You didn't lose it if they can't take it away
They say that records are made to be broken and I guess they must be right because this past weekend my record fell. "David 4:17.9" will no longer hang above the gymnasium doors. Very soon they will be replaced by Mike 4:17.2" It might seem like my 8 years of glory have come to a close. It might seem like I would shed a tear at such a loss, but it turns out that I'm prouder of that record now than I have been in years. That record motivated countless (or probably more like 8, but 8 of the countless variety) runners. Even though my name comes down, 4:17.9 will always be mine. I don't need a placard in a gym to know that was a special achievement. I'll always know that I've never run faster for 1600 meters.

All of this would have been a lot harder to say 6 years ago. And don't think I didn't take a look at my old track spikes to see if they might have another record run in them. I can't go back to high school, but I'm still theoritically in my prime. But then, you knew that by looking at me, didn't you?