Snooze you lose!

Snooze you lose is a common phrase used at our house. The kids know they might miss out on something if they are not fast. Like cookies out of the oven. 9 people in the house means cookies can disappear fast. Or a ride to school. Mom leaves at a certain time, and if you aren't ready, you'd better put on your walking shoes.

When Mark was in dental school, he lived by this motto. He knew that if the lab/bookstore/school had something available at a certain time, then he'd better be there when it opened or it would be gone. No mercy.

Remember this day back in June when Mark qualified for the Boston Marathon 2011?

He came home and put a big REGISTER FOR BOSTON MARATHON 6AM on October 18th on every calendar in the house. He didn't want to miss out.

Last year, the Boston Marathon sold out its 25,000 spots in 9 weeks. It was a record. We figured this year would sell out even faster, with all those people who got a qualifying time after registration closed last year making sure they got in this year.

When we were in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago, Mark drove to Hopkinton to see the start line of the marathon. He drove the route all the way to Boston. He has been excited to register for the race from the moment he crossed the finish line in Newport. Nothing was going to stop him from getting in.

So, at 6AM on Monday morning, we logged on to the BAA website to register. No problem. We got a confirmation number, and didn't think anything more about it.

The following morning I got a text message from a friend. She asked if Mark had gotten in to Boston. I told her that he had. She then told me a very sad story. Her husband had run the Portland Marathon on October 10th in 3:09, which is even faster than Mark's qualifying time. He was ecstatic. He logged on to the BAA at about 5pm, and was heartbroken to see that the 25,000 spots had filled up in 8 hours and 3 minutes. He was out of luck.... No mercy. No waiting list. No second chances.

Snooze you lose.