Registration Frustrations

So, the BF finally went for it!  He decided to run the Chicago Marathon!
:)

Yay, BF!  So Exciting!

Right?

No... hold on... running a marathon may be less difficult than registering for a marathon.

As you probably know, the Chicago Marathon registration through Active.com became quite the cluster... well, mess.  My poor BF was a bundle of nerves and excitement to register at noon the first day registration opened.

We made plans to have lunch together.  He took his MacBook with him to our favorite little coffee and sandwich shop to hone in on their free wifi.  We ordered food (not that he cared at all about food at a time like that), and he set himself up to register.

Then, frustration began.  Dead end after dead end.  I can't even remember what their error codes said, but we got nowhere.  Finally, we each attempted on our iPhones as well.  We got closer on a couple occasions, but no dice.

Poor BF.  :( 
He had to go back to work, with NO marathon registration.

Well, that will be the day I let my BF suffer like that if I can do anything about it!.  I was fortunate enough not to have any clients in my schedule right after lunch.  Don't tell anyone...shhh... but I spent a little time at work trying to get him registered.  Shhhh!  Shhh!  Big Brother is always watching...

But my BF deserved it!  And dang it if I didn't succeed in getting my man signed up for his very first marathon!  (insert cheering crowd noises here)

Not long after that, though, the big crash... the active.com website crash, that is.  As of today, it's still all a giant mess, but my BF is registered!  Confirmed!  He's running the Chicago Marathon this fall!!!!!

(Big sigh of relief and grin of joy)



With that, I could return my focus to my own upcoming race...

As you know, in just over two weeks, I'm running the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in D.C.  Well, walk-running it, but whatevs.

The BF is running it, too, and he periodically mentions emails he has gotten from the race.  I've heard nothing since the confirmation email and receipt, but he gets emails.  A week or so ago, I emailed them asking to be put on their mailing list so I didn't miss anything.

No response.

So, Monday, I went to email again.  While on their main page, I see the "confirm registration" button, and figure I might as well start there.  I bet you can imagine where this is headed...


******************************************************************************************

No Matching Participant Found Please double check your information and try submitting again. In case you have difficulties downloading or printing this mandatory document, blank confirmation cards will be available in the lobby of the Health & Fitness Expo for you to complete and turn in. Please bring photo ID.

Q. What if it shows that I am Not found in the database?A. Please put in your information exactly as it shows on your receipt/confirmation that you received when you originally registered. Often times, names are entered backwards or we have an incorrect date of birth for you. If you can confirm your registration (either by an e-mailed receipt/confirmation or credit card statement/cleared check) and there is a typo with your name or date of birth, please be sure to visit the Solutions table at the Health and Fitness Expo and we will be able to change your information in the system. We will have blank confirmation sheets for you to fill out at the expo to retrieve your race packet, make sure that you bring your Photo ID.
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AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Well, needless to say I started to panic at this point.  I went back to my confirmation email and called the phone number.  I called, and start to explain to the gal my dilemma.  She checked my confirmation number with their system.  Nothing.  I offered to email the confirmation, and she told me she just fields the calls and I can address it with Laura.  Unfortunately, Laura was out of the office Monday, as they were all out for the NOLA race on Sunday.  "She will be in tomorrow, and I'm sure she'll get back to you soon."  OK, fine.  Sure, I'll leave a voicemail.

So, I left a slightly panicked, but bubbly voicemail.  "Please confirm this for me, because I'm wigging out a little" blah blah blah, all sweet and non-confrontational. 

Tuesday comes and goes.  Nothing.

So, today, Wednesday, I called again.  I asked for Laura, saying I called the other day and hadn't heard back.  I was told that Laura was in meetings all day yesterday, and has not come in yet today (10:30am CST).  Did I need to leave another voicemail, or just wait for her to respond to the one I left?  Oh, I'll leave another voicemail, thank you very much.

This one, less pleasant, but still not witchy:  "Please call me...  The money was taken from my account...  I have a confirmation email, etc."

In the meantime, the race is near selling out, and I have no race number, no nothing.  All I have is a check account with $135 less in it than there used to be.  I signed up January 18th!!!

So, the evening has come and gone without a call from Laura (of Competitorgroup.com).  So, now I email again.  Tonight I emailed Competitor Group and Raceit.com. 


Tomorrow I will call with a less-than-pleasant tone, but I know I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt here.  Of course, they will make this right.  Right?  They have my money.  I have proof that they have my money.  I'm sure this will all work itself out, but it is still ridiculous!  All I keep thinking is, "what if I hadn't checked?"  I don't usually check my registration.  This race is almost sold out, and I would have gone there to get my bib and swag, and found NOTHING.  Sure, maybe they'd have made it right when I got there, but who wants that fight at the expo?  Who wants that emotional roller coaster before their race!?!?

What the heck is going on with these big races?  Is it just me?  Is this happening to a lot of people?  Do you normally check your registration for your races?  Have you ever had problems like these?

I'd love your feedback.  Throw me a comment, would ya?  I'd love to know if I'm not the only one frustrated like this.

For now, I'll keep you posted, and I'll keep my running skirt on and train...



 

Back to Blogging.. and Rocking

So, It's been a while since I blogged...


