I have been fortunate this fall racing season to PR multiple times. My primary goal this Fall was to break 80 minutes in the half-marathon and 2:50 in the full marathon. I set my schedule back in June and it included the Philadelphia Half Marathon in September, the AC Half Marathon in October and finally the Philadelphia Marathon in November.

As I wrap up October I can say I hit my first bogey, breaking 80 minutes in the half, and feel I am well on track to break 2:50 in the marathon. In September I somewhat unexpectedly broke 80 minutes in the half, barely, running 1:19:56. The feeling was euphoric, I knew I had it in me, but honestly did not think I would do it in that September race. This was mainly due to the conditions, rather warm and very humid.

Fast forward a month and I smashed that time, running 1:18:07. It was better conditions and I was in better shape. So which was more gratifying? The 1:19:56 without a doubt. I had set a goal and achieved it. Yes, I set a new goal for the AC Half Marathon and I achieved that but it was not quite as gratifying, in fact I almost came away disappointed from that race. I did not realize how close I was to breaking 1:18:00 as doing that never crossed my mind entering the race.

I guess that is why we continue to run or pursue our passions, we are never quite satisfied.