A Learning Experience, the Hard Way

This might seem like an odd time to begin a blog but I actually think it's the perfect time. I'm hoping I can just explain what happened on Sunday and close this chapter of my racing career. Chalk it up to a lesson learned.
So, my first DNF
I'd been training for the Shamrock Marathon. I'd put a lot of pressure on this race and I really wanted to do well. I had trained hard and I had family watching (it would be their first race) But a week and a half before the race I came down with a horrible cold. Basically, I developed a cough, chest congestion, and I was tired all the time. I wasn't able to run more than four miles at a time but I kept hoping that I'd wake up the next day and be cured. I still did everything like I usually would. I got a massage from Balance Massage, I went and saw Jim at Kinetic Health, and I rested and ate my pasta on Saturday night. Unfortunately, I never did get better. On Sunday, I woke up still coughing but I just prayed that I'd be able to get through the race.
I started out feeling great. Mile 1 was perfect 6:20 (I was right on pace) and I thought, I can keep this up. But it didn't last. I began falling off the pace early and all I could think about was, that it was too early for me to be feeling this way. I was tired. Exhausted already. decided to end the race at Mile 11 hoping to save the fight for another day. It was a tough decision. I fought the idea for almost 2 miles. When I found my friends, I cried. I couldn't believe that it was over. At first, I was beyond crushed and I felt like I had failed.
But I know that I did the right thing. I will pick myself up off the ground and do it again. This time I will not be sick and I will be much stronger. Just got to get better and refocus.
So, I hope this will help people understand.