Hello friends!
How was your weekend? I’m still in Vancouver enjoying every bit of my holiday, and if you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen pieces of the trip so far. As I mentioned on Friday (in the quick post I wrote because the one I meant to publish got deleted), we arrived at our hotel at about midnight on Thursday, then had a nice little 3 hour sleep before getting back up at 3:45am and walking down to the Vancouver Convention Center to wait in line for the SeaWheeze store to open. When we arrived at 4:45am, there were already about 100 people ahead of us (madness!) but we were thrilled that we got there when we did because the people just kept coming. Before we knew it, the line had wrapped around the corners of the building and when they finally opened the doors at 7am, people were literally running through the doors – kind of like the footage of the Black Friday sales that you see on the news.
There were clothes absolutely everywhere, and just like the last two years I’ve run SeaWheeze, it’s a game of picking up as many items as you think might fit, plopping them all down on the floor in an open space, and trying them on (either over your clothes or in one of the group changing rooms).
This year Lululemon made a 15-item limit rule, and the SeaWheeze store was supposed to be open on Friday and Saturday. I guess we kinda crushed their sales goals though because they had to close the store by end of day on Friday. Lululemon made some amazing SeaWheeze-exclusive pieces this year and myself, Christina, Danielle, and Danielle’s friend Brandy had a tough time narrowing down our choices.
After all of our intense shopping wrapped up, we went into a separate room for our race kit pick-up. There were heaps of volunteers passing out our race bags which contained time chips, water bottles, and the bag itself was the one we’d need to use for baggage check the next day. In the middle of the room there were 3 people doing some rather impressive yoga poses. I can run for ages but wouldn’t have a clue where to start when it comes to some of the moves they were pulling off!
The pre-race expo went on all day with things like temporary airbrush tattoos and yoga happening just outside the Convention Center. The weather was gorgeous for the entire trip and minus the fact that some people arrived late and weren’t able to get the styles they wanted from the SeaWheeze store, I’d say that Lululemon did a phenomenal job on the pre-race festivities this year.
For lunch that day we went to Heirloom, an amazing vegetarian restaurant, for lunch. Heirloom is a beautiful, open-concept, bright space with really friendly staff who clearly love what they do.
The food certainly didn’t disappoint either. It was presented so nicely and everything tasted phenomenal.
I ordered the All Green Salad which was a mix of zucchini noodles, spinach, fennel, cucumbers, snap peas and pea shoots with miso-ginger dressing. I asked for an egg on top just for good measure and slurped up every single morsel. (I’ll warn you now – this was not our only trip to Heirloom. I’ve got more to show you on Wednesday!)
Christina and Danielle both had avocado toast with a side of roasted potatoes and Heirloom’s special ketchup which Christina claims is far superior to regular ketchup.
That night I met up with my dad and some of my extended family for pre-dinner snacks at Cactus Club Cafe’s Coal Harbour Location which is right next to the Convention Center, and the views from our table were stunning. You’re going to notice a theme in today and Wednesday’s posts – beautiful scenery and delicious food.
My pre-race dinner was from Joey Burrard’s and consisted of a gorgeous salmon fillet topped with a fresh herbs, served over tons of asparagus and beans.
Also eaten by my dining friends were chicken and crispy mashed potatoes, as well as a veggie burger wrapped in greens.
We crawled into bed around 10pm on Friday night, knowing we needed to get as much sleep as possible before the race on Saturday. Our alarms went off at 4:30am, which gave us plenty of time to get up, eat, and walk down to baggage check. I had my standard pre-race breakfast of an apple, a Simply Bar, and Vega sugar-free pre-workout energizer, which has never failed me.
The race started at 7am, and I felt pretty nervous standing in the corral for the minutes leading up to it. There were heaps of people (Lululemon capped it at 10,015 this year) that I’m sure felt the same way as me but I saw some of my friends from Vega which made me relax a bit. Before I knew it, it was time to go and I was rolling down the streets of downtown Vancouver with 10 thousand fellow sweaty Lulu-enthusiasts.
I didn’t look at my Garmin for the entire race, but I knew that I went out fast. I did this because I knew I’d likely lose time going over the Burrard Bridge and back, and the bridge was definitely one of the toughest parts. It happened around near mile 6, and there wasn’t much flat-road recovery time before we had to turn around and run back over. Looking back at my splits and matching them to the course map, here’s a little mile-by-mile breakdown of how it went:
- Mile 1: 6:46 – Nervous but fast off the start, with some slight uphill action to get the legs warmed up
- Mile 2: 6:25 – A nice downhill that I happily cruised down
- Mile 3: 6:35 –
- Mile 4: 6:52
- Mile 5: 6:42
- Mile 6: 6:48 – Going over the Burrard Bridge for the first time. Legs were feeling a bit sore on the uphill so I shortened my stride to try to keep my effort level consistent.
