SF Marathon

Even though my time for SF in July (4:18) was longer than for Napa in March (4:07), I'd say it was a better marathon experience overall, since I actually achieved all of my goals for the race:

• Manage the hills
• Run the entire course (no walking at all - only the 2nd time I've done this in 6 marathons)
• Enjoy the scenic tour of the city
• Avoid injury & feel good afterwards
• Finish in about 4:30

So why aren't I totally enthusiastic about this when people ask how it went?

It all comes down to that phrase at the beginning of this entry - "even though." Because despite the fact that I didn't have a time goal and that I approached this marathon and my training with a mindset of just-enjoy-the-ride, I still couldn't help feeling a slight pang of disappointment with the time. This is especially silly considering that I estimated my finish time at 4:30 when I registered (to get into the appropriate wave start), and I'd ordinarily be thrilled to finish a race 12 minutes faster than expected. I even got a really good photo out of it (see above), which is rare, as my race pictures usually show me in a really odd pose or make me look like I'm not even moving.

Sometimes I get really frustrated with my perfectionist exacting mind that often is more detrimental than helpful to my personal growth, development, and contentment. But I guess the only thing I can do is keep trying to work on celebrating my achievements without always having that little voice in my head wondering "Was that really enough?"