4th Mississippi Blues Marathon

   I kicked off 2011 with my second marathon, the local 4th Annual Mississippi Blues.  The weather was perfect, 35 to 45 degrees all morning, clear sky and just a light breeze.  My attitude was somewhat casual, since my training flew by without much dwelling on the pain and effort.  I didn't expect too much and didn't train for any special goals.  I had planned to run with Tea, who insisted she couldn't possibly keep up with me, the slowest runner I know.  Well, Tea had to cancel her trip to Mississippi this time due to circumstances beyond her control, so I just went out for a long run through Jackson with a couple thousand other folks. 

Ruthie was there with the camera, and she and my Mom intercepted me along the course several times and took pictures.

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Kay Vee and me before the race.

Since Tea couldn't run and Kay Vee ran her own pace, I was on my own.  But not for long. Fortunately, I was able to find some superheroes to keep me company.  Wonder Woman is actually my friend, Tara, who allowed me to run with her at a 5 hour pace from about mile 3 through 17.  I stopped a little too long for water once and she got so far ahead of me I couldn't catch up.  She may have used her super powers.

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Superman was there, though it must have been incredibly boring for him to run so much slower than his speeding bullet pace.

As I struggled to finish the final miles, I thought I would certainly never run another marathon.  I'm not so sure now.  The pain and fatigue are fading from memory, but the challenge and sense of accomplishment may be enough to make me do it again next year.