I ran the 2014 Heart of Ghent 10k on September 20 and had a great time. It was the third year Mettle Events has put on the race and they did a wonderful job. I don't run 10k's frequently, so I looked forward to this change in distance as well as the chance to hit a new PR.

Race Morning dawned cool and early as Doug, who was also running as a tune up for Myrtle Beach, and I chowed down some breakfast and fueled up with waters and E2s. We had opted for Race Day packet pick-up and got to the race location about an hour before the 2014 heart of ghent 10kStart. Parking was a breeze. Plenty of it, all free! We acquired our gear, pinned on numbers, took a short walk to the ample number of line-less Port-a-Potties, came back and snapped a pre-race selfie then he did an 800M warm up and made for the line while I wrapped up my mile with three strides.

We exchanged good lucks and I went to the front. The field looked fast and even if I was going to get passed, I didn't want to get clogged up in a group of walkers with a turn coming quickly after the Start. I chatted with several friendly men and women as we waited for the National Anthem to play then waited again for the roads to finish clearing. After a very short delay, we were off!

As the lead group took off, it felt like I got passed by 15 women. I knew the field had looked fast! Not wanting to sacrifice my entire race, I quickly settled into running my own pace and decided to pick off the ladies in front of me when I had the chance. Coming into the Mile One mark, two ladies passed me but I did a great job of sticking with my own pace and running my race rather than chasing too soon. At the Mile One mark, my watch unsurprisingly read 2.08 miles. I had done an exactly 1.00 mile warm up so I knew my watch would be at least one mile ahead of any course markers and I had taken the middle of the road around the first few turns which left me expecting to have covered extra ground.

At some point between the Mile One and Mile Two markers there was confusion as to where the runners should be directed and I'm not entirely sure a bunch of us didn't run around an extra block. This didn't change the fact that was I was feeling very positive about the performance I had started to put together but really threw me for a curve when I arrived 2014 Heart of Ghent 10kat the Mile 2 mark with my watch unexpectedly reading 2.88. I had tried to hug the curves in the previous section to make up for the possible extra distance but this was much more than I expected.

Around Mile Three the cool morning started to warm up. We hit some wide, tree-less stretches and the sun was full of shine. In spite of the warmth, I felt nothing like I did at the Bay Days 8k and maintained a steady pace for the entire race. A long, softly bending curve past the Mile Four mark gave me the chance to gain a bit on the two women I had been keeping an eye on for the beginning of the race. I took a straight line from one edge of the curve to the other while they both stayed in their lanes and bent with it. Straight line, short distance let me be able to pass the first of these two ladies before Mile Five with the second in easy striking distance.

I passed the second woman I'd been tailing at the top of the Mile Five bridge climb and took note of how far in front of me the next woman I had a shot at was. Far. I counted the seconds between her turn and mine before determining that I wouldn't be able to catch her in 1.5 miles. I was OK with my positioning coming into the last bit of the race knowing I was going to PR and put together a run I was going to be very happy with. Coming down the bridge I was fortunate to come upon a pair of gentlemen to chat with for about 400M before finally passing at the Mile Six mark and could again see the un-catchable woman in front of me.

I knew I was in a good spot for the last 400M and like the Bay Days 8k earlier this month, the Finish line was hiding 50 or so meters from a 90 degree turn which prevented me from being able to leave it all out there and come in a few seconds faster. When I crossed the Finish, my watch read 7.10 miles and 51:32. Subtract my 8:04 warm up and I was right there with a new PR of 43:28. Sort of. The course wasn't certified and I clearly didn't cover the required 6.2 miles. Even if you add the 41 seconds it would have taken me to run that additional 0.10 mile, I still would have beaten my last 10k time by over two minutes. I collected my medal, two bottles of water and knew I had about 15 minutes before I needed to be looking for Doug. I loosened my shoe laces and a nice post-race running recap with Claire, the woman who had been just out of my reach for the last two miles.

