Momentum Monday: Feeling like you failed

Yesterday was my second 10K race I'd ever raced and only the second time I've ever run that distance.  As I crossed the finish line I looked at the time and saw that it said 1:10:something seconds.  I was happy!  I'd beat my time from my previous race (time 1:14:50) by at least 4 minutes!  I felt elated and even though I'd had a tough race towards the end (which I'll cover in my recap tomorrow) I felt good knowing I'd improved that much.

Then I came home and checked the "official results" and my timing chip had a different time for me.  My official time for this race was 1:14:33.  I was crushed, I'd only "improved" my time by a few seconds.  I still am crushed, I thought I'd done SO MUCH better than that, but I also see where I need much improvement.  I guess the fact that I'd run longer distances before this race than I had my previous race made me believe I could possibly have a better time.  I feel like I failed myself and my training.  So when it came to picking out the Momentum Monday Mantra this one really jumped out at me:

I need to remember that I didn't fail at this race, I still ran it and it was a GORGEOUS sunny day with all the fall foliage out and made for a beautiful run.  I didn't quit and I pushed myself to do what I could in all the circumstances I faced.  I didn't fail and I need to get that out of my head.  Even though I didn't improve my time as much as I thought I had, I still ran the race, I still finished the race and I ended the race with a smile on my face.  I wouldn't call that a failure, I would call that success!

Questions for you:  Have you been let down by the results of a race? How did you get over it, or have you gotten over it?  Did it fuel you to get better or was it a crutch?