Good evening!
Wow, what a crazy weekend. Today was a lazy day spent (mostly) on the couch recovering from late nights, early mornings, and lots of time on my feet pounding the pavement.
I wanted to recap the Seawheeze 2016 half marathon for you tonight. If you have been following along for the last few months, you know this is the run I have been training for. It was kind of my introduction to half marathon running this year, as it was the first of the year and the first race of the summer. Although I am no olympic marathoner, it was so nice to get out there and participate in a weekend event that truly is one big RUN, YOGA, PARTY!!
How can you beat those Vancouver seawall views? Oh yeah, you can't. There is something about running along the ocean that is not only therapeutic and peaceful but fun as well.
The race started at 7am on Saturday, so I was up just after 5am to have my pre-race oatmeal and get my gear on. I had laid everything out on Friday night, so I knew I was ready. Ryan walked down to the start with me - it started near the Vancouver Convention Centre - and once my wave started, I was off and running!
The route takes you through downtown Vancouver, over Burrard St bridge (oh the pain), and through Kitsilano. Side note: I would LOVE to explore Kits some more! It looks like such a fun neighborhood with lots of cool stores and coffee shops. There were cheer stations along the way, and the stations did not disappoint! Spin classes literally took place outside along the course; music pumping, people cheering, waving their towels in the air. You couldn't help but get pumped up as you ran by. Once we were back over the Burrard St bridge, we hit the seawall for the rest of the run.
Those views from the finish line chute. There were so many things happening at Jack Pool Plaza down by the convention centre. Friday afternoon was pre-race day yoga (in the blazing heat, but lots of fun!), as well as Lululemon temporary tattoos, a few hair styling stations, Qoola frozen yogurt, Vega sports nutrition, Saje wellness and aromatherapy, and more. After the run, this area transformed into a runner's brunch station where you had the option of having breakfast on site. Ryan and I opted to go to a place called the Bellagio for breakfat, which was super tasty, but the runner's brunch looked great, too!
Snaps at the finish line with my favourite fan ; ) I didn't have a time goal for this race simply because I am not in the shape that I need to be for any personal records. Despite this, my aim was to have FUN and enjoy myself. No, I am definitely not as speedy as previous races, but who cares? It lights a fire under my ass for the next race! That being said, I need to train more on hills as that coupled with the heat kind of did me in.
All in all, it was such a fun race day. The energy at the Seawheeze is absolutely contagious. You can't have a bad time when you are surrounded by so many people there sharing the same purpose: run and have FUN!
Stay tuned for Wednesday's post: the WEEKEND. A recap of the whole Seawheeze weekend, including some sweet swag from the event : )
Until next time!
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