I'm not really into country music, but I have to applaud Nashville on their spectacular Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon Race that they host each year. I was not only impressed with the race, but the city and its people. When my daughter-in-law, Somvang (Sue) Syravanh, asked me to run the Half Marathon with her this year, I relunctantly agreed. My reluctance, wasn't that I did not want to run with her in the race. Instead, my reluctance was based on a wrong impression I had about Nashville. You see, I have always associated country music to trailer parks, illiteracy, missing teeth and tattoos. Nashville, being the capitol of country music, I expected a populace and landscape matching that image. Needless to say, I was surprised when I found a modern skyline, upscale housing, and healthy,wholesome, intelligent people. The downtown area is beautiful with a rolling landscape that provides a clear view of its myriad of architecture. The bridges connecting the waterways that cut through the city are spectacular. Its a perfect setting for a racing event. Sue is married to my oldest stepson, Ron (Thai name: Narong). They live there in the Nashville area. Ron is a supervisor with Krogers and owns a Thai restaurant. Sue works as a staff accountant for a large Nashville company. Sue has run in the Country Music Marathon for many years. This was her first time trying the Half Marathon distance. She has 6 sisters, and all of them are very athletic. Most of them are avid runners, either with racing experience under their belts or daily trotters on their private treadmills. Two of Sue's sisters ran the Half Marathon this year along with her, and a fourth sister came to watch. The one sister who watched from the sidelines traveled all the way from Texas with her husband. It was also a sort of family reunion for all the girls. Two sisters, one in France and another back in Texas, could not make it this year, but they are promising to make the trip next year. The picture of Sue shown here was taken about 30-minutes before the race started. The gun was supposed to go off at 7:00 am, but a lightning and rain storm delayed the start for about 28 minutes. All of us, as well as many other runners, were sporting the traditional disposable garbage bag rain coats. We discarded these shortly after the gun went off. This year's race, according to Sue, was supposed to be a kinder, gentler course because it was overall flatter. I had nothing to compare that claim to, but I can attest to the grumbling of those who had eventually traversed it, many feeling it was much harder than the previous courses. Even the elite runners exclaimed later that both the Marathon and Half Marathon courses were among the toughest they had ever run. .