Jacksonville Marine Corps Half

I ran the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon at the beginning of October.  I wasn't exactly in "half marathon" condition, but this is one of my favorite races so I ran it anyway.  Money raised by this race goes to numerous military charities. One of the most memorable moments of any race I've ever had occurred at the start line.  The microphone died during the national anthem.  Without missing a beat, the runners, military personnel, and spectators all joined in to finish the song a cappella.  It was a moving moment... and then they fired a cannon to start the race and we were all scared out of our skins by the loud noise.
The course for this race is absolutely fabulous, and  I finished better than I thought I would.  I kept a slow, steady pace and didn't stop at all during the run. My final time was 2.24.17- not my best but better than last year.