Doug crossed the line happy with his time and we hit the after party. Tasty pizza was flowing compliments of Y-Not when we hopped into a long line for beer. The line moved quickly and Doug and I each received two complimentary beverages with the option to purchase additional tickets. At that point we tuned into what the announcer was saying. 2014 heart of ghent 10kWe could scan the QR code hung up at various points around the party zone to check our results. Well, I didn't have a QR reader app on my phone and apparently picked the wrong one to download on the spot because I was unable to access my results even after scanning the code. We would just have to wait and see if my performance had been good enough to earn an award. No big deal, we had cocktails.

We settled down on a grassy spot, stretched some, chatted with our fellow runners and enjoyed our adult sodas when I noticed things in the party zone had quieted down a bit. Awards Ceremony! Because I hadn't been able to get results on my phone, I didn't know if I needed to be there. Luckily for me, I did. Even though I had felt like 15 ladies had passed me at the Start, I discovered I was 6th female overall and won my age group! The award is a 2014 heart of ghent 10kprint from Brandon Foster-Gray, a beautiful photo of the Brambleton Bridge in historic Ghent and a gift certificate to Running, Etc.

2014 Heart of Ghent 10k recap loose ends: The flat course is fast in spite of all the turns, the after party was a blast, the bands at each mile were great, the awards ceremony was nicely done and the awards are super cool. It's a small local event with a friendly family feel, solid organization and wonderful sponsors. The Norfolk Police Department did a good job of managing the traffic trying to cross the runners paths and I did notice several Port-a-Potties lining the course. There were two well staffed water stops though some people mentioned the second one could have come sooner.

I had a fantastic 2014 Heart of Ghent 10k Race Day and will definitely consider running it again.

Rock n Roll Virginia Beach 2014 kicked off my Fall 2014 season and was as one of my most enjoyable races to date. I had the pleasure of pacing the 2:15 group, an incredible new Pacer Booth experience. I barely noticed the miles sliding by as I chatted, cheered and guided a group of awesome runners through the course. Unfortunately, I was unable to get many pictures due to not having my phone all day, but there are a few.

Rock n Roll Virginia Beach 2014 Race morning dawned warm and humid, as expected. I dressed, ate breakfast, had Doug snap this photo (nice shorts tan) and I was on my way around 5:45. Knowing I wouldn't be crossing the Start Line until almost 7:15, I plopped down and relaxed on the grass near my Corral while I waited for go time to get a little closer. At 6:45 I met up with Erin and a few runners who rock n roll virginia beach 2014would be going after RnRVB with us in Corral 9. We inched ever closer to the Start as each corral before us went and were off at 7:12.

I won't do a Mile by Mile recap because, honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to the things I normally do. I was too busy chatting with amazing runners and making sure our group stayed hydrated, together and happy. For the first time in a race I walked through every water stop, which was nice because of the heat, drank half a cup of water and dumped the rest on my head. Each of the 13.1 miles flew by as I cheered, high-fived and encouraged those around to keep going after their goals. One member of our group had run the Flying Pig this year, which I'm thinking about for my Ohio race, and gave me great insider info. Another was prepping for the Marine Corps Marathon as part of her training for the 2015 JFK 50 miler! She ran the first 11 miles with us, then pulled away when we hit the home stretch.

