I LOVED IT!!

This was my first time for the SRBR.  I must admit that I was a little nervous, what with the cold (it was cold for Savannah) and the drizzle and the BIG BRIDGE!  But it was GREAT.

The event staff were friendly & helpful.  There was plenty of parking (free for the 5k on Hutchinson Island & $1 for the 10k by the Civic Center).

The information, tips & faq's on the website were invaluable in helping me to plan out my morning so that I could be where I needed to be on time.

The crowd waiting for the race to start was friendly & fun.  Santa was in a cherry picker at the start line, dancing before he blew the horn to start the race.

After the 5k, although trolleys were provided, many of us just walked to River Street to catch the Water Ferry (free) back to Hutchinson Island.  It was a nice distance for a cool down walk after the race.

The results were posted VERY QUICKLY!  My time was 35:38.  That put me almost exactly in the middle of my age group and overall.  Not bad for someone who has only been running for ONE MONTH!

I will DEFINITELY be doing this one again next year!!

And so I worked out with the Wii (Fit, My Personal Trainer, EA Sport Active) from March to November.  In October I had the chance at a good deal on a used treadmill.  I was running on it when my husband walked by.  He stopped & gave me a strange look.  I said "What?"  And he said, "You're not even breathing hard."

Hm-m-m-m.

Then a lady my age posted on a message board that I visit often.  She said that she had run a mile the night before.

Hm-m-m-m.

If she can run, maybe I can too.  My endurance does seem to be improving.

So, I signed up for a local 5k on Thanksgiving day.  I chose one that I thought would have a small field.

I ran a couple of times a week.  Read articles for newbie runners.  Carbed down and back up again.  And finally got up early on Thanksgiving morning to head to my race.

The weather was cool (for Savannah) and the crowd was friendly.  There were babies in strollers and people with dogs.  When they said to line up, I headed for the back.  (Supposedly we had chips).

I started off slowly & passed a few walkers who had not started in the back of the field.  I held a fairly steady pace and finished in under 35 minutes (PR).  I was 6th in my division of 12 (45-54).

Yay!!  Under 35 minutes!  My first practice run just 2 weeks earlier had been 38 minutes.