I did make a huge mistake here though - I didn't register for the 5K before online registration closed. Whoops. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal and I could simply register at the Expo....until traffic happened.
Let me back up for a second. I worked half a day on Friday and stayed at work about an hour later than I intended to but it was for a patient so I didn't mind. By the time I got home, all I had to do was change my clothes and then I was ready to go! After plugging in our coordinates on my phone GPS, I realized that our planned 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive to New Orleans was going to take well over 4 hours and didn't get to leave home until 2 p.m. (Insert big eyes here.) Honestly, we should have arrived around 5 p.m.(ish) and the expo closed at 6 p.m. Of course it did. Somehow I had 8 p.m. in my mind? Totally wrong.
As my brain began to go on overload, I made a few "plans".....Plan B was to attempt to go to the Expo anyway and see if anyone was still around. Plan C was to wake up early on Saturday morning and see if they would let me register on site although their website said no. I also began praying. I know that one good dead doesn't usually repay another but you know what? Sometimes it happens that way.
By the time we made it through HORRIBLE Baton Rouge bridge traffic and TWO wrecks on I-10 by New Orleans, we were finally downtown. I told Jason to swing up front by the Convention Center and drop me off as close to Hall J as he could get. As I approached the Expo hall, I noticed one door open with a security guard standing out front. He didn't say anything to the girl in front of me who entered the Expo hall so I followed suit. I literally made it with zero time to spare.
The 5K/10K/Half/Full registration table was located just inside and a few people were finishing up their registrations. I smiled sweetly at the lady who was working the table and asked if I could register for the 5K? She mumbled something about them being closed already (it was 6:05 p.m. by this point) however, she was SO kind and graciously let me register anyway.
I. Was. On. Cloud. Nine!!
After registering, I walked over to the next lady who issued my bib and asked which corral I'd like to be in. There were apparently 10 corrals and I asked how likely it would be to get in corral 1? With a "no problem", she marked a 1 on my bib! Woohoo!
She also instructed me to hurry over to the shirt area to see if anyone was still around. A lone volunteer remained and he happily helped me find my shirt (and there were a TON extra, by the way).
After taking a quick picture with my "registered within 7 days" tag which I found hilarious for some reason, I floated out to the car to meet Jason. Y'all, I was seriously on cloud 9!
We checked into our hotel and I set up my race outfit for the next day. I've only ever run one other 5K in New Orleans, so this was super exciting for me...and a nice way to shake out my legs prior to the half the following day.
Dinner that evening was at Mother's Restaurant, a famous po-boy joint in New Orleans. I'd been there once but Jason never had been and when we visit other cities, we like to eat at places that are local to the area. I liked it, but it didn't "wow" me like my favorite po-boy joint back home. Oh well! The bread pudding however was AMAZING! It seriously rivaled Ohana! (And I've NEVER found that anywhere!!)
With that, our first evening in New Orleans was done and it was time to go to sleep. I did appreciate the later morning wake up call as the 5K didn't start until 8 a.m. and I only had about a 10 minute walk from the hotel! Score!
Stay tuned for more from the 5K and Half Marathon....and fun times in New Orleans!
Hey, sometimes things just work out - so nice it did, especially after fighting that traffic!
ReplyDeleteIsn’t that great? It was like a ray of sunshine after a stressful drive!
DeleteThat is so nice of those people. I walked into the post office once less than 5 minutes after they closed and I got barked at. Pardon me!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness. That’s just crazy! I was so happy she let me register!
DeleteSo happy that you were able to get to the Expo in time! I can't imagine how stressful that had to be!
ReplyDeleteRnR Nola is on my bucket list. It's just hard for me to plan racecations in the winter since I live in Connecticut and i never know if the weather will prevent me from flying, lol