SeaWheeze Race Report

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would talk about how time flies?  As a kid, I had a completely different opinion.  Growing up in the country, the sunshine seemed to last forever and my siblings and I played outside all day long.  There were cornfields to get lost in, a pool for relieving the Midwest heat and humidity, and lightening bugs to be caught (and grotesquely made into jewelry or stored in a mason jar as the 80’s version of a DIY nightlight). But now… here I am writing a race recap for SeaWheeze weekend and starting another school year wondering where the heck the last year went.

The best part of SeaWheeze was that I made it safely to and from Vancouver without breaking my leg.   Yay!  Success.  I have nothing more to report.  Just kidding… besides the success of staying on my two feet, Lululemon did not disappoint at this year’s event.  Here’s the scoop…

This year, Michele and I decided that we would do an Air BnB instead of a hotel.  Last year, we only stayed for a night and this year we wanted to spend a little more time in Vancouver.  We looked into booking the Hyatt like last year, but through Air BnB, we were able to get two nights for slightly more than the one hotel night would have cost.  The place we stayed was in a beautiful, brand new building in the False Creek neighborhood.  There were plenty of restaurants and breweries nearby, a market, and the Skytrain was just a couple of blocks down the street.  There is a ton of construction going on right now so I can only imagine how much the cool factor is about to go up. The only sad thing about our place happened to be the lack of a coffee pot.  The Canadians are not in need of java as early as the Americans (I’m assuming) because we couldn’t find a coffee shop in the area that opened before 6 AM.  There was a McDonalds near so that was the coffee that provide the kick before the half.

Cute Air BnB… and the water pressure was tops!

After flying into Seattle to meet Michele, we rallied over the border to get to packet pick-up.  Last year, we got a later start and missed most of the party associated with PPU.  This year, we got there earlier, grabbed our packets which included our chips, a wristband to get into all events, a water bottle (much higher quality than the 2014 version), and a cute bag to use at bag check on race morning.  There was also a coupon for a free cup of coffee from JJBean.  The store was much better stocked than last year and I picked up some wild and crazy shorts as a sweet memento.

Check out the pre & post run swag…

Post race pic with out new Lulu hats…

The medal…. that will get your bag searched by TSA…

Gear check bag and water bottle…

Magical oils… really!

As for the race itself I gotta hand it to SeaWheeze.  Like 2014, the whole event was incredibly organized with the fans cheering and volunteer support being  dynamite.  Because this race was my last long run before the marathon on August 23rd, my instructions were to run within the 7:49-8:19 zone.  The day before, Michele said I could drop to 7:39 if it was comfortable.  In the end, I averaged 7:35 for a time of 1:39:33 which felt really comfortable and controlled throughout.  However, at the finish line I thought, “Oh wow… I have to do twice that next week?!?!”

Like I mentioned earlier, this year we came to PARTY at the SeaWheeze Festival.  Now… when you reach your 40s, the word party loses some of it’s luster, but we did stay out until after midnight.  We’re hip… don’t be jealous!  The festival is in the gorgeous Stanley Park and once again, Team Lulu was really organized.  From the festival shuttles, to the music, to the wine and beer a blast was to be had.  We didn’t get to the festival as early as planned since we met some pretty interesting ladies at dinner and struck up a really fun… and did I mention interesting… conversation.  Long story short, when I am old, I want to put on my best clothes, bright lipstick, and toast the night away too.  Now, my sister just needs to move to California cause I’m not doing that on the farm.

Bands we never heard of, but still fun!

Our Polaroid from the festival.

Once again, I left this event knowing that I would be back for 2016.  The registration for SeaWheeze 2016 opens on September 16th.  Keep your eye on the site for more directions.  In the meantime, go get the fastest internet speeds money can buy because this one sold out in 33 minutes last year.  My fingers have been crossed since I left.

Did you run Seawheeze this year?  What did you think?

 

Catching Up….

In late June of 2014, I had big ambitions in regards to my blog.  Typically, I’m a pretty prompt person – Hello Virgo – but what can I say… life got complicated.  Each week, I had posts in mind but I just kept putting it off or would find some other task to tackle instead.  After a bit, I thought, “Ugh… I should just quit because it has been so long since my last post.”  However, I do enjoy sharing this and that with those that come to my classes, are seeking some run love, are daring enough to try a recipe that comes across this blog – let’s face it… my husband and I have differing opinions on food so I like when you all agree with me – and finally, is there ever enough input in the fashion or beauty department… never.  Now I am at a crossroads and have decided that it’s onward and upward.  The whole purpose of this post is to simply, catch up.  Here goes…

The Fitness Department:

In the Laps department, my mantra has been “Comeback, not setback.”  There really is great truth to that.  When I posted last, I had just been given the green light to start running again.  It. Was. Awful.  Seriously, running is hard!  But… it is a lifesaver.  Coming back from an injury and another health issue I was at one of the lowest points in both my emotional and physical state.  Running, while it was slow and painful gave me a sense that with each mile all would be okay.  It’s true.  The more I ran, the better it got and the better I felt. On the last day of January, I had hit the 6 mile mark (the doctors said I would be able to run three).  February was another setback month, but somehow, I finished the last day of the month with 7 miles.  And then in March… the fire was started.  For most of March, I just focused on running 5 days per week.  Just for the fun of it (and because it is put on by a super rad lady), I entered the She Is Beautiful 10k.  There wasn’t a race plan for this 10k, but I had high hopes to run under 8 minute pace.   Honestly… my Garmin didn’t track but a few miles at that pace since August so I thought it was a good place to start.   Somehow or another, I averaged a 7:03 pace.  I’d like to say I didn’t know where it came from, but that wouldn’t be true.  This is one of the first times that I ran with only my heart.  When I finished the run, I had tears in my eyes.  I knew that I was on my way back, but this time around, I vowed to not forget that running is fun, it makes me happy, and while healthy competition is to never be overlooked, letting the competitive balance tilt too much will make your running outlook suffer… a lot.