By the timewe hit the Boardwalk, most of our group had taken off ahead or fallen behind so we teamed up to push a few struggling runners to a strong finish. We crossed the Finish Line right on time and congratulated those around us. As I moseyed through the Finish Line chute, snagged my weighty nautical medal, water, snacks and an ice pop while trying not to stab anyone with my big 2:15 stick. Several runners walked up beside me to say thank you as I piled my hands full of Powerbars and Chocolate Milk. One girl told me she fought to keep our signs in her sights the entire race and ended up PRing by 15 minutes! Another said she had made sure we didn't pass her the entire race, picking up the pace when she saw us approaching a water stop behind her and hit her goal of breaking 2:10. The woman who had run with us the first 11 miles before kicking it up to finish hit her goal in 2:12+, having an awesome training run before her Marine Corps event.rock n roll virginia beach 2014With this amazing new experience, however, did come a few notes on the race. First, there was more traffic than I'm used to being in further back in the pack. At one point I was looking for one of the group's runners who had fallen back a bit and ran right into a gentleman who had started walking in front of me. I'm still sorry! There were also a few long miles where there was no music or band in sight which is where I saw the most runners start to fizzle out, especially past mile 8. Notorious for being a hot, humid event I was also surprised there weren't more misters out on the first half of the course. Friendly neighborhoods had hoses out for the last few miles and mile 10 featured wet sponges, but I think a lot of people would have benefited from more cooling on the course. The course itself is flat and fast with lots of shaded areas. Port-a-potties abounded on the roadsides, water stops were well staffed, cheer squads kept things pumped up and the bands were excellent.

April Fools Half Race Day dawned sunny and warmer than the predictions had shown. I was ready to run, but not necessarily ready to race. I had PRed at the Shamrock, and already moved my focus to my post Atlantic City training plans. I dressed in my new Lululemon running tights and fueled up April Fools Halfwith my usual GPS E2. I used the casino floor restroom at Revel, even though there was a bank of Port-a-Potties outside near the Start, and had time for a little stretch before heading outside to find the Start had been delayed 5 minutes. Without corrals, and having seen Doug's tight Start Saturday morning, I knew I needed to be near the front of the pack and made my way through the crowd just before the National Anthem was sung.

We were off right on the delayed Start time, and I did have to work my way around a few walkers during the first mile. I hit Mile One with 1.08 on my watch and settled in for a good, long training run. No new PR, oh well, no big deal. The rest of the southbound portion of Boardwalk running was fairly uneventful, and the fast, flat course was forgiving on legs with the cushy wooden boardwalk giving them a little special treatment for the first and last miles. Early on, there were few pedestrians to avoid, and I easily ran the first 4.5 quiet, scenic Oceanside miles without any worries. After a slow Mile 1 because of the traffic, I clocked Miles 2, 3 and 4 at 7:38, 7:35 and 7:34 with a 5K time of 23:42.

We stepped off the Boardwalk at the Mile 4.5 mark and hit the road. The scenery was a little less interesting here, but I kept a steady pace, crossing the 10K mark at 47:21. I knew I'd hit a headwind at the turnaround point, and as I rounded the flag, there it was. Miles 6.5 through 9 were north on the road, with a headwind that wasn't quite as bad as the Shamrock, but a road that was more banked. I tried to find a flat line to run because my knee was starting to get a little grumpy, keeping my thoughts on returning to the wooden Boardwalk. My pace through this flat but angled road portion stayed right where I wanted it to be, in spite of the wind, and I was on pace to come in right around 1:39 again. Just fine with me.

Turning back onto the Boardwalk at Mile 9, my knee started to feel better and the big hotels gave good protection from the wind. My legs were feeling surprisingly good after facing the wind for 3 miles, so I thought about picking it up for the final 5K, shooting for a new PR. The softness of the Boardwalk made dropping my pace from 7:34 per mile for the first 10 miles to 7:19 per mile for the last 3.1 easy. Even with the faster pace, I had doubts about actually hitting my new PR because bikers, wanderers and morning walkers abounded on this return trip up the boards. Most non-participants were aware of what was going on and stayed out of the way, but there were, of course, a few to run around and a bike that almost hit me. It was a April Fools Halfgorgeous morning for an Oceanside run, the scenery coming back was just as nice as it was heading south and I looked at my watch only to realize I was on pace to PR for the second time this year. I ran my last 1.1 miles hard to see just how much I had left, and crossed the Finish Line with an official time of 1:38:42, 27 seconds faster than Shamrock three weeks earlier.

