Diva Dash: Pros & Cons

Diva Dash: Pros & Cons

While visiting a friend of mine in Kansas City, I dragged her to invited her to join me at the Diva Dash in the great state of Kansas. I am trying to race in every state and this would satisfy my Kansas quotient. Right now it doesn't matter what distance it is, any race is sufficient! So, after running this race, my number of states is up to 10!

This race was held on city streets, in one of the outlying areas of Kansas City. There was a good turnout; there were about 1200 people for the 5k. There was also a Little Princess dash, which I believe was one mile. This race, as the name suggests, WAS all women. This is only my second all women race; the first was Women Run The Cities in Minneapolis.

All The Ladies
Pros:

- The energy of this race was great. There were tons of spectators along the beginning and end sections, mostly men and children, and the enthusiasm was great. There was one guy at the very last stretch who was cheering everyone on. It was so nice to have someone cheering for me, even if he didn't know me. I am sure he made everyone else feel great too!

- The ladies working the booths were all really nice. Even though the packet pickup was a little confusing (see below), they were all very friendly and chipper, so it was easy to maneuver.

- The swag. Technical tees in women's cuts and sizes. They also had hats you could buy for $5. For food there were cookies, bananas, edamame, water and Neuro, which is a drink I had not tried before. It was good! I tried the Bliss and the Sun. Both were tasty. There are several other flavors; I would like to try them all. 

- The weather. This may not be normal, but it was about 50 degrees and sunny for the 8:30 am race. I want weather like this every time I race!

- The location. This race was only about 10 minutes from my friend's house. I got to sleep in until about an hour before the race! 

- My friend who came with me said she liked that it was all women, she liked the course, which was varied with up and down hills (and not a lot of flats), she liked that people were wearing costumes, which made the race fun, and she liked that there were both walkers and runners, so she didn't feel pressured to go faster or feel too worried about coming in last.

Cons:

- The packet pickup and registration were in a tiny little room. This race was held in a shopping center, so they opened up one of the stores to do the registration in. It was not big enough for everyone to come in and fill out paperwork and get their packets. It was very tight.

- The packet pickup was difficult to find. Usually it's in a tent out in the middle somewhere. We had to hunt around and ask a bunch of people in order to find this one.

- Not enough port-a-potties. 1200 girls. 8 port-a-potties. It does not compute.

So, except for a few logistical difficulties, this was a great race! If you are just starting out running, I would suggest looking for a fun race like this, where there are walkers (so you won't be the slowest), or where it's a fun run, with costumes or kids or a theme.

Have you ever run an all women race? Do you have a 50 state race goal? Do you like to participate in events or go to parties where you can wear a costume?
Grab a Water

Grab a Water

This week, instead of grabbing a beer, grab a water. Why? Because I am trying to get back on the healthy track. Last week, Mr. Lovely and I came from opposite coasts to meet up in the "middle" in Florida to enjoy some time in a warmer clime. Because of this, I ate too much and I didn't exercise enough. The reasons are plentiful.

ONE: Location Change. I have a hard time deviating from my regular schedule. At home I make a big (usually pretty healthy) meal on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. I supplement this meal with salads and veggies and oatmeal and fruit. I bring my lunch to work. When I am in a strange place, getting up at a different time each day, living in a hotel, not having a kitchen, I go downhill quickly. Also, not being in the house  in order to make and eat the healthier choices makes a difference. Sometimes, we thought we would make it back in time to make lunch but then things took longer than expected, so we had Mexican for lunch. This happened several times.


TWO: This is a Vacation! I would be happy to eat sandwiches most of the time in order to save money and time and my belly, but it IS fun to go out to a meal and really feel like you are not just sitting at home eating sandwiches. It makes it different, which is pretty much the problem in my case. Different = high in fat, cheese, alcohol and carbs. Different = delicious, but different ≠ healthy. I tried, really I did, but who wants the shrimp salad with the lowfat dressing when you can have a pollo burrito with all the fixins, a side of chips and salsa and a huge glass of sauvignon blanc? Every day? 

Or a 24 oz Bud Light. Hey, beggars can't be choosers.
THREE: It was Hot. I forgot how miserable it was to run in the heat. I hate it. I used to run in New Orleans after work and it would be 95 degrees and 98.9 % humidity. I don't know how I did it to be honest. I have gotten weak, I guess. Give me a hill and a high elevation run any day! But humidity, forget it. 


FOUR: Meals like THIS. 


Now, I wasn't just a lazy, drunken slob the WHOLE time! There were a few redeeming items on the menu. 

ONE: I Ran a 10k Race. This race adds one more state to my 50 State Race List! A total of 9 states that I have raced in so far. Only 41 to go!

And THEN I had a beer!
TWO: Paddle Boarding for 4 hours is a Good Ab Workout. Plus I got a sunburn that was back to white in one day tan, got an arm workout and got to see many fish, birds and stingrays!


THREE: Walking on the Beach is Good for Your Calves. I went walking on the beach a couple of times, which gives me the chance to get some exercise, people watch (post on that coming soon) and work on my burn/tan/whiteness all at the same time. 


FOUR: Meals like THIS. 


All in all, it was a fun time, but now it's time to get back on the ball and get back in shape! I feel kind of gross and overfed right now. Right now I am drinking more water and...going for a run!

Are you good at eating healthy and exercising when you are traveling?