Check out the smile on the face of the cutie in the tutu!!!

After SIB, I called my running coach and told her I was ready to train.  For what, I wasn’t completely sure, but I was ready to start doing something.  Between then and now, I paced my friend and coach, Michele, at the Miwok 100k (Ultra runners are BAD ASS), ran the Surfer’s Path Half Marathon for fun… in fact I was in such a fun zone that my friends and I started the race five minutes late cause I forgot my bib… really… who does that???

SCE after the Surfer’s Path Half Marathon. Photo courtesy of Nancy Z.

In June I ran the Tahoe Relays with Santa Cruz Endurance which leads me to the now.  I’d been increasing my mileage and as I had witnessed my paces dropping I started to toy with the idea of a marathon.  Some of my friends are going to Boston for the first time ever and I thought I might want to go for support.  Knowing Boston qualifiers last for two years, I figured my 2014 qualifier at Boston would get me into the 2016 Boston, but it doesn’t since the window is September to September.  So… I needed a BQ and have now set my sights on getting one at the Santa Rosa Marathon on August 23rd.  In Tahoe, I ran my leg of the relay and added on to get to 18 miles.  I told myself if I could run in the altitude – that far – with part of it at race effort – that I would sign up for the marathon… and I did.  Stayed tuned for the rest of the story…

The Home Department:

Since drifting away from the blog, I wish I could say that I’d been spending my time scouring cookbooks and reading food magazines cover to cover, but I have been super, duper lazy.  This is another reason that I wanted to get back to my blog.  I love discovering new recipes, trying them out and sharing them with others.  When life gets complicated, exerting extra effort for things like grocery shopping and cleaning up messes becomes even more daunting.  Thanks to some advice from my boss, I started to go to Dream Dinners. I have to say… it’s pretty awesome.  Check out their site for some details, and really, I promise I will write a post about it after the next time I go (which will be in September).  Over the course of the summer, I have really started to look at our diet and have started up the grill and have ventured into cookbook land once again.  I guess marathon training inspires one to eat some healthier meals.

Other than that, my husband and I have stayed busy with a trip to the Midwest for family fun, taking advantage of the beaches here at home, and discovering different places to eat around town.  We also got on an organizing kick and now have some pretty cleaned out closets.  In fact, I took my husband’s drill and with a little help from The Container Store, I have a new pantry.  Guess what’s in that new pantry?  Finally… I purchased emergency supply kits because my mother-in-law and mother frequently remind me that the whole West Coast is bound to be destroyed by an earthquake any day now.

With much uneasiness, my husband handed the drill over. It’s been 3 weeks and the shelves are still holding strong.

The Fashion Department:

Do you remember that I said I was training for a marathon?  Right.  As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time in my running clothing.  Fortunately for me, Oiselle has had some super cute running attire and I now seem to have a pair of distance shorts for each day of the week.  It’s been a warm summer in Santa Cruz so I’m most often running with my sports bra.  Next weekend, I will be in Seattle and hope to go to the one and only Oiselle store.  I think this shirt would be an appropriate purchase.  Speaking of this company… I’ve been a superfan for a long time.  Recently, they opened up spots on their team and I (much to my surprise cause I was finishing up a 22 miler when the window opened) got a spot.  I’m pretty excited to get to know the other ladies of The Flock.  1,2,3 Oiselle Volée!!!

When I’m not wearing running gear, I’ve been obsessing over boyfriend jeans, tees and heels.  It’s been a pretty laid back summer style wise and I’m just now starting to feel like it’s time to add some fun to my fall wardrobe.  I sound like a broken record, but stay tuned…

Pretty much me every evening (and day) this summer. Thanks asos for the picture.

One thing that has changed my life however, is the Sarah Potempa Beachwaver.  Seriously… I have super thick and heavy hair so it best lends itself to a ponytail unless I have tons of product and endless time to attempt a style… that will last for maybe the walk to the car.  That is until this little curling iron caught my attention.  Seriously, I can curl my whole head into some sexy waves in about 15 minutes tops.  Even better, I can do so with very little product.  After getting out of the shower I put a bit of Kevin Murphy Smooth Again in my hair.  After it dries, I spray it with a bit of Style Sexy Hair 450 Headset and then I go to town with my curling iron. I’d like to take all the credit when I get compliments on my hair, but I can’t… this iron was a game changer.

Thanks for following along during this super long post.  I am really motivated to post away and not let the craziness of life keep me from taking time to do the things I enjoy.

Hoping your week is full of joy and the chance to do something extraordinary!