Texas “Half” Race Report
Today was Gina and her husband Steve’s first half marathon, in Irving, Texas! I was honored Gina asked me to be at her first half! It was such a joy to me to hear about her training, and watch her fall more and more in love with running. She (and Steve!) worked so hard for this race and I knew it was going to be a success for them both.
Um, it was a success, but not what we expected. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this disappointed after a race. And not for me – for them. Ugh. But I’ll start at the beginning.
Gina had a sub 2:05/sub 2:00 goal and Steve had a 2:10 goal. We planned to start together (two warmup miles) then Gina and I were going to go ahead.
Awesomely, Steve stuck with us! There wasn’t much talking though – we were pushing it! And we had some challenges with tiny inclines and some interesting weather. The forecast was in the mid 30s (my preferred running temps!!!) but with some loco 18mph winds coming from the north. The course was a bit of a loop (with out and backs) and a little under half of it was head in to these winds. Blah.
I felt good for the first half though, keeping us on sub 2:05 pace. We got to a paved trail midway through and I started to have these “Ugh, why do I do this?!” feelings. Of course, I was undertrained and overfed (in January – ha ha) and still dealing with chest congestion. I was happy to be pushing low 9:00s at all!
But something was worrying me. From the beginning, the mile markers were off. A tenth or so, but we got to “Mile 8” when my watch said we were at 7.4ish. Gina and I talked about it – I just hoped the mile markers were in the wrong spots and there’d be some realllllly long mile at the end. Um, nope. They got further and further apart. I started to fade at (my) mile 10, so I told Gina to take off at 10.5 and I’d stick with Steve. Only I dropped my glove and had to run back for it so I ran the end with Steve in my sights and Gina ahead of us. I kept yelling for Steve to push it and I was pumped Gina was ahead of us.
Then I saw the finish. And knew the race was going to be quite a bit short, and my spirits fell. And I was confused that the finish was marked by a traffic cone – what happened to the timing equipment and arch we’d seen at the start? We later came to find out it blew over because of the wind, and it seemed you had to tell someone to write down that you finished… which we realized five or so minutes after we finished. Sigh.
I’m so not one to complain about races, but I… just have to for this one. I was extremely disappointed that the race was short. At first we just noticed our watches were off – I got just over 12.5 miles (as did many others). But later “research” (from other people’s posts on Facebook) shows that there were two course maps*. So someone must have been confused when they marked the course, and had a turnaround a street too early. Ugh. Easy mistake to make, but what a bummer. And what a bummer that is what this post became mostly about.
My watch says I ran the course in sub 2:00. Come on! In this shape?! And my “official” time is 2:08?! I knew I was on track for 2:05 (I was using a pace band). If they’re going to have the wrong time and a short course, can they at least have one that makes me look faster?! Ha ha.
But this isn’t even about me. This was about Gina and Steve. It was supposed to be a 13.1 mile celebration. It turned in to a letdown. A new PDR by .5 miles. Whooooo hoooooo. D-e-f-l-a-t-e-d. Ugh. Just ugh. We were in low spirits when we left and it took a few hours to snap out of it.
I normally wouldn’t care, but I think for your first half, you would want it to actually be 13.1 miles. A lot of people are commenting on that Facebook page that they loved it as their first half and many were excited about the huge “PRs.” Ha ha.
The race did do A LOT right. Great volunteers and traffic control. It was awesome to have it at a convention center, with bathrooms and somewhere warm to stay (Steven and Luca hung out there during the race!). The course was decent. It was nice to have the road/trail mix. People were upset about lack of jacket sizes at packet pickup, but that didn’t bug me. And I like the medal. And am excited I got to race in Texas!
And we did have a good time. Any day I can run is a blessing and I am grateful for that. We talked to a few people on the course (one guy also did the COOL 10K!). And man, Gina and Steve were kicking butt. I just wished they could have kicked for .6 more. The whole time during the race, I was thinking the mile markers were just off, and was super pumped to have them be so proud and ecstatic all day. I am SO proud of them. Just bummed, too.
I think a redemption race is in order. Something with a better reputation! Gina and Steve are coming to Chicago to run the Soldier Field 10 Miler in May. At least I know we can rely on Fleet Feet to put on a good race!
*For my notes, we should have gone to O’Connor and not turned at Fuller, in the first mile.
Themocracy
Awe that is disappointing. That’s hard to swallow being their first 1/2 and all. I wish you all a happy redemption race!
Aww Kim. I am so bummed for them. I think if that had been my first half I would have been in tears after it. I was SO emotional after my first half – I cried happy tears, I was so full of emotion and pride and just indescribable feelings I can’t put to terms…if the course had been short I would have been so upset!
