I'd done Monument Ave in the past and was really frustrated by my time. This year, I was more determined to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the race and all the costumes and the spectators out there. My mentality was less of a race and more of my Saturday training run. To that end, I didn't even wear a watch, so I don't really know how long any mile took - just going by my memory of the clock times.

When the race started, I was shooting for 11 - 12 minute miles for the first one. It's always really crowded during that time, so I figured I would be on the slower end. It was drizzling and I was trying to avoid people, potholes, and puddles (say that one three times fast!). Made the first mile in about 12:15, so that was ok. I was feeling pretty good throughout mile 2. I found an unofficial water stop from one of the neighborhood houses, which was very much appreciated. Picked up some Mardi Gras beads and gave high fives to a few kids standing along the course. In general, I was having a pretty good time. Around mile 2.5, I started having stomach pain. It sort of feels like a side stitch, but it gets very sharp (almost stabbing at points). I started walking a few minutes and it seemed to go away. I was pretty excited to round the corner at mile 3. At the halfway point, I as at 41:52. Not incredibly fast, but not all that bad either.

At that point, I started chatting with the woman running next to me - Kerry. She wasn't feeling so great and had gotten separated from the friend she was running with, so we started to run together. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She was very friendly. Somewhere after the fourth mile, the abdominal pain came back and was even worse than the first time. I tried walking it out, but it was not going away. I told Kerry to feel free to go. She felt a little bad about it, but I could tell this time it wasn't going to work itself out. I walked until the fifth mile marker and figured I should try running again. Lots of pain. I probably looked like I was actually shuffling, rather than walking. I alternated walking and running (probably more walking), until I could start to see the finish line and all the spectators around. Ran as much as I could. When I saw the clock at the end, I knew I could make it under 1.5 hours. Kind of arbitrary, but that's what was going through my head at the time. I picked it up a little and crossed. I honestly thought I was going to fall over. Moved with the sea of people to the end of the race.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot more this year. Around halfway, the rain really picked up, but there was still a ton of support from all of the people in the community. I'm not sure I would have stood around in the rain to watch a bunch of people run around. It was a lot more fun this year. I think part of it was realizing the chaos is what makes Monument Monument.

Figure out what is causing the abdominal pain and stick to a more consistent training schedule.

Walked through the maze at the end of the race. Stopped at the bag check to pick up my bag and then went over to the Landmark to meet Kristen and Judi. We had someone take our picture before we left for breakfast. Then walked back the few blocks to the parking garage. Walking up the stairs was not the most pleasant thing, but I really wasn't going to wait in the huge line for the elevator.


I've been training, but without real focus or direction. Sticking to a training plan and being consistent about my mid-week workouts should help with that.

I also really need to figure out what is causing all of this pain. If I don't, it's going to limit my ability to make progress on goal #1.


Crowd support in the race is great! Lots of spectators throughout, even this year in the rain. Yes it's crowded and a little crazy, but it makes it kind of fun to be a part of the chaos.