I ran the The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon in Tennessee last week as my eleventh marathon. After researching races near my friends home in Nashville, I learned about the Flying Monkey and was instantly drawn in by the race director's demented sense of humor. "Running is stupid." It's limited to 300 participants, and last year, I missed the cut off, so I volunteered at the race in 2013.

This year I made the weighted lottery and ran. It was warm for November (low 60s), but rainy and windy. However, the real pain came from the constant rolling hills. The sign at the top of the first big ascent read, "300ft climbed, 3,300 more to go." I took an enjoyable pace approach to this race. After crossing the finish line in 4:32, I had the following exchange with the race director.

ME: You were right. Running is stupid.

TRENT: Was there ever any doubt?

ME: No.

TRENT: Did you suffer out there?

ME: Yes, I did.

TRENT: Good.

Check out my run tracker to follow my progress on my 50 marathons in 50 states and the New Hampshire Compulsion.