Foot Traffic Flat

So my PR for the half marathon was July 2013. I was pretty good at getting 1:40-somethings in pretty much every halfie I did, with a previous PR of 1:40:08. I really really really wanted to get a 1:30-ANYTHING, and hoped to win the big prize at last year's See Jane Run in Seattle. As race day approached, I decided I was a little slower and heavier than I needed to be to get it, so I made the decision to hang out and enjoy Seattle and not put pressure on myself to get my PR. The point is, I was just a little hung over when I arrived at the starting line. However, conditions were perfect, and I ended up squeaking out a 1:39:58. I was surprised, but delighted.
So today, when things started to go wrong, I started making excuses for myself early on, which I know is bad news. And stupid, because my best was under less-than-ideal circumstances. I set the alarm for 4:30, but apparently failed to switch to "alarm 2", so the alarm went off at 5:30, like it does on work days. The thing is, the race started at 6:30, so I scrambled to get to the starting line. I got there just fine, but did not have time to use the facilities before the race started. I got an extra .15 miles the first mile by weaving around the runners to get to where they were running my pace. Still, it was a really nice day, and the crowd was great, and I was enjoying it until about mile 8. I was shooting for a 1:41-anything, since I need 1:42:00 or less to qualify for the New York Marathon. Around mile 9, I started to lose ground, and started making excuses - I felt like the rush of adrenaline I got from waking up an hour late started to crash, and I slowed to an 8-minute pace. Around mile 11 I started to pick up again with a little positive self-talk, but ultimately I wasn't able to pull off the qualification time.
When all is said and done, however, it was still a good experience. I feel like in a way, it's good not to meet a goal every now and again so that you know your bar is set high enough. I ended up with a 1:42:54 - a 7:45 pace overall, which is good for me. I have a couple more chances this year. Also, it's a nice, strong tempo run for my 14-weeks-to-Chicago training.