Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.

I'm in heaven! I love this time of year. The cool evenings, turning of the leaves, effortless runs at a brisk pace...

I could go on for days about the things I love about Autumn. But I won't.

So, I last left you bidding adieu to my long time home of Savannah, GA. I have spent the last 13 years, just over a 1/3 of my life in Savannah. I am not one to look back to the past for too long...So we move forward to my new home.

Smyrna! No, not the ancient Greek city, a smallish town just outside of Atlanta, GA. This location is perfect, central to everything I need/want in my life. Work is an easy 30 minute commute. There is a county indoor pool 7 miles away. (swimming will soon become part of the cross training) Trails e'rewhere!

Speaking of which, I went out to Kennesaw Mountain this past Tuesday and joined up with the GUTS runners for their weekly run. A little more than 5 1/2 miles on the trails out there was just what the doctor ordered...I can't wait to get more involved with this group.


Stay tuned for an update on the Mystery Mountain Marathon and also my crewing/pacing for Psyche at Pinhoti!

Heart of Savannah 5k...Farwell

I woke up early Saturday morning and went through my usual pre-race routine. Fumble around in the dark and find my racing kit and shoes...walk the dogs, try and drop the kids off at the pool....Headed out to Forsyth Park, which is only 1/2 a mile from my apartment.

I planned on taking a slightly different approach to this race, as I have felt like I went out too fast at my last 5k. I ran the Pooler 5k last weekend in a time of 25:42. I was happy with the effort due to the weather (hot & humid) and lack of speedwork. I did feel like I went out a little fast and my 2nd & 3rd miles were 30 seconds slower than the 1st.

For this race, I lined up about a 1/3 of the way back and at the gun moved forward with the surge. It was crowded at the start and I was forced to hold back a little, playing into my plan perfectly. I hit the first mile at 8:03 and felt good. The 2nd mile was a little slower somewhere around 8:10. The difference between last week and this race was the 3rd mile. I felt strong and dropped the pace, reeling in runners ahead of me. This course winds through the squares of downtown, there are a lot of tangents to run. I took the most direct line at every chance and and managed to effortlessly gain ground on those runners who were rounding the turns and not managing the course well. 3rd mile, 7:52.



I had enough in the tank for a strong surge at the finish, beating out the guy in front of me. As the photo demonstrates, it appears that I beat out this older gentleman at the line. Perhaps he was 20 years my senior and I should have beat him...but does this make the victory any less sweet? NO. What the photo failed to demonstrate was the gap between us a minute earlier.



24:16 was my chip time. 15 seconds slower than my current 5k PR, which was set this past spring. I am feeling really good about the work I have been putting in lately and can't wait to race in the cooler temps of the autumn calendar. If I can run a 24:16 in 80 degree weather, I think in the next month or two I can break into the 23's or maybe even into the 22's...

There is this nagging question. My Garmin read 3.03 miles. did I run the course perfectly and shave of some of the distance by hitting every tangent? I run this route several times a week and know exactly what lines to run through the countless turns...Did they measure the course wrong? What does my 24:16 translate to against a 3.1 mile course. Does any of this really matter? It is not like I set a world record or even broke my own PR! I am just a numbers dork and like everything to line up...

Moving on...This race was also bittersweet. It was my last race as a Savannah resident. I move on Friday. I have run this particular event more times than any other event in town so it was fitting that I ran this one one more time before I move. Oh, and I won a raffle too...what was the prize? A year membership to Savannah Striders, the local running club. Perfect! LOL!

Fire up the moving truck...

"It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches."
— Lemony Snicket

I have short-timer-itis.

Next Thursday will be my last day at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa (try saying that five times in a row!) I will be moving to Atlanta to work for the Atlanta Metro Market Cluster office. Same company, similar job, just on a larger scale. think nine hotels instead of one.



Great things await! first and foremost, being in the same city as my Sweetest Boo! There will be other perks of living in the A. TRAILS!!!




I will submit my membership to GUTS and really look forward to becoming active in that running community. I have already met many GUTS runners in the last few ultras that I have run and I look forward to meeting more as time moves forward.

On other running related notes, The Sean is headed to Bend, Oregon to compete at the Xterra Nationals! that is so awesome. Sean is an amazing runner and even more of an amazing person...Stop by his blog to wish him well.

I have a few things on the race calender myself. The YMCA Heart of Savannah is held this Saturday. It is one of the best races held in Savannah, the T-shirts are usually pretty sweet. My go is to go sub 25, I am still coming back from taking a month off in July, my speed is not exactly where I would like it to be.

10/10/10 is the Mystery Mountain Marathon & 12 miler. I signed up for the full mary back before my knee injury, so I may opt to run the 12 miler. Or, I may just do the marathon at a conservative pace to prepare myself for my crew/pacing duties at PINHOTI 100 (pinhoti baby!!!) Psyche over at Run Like You Stole Sumthin' is a bonafide BMF! She will be running Pinhoti in November and I am lucky enough to be able to run with her for a while. I am very excited!

I know my blogging has been suspect as of late...The Running Is Stupid Committee had formed a couple of sub-committes; the "Try Running with a Bum Knee Comm. & Try Blogging While Living in Two Cities Comm" As things settle down and my life is a little less hectic, I will return to posting once in a while instead of once every blue moon...I still enjoy reading everyone's blog, sometimes I am just not sure what I bring to the table.

The Sean's tag really came at a perfect time. I have been spending a lot of time reviewing my running goals and trying to assess where I want to go with running. After logging over 1200 miles in the last 12 months(including 2 marathons and 2 50k ultras) My body revolted. I am taking the time to focus on dropping that extra 20 pounds and am looking at a more realistic race schedule. As the weather has begun to cool off, I find myself enjoying the run more and focusing less on statistical analysis. Of course that will all fall to the wayside as I get to Atlanta and start running trails every week!?!?!