Well, this was my first marathon. My thought was to start with the 8:50-9:00 pace group, stay with them for a while, and then decide if I wanted to go on ahead or stay with the group. It was very cold at the start. It took me a couple of miles to get warmed up. My pace felt good and conservative. Once I felt warmed up, I took off my outer layer and ditched it on the side of the road.

I felt really good and kept my pace consistent for about the first few miles. I ended up passing the 8:50 pace group and just ran on how I felt. I felt great. I reached the 13.2 mile marker at an hour and 52 min. My pace was a little faster than expected. I ended up passing the 8:47 pace group. I saw my husband and kids cheering me on at mile 14, what a boost. :) I just continued on and hoped I wouldn't bonk the last 10K.

I was feeling good up until about the 19 mile marker. My legs were starting to feel a bit heavy and tight. I took in plenty of fluids and GUs and felt good aerobically.

Mile 21-24 was probably the toughest! I could tell my pace slowed down. But I was determined to run this whole thing. The 8:47 pace group caught up to me and passed me. That was fine by me. I slowed down at the aid stations to take in fluids. The volunteers were wonderful and supportive. They helped so much to get me through the toughest part of the run.

Mile 25 I was getting exited. I was so close to finishing a marathon!! My legs were feeling so heavy. My quads were and calves were telling me "NO" but my heart was telling me, "GO". So I just dug in deep and channeled my inner "Chrissy" and ran.

The last .2, the finish was in my sights. The crowds were cheering for all the runners and it was a great feeling. I raised up my hands and tried to smile big, of course it might of looked like a grimace LOL. I crossed the finish line and became a marathoner!! Yeah!!!!

Nothing really. I felt I stayed consistent throughout the whole race. The last few miles were very painful, so perhaps doing a couple more long runs of 20 or 21 miles would have been beneficial. Dunno.

Walked around to get my medal and hat...nice. Got a blanket from a volunteer and ate a banana and drank some chocolate milk. It was hard to even hold anything because my hands were frozen!


Well, I guess since this was my first marathon, maybe lack of experience?? I've done a couple of HM and felt like I was as prepared as I could be for a full mary. I followed a training plan and felt the plan was alright.


I really enjoyed my experience. The Monumental Marathon was a great, organized event!! The volunteers were wonderful and supportive. I was pleasantly surprised at the crowd support. It was very cold. To see people out there in their coats and hats cheering for us was a wonderful feeling. The police did an excellent job with traffic control and protecting the runners. Overall, this was a great race. I'd do it again.