Savannah

We chose Savannah for our half marathon for several reasons: it's flat, it has perfect weather in November, and the city is beautiful.

On race day we had to wake up at 4:15AM in order to get to our parking spot before the roads were closed off... so by that afternoon we were pretty exhausted. We took a quick nap and then hit River Street Saturday night for a few beers, some pralines, and a delicious dinner after all of those calories we burned off.

We had dinner at Fiddler's Crab House on River Street, and we ate on the porch so we could overlook the river. The atmosphere down there is just so much fun.

 I had some shrimp and grits, which were: to. die. for.

and after dinner we went to "World of Beer".... hello my new favorite bar. 

I'm a beer girl, and this place blew my mind with the amount of beer they have on tap and on the menu.

My word.

They even do beer cocktails... it was an excellent reward after all of that running!

That sums up the rest of our Saturday in Savannah... now I'm dying to go back. I would kill for a few more pralines right about now. This time change has killed me this week!

Happy Friday friends!!

13.1

What a surreal feeling, to finally have my first half marathon behind me.
After spending the last few months training for it, it's hard to let it fully sink in that it's OVER.

The race itself was hands down one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced, I don't even know how to put it all into words. The first ten miles went by so quickly, I've never had a run feel THAT effortless. The entire stretch of the course there were people cheering us on, with hilarious posters and offering so much encouragement. It just made me so emotional to have complete strangers cheering me on, especially after how hard I had worked to be there. I'm a sentimental nut.. but I really kept getting teared up the whole race.

Around mile 10 is when my knees really started hurting, and at the water station I took my first walking break as I drank my water.. but what a mistake! As much as you think a quick walking break will make your body feel a little better, it makes it hurt so much more to start running again. Once I picked back up I just kept repeating to myself "JUST. KEEP. GOING." over and over. The last few miles seemed to drag... and mile 13 I thought would NEVER end. It seemed like 3 miles instead of one. Finally rounding the corner to see that finish line was so rewarding.

My goal for the race was 2:30.. and my time ended up being 2:28:02 so I was thrilled considering it's my first one! I ran my Nike Running app during the race so I could look at my breakdown for each mile, and my paces for several miles are the same, down to the second. So I was very pleased that I was able to maintain a consistent pace throughout.

 I really can't stress enough how incredible training for a half, and finally completing one can be. I thought it seemed impossible, and I would never be able to tackle it. But I'm telling you right now, it's doable. I could barely run a mile in May without feeling like death, and now I can complete 13.1? It's unreal how much you can push your body and overcome things you never dreamed you were capable of. If it's one of those things you've always wanted to do, I'm telling you now to DO IT. I promise you won't regret it. You will hate running some days, and question yourself over why you put yourself through it, but you will learn to love it on others... and the accomplishment is so rewarding.

The Rock 'n' Roll Savannah half marathon is definitely happening again next year, and I'm so thankful for all of you who sent me emails and information about your training plans. You all helped me tremendously!

Girl's Weekend

As you saw in yesterday's post, 
Sarah and myself spent the weekend in the beautiful city of Savannah.

I hadn't been since 8th grade, so I had a blast walking around and being a total tourist.



We strolled along River Street, making a stop at River Street Sweets for some pralines and other goodies.

We had lunch at the Cotton Exchange Tavern overlooking the river before we headed up into the historical district for some serious sight-seeing.

We made a pit stop at Leopold's, and whadya know? 

It was their 93rd birthday.. so we joined in the festivities and enjoyed ourselves some 93 cent ice cream cones.

 Possibly some of the best ice cream I've ever had. 

It was such a fun weekend, and ended far too quickly.
I definitely can't wait to head back to Savannah in just a few months for the Half Marathon now!
I'm kind of in love with that little city.

Savannah with some Lovely Ladies.

I'm back from Savannah!
and what a wonderful time we had.
I want to go back.... now.

Saturday night Sarah and I were able to meet Sonja for dinner at Jazz'd in Savannah. She drove up to meet us, and I am so thankful she did! She is one of the sweetest people ever, and we all had so much fun being nerds talking about blogging.

 

Jazz'd was a really good restaurant, we ordered Prosciutto wrapped Scallops, some Shrimp and Grits, Blackened Salmon... and a cheese dish that wasn't exactly a winner. 

I love meeting bloggers, it's so wonderful to be able to see how authentic they really are on their blog. Sonja is the real deal. Love her.

Can't wait to share more from our trip tomorrow!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!