Rockin' N Rollin'....

I didn’t feel mentally or physically prepared to run 13.1 miles. I had just had a bout with the CRUD, two weeks of nasal and chest congestion followed by an ear infection. I didn’t feel 100% recovered to run my best. Having paid my entry fee and wanting to honor my promise of a mother/daughter weekend, I headed to Savannah with a goal of a two hour and fifteen minute finish time in the Inaugural Rock ‘N Roll ½ Marathon being held there this past Saturday.

Mentally, I was down about lack of proper training and missing my son’s final regular season high school football game on Friday evening. Lexington High School finished the regular season with an 11-0 record (a first since the early 1950’s) and the title of Region Champs. Friday evening my body was in Savannah listening to the 107.9 WLXM livestream, but my heart was in Lexington.

I set my alarm for 4:00 am Saturday morning and hoped for the best. After a light breakfast of two cups of coffee and ½ a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, my sister-in-law dropped me at the Savannah Mall to catch a shuttle to the Race Start drop off area in downtown historic Savannah. It was pitch black outside and a windy 48 degrees. On the shuttle ride, I quickly bonded with Amy Daniels of Charleston.

Amy and I arrived at the Race Site just minutes before 6:00 am and quickly found a spot in the Holiday Inn Express lobby to sit and stay warm until time to go to our corrals. During that time, I loved observing my fellow runners. They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. I’ve learned that you can never judge a person’s ability, stamina or endurance based on what they look like.

By 7:00 am we headed to our respective corrals to wait for our wave start times. I was freezing. I mean teeth-chattering freezing. Again, I hoped and prayed for the best. As each corral slowly moved forward to the start line, I began to get really pumped. It’s hard to not get pumped up when you are among 20,000 plus fellow
runners yelling with enthusiasm. It’s a pretty good feeling.

Sixteen minutes after the first corral took off, I crossed the start line with good energy. The race course proved to be flat as promised and I ended up with a finish time of 2:19 and 34 seconds. I’m pretty pleased with that even though I didn’t make my goal time. I felt strong and good throughout the race, only feeling a bit fatigued at mile 9.

Despite the rule nothing new on race day, I tried two new things. I ran without my Ipod and really enjoyed being able to hear the bands and talk with my fellow runners. I will definitely run my next race without it.

Needing a place to carry my cell phone, money, and chapstick, I wore a Nathan
Shadow Runner’s Pak. It was perfect! I didn’t even notice I had it on, it was just the right size for what I needed to carry and it has the everyday Todd & Moore low price of $17. 99. I give it a huge thumbs up! Along with my Garmin, it’s my new favorite running accessory.

Even though I was freezing at race start time, I ended up being dressed perfectly for the entire race. Champion shorts with built in compression shorts underneath, an Under Armour longsleeve tech t-shirt, and a Moving Comfort head band worked out great for me. Also, my Asics Gel 2160 running shoes did not disappoint.

Overall, the Inaugural Savannah Rock ‘N Roll ½ Marathon was an enjoyable experience for a big race being held in a new city. I loved seeing the beautiful, historic streets of Savannah and southern hospitality was at it’s finest. I love knowing that I can overcome challenges to push myself and complete a ½ marathon.

Gotta run,
Beth McCrary
Sales Associate & Buyer