[twitter]There is something you quickly realize when you’re at a Team Diabetes event: time doesn’t matter.

I’m a very competitive person. Radio ratings have played right into that, but I am constantly measuring and comparing. A few years ago when I played golf on a regular basis, every round was measured against the last on a graph. I compared greens in regulation, putts, scores, and handicap.

That same time (about 10 years ago), I was also competitive with my racing. I was doing triathlons and would chart not only each discipline, but transition times. I was never going to be in the Olympics, or remotely competitive in my age group, but I was competitive with myself.

The past few years, I have rarely kept score when playing golf. I play for the love of it, and I know if I get a par or a birdie in the round. Whether or not I break 80, or 90, or 100, doesn’t matter as a measure of my enjoyment. I am with friends, enjoying a good walk outdoors – that’s what matters.

Team Diabetes is like that. Today, in the Edinburgh Marathon I had my slowest time ever. It was nearly an hour off my personal best. But it doesn’t matter. I finished. In fact, everyone who came to Edinburgh this weekend, some 80 runners, in everything from a 5k to a full marathon, finished.

When it came to our cruising of the pubs in the hotel district tonight, there was little talk of times or personal bests, the question was “did you finish?” That’s all that matters, that we set a goal, and we accomplished it.

It was a gorgeous day for Team Diabetes Edinburgh to race today. I may have a sunburn, something one doesn’t expect to get up here. We cruised downhill for a while, met the cliffs of Hollyrood Park, and then cruised downhill some more. We then ran along the beautiful beaches on the Firth of Forth for what seemed like 10 kilometres.

I couldn’t resist the call of the ocean, I stepped off the boardwalk and took a couple of hundred metres in the sand and inhaled the dank, salty air. Ah. I took pictures, and just took in the atmosphere, scenery, and experience. If I was racing, those 4 minutes on the beach would have killed my chance at a personal best on a very fast course. But it wasn’t about racing. It was about meeting people, having experiences, and completing a goal.

So, how was my Team Diabetes Edinburgh race? I finished it, thank you! And then I had a haggis with neeps and tatties. Because when in Scotland …