When I crossed the finish line at the inaugural Rock-and-Roll Marathon this past Saturday, I checked off one for the bucket list. This race was a culmination of weeks (17 to be exact) of hard work, not to mention, a personal accomplishment that represents the last few years of personal transformation for me. This was a super big deal on so many levels, honestly. I haven't felt so gushy since I fell in love with the Mister.

It was also my first time in Savannah. Although the race and recovery afterward kept it low-key, we still found time to enjoy some of the sights. Here's  recap of our lovely marathon weekend: 

Savannah is a city rich in culture and history and is rumored to be one of the most haunted cities in America. The buildings openly show their age, some appearing near ruin, yet there exists an eerie beauty that permeates the streets. We chose to stay on Tybee Island, a short drive across the Georgia marshlands,  where we rented a cottage. Once checked in, we headed straight to the Expo to pick up our bib numbers and mingle with thousands of other excited runners. 

We weren't that excited, really. 

We took some time to walk along the riverfront and take in the pre-race excitement. To be honest, I was exhausted from an already busy week and was looking forward to taking it easy. We  headed back to Tybee where we had our pre-race meal at A.J's Dockside, a recommendation given to me by a former Savannah local. If you're ever in the area, be sure to get the crab stew. It was amazing. 

I fell asleep eeeerrrly, like 8:30 p.m. early. It was good thing because we had an early wake-up call.

We had some difficulty getting to the start line due to poorly organized transportation from Tybee Island into Savannah. In fact, we had to go renegade by hitching a ride with a couple lady runners who just so happened to pull up at the right time. No big whoop, it was only our first marathon. No need to warm-up or take time wrap our heads around this monumental feat. 

Despite the obstacles, we were hell bound on making it to the start.  It certainly wasn't my preferred method of starting the longest race of my life, but hey...we made it albeit thirty minutes late. We sprinted to the start and hopped onto the course, a little ruffled but ready to run. 

26.2 miles is hard, I ain't gonna lie!  I went through moments of doubt wondering "Why the hell did I sign up for this?!?" and broke down at the half-marathon point.  But then, there were these beautiful moments filled with support and community and spanish moss and rock bands and  I knew that everything would be okay.

Our toughest moments began around mile 18 and we endured a dreadful stretch of highway between miles 21-24, like "I would rather run a 5K on a bed of nails" kind of dreadful. It sucked. Nuff said. 

Once we got through to mile 25, we were home free.  I thought I'd be crawling to the finish, but I was exhilarated and so, so happy to finish. Check us out on the home stretch...

This is my uncontrollable, "I'm so happy to be done" face. It ain't pretty, but that's the real deal. Look at my swollen fingers. I like to think they're swollen with awesome. 

I didn't spend too much time hanging out post-race because my legs wouldn't allow it. I was surprised at how my whole body hurt, even my shoulders. That's never happened before, but I guess when you run four plus hours, body parts are bound to rebel. I made it back to Tybee for a scalding hot shower,  nap and generous slathering of Tiger Balm for my sore muscles.  I smelled so purty. 

Rest was short-lived because I had dinner reservations at Moon River Brewery where I met up with some fellow bloggers. Unfortunately, the only blogging buddy I knew didn't make it to dinner that night.  That's alright, though, I made some new friends and got to connect with fellow runners. 

It was great to socialize with new people and fellow racers, but the Mister and I were off to a walking ghost tour so we took off early. I heard there was a  delicious ice cream stop after dinner that we missed. For the record, I usually don't miss important events like ice cream. 

Check out the posts from all the folks I met at our post-race dinner plus one from my "missing" buddy, Kelly.

Kelly's Race Recap
Meghann's Good Times
Shirtless Ben's PR
Katy's Half-Marathon

Overall, I had an amazing experience for my first marathon.  I couldn't have asked for a better friend and running partner and the Savannah experience, minus the transportation debacle, was fantastic. I'll definitely be back to peruse all the wonderful antiques shops I spotted but couldn't quite get to and to capture all the beauty of the city.  There's hella-good design going on in Savannah too. My poor legs and time constraints just wouldn't allow too much sightseeing.  
I did, however, take some photos on Tybee which I'll share with you in a post coming soon. 


Thanks for reading! Happy Tuesday! 

It’s been seven weeks since I began training for a marathon and wrote a hopeful, somewhat fuzzy post about making a beginning.  Since that time, I have taken a beating of mind, body and spirit (in a good way, of course).

Here’s a look at the last several weeks. It’s an evolution of sorts and reveals one sure thing: Marathon training gonna make a man outta me.

Week 1
The Bambi Phase: Once I officially took the plunge, paid the benjamins to participate and mentally committed myself to the training regimen, I was like a newborn deer, teetering on shaky new legs into uncharted territory.  I approached the 17 weeks ahead with a sense of wonder and trepidation, unsure of my abilities, but willing to pursue this shiny, new challenge with doe-eyed curiosity and beginner’s innocence. Awwww, so sweet, right?

Week 2-5
The Martyr Phase:  During this phase, I commenced to train rigorously and tell EVERYONE and their mother about it.  If you had the pleasure of running into me, you would have heard all about it; how early I was waking up, what a commitment it is to train for a marathon, and did you know that a marathon is 26.2 miles?

