An Officer and A Geek: 04/19/15

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Divas Galveston 2015--Girls weekend with a little run

Cue little girl voice: "Look at me! I'm a Princess!!!" in my tutu

I have sworn never to run in a Tutu. I don't judge people who do, just not for me. Well, that changed. Diva's Half Marathon & 5K in Galveston included Tutus in the packet. It was going to be a celebration of ridiculous. I love women's races, so Sorority Girl and I signed up and decided to make it a girl's weekend. We both signed up for the half-marathon, but as the day approached, we had both been recovering from colds and were just lacking in motivation, so we decided to do the 5K and just celebrate the weekend.

We drove to Galveston on Saturday and went straight to packet pick-up. Super easy and well-organized with short lines. Little shopping expo, but I refrained from purchasing anything. They made it really easy to change to the 5K. Show them our bib, and voila. It was done with the click of a button. The day was dreary and chilly and it was hard to find a good picture of the ocean view ... well, not much of a view since the sky and the water were the same color.

We checked into our hotel, what a dive. It was really perfect for the weekend of ridiculous. I felt like we were on Spring Break (more on that later) and were in a cheap hotel. The shower curtain was missing. What's with that? We had to ask twice for a shower curtain and then when it arrived, they expected us to put it up. We didn't. We did worry a bit about cockroaches and bedbugs, but we weren't plagued with either, wheh.

Then for the girly stuff to begin. First, we had to find food. I read about Po' Boys at The Spot and thought, well maybe, an oyster Po' Boy wouldn't be so bad. I have a little squeamishness about oysters, but not as bad as other seafood. I think they can be harvested in an eco-friendly manner and I don't think they fight to survive. Well, when we got there, Po'Boys were on my mind. The only option was shrimp, and with some angst, I ordered it and Fried Pickles. By the time I was a few bites in, the grease bomb hit my belly. UGH!!! I don't know if it was that I can't digest shrimp anymore since it has been over a year since I have had any form of seafood, or if it was the amount of grease in the super-fried meal. Didn't matter. My guts were not happy and it took days to recover.

After eating, we headed to the Pleasure Pier. Teehee!!! We giggled at the name. We appreciated the "pull your pants up" rule. But, there was a $10 fee, just to walk on the pier even without going on the rides, so we looked from a distance. Then it was on to manicure/pedicures. Not the best we've ever had, but it was nice to sit in the massaging chair for 90-minutes and chat and sip on water.Then to Rita's for frozen treats. And what kind of silly girl weekend would it be without wine coolers? So, we found the cheap gas station and picked up some Smirnoff screwdrivers. The attendant declined to check my ID even when I offered. What? Don't I look like I need my ID checked? There was synthetic urine at the counter. Naive as I am, I had to ask what it was for. Wow, I didn't know they could do that? And how does one sneak it? I don't know. The attendant did look at me and say that I cold probably make a lot of money selling my urine. Again, what? And, YUCK!!!

Pre-race prep. What could possibly go wrong?

We laid out our kits for the next day. INKnBURN lace for me. Hollywood Dragon for Sorority Girl. One of us is naughty. One of us is nice. To bed and early morning wake-up to drive to the start line. It was a sea of pink. The half-marathon started 30 minutes before the 5K and we timed it perfectly. We were walking up as the leaders were heading out.

Remember, it is the ridiculous factor. The 5K course was PACKED!!! We trotted slowly along, chatting the whole time. Women were amazing. All shapes and sizes and ages and paces. All super friendly and supportive and chatting with each other. I totally loved one woman who pranced and waived at all the stopped cars, blowing them big kisses, because they were all out there for her!!! She was the Diva of the Day!!! Perfect.

About 100 yards from the finish line, there was a station passing out tiaras and boas so we could really prance and primp for finish line photos. As we finished, there was water and fruit, but really I was up for the champagne. Medals were being passed out by firemen. We stood in line for the fireman of our choice. Since we had signed up for the half-marathon, even though we did the 5K, we were given half-marathon medals. We clinked our glasses and drank our cold sparkling beverage. Headed home with a stop at the outlet mall (what girl weekend is complete without some shopping?) Would I do it again? Heck yes!!! The race was well organized and fun. The weekend company was a blast!!!