I felt good as I grabbed my medal, a water, a banana, a few PowerBars and shook my knee out post-race. I sat down for a stretch, happy with my performance, even though I attribute that mostly to the flatter course and lower winds. The April Fools Half Marathon had 1455 finishers (not sure how many were women), of which I was the 14th Female, 6th in the 30-39 Age Group and 66th Overall.

I wasn't the only runner who PRed at the April Fools Half, it was a big day for everyone I knew who was participating, as Hollie took a minute off of her previous PR and Charles lowered his by an amazing 12 minutes! Other important aspects of the race include gear check, which was available, and that the course had plenty of well staffed water and Gatorade stops. I did notice Port-A-Potties sitting next to the course at various intervals, though they didn't appear to be getting much use. Most of the route was pretty April Fools Halfquiet, and ACPD did a great job of keeping the course clear of morning traffic. Smatterings of fans on Miles 2-12 were dwarfed by the big group on the Boardwalk for the last mile and Finish.

We didn't hang out for the post race festivities, going to Johnny Rocket's once again and indulging in a second delectable post-race breakfast. With a final trip to the room, we loaded the car and headed for Philly after a wonderful Race Weekend in Atlantic City. Race organizers did a good job, and I think I'm a little spoiled by the Virginia Beach Boardwalk being shut down for the Shamrock (yes, that event is much, much larger which probably plays a role). The April Fools Half is definitely an event I would consider participating in again, though I worry if it gets too big, the runner traffic would be unmanageable and the course, one of the race biggest assets, would have to change.

2014 Shamrock is in the bag and so is a brand new PR! 1:39:09! Race Weekend was great, and here's my recap:

The weekend kicked off with a fun-filled afternoon volunteering, and shoe shopping, at the Shamrock Expo on Friday and a relaxing Saturdayt. Pre-race swag included a volunteer t-shirt, a Shamrock Half Marathon technical t-shirt, a Shamrock logo emblazoned drawstring bag and, of course, my number.

Race morning began around 5am for the 7am Start with getting dressed in my race gear and eating a big bowl of cereal. Doug and I barely hit any traffic, arriving and parking with plenty of time to spare at the bustling Oceanfront around 6am. I threw in a pre-race foam roll and little warm up while I wrapped up my hydration strategy with a GPS E2 and enjoyed the line free restroom at work. I made for the Start around 6:40, walked the three blocks to Corral 1 in some chilly winds and barely had time to retie my shoes before the national anthem was sung, Team Hoyt was off and, two minutes later, so was I.

Miles 1 and 2 were pretty uneventful. I was getting a feel for the traffic around me, settling into my pace and reminding myself to run my own race and not get caught up with the people passing me. My first two miles were 7:44 and 7:40, respectively, which is exactly where I wanted them. Easy. A handful of cheering fans and a mass of smiling volunteers at the Mile 1.5 Water Stop made me smile as the first 2 miles passed in a blur. Turning onto Shore Drive just before Mile 3, we passed another full staffed Water Stop and entered the tree-lined portion of the course. Here, there was plenty of protection from the wind, and I settled into a comfortable, 7:35/mile average pace. Right where I wanted to be.

Back to boring for Miles 3 and 4. I ran a course I've run often easily and steadily, hugging the woods and staying in the flattest part of the road, the bike lane. A DJ, a band and another well manned Water Stop were the extent of scenery through this portion of the course, and by Mile 5, I was feeling really good. My split was 37:44, and with an 8K PR of 37:12, I took a deep breath and actually sang along with the band at Mile 5.5, who was playing the always enjoyable Hey, Jealousy. Just past that, I made the turn off of Shore Drive and towards Mile 6, stepping onto Fort Story. Hello, wind.

