1. Steve – always manages to find at least a decent shots
2. Girlfriend – also takes pretty good pics
3. Dad – likes to photograph the rest of the crowd

Sometimes, when I get post-race emails detailing where to order prints, I’ll take a screen shot or two. Like these, from Mississippi:

The problem with big lips is they flop all over the place.

I left the hotel lobby with no hat pre-race, but opted to turn around and grab my Spider-Mask. It was a good choice. The weather was cold.

The final hill at the end of the race. I was motoring here, but my gait always looks like I’m not trying. I hate that.

Yesterday was my 100th day for my running streak. WOW! 100 days of running at least a mile!

I’ve done a lot with my runs during these last 100 days.

I ran during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

I ran fast and I ran slow.

I ran with my blood sugars being high, low and perfect.

I ran with a heavy heart and tight legs.

I ran when it was hot, cold, raining, and snowing.

I ran barefoot.

I ran before the sun came up, during lunch and well after the sun went down.

I ran outside and on a treadmill.

I ran alone, with friends and with family.

I listened to music and sometimes I just listened to my feet hit the pavement or treadmill.

I ran in 4 different states.

I ran 3 distance races: The MS Blues Half, The Piney Hills Half and the RnR New Orleans full and PR’d each time!

The most important thing is: I ran.

I’ve gotten faster and stronger, but still can do better.

I thought about ending my streak at 100 days, but now it’s a part of me. It’s a habit. It’s always in the back on my if I don’t get it done early. I’m not sure when I’ll stop, but for now, I’ll keep on streaking.

Thank you Jessie for lighting this little fire under me! She became a friend through TNT last year and has been streaking for over 250 days.

PRO: The race is Saturday.

CON: There is NOTHING to do in Jackson, MS. It’s the state capital, and it looks like its overrun by law offices, abandoned law offices and buildings that are clearly abandoned and make no attempt to look like they were ever inhabitable.

PRO: The post-race food – Little Caesar’s pizza, jambalaya, gumbo, bananas, cookies – is out of this world. All runners 21-and-up were eligible for two free beers, too! There was also a ton of Pepsi brand sodas, Powerade and water.

CON: There are 3 restaurants in town. One of them is underground, aptly named Underground 119. If you aren’t looking, you’ll never find it. Hal & Mal’s is not walking distance from anywhere downtown.

PRO: The food and ambience at Hal & Mal’s, the place to go (the ONLY place to go, really) is pretty great. I recommend this a must-visit.

CON: Underground 119 thinks its New York City with its absurd pricing and mini-me portions. Live music is a plus.

PRO: The Elite, the other other restaurant in Jackson, is about 3 blocks from the hotel. The decor looks like its 1972, but the food is fine, the price is right, and the family that owns the place is real swell.

CON: In about 36 hours, you too, can master the culinary delights of Jackson, MS.

PRO: The race was challenging, but not insanely hard. Gu stations at 8, 15 and 22 (or thereabouts) were all welcomed attractions. Somewhere between 13-16, you run through this posh neighborhood, which is everything you expect to find in Gone With the Wind or a colonial tour. Pretty cool.

CON: The Marriott charges for Internet. So not only will you be bored, but you’ll have to pay just to pass the time.

I went to bed at a reasonable time Friday night, but woke up at 2am with a low blood sugar of 52. I had a GU gel next to my bed and ate that to raise it. It quickly rose 72 about 10-15 minutes later and thought I would eat something to keep my sugar up and to get some carbs in my body for the run. I ate 1 Eggo waffle with a little peanut butter and bolused for the carbs. I went back to sleep around 3 and woke up for the race at 5:30. I checked my sugar again and it was 161. I got dressed and drove down to the race. I checked my sugar again when I got there and it had risen to 218. I ate one of those Lance Armstrong waffle things and bolused only for the carbs.

It was a cold morning and the weather report had a chance of rain around 8. With a 7am start time, there would be a chance of running in the rain. I was hoping it would hold off at least until I finished. It did hold off, but came down hard around 1pm. We had about a 5 minute delay with the start, but had a pretty smooth start once the gun went off. With a sold out race of 3,000 runners and no corrals, it was slightly congested, but opened up after the first half mile.

I was wearing my Nike running jacket with my phone in an arm strap under my sleeve. I started my Nike+ once I crossed the starting gate. I realized it never told me “Begining workout”. I unzipped my jacket and pulled it half off my shoulder to make sure it was working. It was not. I started it again about a quarter mile into the race. I did hear the “Begining workout” sound and I locked my screen and zipped my jacket up.

I had a friend that was watching the race about 3 miles into it. As I began to get close, I realized my Nike+ wasn’t updating me on my mileage. The music was playing, but the GPS part was not. It was too much trouble to restart it again, so I just left it alone. I was pretty frustrated, since the run wouldn’t be documented, but oh well. The one thing I was really worried about was my time and pace. I didn’t have a way on tracking it now. I just decided to run.

I was feeling pretty good through the first few miles. I came up on a 2 hour pacer and his group and ended up passing them. I thought to myself, if I could stay ahead of them or around them, I could finish pretty good and hit my goal of finishing a half in under 2 hours.

I stayed ahead of the passer for about a mile. The entire race was through rolling hills. Nothing steep, but constant, long ups and downs. After the 4 mile marker, I started the trek up a long hill. I decided it was a good time to check my sugar. As I checked my sugar going up the hill, I slowed down and the pacer’s group passed me. My sugar had risen to 319. I guess the Lance Armstrong waffle and the adrenaline had kicked in and raised my sugar. I was afraid of it getting higher and me becoming lethargic and getting slower that I bolused for the high while running.

