On April 18th I ran the 115th Boston Marathon. I achieved my really big goal. However it didn’t turn out exactly as I anticipated. My finishing time was 4 hours 27 minutes – a full 30 minutes slower than my qualifying time!! And the weather conditions were perfect – 55 degrees and a strong tailwind. In fact, the men’s winner finished the race in 2 hours and 3 minutes!! The fastest time ever for a marathon. So while I achieved my really big goal, I have to admit that initially I was disappointed in my result. What happened?? I asked myself this question repeatedly for the rest of that day and much of the next.

And then I watched the video clip I took of finishing the marathon. (Yes I carried my Flip video camera and took some footage along the way.) Hearing the crowds again and seeing the finish line ahead as I ran down Boylston Street brought a rush of emotion. What a spectacular event! And I got to experience it. I ran the Boston Marathon.

Boston Marathon April 18, 2011 (click on this link to see my finishing video clip)

My time was slow and I didn’t re-qualify (yes, I did wonder that at the start line …I couldn’t help it…) and I am now content with my result. Figuring out what happened that caused me to run out of energy half way through doesn’t matter anymore. Sometimes we can get so focused on the end result (finishing time) that we miss the journey along the way. I’m so glad I took my little video camera with me because I will be able to always remember what it was like to run the Boston Marathon – the first time!