A Lesson in Procrastination

Happy Tuesday, y'all! 

I thought I'd take this moment to update you on my first race in the 'Race-A-Month' series I'm doing for the year of 2012 (and I guess one month of January 2013 because I had a little too much to drink the night before my January 2012 race. Oops.)

The 'Race-A-Month' Series started out with the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Al Gordon Classic 4-Miler on February 25, 2012. For those of you who aren't familiar with how NYRR races work, you have the option to pick up your race packets (race number, time-tag, commemorative tshirt, free samples) on the Thursday and Friday before the race (and Saturday for Sunday races) OR you can pick up your race packet the day of the race, 30 minutes before the start. Because I'm a natural born procrastinator, I decided to pick up my race packet the day of the race- or so I thought. 

For those of you who don't live in New York, let me explain something: the trains are totally wonky on the weekends. (OMG how much do you love the word 'wonky'?) Even if the almighty knowing internets says that the trains are going to be running smoothly on the weekends, the internet is lying to you. Do not believe what you read. 

So, I wake up, get ready and head to the 6 train an hour and a half before I was supposed to start the race, giving myself plenty of time to pick up my race packet, admire the sweet t-shirt that I really don't need, drop off my stuff at bag check and happily saunter to my race corral. I get down to the 6 train, which the World Wide Web had told me was running on time, and, as if right on cue, an announcement is made explaining that there has been an injury at Spring Street, so all trains will be delayed. This announcement was not exactly what I wanted to hear, nor was it what the angry man next to me wanted to hear. 

Trying to make a game plan, I hesitated to leave the station, but ended up staying because my other option, the Q, wasn't even running between Brooklyn and Manhattan (see what I'm talkin' about?). Eventually, after about 15 minutes, a 6 train came and I made it to Union Square. Unfortunately, I had to wait for the 4 train to get there so I could once again transfer to the 3 in order to get to Prospect Park. For the record: this pretty much solidified my decision to never run a race in Brooklyn again on the weekend while I'm still living in Manhattan. This comes with the exception of the Brooklyn Half Marathon, because the Brooklyn Half Marathon is one of the best races ever. But I digress...

I eventually get to Prospect Park at 7:38am. I remember the exact time because I was supposed to have picked up my race packet exactly 8 minutes ago. So, I get off the subway and see absolutely no signs in the park directing me or the other few runners to the start. What I do see when we enter the park is a giant '1', which was the 1-mile marker for the race. "Oh good" I thought (sarcastically, in case anyone isn't getting that) "That means that there is at least a mile until I get to the start- time to start running." 

Let me tell you, running a mile with my bag and sweatshirt before I am actually in a running mindset is probably in the top 3 things on my shortlist that I don't want to be doing before 8am on a Saturday.  But, I did it and finally reached the Start (which was also the Finish Line). Out of breath, I asked a kind NYRR volunteer where the packet pick-up was. He looked at me like "Girl, you crazy" and said "You have to run out of the other side of the park and go to PS150. Just run to the edge of the park and ask the volunteer table, they'll direct you to the street where you need to go." 

Now, I know this is my fault for not picking up my packet sooner, but this was quickly becoming too much stress for me to handle before 8am. Especially because at this point it was 7:53am, and the race was starting in 7 minutes, and I had no idea where the eff I was. I can barely make my way through Central Park on a non-race day, and I've run there at least 30 times. Luckily, I saw another procrastinating runner who was also running towards the other side of the park, so I just followed her. I wanted to yell out at her "Strength in numbers, girl!" but I didn't have any breath to spare and she probably wouldn't have appreciated my cheer.

Finally, at 7:59am, I reach the packet pick-up only to find the boxes packed up and some people sweeping. It was like a RomCom where the guy goes back to get the girl at the school dance or the airport, but he finds he's too late and everyone is packing up and the witty janitor or airline attendant says something like "Sorry brah, you're too late." I too had this experience with my race number, but instead of a witty janitor, it was a surly woman who yelled "NO,WE'RE CLOSED. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE LOCK THAT DOOR SO NO ONE ELSE COMES IN HERE?" 

At this point I'm on the verge of tears. I've been up for hours and have traveled all the way from Manhattan to be here and there has been absolutely no sense of direction for my journey. Well, she must have seen the disappointment (or disdain) in my face, so she reached in her bag and pulled out a random number and said "Here, just take this, email me your time on Monday." 

YES. Just like a good old-fashioned RomCom, the girl never got on the plane or we see she's actually standing outside of the school in the rain just hoping the guy would be there! My race number and I are united and I can run the race! After I thank Surly Woman (half-heartedly, I'll admit. She was really surly.), I run back to the park. On my way into the park I see a volunteer that says "They already started." I wanted to yell back "No duh, I can tell time! Where were all of you when I was trying to find the packet pick-up?" but instead I said "Thanks" (again, half-heartedly. What is up with these people?)

At this point, I'm confident I have already run 2 miles before the race, but it's ok because I was nice and warmed up for the actual race. And guess what? They didn't actually start until I got to bag check (oh, so you frontin' volunteer who told me the race had already started?), so I was able to drop off my bag and breathe for 5 seconds while I waited for my corral to start. Suck on that!

The good news is: I ran all 4 miles in under 40 minutes and I felt great! This was a first time for me, so I was really just ecstatic. I probably ran so fast because I was angry, but it doesn't matter, I did it and I lived to tell the tale. 

Of course, I got home absolutely no problem. 

The moral of the story? I'm not really sure. Do I say it's not OK to procrastinate because you might not get to run the race? Or, do I say you should procrastinate because you'll get a better race time? I'll get back to you after this weekend- I'm running race #2: Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K up in Harlem.

I can tell you one thing for sure: I'll be picking up my race packet ahead of time. 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! I am officially signed up to race with the American Cancer Society again, so if y'all can spare a few dolla dolla billz to help create more birthdays, it would be much appreciated. Click here to donate: MORE BIRTHDAYS!!!!!