Shape Diva Dash

Today I did the Diva Dash Austin. It was good experience, but I don't see myself ever doing it again. Part of it was my own fault and part of it was poor race planning on their part. First of all I didn't think about what kind of course it would be so when we started and were immediately running downhill on a trail covered in loose wood mulch, I was not prepared. The first 1/4 mile is all I really ran because I got tired of worrying about rolling my ankle. The obstacles weren't bad and some were even fun. The first was a zig-zag balance beam, the second was running through inner tubes while dodging giant balls hanging over you. Then there was a maze, a pit of soap bubbles, carrying a small log up and down a hill and hurdles that were made from road barricades. Then we got to the first water obstacle which required us to wade out into the lake and step over buoys, then something I am forgetting and then the next water obstacle that had us wade out into the lake with an inner tube around us. We went out far enough that it was about waist deep which was much more than anyone expected. We were told to expect water but we were also told it wouldn't be anything over knee deep. The last obstacle was a cargo net which was my biggest fear because of the height and the fact that I was doing it with one hand but I did it and then crossed the finish. My time was crap because I walked pretty much the entire thing, plus with the obstacles, you can't really compare it to a regular 5K time. There were several very steep hills that were killer and I was not expecting those at all. Like I said, it was good experience.

My main problems with the race had nothing to do with the race itself. It was the organization or lack thereof. I arrived a little late and was very worried they wouldn't let me race but they didn't really care when I picked up my chip. I was given no direction as to where bag check was or where I needed to go for the start. I actually almost went  in the complete opposite direction of the start because nothing was marked and I thought there was no way the runners area was in the middle of all the product tents. I was wrong. As I finally found the start I was very confused about where I needed to go to get with my start wave. I was supposed to start at 11am and it was 10:30. There was no "runners' area" at all. You had runners from all different waves all mixed in together with spectators as well. Finally we found out they were running about 15 minutes late and eventually someone held up a sign for the 10:30 wave to walk up. However, it really didn't matter what wave you were in because no one checked anything so several people behind me that signed up for 11:45 ran with 10:30 because there was no way for anyone to know or stop them. I finally started with my correct wave and made my way through the course. They did have a few water stops but the water literally tasted like dirt. It was gross. At the end of the race, they had more dirty water and beer. Every runner got a free beer. I don't drink beer. Plus, I don't understand drinking a beer or any kind of alcohol so soon after running. All I wanted was gatorade or powerade and there was nothing, anywhere. There was no finishers gift except for a bag full of sponsor stuff like you would normally get at an expo. I've never done a race before and been given a sample box of tampons for finishing. They did have necklaces available for you to purchase and since they were only $5, I bought one so I can hang it with my medals.

One really good thing came out of the race this morning. I realized how much progress I have made mentally during this journey. This morning after my alarm went off I stayed in bed and seriously debated not going. My hand was bothering me, I didn't get much sleep and I just didn't feel like moving. I tried to see if Mac was online so I could talk to him about and and get his opinion on whether I should go or not. When he didn't respond, I finally got myself up, got ready and left. While I was on the course, even though I was aggravated with several aspects of the race and wishing I had stayed in bed, I knew that if I had, I would have regretted it. I was glad I at least did it. That's when I realized, a year ago, I would have stayed in bed. I would have used my hand as an excuse and I wouldn't have gone. Things have definitely been changing and hopefully I will continue on this new path.