 The complaints and outward solicitation for sympathy were nothing short of wearing a neon sign that said,

“Look at me. I wake up at the buttcrack of dawn to run miles upon miles. I am the ONLY person that has EVER done such a thing. You should really take notice of this incredible feat. I mean, reeaaallly take notice.”  

I am still annoyed at myself for this phase.

Week 6
The Awkward Phase: After snapping out of martyrdom, I entered into the real meat and potatoes of training.  For the next five weeks, my mileage increases and builds to a final 22-mile push before race day.  To kick off this new phase of training, I endured one of the worst runs of my life, which I will affectionately call, “The 14- Miler That Almost Happened.”

If I was a newborn deer in the first week, then this week marked the adolescence of my training.  I liken it to my formative teenage years, when my body revolted against itself, sending messages of disapproval in the form of a pimpled morse code and emotional “my-life-is-over” mood swings.

Only this time, I was running for two and half hours, mostly uphill.

My body did things without my permission. Bad things better left in the port-a-potty. I cried for no reason because my body made me do it. I had no control. My body was alien and the run had taken over.  At one point, I couldn’t even produce tears, but my face still made a face as if it were crying and got stuck that way for the final 30 minutes.  

We ran for two and a half hours that day and never reached thirteen miles. In retrospect, it was because we picked an insane course, a course that we'll meet again on September 17 for the Davidson Run For Green.  

The lesson we learned?  What won't kill you WILL make you stronger and may possibly embarrass you later. 

Week 7
The Sweet Redemption Phase:  My running partner and I pursued this week with a quiet focus. "The 14-Miler That Almost Happened” was not mentioned and we both quietly carried our doubts about the 15-miler ahead. We humbly ran and worked out, taking extra care to ensure proper fuel and water stops for the 15-mile route.  When it came time for our  long run, we killed it. We ran fifteen miles in less time than it took us to run twelve the week before. 
Sweet redemption, indeed. We needed that.

This week marks the eighth week of training and, to be honest, I haven’t run at all this week, haven’t felt like it. My body needs a break from all the wear and tear and my mind needs a reset as evidenced by this post. That doesn’t mean I won’t train properly. I’m just saying that maybe this is the Spa & Massage Phase of my training. 

I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for reading!

Happy Wednesday! Did you all know that I'm an English geek? I like alliteration, even if it is cheesy. So, while planning my new blog schedule, I decided that Wednesdays will be dedicated to things like weddings and weight loss. I just love how well these words work with the word Wednesday. Sorry for that alliterative outburst. I can't help myself. 

Today, W is for WTF?!! and this is the shorthand version for how I feel when I consider what I have to do on November 5. That's right, folks. I done gone and signed up for my very first marathon. I think I just peed myself typing that statement.

On November 5, I will complete my very first marathon, 26.2 miles of
self-inflicted pain, at the inaugural Savannah Rock-and -Roll Marathon. 

I know, I can't believe it either. 

I have been running races since 2006 and have completed three half-marathons. After each half-marathon I think,  "There is no way in HELL I could run 13.1 again. On the same day!!" 

Yet, here I am, prepared to lose my toenails, run for hours and suffer bodily dysfunction all in the name of good, clean fun. This makes me laugh. I paid good money to punish myself. Me! I did this! To myself! 

I kid. I want to do this.  In fact, this is one of my personal goals for 2011. For the next 16 weeks, I intend to chronicle the good, the bad and the ugly in hopes of sharing my experience and a little inspiration with those who have similar goals and share a smile for those who just want to watch a trainwreck.  Plus, now that I've aired my business all over the internet, I can't quit now.  Sneaky accountability. 

On the left is my running partner, Stewart. We began running together this year and I am so grateful to pursue this endeavor with her. I'm not sure I could do it alone. 

She's the yin to my yang and does a helluva good job keeping me motivated and accountable. There are several 6 a.m. runs that would not have been possible had  Stewart not met up with me. For real. 

So far, Week One of training is behind us. We had our first long run on Sunday. It was supposed to be nine miles, but we ended up doing ten. It was an exceptional run and a great confidence booster. I've been told to hold on to the good runs and I'm definitely hanging on to that one. I was actually dreading the run and it turned out great! 

So far, I'm feeling good about training. It does require a bit of planning on my part and I have  been advised to view marathon training in manageable chunks of time. Focus on this week's workouts rather than the monstrous 26.2 miles in November. That can overwhelm me. 
I sit down each week and plan my running schedule. I'm working off Hal Higdon's proposed marathon training plan which suggests three shorter runs during the week, one long run on the weekend and one day of cross training. I only managed to run twice last week in addition to one day of cross training and the long run. It wasn't perfect, but I did make my long run, which is the one I cannot miss. 

As I continue this series, I hope to share some tips on what I'm feeding my body and what I am doing to train my mind. I'm always open to your personal experiences, feedback and suggestions so, comment away or shoot me an email at keia [at] the-s I'm looking forward to completing my first marathon with a whole host of new buddies. Thanks for reading!

One last thing, I will be posting wedding updates and my latest efforts for fitness and weight loss on Wednesday as well as other lovely things that begin with the letter "W". Stay tuned!