#weightloss #weightlossjourney #runner #hurt #pattillmanrace #racetime #strong #copywriting #personalblogofacopywriter
Originally written April 24, 2013
So, something really crappy happened to me after the Pat Tillman Foundation 6K (4.2 mi) race this past Saturday. My friends and I, anxiously awaiting our results, logged into the website to see our official race times and low and behold...Mine was...ummm...BAD (and wrong)?! How do I know this, you ask? Because my net time and my gun time were the same. For those of you who do not run competitively, your net time is the amount of time that it takes for you to actually run the race. The gun time is the time that the race officially started. The significance? Most races are pretty large (in the case of Pat Tillman, about 28,000 runners) so you are placed in corrals, depending on how fast you can run the race - the faster the runner you are, the closer to the front you get to be so that you are not tripping over the walkers and slower runners.
I was in corral 5. As I was adjusting my shoe chip (a bracelet-looking thing that you attach to your shoelaces), I just had a bad feeling about it not being readable. I let it go, told myself not to stress anymore than I already was! It's a big race, right? Nothing will go wrong, my chip is readable and placed properly...or so I thought...
And we're off...I ran my first mile under a 9 min./mi. pace (I use the RunKeeper app), a pretty good pace for me, and kept up with my hubby until about the third hill, where he pulled away about 300 ft. I kept him in my sights until the end and crossed the finish line about 45 secs behind him.
So, back to me looking at the computer and my 42:57 race time. I thought to myself, this can't be right! I ran so hard. I knew I was running faster than my normal 10:00 min/mi. pace and the posted time was even worse than my slowest mile time ever. BUMMER, but nothing I can do about it, right? Not so, as they had a link on their results page to lodge questions about results - apparently this happens enough to warrant a link!
I toiled over it for a few days. Do I really need that validation or am I just being silly? Its only a 4.2 mile race, not the freakin' Boston marathon. I know in my heart how hard I ran, do I need someone to tell me as well?
Apparently, yes I do. I went ahead and sent the email.
They confirmed that my chip did not register a start time at the starting line, so they made my start time the gun time, or the same as those who started in corral 1.
As of today, the error has been corrected and my official time is 37:46 - almost a 4 minute difference (huge in running). YAY!
There is just something about seeing your accomplishments "on paper," so-to-speak. I knew how well I did, but I needed that validation. It just goes to show how important recognition and encouragement are! So, give someone you know who is working hard at any goal, whether it's losing weight or becoming a more fit person, the recognition and kudos they probably so badly need today!
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