race report: publix savannah women’s half marathon & 5k weekend, day 1

I am an ambassador for the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K. I have been compensated for my promotion of the event with a complimentary race entry and other event-related amenities. All opinions are my own.

I was really thrilled to be finally heading out for the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K. Every time we go, I always feel so at home and love finding new things to explore.

We left town at about 10 in the morning. The weather reports coming out of Savannah weren’t pleasant (storms and tornado warnings) and I just wanted to be off the road and safely at our destination. We weren’t the only ones with that idea, so the drive was a little congested, but we made it to the Hilton Savannah Desoto. We were given a fabulous room on the 12th floor with a balcony and view of the city. It was perfect.

We dropped off our bags, grabbed the umbrellas and hit the streets of Savannah.

There was no way I could miss lunch at Treylor Park. We enjoyed our meal at the bar: I had my favorite, the Grilled Apple Pie, while my mom had the PB&J wings.

Since the rain was still holding off, we slipped down to River Street really quickly, just so my mom could get a feel for the area. We both really enjoy walking and soaking up all the ambiance, and I can’t think of a better place for it.

We made our way back to Liberty Street, because it was time to grab my packet and check out the New Balance Fashion Fitness Expo.

Love the red carpet welcome!

The expo was set up on the first floor of the Desoto. It flowed through two large spaces, divided by a corridor: the first was for bibs, bags, and ID check for post-race drinks, while the second was for vendors and shopping. This configuration kept everything nice and spread out, to help avoid overcrowding.

I got my swag (In lieu of shirts, this race provides a really nice New Balance bag. At first, I was unsure on my feelings with this. I love the idea of a shirt, but to be honest, I don’t often wear technical t-shirts because they don’t always fit quite right. I have already used this bag every day since I got it. I think it’s a fair trade, and branded shirts are available for purchase if it’s a must-have).

and made my way through all the great sponsors and vendors.

We took a little rest before getting ready for dinner. While my mom was finishing up, I got a text from Meghan that she had arrived, and I went back to the expo to meet her.

She didn’t have any dinner plans and so I asked her to join us at Corleone’s (Mr PugRunner and I had loved it so much on our preview visit to Savannah a few months back that I booked this reservation on the spot). She was all for it, and we took an Uber to meet Danielle for some carb-loading.

Good food and a nice glass of red wine is just how I like to prepare for a race.

When we left dinner, the rain we had been dreading had started, so there was really nothing do but head back to our respective rooms and call it a night.

The Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K promised to keep weather updates coming regularly, via Facebook and email, so I readied my outfit,

set the alarm and tried to get some sleep.

It was a wonderful opener to the weekend. My mom was loving the charm and character of the city, and I was so happy to be reunited with some old friends, as well as to meet some new ones. Stay tuned for the upcoming race report!

What do you think of the bag vs. race shirt concept?

What’s your favorite pre-race meal?