I started to get inside my head at this point as the pacer group was getting further ahead of me. With a high blood sugar and no way of tracking my pace or time, I started telling myself it was okay to slow down or walk if I felt like it. I fought with myself through the next mile or so. I could still see the pacer group as we hit the halfway point, but I wasn’t catching up to them. I then saw a shirt in front of me that read “It’s you vs. you”. That’s when I realized I was doing okay and I was going to finish strong. I asked a spectator what time it was, and it was 8:08. I had only been a hour since the start and that perked me up too. I was slightly behind a 2 hour finish.

As I passed the mile 9 marker, I was excited I only had basically 4 miles left. Unfortunately, those were the longest 4 miles I had ever run. If there weren’t other people around me, I would have thought I made a wrong turn. I could tell my pace was getting slower, but still felt like I was doing okay. I started having runners pass me and the pacer group was now out of site. I got back into my head with doubts. That didn’t last too long though.

As I got closer to the end, I could feel the excitement inside me and felt like I would be able to pick it up and finish stronger. I started seeing more spectators and knew I was close. As I heard cheers in the distance, I started picking up the pace. I made a couple turns through the downtown streets and saw the finish line.

About a block from the finish line I saw Karebear and Baby J. They were with my boss and his wife waiting to cheer me on to the finish. It really excited me to see them and I really picked it up.

My half PR I set in November was 2:02:32. As I was coming into the finisher lanes, the time clock had 2:03. I knew my chip time would be faster, but I didn’t think it was 3 minutes faster. If 2:03 was my chip time, I would have been very happy considering the set backs and hills.

I ended up running a new PR by 8 seconds at 2:02:24! So close to breaking 2 hours, but I am really happy with my time. I didn’t think I was going to do that well, so it was a nice surprise. It gives me hope for the next one. A sub-2 hour half is very near!

Focusing in on the finish line

My HUGE finisher’s medal. My sweat was frosting on my hat.

The family celebrates. J loved the guitar!

My post run sugar had come down a little too low to 67, but I ate a banana and piece of cheese pizza in the finisher’s plaza. My sugars came up and leveled out by the end of the day.

It was a challenging race with lots of rolling hills, but if you’re looking for a good race, this is nice sized and has a very friendly atmosphere. I recommend it!

Patrick is the owner of Fondren Guitars in the Fondren area of Jackson.  A small shop with a big vibe!  You feel “cool” just walking into the place!  He carries a selection of new, used and vintage guitars and other instruments as well.  He offers lessons for all types of instruments and for all ages.  All of the teachers at Fondren Guitars  are great with kids and they manage to keep wholesome and cool in the same environment which pleases the parents!

Patrick and son# 4

If you were at the Blues Expo hopefully you checked out his booth and if you did not then you need to next year.  You should check out the store as well!

The Rock Band program has started up again and this will be the third season that son #4 participates.  Rock Band is a program that helps the students learn to play as a band and then perform a concert at the Fondren Arts, Eats and Beats festival.  This year they hope to play other venues as well!  So if you are local come check them out!

Son #4 finding his "rock" voice!

Rock Band!

If you are not local you can still check out Fondren Guitars’ eBay page here and  Facebook page here.  They ship guitars all over the world!

Care to join me for a jog from Jackson State to the Canton city limits? Your answer may be “in your dreams,” and you’d be absolutely correct! I am certainly not prepared to jog that far right now. But with the proper training, I could not only jog from Jackson State to Canton without being carried off in an ambulance…I could also join runners who will tackle the same distance in the 4th Annual Mississippi Blues Marathon.

The Mississippi Blues Marathon will take place this Saturday, January 8, right here in Jackson, Mississippi. This year’s event happens to take place on the 76th birthday of Mississippi-native, Elvis Presley, so Elvis will be in full effect–impersonators and all! The Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi-sponsored event will start at 7 a.m. in front of the Old Capitol Building and will send marathon runners through several parts of the city including…you guessed it…West Jackson!

The West Jackson route will take runners west along the Metro Parkway, then north on Prentiss Street, then East on Robinson Street, and finally along West Capitol Street toward the finish line at the Old Capitol.

This isn’t the first year in which the marathon traveled through West Jackson. Last year, approximately 1,500 runners from 47 states and 8 countries participated in the event and ventured into West Jackson by traveling west along the Metro Parkway and making a u-turn at Prentiss Street to head back downtown.

West Jackson residents will be cheering on the runners during the marathon. Hezekiah Watkins has organized an event that will feature performances by sections of Blackburn, Jim Hill, and Jackson State’s bands and will also include blues music by the Too Extreme Band. The event will take place at the corner of the Metro Parkway and Dalton Street and is scheduled from 7 a.m. til 11 a.m.; but if the weather permits and the band is in a good mood, the time may extend longer. There will also be complimentary coffee and hot chocolate for those who show up to cheer on the marathon runners.

So if you’re one of the marathon (or half marathon) participants: YOU CAN DO IT! And if you live in West Jackson or happen to be in the area, feel free to stop by the corner of Dalton and the Metro Parkway to cheer them on.

Images of runners in West Jackson from last year’s marathon (via Mississippi Blues Marathon photo gallery):

Other Info:

Course map for full marathon.

Course map for half marathon.