Rock n Roll Savannah Fast 5k and a Missed Opportunity

Last race review, and I'm all caught up... and we go to the Rock n Roll Savannah 5k and  one mile fun run. This was a really cool race last year my wife, her sister and Ethan ran this race. Well,.. Ethan ran the kids fun run and my wife and her sister ran their first 5k. 

This years race course was changed quiet a bit and the changes were great. Last year we ran through a nearby neighborhood and a small portion of the run was on a narrow dirt trail. Well, maybe there was some gravel or pavement,.. but I just remember running in the grass a lot to get around people (serves me right for trying to start in the back with my family. ) 

Anyway this year the race took us through a pretty nice neighborhood with attractive home, manicured lawns and all those oak tree dressed in Spanish moss. Pause for a moment and go back to the beginning when I almost didn't make the race. I got stuck in traffic coming from Bluffton, SC.  There was a very minor crash -- no one hurt, but the car was immobilized-- on a two lane road. 

One lane each way. It's really one of the major roads connecting the two cities. That delayed me by at least 30 minutes. You see, I was going to leave much earlier to relax and take pictures but somehow I got convinced to wait. So, here I am tearing through the streets of Savannah with time running out. When I finally make it the parking lots are closed. PANICK or just keep driving and parking in the first spot you can find. I honestly think the police closed the parking lots too soon because I walked or ran past several open spaces. 

Anyway, I make it to the start line, take a deep breath and focus on the ga,e plan. I squeeze into the 7min/mile pace group just in time for the announcer ( my favorite Rock n Roll announcer with the British accent) to tell us there is a five minute delay. That was just enough time to get all of my electronics synced up and ready to go. So, boom we're off and we make our way through he neighborhood. It's almost as if I hadn't run a half marathon the day before.

   I felt great, but I didn't want to push hard too soon because I was on an unfamiliar course. I just made sure to keep my pace fast and challenging. Skip the aid stations and keep pushing. 1.5 miles to go and it was time to turn it up. 1 mile to go and it's time to catch and pass some people.  Half mile to go and I can see the stadium which is the finish line.

 I was pacing with a few other runners. Now was the time to test my legs and their legs. So, I go into that sprint that helped me during my last fast 5k. But this time I could not hold on for quite as long. Either that or I didn't start soon enough. I came in a few seconds slower than my fastest 5k. 

   Hey , here's a tip. If anyone ever offers a race where another medal is involved and there's a pie as a bonus,...sign up right away. Do not talk about it. Do not collect $200, and do not pass go. Sign up. I was so excited about it that I forgot to sign up for the Georgia Pie Challenge. All I had to do was add the one mile race to all of my plans and I'd be able to pick up a tasty pie. But the 1 mile pie race sold out. How in the world? I definitely missed out. But I got some cool pictures of the one mile pie hogs taking off and crossing the finish line. I hope that pie was worth it. I bet it was so... worth it. Lol. I cheered them on in disgust sand left. 

     I got back on the road to get ready for medal Monday. 

     The only complaint that I heard all weekend was that some out of town runners wanted to run the races on Sunday but couldn't because it was an afternoon race and they had to catch an early flight back home. Bummer. 

    Two more races to go this year! It's time to close the year out strong. See you next post.