- Mile 7: 7:07 – Coming back over the Burrard Bridge and I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace. Tried to keep my stride short, and kept counting to 7 in my head over and over again (one of my mental tricks that seems to work spectacularly when I want to get my mind off of tough bits in a race.)
- Mile 8: 6:47 – Moving down towards the Sea Wall
- Mile 9: 7:00 – Running along the Sea Wall with a guy in orange shorts who asked me what my goal time was, then said “Sounds good. I’ll push you and you push me.”
- Mile 10: 7:07 – Kept up with Mr. Orange Shorts for a few more miles and my legs felt decent considering I was at mile 10 and was starting to get tired.
- Mile 11: 7:09 – I turned a corner on the Sea Wall and was now in full sun with wind blowing against me. Mr. Orange Shorts took off and I just couldn’t keep up, so I tried to focus on keeping a steady rhythm and staying positive.
- Mile 12: 7:32 – Coming up out of Stanley Park, I slowed down to walk through an aid station and drink some water. Looking back, I kinda wish I hadn’t done this because I probably could have broken 1:30:00, but at the same time, I was starting to feel pretty weak so maybe it was the right thing to do.
- Mile 13: 7:11 – Out of Stanley Park, running around some fairly flat streets.
- Last 0.1 mile: 6:09 – Gunning it to the finish to try to get in under 1:30.
In the end, I finished 58th out of about 10,000 runners and my final chip time was 1:30:32 – not a half marathon PR but definitely a SeaWheeze course PR. Considering the elevation profile of this course in comparison to the Niagara Falls Women’s Half earlier this year, I was pretty happy with this result. After crossing the finish line, I waited nearby for Christina, Danielle, and our friend Ashley to finish, then we took a ton of post-race photos because that’s just what you do after these sorts of things.
The Runner’s Brunch that Lululemon put on after the race was by far the best it’s ever been in the past 3 years. There were Belgian waffles, blueberry compote, yogurt, fresh fruit, and WATERMELON, which was pretty much the best part if you ask me.
In general, the race was super well organized and just seems to be getting better every year. The atmosphere was full of energy, the volunteers were super supportive, and I think it’ll always be one of my favourite races. We headed back to the hotel for showers, stretching, and relaxing for a bit, but that was definitely not the end of the vacation festivities. I’ve got more to tell you about, but let’s save it for Wednesday!
In the meantime, tell me…
- Did you run SeaWheeze this year? If so, what were the biggest highlights for you?
- What is your favourite pre-race meal?
Lastly, I really apologize again for the mis-scheduled posts last week. If you’re an email subscriber, you would have received Friday’s post on Saturday and I know it was probably very confusing because I rarely stray from my Monday/Wednesday/Friday publishing regimen. I’m hoping for no more technical issues but please let me know if you notice anything else funny happening. Thank you! 🙂
58th is super impressive! I really want to run this next year, and I’m already trying to figure out how to sign up when I’m supposed to be in class at school!
I’m glad you had such a good time in Vancouver! Heirloom is AMAZING.. one of my favourite places to go eat. Congrats on the finish!
Thanks Amalia! I’ve already blocked some time in my work calendar so I can make sure I get my entry in on time, but the thought of it is making me so nervous. Hopefully we both manage this time! 🙂
you are so speedy! must have been the fish and the lulu, right?!
Absolutely! PS Stay tuned for fish pics on Wednesday… I’ve got some stunners! 😉
◾Mile 7: 7:07 – I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace <—- this is why you are my favourite.
I am SO glad you are enjoying yourself. This looks like a perfect Ange holiday. Just know I will be photoshopping myself into all your photos to pretend I was there.
FAB half time!
Seriously, it felt like you probably did when I saw you at the last water station of the EndurRun. Had there been Gatorade, there would have been large amounts of drool. 😉
Amazing recap! That race sounds pretty cool. I am heading up to Vancouver for the first time in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait! Just a recap of my weekend – I finished Hood to Coast and the Asics Gel Noosa Tri 9s were fabulous. This was my first race ever and I am hooked! I had some issues with my IT band on my left knee, so I have some things to strengthen before the next race, but I cannot wait! Congrats on race well done to you!
You will LOVE it here, Sarah!! I’ve been for 3 summers in a row and the scenery is still jaw-dropping every time. Congratulations on the Hood to Coast! That’s such an amazing accomplishment, and it sounds like you and I were shoe twins this weekend. 😉 Despite the slight IT band problems, that’s great that you were able to persevere and keep pushing on. Well done!
Ahhh I am so jealous! I love how you have made this an annual trip! Definitely the best race I have ran!
Glad you had a great time, Ang! 🙂
Thanks Laur! Was thinking of ya lots this weekend and hopefully we can do another one together soon!
