Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon

I'm not sure if this is going to be awesome or if I've totally lost my mind, but I have decided to participate in the "Tri 2B Tuff" challenge this year. It sounds like a triathlon, but it's not (no swimming for this girl). The "challenge" is that participants complete three half marathons in three months. This morning I participated in the first race of the series- the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon. This race was great from start to finish. The race began at Jacksonville's Vetran's Memorial Wall and ended at Memorial Park. Before the race, there was an opening ceremony and then a cannon fired to start the runners. The course was beautiful and ran along the St. John's river for several of the miles. I could have done without the two bridges, though. Marines were stationed all along the course and they handed out water, gatorade, and GU to the runners. At the finish line there were tanks and other types of military vehicles. Once runners crossed the finish line, Marines (in dressy uniform) put the finisher medal around our necks. I really enjoyed the race a lot. It was a great course with lots of american spirit (flags everywhere) and military participation. The weather was also just perfect for running, and this may have had something to do with my time. I ran the course in 2:02:13. This time shaves eight minutes off of my previous half marathon time. I think that my decision to run through the summer had something to do with my improved time. I also noticed that I was not nearly as tired this time as I was at the Dover Half in June. My legs weren't even all that sore like they were last time.