Back From Savannah Marathon

Sole Sisters and fellow GSO runner Claudette at Savannah Marathon ExpoI'm back home safe and sound after running the inaugural Savannah Rock-n-Roll Marathon on Saturday. In a word, I am beat. Happy and proud, but beat. I kicked out a new PR of 3:29:45. I remember when I first started running 5 years ago thinking, "If I could ever run even just a 5k at a 9-minute pace, I would be so happy." It never even occurred to me as a possibility that I might someday run 26.2 miles at an 8-minute-per-mile pace. I trained hard for this race and I'm super proud of what I accomplished. 

Goofing off at the Finish Line the day before the race. 26.2!I'll post a full recap tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who supported me - Sole Sisters, Blueliners, running friends, best friend, strength coaches, family, and, of course, Blair. It takes so much to train for a race and the time spent on the road is just a portion of it. Running a marathon is a mental race as much as it is a physical one, and I was able to run a good race because I felt the love and encouragement of so many of you behind every step I took. 

Right now, I'm begging my legs to forgive me. A little pre-race stretching by the Sole Sister RockettesI ran four 20-mile training runs this summer and woke up the next day from each like a little energizer bunny, but there's something about those extra 6.2 miles (at pace!) that just beat the life out of you. I can't bend, sit, stretch, or move at the moment. I just shuffle around the house, clutching a bottle of Advil in my hand. 

It's the best feeling in the world! 

Cheers,

Dena