It must have been an omen. I chose another back roads route to our destination and we spotted a Bald Eagle circling overhead about 5 miles into Alabama.
We spent the Febraury 9th & 10th weekend in Birmingham, Alabama for the Mercedes Marathon. What a fun race this was! We had great weather, 35 degrees and a clear sky to enjoy a tour of downtown Birmingham and the surrounding neighborhoods. It was really exciting to take off running without any idea what lay ahead - really a fun adventure. I only ran the half marathon, and I didn't get a PR, (2:18) but this course was not flat. Check the website for course maps and elevations if you're interested. I hope we can do it again next year.
We stayed at the Redmont Hotel, a restored, very old building with some interesting history, and at least one toilet that didn't work very well. The race host hotel was full, but the Redmont was only three blocks away from the start. Packet pickup, race support, roadside cheering and water stops were great.
