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.
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?
laps.lunges.leather. 