A fun day in Oxford, Mississippi today. It was sunny and brisk when I woke up this morning for the 8:30 Half. The course was nice but incredibly hilly. I'd say a hill every two miles. The last one just before mile 12 was probably the worst. But, credit to the organizers for making us work to finish this race.
I finished fifth in my age group (35-39) and 38 overall (300+ runners). I ran an 8:04 mile finishing in 1:45. I'm not thrilled with that time as my last two races I finished under 1:40. I hope to bring my time down next week in Little Rock.
Afterwards I headed to Big Bad Breakfast for some eggs with sausage gravy. A great post race meal. Then I headed downtown to Courthouse Square to take some pictures. I must say no matter how many times I see a Confederate Flag (first in Mobile and now here), it is something I will never get used to. I took a number of pictures as it is on the state flag and certainly part of the culture here. People have different perceptions of this flag (ie Southern pride) and I'm always willing to listen to try to understand their points of view. But, I'll never get used to seeing it.
I left the square and took a drive over to Ole Miss to see the university and go to the James Meredith Civil Rights monument. Coincidentally, my visit comes at a time when it's been reported in the news that three students put a noose around the neck.
From there I paid a visit to Oxford Memorial Cemetery to see the site of William Faulker. As many know, I'm a fan of historical figures and cemeteries. It was getting late so I left to rest a bit before heading to dinner.
More pics tomorrow.
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| Start line |
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| Finish line |
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| 1:45 finish |
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| A little sausage gravy w/ eggs at Big Bad Breakfast |
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| Courthouse Square |
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| University Circle |
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| James Meredith, first black student to enter University of Mississippi in 1962 |
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| Oxford Memorial Cemetery |
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| Sun setting |
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