Did a half marathon today on the spur of the moment.

This is a race report I posted on a bulletin board/forum discussion site I'm a member of.

Ran a Half Marathon on the spur of the moment today.

Um anyone every say to hell with it and run a race without taking the time to prep and train up to it? I did today. Also ran my first ever half marathon too.

I'm in Missippi visiting relatives and decided on the spur of the moment to take part in a half marathon.

As for preparation, I've basicly had none since the MCM last month. didn't run on mon, tue, or wed this week due to travel from NY state and ran 4.2 miles on thursday and 4.5 miles on friday with the lonest run being two weeks prior to leaving NY at at 6 miles.

So woke at 04:00, depart for Orange Beach at 05:00 and arrive by 07:10 checkin get my bib & chip and start stretching.

The forecast is for showers and rain today so I'm hopeful for overcast skies. Well about 07:30 the skies are clearing and the sun is shining. A glorious sunny morning dawns. Arrrgggghhhhhh.

08:00 and the race starts in the Orange Beach Sports Complex and goes onto a local jogging/bicycle trail headed east. There is some shade along the trail and its nice, a little warm and humid but not too bad. At the end of the trail we turn right and run along side a highway till we reach Alabama 182 and run west along that. The Orange Beach Police provided safety coverage along rt 182 as we were running across the entrances to several shopping plazas.

As for the stretch of 182, Its between the condos on the beach and the shopping plazas for about 2 miles then breaks out to an open stretch. Its long straigh and relatively flat with no protection from the sun. After about 4 miles on 182 we turn north into Gulf shores and head back up towards the oposite side of the trail we went out on. maybe 2 miles on the pavement to the trail and roughly 4 miles on trail till returning to the sports plex.

Water points were adequate and the volunteers excellent. The strectch along 182 could of had an additional water stop but overall it was bad.

The sponsors for the run and the event coordinators had a nice after event festivity and I could of walked off with a door prize if i chose, but I didn't need more stuf to drag along.

Aside from the 71 degree+ temeprature and lack of shade it isn't bad overall. Aside from the heat & humidity the course is easy enough and
fairly fast.

The drawback to the half marathon. I now look like a half boiled lobster.

time 2:26:49.

In other bits; Thanksgiving Day was quiet and uneventful took 3 days to drive to MS from NY so I really didn't train up or prepare to run in a half marathon. But I figured what the hell I'd do it anyway.

Otherwise, I hope everyone had a easy thanksgiving and will have a safe weekend and holiday season.