I knew heading east and north would be heading into it, but some of the gusts were stronger than I expected. I brought my pace down a bit, to somewhere between a 7:38 and 7:42, for Miles 6 and 7, knowing I'd get a tailwind as soon as the course turned south again and that it wasn't worth using all of my energy at the halfway point. Similar to those first two miles, there were small groups of fans cheering us on throughout this portion of the course and they definitely helped keep me smiling in less than ideal wind conditions. I ran past the Water Stop at Mile 8, but did get a solid, power-up high-five from an excitable volunteer. Fighting through gusty headwinds for 3.5 miles wasn't very enjoyable, and sometime after Mile 8, but before Mile 9, I got a little light-headed and wished I had stopped for a gulp or two of water back at the Mile 8 marker.

As the course turned south past the Mile 9 sign, I was feeling better and bypassed the next Water Stop at 9.5 miles. At Mile 10 I noticed a friendly tailwind, but also the slight, 1-2% grade I would be climbing for the near future. I usually increase my pace for the final 5K, and I did a good job, with the help of that tailwind, dropping my pace down to a 7:30 until reaching the 2014 Shamrocknext Water Stop. I took a walk break to chug down a few ounces of water at the well staffed Mile 11 Water Stop. That did the job and I knew I could hit my goal with a little room to spare. I maintained my faster pace, clocking Mile 11 in 7:30, with plans to kick it up a notch and run hard to the Finish once making the turn onto Atlantic.

The turn from Atlantic Avenue on the Boardwalk just past Mile 12 was awful. A gushing wind tunnel almost blew my visor off. Luckily, that was short-lived as I turned right onto the flat Boardwalk steps later and caught sight of the Finish. I turned my pace up and had a smile on my face as I breezed through Miles 12 to 13.1 at 7:10, feeling surprisingly good, knowing I had exceeded my goal by at least 30 seconds. Crossing the line, I heard my name, pressed the Stop button on my watch and took a look (1:39:09!?!) before walking on and retrieving my post-race 2014 Shamrockswag. First was a big, heavy, shiny medal, then water, Gatorade, bananas, granola bars, Shamrock cookies, pretzels, a Finisher's beach towel (awesome, and super handy on a windy day), a Finisher's hat and finally a Finisher's photo in front of the Shamrock step and repeat.

I took another look at my watch, which was 2014 Shamrockdefinitely reading 1:39:09 and was very excited. New PR? Time to Party! The Shamrock Crew makes that easy. I slid on flip flops and ate a banana as fast as I could to ease a suddenly crampy foot while Doug and I made our way to the tent. Finishing early meant no lines for ID check, beer or stew and as we waited for Half Marathon runner friends to join us, we enjoyed the spacious, wind free tent and great tunes from The River Boyz. I also had the opportunity to meet Hollie, which was awesome and who I'm excited to see again in three weeks at April Fool's. Two hours and lots of friends later, we left the now very 2014 Shamrock crowded tent, used Port-a-Potties that had no lines, and went to have a delicious lunch at Pi-Zerria. After lunch, I went back to the tent to congratulate a few friends who had run the full marathon (crazy kids), then called it a day and started for the car around 2:00.2014 Shamrock

2014 Shamrock was definitely Shamrockin' and I couldn't have asked for anything better. Well, maybe less wind. It was great to be in Corral 1 and I had little traffic to contend with in the first two miles. Past Mile 2, I had open running room for the entire course, except for when I was trying to hide behind someone and have them block the wind for me. I did an excellent job of stick with my race plan and accomplished exactly what I set out to.

J&A always does an incredible job putting on an event, and this year's Shamrock was no exception. The Start was right on time and smooth as could be, course support was wonderful, there was never a line for port-race Port-a-Potties, every volunteer was smiling, finisher swag was great, lines for beer when the tent was crowded were reasonable, the bands rocked and the only thing I'm left wondering is why we don't do that more often.

