RnR Savannah - A Rockin' Weekend!

This past weekend Scott joined me for my 8th half marathon of the year. It was great to finally have a little getaway with him and several friends from the Badass Fitness army in Savannah. This race also marked my "encore" with the Rock N Roll Series, that means I completed 2 of their races in one year. I look forward to receiving my Rock Encore Medal in a few weeks. 

Friday was the typical pre-race day! Once we arrived in Savannah, Scott and I found a local seafood spot and enjoyed a lovely lunch. After the badass team arrived in town we headed for the Expo. This would be my only complaint about the weekend. The transportation to the expo took longer than expected and the expo itself was an organized disaster. I'm certain we missed a few booths due to the poor design of the setup. One highlight of the expo was meeting Josiah from the Hot Chocolate 15K series. I have been working closely with him preparing information for the blog as an Ambassador for the event in Atlanta. It was nice to finally put a face with the name! 

Josiah and I at the Hot Chocolate Tent

Badass Fitness all checked in! 

That evening consisted of a exploring River Street and grabbing a lovely meal at the River House Seafood restaurant. All our pre-race rituals reminded the same, except we were missing a key member of the BadassBabes. After a quick check in with AC, we were off to get some rest! 

4:45am Saturday came very early! I was so excited that I barely got any sleep and we woke up to chilly temperatures! Thank goodness for a throw-away sweatshirt, ha! We weren't too sure about the race day transportation after the prior days experience; however, the trolley dropped us off right at the start line. YAY - redemption to an infinite degree! We met up with lots of Tallahassee friends at the start line.  

Here's a few pre-race snapshots: 

The Hall's and I at the start! 

The Badass Army 

Jen, Jamie and I  - do we look cold?! LOL

The Hubs and I before he headed off for breakfast! 

I was also fortunate enough to run this race with my oldest friend! Dawn and I attended elementary school together, we were college roommates for a few years and now we are in our 30's still loving life. Our boys are about the same age and made fast friends a few years ago! It was great to see her and her running buddies while in Savannah. Most people would've never thought we'd be running 13 miles - EVER! 

Dawn and I trying to stay warm! 

In true RnR style the race started on time to the roar of a fun crowd! I ran this entire race with my girl, Jen. She and I registered for the race back in March then a few weeks later she suffered a stress fracture during a race in which we were both pushing for a sub-30 5K. She was sidelined for 8 weeks but never gave up on training for the RnR Savannah race. Jen's always been a strong girl and Saturday she showed everyone just how she strong she is! I promised her I would run this with her, not just in spirit but side by side. There were a few times that we got separated at water stops, those were scary moments! LOL! Jen made a goal of finishing her first half marathon around the 2:30 mark and we had an official finish time of 2:20:42! I reminded her at the 12 mile marker that our race wasn't about us, it was about running for those who can't! 

We were both teary eyed when we crossed that finish line! Not only was I excited for Jen but I knew my husband was amongst the crowd at the finish line. Scott has rarely seen me finish a half marathon as most of our trips are girl weekends. Knowing that he was there made this race even that more special! The course was so much fun. The crowds in the neighborhoods kept us going for all those miles with their cheers and bell ringing! All in all the Rock n Roll Savannah was an awesome experience! 

Jen and I after collecting our medals at the finish line! 

Scott and I in Forsyth Park

Saturday evening our crew did a little more exploring of the historic district. We had a blast celebrating a great race. Overall we did not have any PR's in our group but who cares! Sometimes you just have to let go and have fun! We did enjoy celebrating a few first half marathoners!

I'd say the army cleans up quite nicely! 

Scott and I spent a little time just the two of us Sunday prior to departing from Savannah. We drove out to the Bonaventure Cemetery. This cemetery became famous after the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" was written and even more so after the movie was produced. It was nice to stroll around and learn more about the area. If you haven't been there during your travels to Savannah, you should check it out. 

Enjoying a cup of coffee with Mr. Aiken instead of a martini! 

(If you've read the book then you get it, ha. )

Gracie is a famous gravesite in the area. 

This is the most beautiful thing I have seen. 

This is supposed to depict Jesus welcoming you 

into the archway of heaven. 

I was asked on Sunday at breakfast which of the 8 half marathons was my favorite so far this year. Prior to this race I would have said the Women's Running Series - Nashville without blinking an eye; however, I must say this past weekend was close to perfect. We will call it a tie! 

Now, it's time to continue training and preparing for one more half marathon this month. The Badass Babes will head to St. Pete on Nov 23rd for the last Women's Running Series event. We're excited to welcome a new member to the team and help her celebrate her first half marathon!