!!
oh thats the worst feeling, the FIND ME A PORTA POTTY run. Maybe it will clear you up for NYC. haha.
Way to go!! Hope you had a safe flight to NY and that you get some rest tonight. Have a blast tomorrow and eat an extra cupcake for us laz-o’s running the Iron Girl 10k
Great job today! I can totally relate to the poop part of the race. GOOD LUCK tomorrow. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Congratulations! FWIW, I ran the inaugural San Antonio Rock n Roll and it sounds exactly the same! Poor planning and unorganized, especially the shuttles before and after. You’d think since they put on so many races they would know better. I did run it again the next year and it was better.
Anyway, way to go dealing with the adversity and meeting your goal for the day! You rock! Good luck to tomorrow – looking forward to the race report!
Most importantly, you ROCK.
But you are also so right about the Sav RnR. I did the half and the logistics of the expo and the parking and running out of water at mile 5 were CRAZY stupid. So disappointing for a RnR race.
Great Job today girl!! Awesome!! Just make sure you finish that FULL cup of java manana!
“GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!!”
xo
ahh! you’re so awesome! can’t wait to hear from you (or see you on tv) tomorrow .
Congrats girl! Nice work today. Good luck tomorrow! I can’t believe you are running back to back marathons. You are awesome!
Great job! I live in savannah and ran the 1/2 today. Sorry you had so much trouble. We went to the expo at around 11 am and had no trouble with traffic. I couldn’t imagine having to ride the shuttle. They do that for the st. Patricks parade and it’s always a nightmare. We had a friend drop us off a few blocks
From the start. Took a min to find the gear drop off and we had to jog up to our corral. I was thinking all day about how stressful the whole thing must be for out of towners!
Girl, you are AWESOME.
SO glad I found your blog- you are frickin’ hilarious! Love, love, LOVE your humour, girl!! I like to think that I’m your biggest Aussie fan (no evidence to prove my theory, but hey, go with it!)
The photo that most caught my eye?? The whopping-great pile of B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!
Due to cyclones/floods wiping out our crops here in Aus at the start of the year, I have not had bananas for most of 2011! (& they were, like, ‘right up there’ on my ‘Top 10 Fruits’ list!) Just this week they have come down in price to about $5/kg….prior to this they were over $12/kg OR you simply couldn’t buy them AT ALL!
Thanks for a great read every day- & good luck with race #2!
I agree. I was telling Michelle around Mile 8 that I didn’t think this race was any different from all our other races and was wondering why everyone keeps saying how awesome Rock n Roll races are. Glad to know this isn’t representative of them because I have Vegas in a month.
Good luck this morning in NYC. I hope you babied those legs yesterday after Savannah.
Sounds Like you went straight to the airport from the race. Were you able to shower somewhere first?
Oh and you are so funny (and skinny) I love your blog!
hahah! Even with a poop you are a speed racer!!! Awesome job!
I’m totally tracking you today at NYC! GOod luck!
1) back to back marathons? You are CRAY CRAY
2) tell Jay sorry about the ut/tech game…we kind kicked ass
3) good luck! I love NY!! Get some crumbs!
Awww, bummer that Savannah wasn’t good for you.
Aren’t the houses down South gorgeous though??
Congrats on the finish – just saw your update on the newest post – despite the crappy race. Love that you included a “poop mile” and the bathrobe into this recap! Hope you have (had?) a great NYC race!
Great job
In case you wanted to read another race review, I spotted one on The Boring Runners blog: http://www.theboringrunner.com/
Great job- so impressive! I wanted to add a comment b/c I ran too and 100% agree about being unimpressed. I didn’t end up making it to the start on time and ended up starting about 10 corrals back. I am even from Savannah and feel like it was a wasted effort to travel from where I live now, in short, it was my running nightmare!
But, Savannah is an INCREDIBLE place to live, don’t judge it by this race!! Again, great race!
I did Savannah and you were in the line next to me at the mall waiting for the buses! I saw someone in a bathrobe and even pointed you out to my husband (we both said that was a pretty good idea!) and then I was reading this and saw you picture
Congrats! You are amazing for running two marathons back-to-back!
Read several Savannah reports…I would expect more from Competitor since they’ve been doing these RnR events for some time now. I get that it’s a new city in their lineup but…how many others of these do they do? For the cost of RnR races I’d expect the logistics to be better (expo location, shuttles, course).
HEY! I’m in one of your pictures!!!!! that ROCKS! #015
I know, I’m late. Story of my life. Savannah was my first race, ever. I stuck with the half. And even though this was only my first race, I was really disappointed in it. So many people were asking: on an island? Really?! With 23,000+ people?! What should’ve been a 2 hour drive for me lasted 3 1/2 because of that danged ol’ bridge. I will be doing this race again next year and hopefully it will be better. If not, then it will be my last year doing any races in Savannah.
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