My husband is running the Soldier Field 10 miler! Ack, here I have been secretly hoping you’d end up at one of the races on my calendar…and you are but…not one I’m even going to be at! Lol! (He is btw going to sign up using your code for the WI half – his best friend is deciding if it’s going to be his first half and if so he’ll use it too.)
There were tears. Tears that were supposed to be those happy/proud ones/
LOL! Will you be at WI?!
Probably not! 🙁 I usually don’t go when he races with his friend. We…clash a bit. If his friend isn’t then I am not sure, I probably will spectate.
How can we live so close and yet almost never overlap? Lol!
Aww, that is a bummer!
Ha ha! It’s funny, right? There are SOOO many races out here, though!
That’s so unfortunate!! It’s ok to be bummed. My first half was a suck as well. I actually think we ran more than the 13.1 since the course wasn’t marked right. What would make it right or what would be appropriate would be for the race officials to own up to it being wrong.
Which was your first?
Yeah, so far, the company is only kind of talking about the screwed up timing, not the course. I hope they issue a statement or something.
It was an All Community Event Half Marathon in July. http://www.babyweightmyfatass.com/2010/07/but-hoorah-i-finished-my-first-half.html I actually have like 3 posts dedicated to it. It was just a mess. I refuse to run their races again. They now moved that race to a night race. like that course wasn’t a cluster in day light!
Ha ha ha. Funny, I said to Steven that Mellew must be the All Community Events of TX. They had a bad rep here (I still do their races though, just don’t ever expect much from them, which is unfortunate).
That is disappointing! I’m glad there were some great aspects of the race. I lived in Fort Worth for 8 years & I love Texas!!! We were hoping to do the Austin half this year but my husband is going to Afghanistan. A Texas race is definitely on my bucket list!
I have heard such great things about Austin! Have not checked out Forth Worth, yet!
When does your husband leave?
On Valentines day! Lame!
That couldn’t get any lamer!
Oh that sucks! I think I’d have a really hard time not registering for the soonest half after today (you know, since I’d still be in good condition to run a half). I definitely understand feelings of disappointment after your first half – is it any consolation that it’s absolutely nothing they did, but the course itself being short? I don’t know, that may feel better than just having a crap run.
But it sounds like they still ran their best, so all of that training did its job! And I love the matching yellow jackets – awww 🙂
I was encouraging them to register right away. Gina had more in her at the end, and Steve would be ready, too! They are looking at one in March, but not sure if they can both do it. But it’s RnR, so it’s reliable (but so much larger! This race had, what, 700ish finishers?!).
We are all starting to feel better about it now, especially as we see more people all “WTF?!” about it 😉
That is so disappointing, especially as a first half!!SF 10 miler will definitely be a different story. It is a very well organized race!!!
First off, congrats to you Steven and Gina for finishing your first 12.x? miler. That just sucks. Is it an established race or a new kid on the racing scene? SF 10 will be a good redemption race if they dont find another half soon. SF 10 is always solid. I had something like that happen last year at my 10k- where volunteers were directing the 10K’ers to turn early.. ended up with 5 miles that day.. Really stinks when you train for a race and then something cray cray like that happens.I hope you all are celebrating the good time and friendship (and im totes jelly you went to GMG) 🙂
Ha ha! We are calling it the Texas Twelve and a Half marathon. Ha ha. I think this company has done this race many times before but it is the first time in this location? Maybe Gina can chime in (I will let you know if she does). Seems the co has a bad rep.
Ahh! I remember that 10K! Which race was that again? The other distance was messed up, too, right?
And we totally had a blast with them. Sigh. I never want to leave. They are our family. 🙂 Love Luca. Love being with them. <3
I would be bummed too 🙁 But congrats for them for their first “half!” 12.5 miles is still nothing to sneeze at 🙂
I totally get the disappointment. It’s always frustrating when the run you’ve trained for doesn’t go as planned, especially when it was nothing you did. I sort of felt this way after my first marathon (hot/canceled Chi ’07). Congrats to all of you though! How fun and what an honor to run with Steven and Gina on their first (almost) half!
Oh gah, yeah! Even more awful for a marathon, right?!
Man that stinks!! Still, great job to Steven and Gina (and you!)!!
I totally get how disappointing this is – I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago for a 10K. I had really trained hard to get a PR and then it turned out the course was short – I was so frustrated and really felt gypped.
That said, good job to Steven and Gina on their first half!!! So nice you got to go down and do it with them! And Gina is looking awesome – running obviously agrees with her!
Ugh! I am sorry it happened to you, too! I joked that we should have run until our watches said 13.1, but, ugh, we wanted the official time!