After spending two and a half days in Savannah, it was finally time to race Saturday morning. My Rock n Roll Savannah finish time of 1:43:54 beat my 1:44:00 goal, and even though it was 21 seconds slower than Philly, I'm really happy with it. Not set on hitting a new PR with this race, I wanted to work on my strategy a little bit and really wanted to finish under 1:45:00, with sub-1:44:00 as a nice treat if I got it. I knew I could come in under 1:45:00 if I ran a decent race, but I was curious to see if I could run the first ten miles at normal race pace, then kick it up for the last 5K without fading at the end. I also planned on making sure I hugged every corner. After running 13.3 in Philly, where I had taken a lot of wide turns trying to get around slower runners, I wanted to avoid that extra mileage (and time) in Savannah. Race plan in place, I hit the hay Friday night relaxed and got ready to run.

Doug and I both woke up Race Day at 3am with sore lower backs from three days in a too soft bed. Neat. It was back to bed until I rose from a restless sleep at 530 and climbed out with a 'where did this come from?' grumpy right ankle and slight headache. With a big sigh, I figured this was not going to be my day and started the morning without much enthusiasm. Looking out of the condo onto Oglethorpe Square, it was brightly lit with the headlights of cars full of runners heading to the start and my level of enthusiasm marginally increased. I pinned on my race bib, had some breakfast, fueled up with a GPS E2 and slapped a smile on my face before heading to the start.

Walking to the starting line, my back loosened up and I walked out of throck n roll savannahe tightness I had in my ankle, but my head was still not quite in race mode. I hoped the half mile trip would wake me up and get me pumped to run, especially as we approached the crowd. The walk had been a little chilly, but once surrounded by the massive crowd of runners, they helped keep us warm as we wove our way to the correct corral and I started to get ready to go. Getting into the crowd and seeing the Start line improved my attitude even more, and passing lengthy rock n roll savannahPort-a-Potty lines, even though there seemed to be plenty, made me thankful I didn't need to use one. I hopped into my corral, which wasn't too crowded, with plenty of time to move around, loosen up and chat before the National Anthem was sung and the elites were off.

Two minutes later, I crossed the Starting Line myself and started to get my cold muscles warm. Less than a mile in, we were sent straight up and over a big old bridge, and it didn't feel very good to be running up a hill without a little more time to warm up. Ugh. My resurgent enthusiasm started to wane again as I clocked a slow first mile. Happily, my legs finally got going and I settled in as we leveled off after coming down the bridge's other side and I started to enjoy the beautiful course.

The first water stop was at Mile Two, and it took me a little off guard. Narrow streets, water stations on both sides, cheering volunteers and lots of runners made for a very tight squeeze that dramatically slowed everyone down for a little longer than I liked. I eventually got through and resumed my first ten mile race pace, but this was an issue at most of the water stations throughout the race. Miles Two through Four were more about fighting through traffic than anything else. With long straightaways through some industrial areas, I could see turns coming a ways out, preparing myself to stick with the plan and take them tightly. I did take the turns tightly, but picked up almost a tenth of a mile of extra mileage running all over the road weaving around other runners and was looking at a watch that said 4.04 when I ran by the four mile mark.

Heading into Historic Downtown at Mile Five, scenery improved and cheering sections became a little more frequent, but I was also greeted by some side stitches. Working through those while maintaining my ten mile pace, I held in close to the corners as we twisted through WP_20131109_014.jpgrock n roll savannahvery scenic streets to Mile Six. Around the 10K mark my shins and knees started to get a little grumpy, but passing the relay exchange and 10K sign, my watch indicated I hadn't picked up any more extra mileage in the last two miles. I was succeeding at taking tight turns, which WP_20131109_014.jpgWP_20131109_014.jpgmade me feel a little better, and at the halfway point I got a chance to complain about my now aching ankle when I passed Doug. Halfway there and it could have been much worse. I was on pace where I needed to be, even if it was a hair slower than I wanted to be, and I knew I even if I didn't run the negative split I planned to, 1:45:00 was definitely within reach if I stayed in tight on the corners.