(insert lame excuse here)



Who cares about my list of reasons?  What matters is I am writing again.

Here are the fun reasons why I'm blogging again:

1) I got a new laptop! 
     Several years ago, TJ got sick right before Christmas and spewed all over our laptop.  Having an incredibly tight budget, I had to save a while before I could scrounge enough for a little netbook.  We've been living with that since. 
     Then, last summer, I got pedometers for all three of us and we set a goal: everyone walks 10,000 steps per day until we reach a certain amount.  (I think it ended up being something like 4 million.)  When we reached that amount, we could get a new laptop.  Of course, a tax refund would be needed to help it along.  ;)
     Anyway, TJ took it to heart, and kicked some serious pedometer butt.  It got old pretty quickly for the Beauty.  They did a lot of biking with their dad, so we got a little flexible on the number of steps necessary.  Bottom line, tax refund arrived, and I am typing on my lovely new laptop!  Whoop!  Whoop!

2)  I'm finally signed up for another race! 
     I got approved to attend a conference in Baltimore this March (some kind of miracle for my place of employment), so I looked to see what races were happening while I was there.  The BF will be flying out to meet me a day after I get there, and we're making a long weekend of it.
     Well, guess what race is going on in the area on March 16th??!?!?!? 

THE ROCK AND ROLL MARATHON!!!!!! 

         -----wait, wait, wait.... I'm not CRAZY!  I can't do a frigging marathon.  I'm not even ready for a half... so what was I to do?  I simply HAD to do a race that runs the length of the National Mall.  It goes past the White House, for crying out loud!

     So, I searched the Zen Labs apps that got me onto my couch to 5k and 10k, and found a 13.1 app that trains you to walk/run a half marathon.  Can you believe it?!?!  I was SO there!

3)  I got new shoes!  Tonight, the BF and I went to Run Away Shoes to get newer versions of our old shoes.   Oh...My...Gosh, are my new shoes ever AWESOME!!!!!
     My old ones were fine.  White and purple... yeah, whatever.  They were kinda ugly.  Every pair I've ever gotten has been ugly.  I've got these bummer huge flat feet that require some crazy butt support, and apparently the companies feel those types of runners don't want/deserve cute shoes.
     Well, not anymore, my friends!  Mizuno has made me some sweet shoes.  The same style as my last pair are now... wait for it...      FUN!             Seriously, I could only be more excited if they were red or pink.

 

 smurfy, right???

 

Don't they look speedy???

 

 

     I love these shoes.  I love these shoes.  I love these shoes!  They are, in case you are interested, Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s.

     But who cares about that?  They're cute!  :)

 

4) The BF has been crazy supportive.  For whatever reason, he finds my little blogging project fun, and he shows great interest.  So, this blog's for you, my darling BF! 
(insert your own "aww" or gagging noise, as you deem appropriate here.)

 

******************************************************************************

 

So, we are off!  In just over three weeks, the BF and I will be lining up beneath the Washington Monument to earn this bad boy:

 

 

 

 

I can't even believe it!  I'm so excited!  My plan, according to my lovely Zen Labs app, is to run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, and repeat until I fall over dead, or earn myself my first serious medal.

 

 

Just think of how great this expo and swag bag is going to be!

 



 





Bring it!

5th Annual Festival Foods Turkey Trot

As my Achilles is on the mend, I decided to keep my plans for the Festival Foods 5th Annual Turkey Trot in Appleton.  Just before my tendinitis kicked in, I was at about 4.8 miles max.  This was a five mile run.  I hadn't run more than the 4.37 miles of Tyranena in at least a month or two.  I was ambitious, but cautious.

Race shirt and bib pick up was Wednesday, the day before the race/Thanksgiving, from 2-6pm.  With the weather predicted as unseasonably warm, I expected the 5-6pm after-work hour would be a busy time to get my packet.  It was full of volunteers and tables in a large room, making pick up a cinch.  There was no bag of junk, nor goodies for that matter.  There was no bag at all.  Just the bright orange shirt and bib.  The bib, however, included a pull-off tab good for one 5-inch pumpkin pie!  Yummers!

I was totally jacked to have a bib that said "5 mile run" instead of "2 mile walk" like the Turkey Trots of my past.  For once, I was going to be in the division of a race that was the farthest distance offered!!!

The BF and I went out to eat, as has become our night-before-race tradition, and got the gear ready for the morning.  We were pumped about the forecast.  40s!  The wind was the only variable.  We weren't sure what it would do.

In the morning, after breakfast, the BF and I headed to the race.  What a crowd!  Tons of people racing, and thankfully, tons of volunteers.

The race had separated walkers and runners, and made people with dogs start behind. Lovely plan, until the runners with dogs catch up to slow pokes like me.  Even worse when two dogs ram into the back of my legs. 

So, it is official: I absolutely HATE dogs in races.  No offense to the dog lovers of the world, but it is just way too much chaos for me.  I almost fell from those giant, uncontrolled beasts, and it's not like the race can effectively determine which owners are good vs. bad.  Of course there are some who keep good control over their dogs, and running with them is a better experience for them.  But, seriously, I HATE IT!

ok, done ranting for now.  All in all, I'd do it again.

(The pie was yum!  ;)

The BF and I before the race:

The Turkey and I: