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Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon - RunMarathon


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Savannah, Georgia
United States
Competitor Group, Inc.
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 23m 59s
Overall Rank = 231/4722
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 36/407
Pre-race routine:

Pretty decent nights sleep for a change (took Tylenol PM). Woke up at 5am and got coffee, breakfast, and quick hot shower to loosen/wake up. We were staying less than 2 blocks from the start line so no need to rush anywhere which was awesome. Got to the start around 7:10 and there was no real line to get in my corral so my wife and I just hung out until it got closer. My corral was the least crowded corral I have ever been in for a big race like this. Had plenty of room.
Event warmup:

Stretched in hotel and 2 minute walk to the start!
Run
  • 3h 23m 59s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 07m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

Wasn't sure what the day would hold. Sprained my ankle last Saturday on my last real taper run but by Thursday was feeling better. Made sure to ice it constantly through the week. Also pulled my back three weeks ago and while the pain was gone, stiffness was still there. Hoped and prayed both would stay at bay on race day and they did.

After last years BQ attempt blowup in Chicago, I decieded to run/train for this one as "fun run", especially since I only had 5 weeks between my HIM and the marathon. I used a beginner marathon training plan so my miles were no where what they were for last years BQ attempt. "Relax, have fun" was the motto this year. And it worked.

Really had no idea what I would be able to do since I really did zero speedwork while training for the HIM (and none after it was over either). Just slow and steady runs. I figured best case senerio was a 3:25 and would be thrilled to just break my PR of 3:32.

Set my pace out of the gun at 7:45 and would try and hold it for as long as I could. Since I was in corral 2, I had nice wide roads with minimal crowding so I was able to just run my pace and not worry about dodging thousands of people. Was able to hit my target pace almost immediately and it felt good. Weather was a perfect 48 degrees at the start, although a bit windy.

Through the halfway point, I was still feeling excellent and pace was still dead on. Right around mile 20 or so, we started running into a 15mph headwind and wondered when the wall would come up to meet me but so far, so good. Then we got up on the Thruman parkway and were hit with a fierce headwind for the 21-24 mile stretch with nothing to block the wind. Pace immediately slowed down :15/m in the wind. It was a chore to keep moving but phyically I still felt great. I was really mentally pumping myself up at this point as I knew I would beat my PR unless I came to a complete stop.

The wall never came, but it sure was chasing me the last mile. After we got off the parkway and back into downtown, right around mile 25, my whole body felt like it was seconds from going into full cramp mode. I mean quads, hamstrings, and calfs were all starting to twinge. Oh come on...one more freaking mile! I shortened up my stride and did everything I could do to avoid the cramps. Having thousands of people lining the last mile sure helped. Finally saw the 26 mile marker up ahead and knew I would be ok so I picked up the pace to finish strong. Then I saw my wife cheering me on (she had to drop to the half as ITBS got the better of her) and gave me another burst through the finish. Smiled as went through the shoot, and I felt awesome! Looked at my watch and smiled even more! 3:23:59 - an almost 9 minute PR.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Ran a perfect race for my training and race day conditions.
Post race
Warm down:

There was nothing "warm" about the finish. The wind was still blowing hard in the park and I was freezing. Got my free beer, watch a little of Carolina Liar perform and couldn't stop shaking so we headed back to the hotel to get a hot shower. We then hit the town and lived it up as long as we could! Stumbled back to the hotel around 9 and passed out hard. Woke up the next morning...and signed up for Ironman Florida!

Event comments:

I though race day was run extremely well for a first time event (especially for the size - 25,000). Corrals worked well, aid stations well manned. Great crowd support, especially for the second half (except for the 4+ miles on the freeway). The only thing I didn't like was the miles on the freeway at the end. Tough spot to put the lonelist miles and the only real elevation changes on the course (and the headwind was brutal). There were some traffic issues getting to the expo but it wasn't too bad for us (although people coming late had miles backup).




Last updated: 2011-08-08 12:00 AM
Running
03:23:59 | 26.2 miles | 07m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 36/407
Overall: 231/4722
Performance: Good
Offical Splits: 5k - 23:52 10k - 48:02 10m - 1:17:22 13.1m - 1:41:18 20m - 2:34:33
Course: Relatively flat course through Savannah with the exception of the miles on the Thruman Parkway (elevated freeway).
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2011-11-07 8:15 AM

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