Thank you! They are doing so well! I loved going down there. I wish I could more often. And Gina IS looking mighty fine!!! 🙂
What a bummer…but at least you guys all got to race together! I bet you guys could have kept going till your watch hit 13.1 and had a more exciting finish than that dang cone! At the end of Fort2Base, I was thinking–sheesh- if I could just run another 1.5ish, I’d be at a half! But there’s something about the a “finish line” that makes me want to stop. Either way, congrats to you guys!
I was thinking that – keep going to 13.1! But meh, that doesn’t really count! So, are you doing a half this year?!
That’s such a bummer. I’ve run some races with short courses before (including my 10K PR!), and it’s always such a letdown to know that you can’t really count your official time as a PR. Hopefully they’ll be up for running another half and I’m sure that you’re right and their experience at the Soldier Field 10 Miler will be better.
So did they adjust times or was your time ‘slower’ than your watch because you didn’t know you had to tell them you finished? Did their timing system not work correctly as well?
Maybe Steve and Gina lucked out and their first ‘real’ half will have better weather conditions. 18mph winds really do make you work so much harder! (hah and that’s me trying to look on the bright side)
I think a lot of runners complain about insignificant things at races, but a race that is over half a mile short is a legit complaint. (execptions are trail races/fun runs) Was it a fairly expensive race too?
They have not adjusted times, yet. I think it was lower because we didn’t tell them. They said they are still “working” on it. Ugh. The timing system came down in the wind, so there was nothing there. 🙁
Ha ha. I do hope their next one is better weather! The temps were right, just not the wind. I guess you never know what you are going to get.
And thank you for saying that. I think it’s a legit complaint, too. It cost me $65. Gina had a free entry 🙂 Steve paid 😉
WhiteRock in December is much better. I will be there doing the walking half 🙂 Maybe they will give that one a whirl!
I bet that one will be awesome… December is way too far away for redemption though! Ha ha! I know they have done some races there. 🙂 Are you excited about it?!
I would be seriously bummed! I do think that it’s interesting to have those “less-than-ideal” races to appreciate more fully the good ones, but it still sucks that you traveled and were looking for a celebration race.
It definitely sounds as though a redemption race should be in your future!
It definitely makes me appreciate the good ones! And I don’t mind at all that I traveled! I would have traveled just to watch them run a 5K 🙂 I just wish it had been a better first time 🙂 They will have to find a new one!
Wow. Thanks for the head’s up on this Mellew – living in Texas, I’ve seen a lot of their races advertised and considered doing a couple of them, but after reading this and doing some searching on other forums, it sounds like they are like this all the time. So sorry about how the race turned out for your friends, but regardless, they trained and ran a great race!
You are welcome! Gina said she had heard some iffy stuff too, but now we know. Ugh. Spread the word! 😉
ARGH! So frustrating!! When I read the title of this post and the first paragraph or so I was worried that one of you had to drop out. I don’t know if that would have been better or worse at this point!
Gina & Steve, you will get your redemption race at Soldier Field! It’s a very well done event.
Ha ha. Someone dropping out would have been much worse! That probably would have meant something REALLY wrong since they were trained and ready. So, yeah. Being healthy is better than a short race! 🙂 And I hope they find a half before SF! 🙂
I totally understand your frustration! To this day, my 5K PR is on a course that measured (by EVERYONE’s watches–not just mine) 2.95 miles. 🙁 Nope, doesn’t count.
What a shame about the short course but what an awesome accomplishment for Gina and Steve! Awesome pace for their first half (even if it was short!).
Man, that does suck! Sorry to hear about that. I hate it when the race is short, then it appears you have an awesome PR, but you don’t. Ugh!!!
But hey! Awesome for Gina and Steve!! They kicked some booty!
Effing sucks donkey balls. Seriously.
BUT!!!!
Gina and Stephen ran an AMAZING first half!! No talk of anyone dying at the end…right on goal pace. And you did an awesome job as pacer! So I hope the good outweighs the bad in this race…
And HELLZ YEAH to a redemption race 🙂
They kicked butt SO hard. I wonder if they will ask me to come “pace” them at the next one? Ha ha. I couldn’t hold on the whole time. That damn wind… and the lack of training… lol
I would be upset too if it was THAT short! That’s quite a bit short. 🙁 I do love your pics though!
Oh dear. Sounds like a bad situation for everyone, but glad you got to get out there and run, I guess?
Oh yeah! I am so happy I got to be there! And pushing that pace at my weight was actually a pleasant surprise (and the push I need to get back on track with my health)!
Ugh, that’s so disappointing and frustrating. C’mon, race organizers! Congrats to Gina and Steve though. I hope they are motivated and not defeated by this initial bad experience!!
I think they are definitely motivated to keep going! 🙂