Yes, it's true. I did NOT run in the Mercedes Marathon last weekend. And yes, I'm just now writing about it, a week later. Just now getting to writing it is a large part of why I didn't run. The 'being late' part, that is. So where do I start... Training, Training, Training I had been training for the Mercedes Marathon for quite a few months with my running buddies, starting back in June or so and going on until the race month of February. And like everyone else, I’m incredibly busy as well with work, household, kids, activities, yada, yada...you get the picture. I’m also often distracted, so suffice it to say that I quite frequently walk into a room and forget what I went in there to do. Yeah. So...where was I? Oh yes, so very busy and distracted, and it's frequently hard for me to sometimes keep things straight like what to do, where to be, what needs to be done, did, etc. Because I'm frugal, I sign up for races well in advance because I absolutely abhor paying ridiculous extra fees if I don't have to. Ever since I started running in races and marathons, I make it a habit to sign up just as soon as they open up registration. Plus, I like getting the low numbers...it impresses people, making them think I'm an "elite runnner." ha!!!! Sitting and Getting - - All Of It Done Anyway, one day I was sitting and registering for some upcoming races. They included my annual birthday celebration 8k race at Ross Bridge, the Vulcan Run (my celebratory first race ever!) and of course, my beloved Mercedes Marathon. So while I was on the Active.com site, I entered and paid for each race, and hit enter. I think? I thought I did. Apparently I DID hit enter for the other two races because I ran them. But when I went back in my mind (don't laugh) to replay my actions, I remember being distracted with the upcoming Ruben Studdard Marathon and trying to see what my schedule was like. A few of my other runner friends were doing it so I wanted to think about doing it too. And that, my friends, is where the trouble began. As best as I can piece together, I think when I decided to "think" about running the Ruben Marathon, I clicked away from the Active.com sign-up for the Mercedes to go look at Ruben's site and I never came back! uugh!! Now, fast-forward nine months later as I'm standing in the Boutwell auditorium trying to get my running swag pack. There I am, sweating, feeling the tears swell and about to dry heave because they can-not find my stuff! The Organizer's Solution? I got lots of help from the race organizers desperately trying to find my sign-up information. Nothing came up. Nothing. Kenneth and I are on our iPhones trying to find the banking and payment information, and that danged confirmation email. More about that confirmation email in a minute. Although the race organizers try to assure me that "this kind of thing often happens," they just don't understand that it doesn't happen to ME. Never. And that's because I always, always, ALWAYS sign up, early and cross my eyes and dot my t's. Always. After looking long and hard, and finding nothing, I decided right then and there that I was going to pass out. The organizers made a deal with me: sign up, again, find your proof of my (first) registration and they’ll reimburse me in full. Sounds good, right? The only problem with that was while I was standing there contemplating this irresistible idea, a lovely person comes across the loud speaker and gleefully announces that the “half and full marathons have been closed!! Sold out!!” Great. More heaving. So, no race packet for me and no way to even sign up if I wanted to. The feeling I had then was completely…deflated. That’s the best description I have for it. Other words would include embarrassed, hurt, mad, angry, sad, insulted, tired, and disappointed, and on and on. I had trained for months for this race, and I wouldn’t get to do it. The Lesson Learned The lesson I learned through all of this was to stay focused on one thing at a time, no matter how busy I am, and follow it through to the end. Had I done that, I would have caught my error earlier, and not on race day, standing in the middle of the Boutwell with my mouth wide open. Horrific. As for that confirmation email thingie, no, I didn't check my email for it. Why, you ask? Well, just like everything else, when you sign up for something and then give them your email, you're swarmed with MORE emails to buy this and that. So, I've grown an eye callus to emails that come with more sales pitches. And when I started getting more marathon emails (which I did because I'm on their newsletter mailing list), I didn't open them and also felt pretty confident that one of them was my confirmation page. Nope. Learn From Me - I'll Allow It I hope too that I can help someone else with my mistake, if nothing else but to show you what can happen when you’re distracted. Oh wait, that’s already happened. A friend texted me just today to “thank” me for screwing up because it reminded her to check her email for her race confirmation. Nice. Glad I could help. A lot of folks have been very kind to me and have had encouraging words to say when I tell my embarrassing story. Maybe they giggled to themselves, but they've been kind to me in person, even with the “awww’s” and the sad face. I don’t know if you’ve ever done something quite like this, but I’d love to hear about it. Maybe it will make me feel even better knowing that there are other people out there who are also distracted and don’t know it! So What's Next? My next scheduled race is the Nashville Country Music Marathon in April. I still haven’t signed up, but I’m about to tonight and I’m going to make SURE that I 1.) hit the enter key 2.) check to make sure the enter key got hit 3.) check my confirmation email 4.) print my confirmation email 5.) staple my printed confirmation email into my calendar and plug the date into my iPhone. There. This can never happen to me again. My nerves can’t take it!! - - Thanks for listening.  :) … [Read more...]