Rock 'n Savannah, Pt. 3

Getting up at the crack of dawn for the race, it was a dark and cold trek up to the starting line on Bay Street. My sleeveless running T didn't become a good clothing choice until just before the race started when the temperatures were closer to normal.



Running from Corral 2, I started 30 seconds after the first Corral was unleashed. The weather was perfect; bright and sunny but still crisp enough to keep me from getting overheated. I also love the course; fairly flat with plenty of cool architecture and enthusiastic Savannah-ians cheering along the way.



Although it wasn't a personal best, my time of 1:53.08 still shaved about 20 minutes off of my horrid race at Disneyland two months ago.



What made the difference? It certainly wasn't my training. The big 3 reasons for improvement included weight loss (less to carry!), temperatures (Disneyland's Half Marathon is typically a scorcher), and a fairly uncongested course. With the amount of participants allowed at Disney and the extremely narrow course for the first few miles, it's not a great way to start a race and typically adds a fair amount of time and energy.



Half Marathon and Full Marathon-ers continued to cross the finish line.



Some were in costume.



Kudos to the race organizers; plenty of great treats awaited runners at the finish line, including Borden Chocolate Milk! A tasty way to replenish after the race.



Over in Forsyth Park at the finish line, bands rocked away as they welcomed the runners who had crossed the finish line.





A panoramic view of the park:



No rest for the weary; after a quick shower, it was time to grab a good celebratory (but not necessarily healthy) meal. Along the way, there was a detour into the beautiful Noble Hardee mansion on Monterey Square.



This place has seen better days, but it's still pretty impressive. It now serves as an antique store run by Alex Raskin. I'd never been inside before (hard to believe), but it happened to be open on this particular occasion.



Every inch of this place was stacked with amazing antiques, including this light fixture.



If I weren't so hungry, I could have spent days here. I can only begin to imagine the inventory taxes.



The view from upstairs overlooks the former Armstrong Junior College, which is now the law firm of Bouhan, Williams, & Levy.



Also along the way to our lunch spot is the Hilton Savannah DeSoto, a somewhat impressive hotel...



as long as you aren't aware of what was torn down to make way for it. Who was the brain trust that issued the demolition permit?!?



Apparently, these expressive terra cotta wall sculptures are remnants from the original.



This one was my favorite; the expressive leer is so lifelike you almost expect to see him blink.





Finally, it was chow time. Clary's on Abercorn is a cute little diner that serves delicious comfort food.





My meal really hit the spot, and the service is always friendly here.





No celebratory meal would be complete in Savannah without dessert from Leopold's Ice Cream Parlour. I got a few (not going to say how many) scoops of my favorite ice cream...



as well as a cupcake. Oink oink is right.



In the "it ain't done til it's overdone" department, there were also cupcakes to be tried at Sweet Carolina Cupcakes.





The fresh apple cupcake was pretty good, but I still preferred Leopold's.



Loved this little sign, though.



Can I get an "amen"?

See more Daveland Savannah photos on my Savannah web pages.