This middle section was also the prettiest part of the Rock n Roll Savannah course for me, running on a street lined with beautiful old homes under a canopy provided by trees draped with Spanish Moss makes you forget about your irritated shins a little bit. Crowds were pretty big here, and fans could see runners on both sides of the street as we ran down one side of the grassy median and up the other to hit Mile Seven. To this point, all of the bands had been excellent, but a hearing the Eye of the Tiger from the Mile Seven band was exactly the pick-me-up I needed.

Passing the Mile Seven marker, I could feel my legs getting a little tight and pulling over to stretch sounded great. I didn't have time for that, so I focused back on the scenery and enjoying my run while pushing through the next mile. It was straight sailing past more scenery and another lush park to Mile Eight and I thought 'Already?' Even with my aching lower body, the first seven miles had flown by thanks to great scenery and fun crowds. During the long Mile Seven to Mile Eight straightaway I picked up a little more extra mileage running around other participants, but at this point I had come to terms with running further than I wanted to. I had been doing well keeping my corners close, and thought about my plan to run a negative split but with the way my legs felt, wasn't sure with five miles left to go I could do it.

Another long stretch greeted runners through from Mile Eight to Mile Nine and I could see the return portion of the course dotted with the leaders. At the Mile Nine marker, I noticed quite a few runners heading to the course side Port-a-Potties, which I had actually noticed for the entire first half of the race, too. A lot of people had to use the course side restrooms, so it's a good thing there were plenty of them. After running by the potties, I lost sight of the next long straightaway I'd face as we made a hard turn at Mile 9.5 to pass another green park and reach another rocking band at Mile Ten. My plan was to hit ten miles in under 1:20:00, and at 1:19:20, I did. Sticking with the second half of my plan, I settled right in to a 20 second per mile faster pace past the Mile 10 mark and was surprised by how good it felt to increase my speed for the last 5K. Lots of turns, which I successfully hugged, a quicker pace and plenty of cheering people in their front yards kept me distracted and made this mile go by quickly. Another hard turn at Mile 11 and I was headed to the Finish at a pace I knew I could maintain all the way through on legs that, for having felt cruddy the at Mile Six, felt really, really good. A quarter mile later, I hit the long, straight return portion of the course I had been watching the race leaders on roughly twenty minutes before.

At Mile 11.5, where the half and full courses split, a gentleman who I imagine had been running near me most of the race, wished me luck as he turned onto the full course and told me he "love[d] the way I ran". I'm guessing he had noticed my steady pace through the first rock n roll savannahnine miles and the drop in pace at mile ten. Whatever he meant, I was flattered and it definitely gave me a little boost to head home. The hills I had been waiting for hadn't shown up yet, and I thought that meant I was in the clear. Unfortunately, those hills were right there in the last two miles. Though they weren't very big, and I passed plenty of people while climbing them, they did bring my pace down a little bit. During the almost two mile stretch from the half/full split to the 13 Mile mark, I picked up another tenth of a mile running all over the road, weaving past runners in front of me and I rock n roll savannahpassed it with 13.09 on my watch. Making the turn to the Finish, my legs still felt very good and I ran out the last two tenths of a mile hard, crossing the line breathing easy with a smile on my face and 13.29 on my watch.

Rock n Roll Savannah was another all around fantastic Rock n Roll experience, I was very happy with my run and learned a lot about how I need to run my next race. Even though I didn't feel great, had grumpy legs halfway through and picked up an extra two tenths of a mile, I accomplished what I set out to. Hitting my goal of running faster than a 1:44:00, successfully clocking a negative split and taking every turn tightly left me feeling very positive about breaking 1:40:00 at the Shamrock. Competitor Group, Brooks and the City of Savannah did a wonderful job putting on a race doused in Southern Charm that I would love to be a part of again.