Congratulations on such a great race Angela! I’m not a runner but your pics, friends, food, etc always make me think “Sure I could get to like doing that!” 😉
Thanks Lauren! The race was one part of the weekend, but all the other festivities around it make the trip even more worth it. And this is incredibly biased but I think you should give running a try… you might love it! 🙂
58th out of 10,000+ runners? THAT is fantastic – you should be very proud of yourself! ..(and the food looked fabulous too 😉 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks so much Sheryl! And don’t you worry – far more food to come later this week. We’ve pretty much been walking, running, and eating our way around Vancouver (and I have no complaints about any of that!) 😉
You are amazing! I ran the race too, but I finished a solid 43 minutes after you – guess I have some work to do!
That’s still pretty darn great, Shannon! It’s definitely a challenging course so you should be so proud of yourself. Congrats! 🙂
Last night I tried to explain to my BF that if I run SeaWheeze next year, we need to be up at 3 am to buy some gear. His face was a mix of shock, disbelief, and “you’re on your own buddy.” LOL gonna need some girls to go with me instead I guess!
Hahahaha well don’t you worry, if you happen to get there at crazy-o-clock next year, you’ll find us sitting in line so you won’t be all alone! 🙂
It was SUCH a joy to experience this race/weekend with you! Thank you so so so much for including me! You ran a phenominal race and I am so proud of you! Hope to see you again really soon!!!!
It was so great to meet you too, Ashley!! And congratulations on your amazing time as well. You are SUCH a strong runner and I’m still amazed by how effortless you made that last mile look. It was wonderful to meet your family and I hope we can see each other again next summer.. or maybe sooner!
I always love your SeaWheeze posts. I scenery there is beautiful. The food looks so bright, fresh, and healthy. Congrats on the course PR also. I know in the past years you have had some setbacks with this race. Great job Angela!!! As for your shopping adventure in Lulu…that is almost a race in itself. Crazy!! I hope you were able to get some great deals and cute workout gear. My go to pre race breakfast is usually some toast and and egg.
Thanks so much Desiree! Yes, I think I was almost as nervous waiting for the SeaWheeze store to open as I was on the actual morning of the race! But it was all worth it in the end. If Vancouver happens to be on your list of Canadian travel destinations, this half marathon is definitely a must-do. And best of all, the weather is so mild and I’m sure it would be super refreshing compared to your hot summers!
What an amazing weekend!
After running this a second time I can say for sure this course is HARD, so running a 1:30 is killer, way to go!!
It was so great to meet you, Ange!! Loved that we were finally able to get together and congrats on your race too! 🙂
Great time, way to go! I wish I could have been back on the West coast to run it, but my friend did it and said it was an amazing experience! I don’t think I would have been able to contain my excitement with all of that Lulu madness going on around me, I most definitely would have come out of that weekend in serious debt.
Thanks Nicole! And yes, I found it pretty hard to exercise any sort of self control in the SeaWheeze store. The clothes they had this year were so amazing compared to previous years and I’m sure next year will be great too. Would be awesome to see you out there next summer! 🙂 (I’m already starting to save for the trip lol!)
You. Are. Amazing.
Had THE best time this weekend and cannot wait to do it all over again next year!
#carrots
#watermelon
#apples
Best hashtags EVER! Already super pumped about 2015. Friday 2am wake-up call here we come! 🙂
#youaremybeets
LOL! I miss you already!!! Safe travels home tomorrow. 🙂
Congrats on your time! Seawheeze is the best – this was my 3rd year running it. The course is so pretty!
Congrats on a great time! I’m a Lulu addict & would love to do SeaWheeze for many reasons. But I’m on the east coast & it’s probably too expensive. 🙁 Maybe someday!
I had the best time, I can’t stop telling everyone about it! Congrats again on your course PR, I hope I set one next year too!!
#highandtight
Bahahaha best hashtag of the trip! If we work hard enough, maybe by this time next year #highandtight will be a reality! 😉
Great race!
I ran it this year and was injured but still had a great race. What are your tips for tight strained post race leg muscles? Besides getting a massage which is what I did haha.
Hi Amy! I’m so glad you got to experience it too, and I’m sorry to hear about your injury! I also ran injured in my first Seawheeze, so I can relate. Do you happen to have a foam roller? This is one of my favourite post-workout rehab tools and it has helped SO much with reducing soreness. I wrote a post about the different types of foam rollers and how to use one here, but let me know if you have any questions after checking it out. Aside from rolling, I’d recommend doing some icing after your workouts to keep the inflammation down and trying to do as much stretching as you can. Be gentle with the muscles because you don’t want to hurt yourself, but with practice I think you’ll find your legs loosen up a bit and won’t feel as stiff. Good luck! 🙂