Today was the Diva Half Marathon here in the Bay Area and what an event is was. I had a great time and before I jump into the details I thank all the organizers of this event and the series! Very fun and well organized!
So here we go!
Expo – Health and Fitness Boutique
As to be expected, this race was very female oriented. Everything was pink. Not that I have anything against the color but wow there was a lot of pink. It was smallish but the vendors they did have there were great! I ended up talking with Team Sparkle about runDisney costumes and upcoming races. I ended up investing in some silver sleeves for future running costumes. Overall, it was busy but not crowded and it was fun to just wander around.
Spent about an hour in total there. It was a great size and had great vendors, normally I hate going to the expo but I give this one an A+ for being a great experience!
Race Day – 5/5/2013
Start line was a good size. Coming into the race I had been battling a slight cold all week and just felt pretty exhausted in general, but I arrived and felt good to run. I was optimistically realistic about how I would perform in the race and didn’t have the normal “getting to the race” anxiety, since the start line was a short walk from my apartment. I’m still chasing my 1:45 half goal and thought I’d give it a chance today. I felt good and I was on my home turf.
It was a cool morning with overcast, it was perfect running weather. It was definitely a new runner/girls weekend running crowd. There was one woman who was being… loud and impatient waiting for the bathroom. Clearly, she had never been in a bathroom line at a race before, nor planned for the fact that the field was mostly women.
The crowd was fun and we had a moment of silence for Boston, the National Anthem was sung, and then we were off just after 7.
As I said before, this race was on my home turf which I thought would help immensely but for some reason it meant I was in my head a lot more than usual during the race. I didn’t have new scenery to look at to distract me, I think the course was too familiar. While I love running, this is the path that I run my long runs on and where my running demons are met and fought regularly. At times I forgot I was racing and had to refocus and remind myself that this isn’t just a Sunday long run, this is a race. It was an interesting experience. Have any of you had that problem running a familiar course?
I really ran my heart out on this one. This was a race that really came down to the mental game for me and I pushed myself more than usual, however I came short at 1:46:14. Respectable but over my ultimate goal time and not a new PR. However, the “freebies” with this race were crazy! Before the finish you get a boa and a crown (dropped mine), then you get a medal (from some hunky firemen who flustered me and so I opted out for the fun girl that was closest, how do you choose between 3 hot firemen? I felt like I was 12 again and couldn’t talk to guys, I was stunned by there smiles and muscles), then to the rose station, then to the snacks (bagels and bananas first), and finally champagne and sponsored snacks! What a finish line chute!
Check out all the swag…
So I ended the race, checked my time and saw that I had come in 4th in my age group, 1 place out of the custom medal! Augh… so I walked home and relaxed for a bit and then checked my time again and… I CAME IN 3rd! So I hurried back over to claim my medal! Woo hoo! Check it out, double bling!
The reverse side of the age award medal was engraved and, yes, the jewels spin 🙂
This was a very large medal. Here’s a size comparison for you all!
Overall here’s the break down:
Pros:
Flat course and beautiful scenery (along the water)
TONS of swag
Large water cups with water and gatorade (not electrolyte mix) at every water stop
Very female oriented and lots of fun skirts and tutus
Finish line shut – Hello firemen!
Great expo
Cons:
Newbie crowd, it was self seeded so it took about a mile or so before the field really shook out into their real paces
Overall, had a great time! Really fun event and tons of SWAG which I love and substantial bling to take home. If you are looking for a fun female run, I’d definitely check this series out. Very fun and well organized!
I was there too! Congrats on placing!! I agree about the newbie crowd, but I guess we all started somewhere. Mine just happened to be at Princess 2011 with thousands of other newbies so I blended in. 😉
Hey Summer, thanks! Hope you had a great race too! The Princess (or this race) would've been a great first race! Super fun, lots of great swag, and lots of encouragement for all! Hopefully we'll cross paths at another race!
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I was there too! Congrats on placing!! I agree about the newbie crowd, but I guess we all started somewhere. Mine just happened to be at Princess 2011 with thousands of other newbies so I blended in. 😉
Hey Summer, thanks! Hope you had a great race too! The Princess (or this race) would've been a great first race! Super fun, lots of great swag, and lots of encouragement for all! Hopefully we'll cross paths at another race!