January 10, 2015, Mississippi Blues Half Marathon
    I had never been to  Mississippi before this race and not sure I will ever return. T he name "Mississippi Blues" and some of the  reviews attracted me to this race.  I love old country songs and many of  them talk about the blues, so, I thought "why not run a half marathon there  and hear some good music?".   We arrived at our hotel  Thursday evening and were instantly concerned by all the abandoned  businesses and homes near the hotel. The Hilton Gardens in downtown Jackson seemed safe and was a  decent hotel but they also warned us not to go walking around after dark.  Seems there are a bunch of homeless people in the area that are considered dangerous. We are not downtown  people so we were a bit uneasy and decided to eat dinner at the hotel Thursday  evening and it was very good. Friday we walked about 10 minutes to the Expo. It was held at the Jackson Convention Center and was lots  of fun!  We found some good bargains on clothes and listened to some good B...