Yesterday, April 7, 2012, I ran the Charlottesville Half Marathon for the second time. Although I felt stronger this year, my finishing time did not reflect it. In fact, with an unplanned port-a-potty queue of five minutes, it was actually worse. Here I am about 45 minutes after finishing, none too pleased. In fact, it was a beautiful day and a challenging course. My post-race recovery was a lot better than it’s been in past half marathons. It took me about a day to get over my initial disappointment, and I stand by today’s tweet: “no beginners like me here, but I’d much rather be surrounded by those who excel at the sport than the alternative.”