The PR that Wasn't.

So I found this out before the back injury of the past few weeks and that has given me a new outlook on this whole topic but I still wanted to write about it because it still kind of annoys me…

Remember back in October when I ran a half marathon dressed as a witch and got a new PR?

Would you call me a witch if this was my costume?

Well, I thought I had finished that race in 2:02:22 but after googling myself to see all my race times (yes, I do this, don’t you?), I realized that something was not right…Athlinks was showing a different number… 2:03:53.  What?!?  That’s a good minute and half different!  And I know I could not have made up the whole repetition of 2′s time so that is clearly what they told me my time was back in October.  So what happened?

Well, I emailed the race director to ask about it and was told, “We had some timing issues and the time posted currently is your correct time”.  Um, Ok… Thanks for the email telling me my time has changed?! (sarcasm intended)

I know a minute and a half is really not that big of a change to some people but I saw this as another big chunk of time away from an under 2:00:00 finish which is something I really have my sights set on.  Now I have to PR by 4 minutes instead of just 2:22.  That sounds like a lot more speed required!?  I know someday I will get there but it just broke my heart a little tiny bit when I had been so proud of that faster time only to find out it was all a lie.  A big fat lie!

But what really annoyed me was that after the race director/timing company made the mistake, they never took the time to email all of the participants affected just to let them know to check their correct time after the fix.  It just seems rude to me!  I guess who knows, maybe I just got missed from the email they sent or something, I will probably never know.  This whole thing has taught me a few things and that is to wear a Garmin for verification purposes and also to check back on your time a month or so later and make sure nothing has magically increased.  I am also glad this was not my victory 1:59:37 half marathon that all of a sudden turned into a 2:02:10 half or something like that.  Now THAT would have totally disappointed me!

I know this was kind of a random tangent tonight and probably something most people won’t understand (or care about) but I just didn’t know things like this could happen so it kind of threw me for a loop!   I know you are probably thinking
“jeez, that poor girl’s life is so rough, yadda, yadda, yadda” but that’s not really the main reason I wrote this. I know my finish time was still a good time and I finished strong and could have kept going and that’s what really matters.  But I just don’t get why they didn’t tell us?

Somehow I will try to right my life again (;)) But this is my fair warning, that 3:53 better watch out, because it’s going to bite the dust one of these days!

Anyone out there ever have a race time change months later?  Or is it just me?

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