Well, this post was supposed to come right after the Whole 30 wrap ups... better late than never though! Part of the reason it's been slow in coming is that I've been really busy lately - my work has picked up, I started taking art classes two nights a week, I've been organizing some book club meetings, and I got a little part time job as well. All of that plus my normal working out, cooking, and socializing has made me a very busy woman.
The other reason for the stop in posts is a little bit of writer's block. With my schedule, I don't have time for another challenge. I was thinking of just doing casual updates on balancing a busy schedule while still making healthy meals and keeping up with fitness but I know I do better with some kind of format so I'll have to think about a way to organize posts that won't be stressful for me.
But let's hear about that half marathon thing!!!
 |
| that's how long a half marathon is in Canadian |
Girl's Weekend
One of the things I was looking forward to most about the trip was a chance to spend time with three of my best friends. The hardest part about moving to San Diego was leaving them and so it was exciting to have all of us in the same place once again. Getting four girls with strong personalities together can sometimes be a little rocky, but we had such an easy going, amazing time together. My friend Shannon took the lead on getting everything organized for us which was really awesome. She even made sure to find restaurants that would be Whole30 approved so I wouldn't have to cheat the last couple days of my challenge (and possibly upset my stomach before the race).What's a Seawheeze Anyways?
Seawheeze is the official Lululemon half marathon. My friends are obsessed with Lululemon and Seawheeze is kind of a must try for all Lulu addicts. In terms of a race though... it's really more of an experience. For the entry fee you receive your race entry, a ticket to a festival, two yoga classes (plus yoga at the festival), exclusive Lululemon shorts, post race brunch, access to an exclusive runner's store, and lots of little bonuses and goodies along the way. All of that for half the price of a Disney race where you get a shirt and the race. The whole event is really designed to just make you feel relaxed and strong and loved and happy. It truly was something really special.
Tell Me More About that Exclusive Runner's Store...
Before Seawheeze, I had about 5 Lululemon things: a backpack I love and use everyday, two sports bras that basically suffocate me, and a bikini set that does not contain my assets. The last four items I got on super sale but didn't love and Lululemon just didn't seem worth the price tag to me.
And then the shorts arrived.
Like I said, your race entry gets you a pair of exclusive shorts for runners only. I didn't love the pattern when they arrived but there were two good points - they go with everything (the pattern is black with a variety of colored circles of different prints), and when you wear them, other Seawheezers will know you are also training for the race. I decided to wear them for my weekly long run in case I saw in anyone else. I only saw one other person wearing the shorts while I was training, but I came to realize that the shorts were the most comfortable things I had ever worn while running. By the time I'd left for the trip, I'd ordered another pair, a couple of sports bras, and a yoga mat. I had drank the Lulaid.
At first, I told my friends that I was going to sleep in while they waited in line for the store, but as we got closer to the trip, I started reading blog posts from past Seawheezers and really wanted to check out the store. I ended up waking up with them and bringing home a few souvenirs.
 |
| strategically does not show you how much stuff I bought |
Luckily, Canadough is much weaker than the dollar so it was like getting some new shorts on sale! It also felt like a great way to reward myself for two major accomplishments - losing the ten pounds on Whole30 and earning some more fitting clothing as well as getting into a better workout and running schedule. Since these were the most comfortable running shorts I'd ever found, why not get some more to make running more enjoyable?
The actual store experience is a little crazy - think Black Friday gone mad. We waited in line for three hours and still had to search high and low to find items in our size. We heard plenty of horror stories about women stealing items out of other people's hands. Luckily, we didn't experience any of that and mostly all got what we wanted.
The Yoga
My friends and I decided to do two of the yoga sessions - the sunset yoga the day before our race and the yoga at the festival after our race. The two sessions could not have been more different. The sunset yoga was probably one of the worst yoga experiences ever. The instructor made inappropriate jokes, told us all we focus too much on social media, and seemed so disconnected from the practice. The only joy I got from it was watching one of my friends make faces every time the instructor said something ridiculous. The festival yoga though - that was probably the best yoga class I've ever been to. To start, we were doing it outside in Stanley Park - which is just gorgeous if you've never been. Secondly, Shannon and I had picked up some of the exclusive Seawheeze beer so we had some er.... refreshments... for our practice. Mostly though - the teacher was amazing. She made it light hearted and fun. She told jokes and played sensual 90s R&B. She admitted she'd had a glass of wine already and was also having a good time. She also went through poses that helped us stretch and relax our muscles that had worked so hard earlier that day. It almost made me wish I lived in Vancouver so I could go to more of her classes.
The Run
But how about that run huh? I mean, that was the reason for this whole trip. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard. It was incredibly hard. Running for almost 3 hours (because I'm slow) is a long time. The race really fell into two parts for me though. The first half was pretty great. I did the first 10 k in 1:11. My fastest 10k by itself... is 1:07. So I think two things happened here - 1) my training really paid off and I'm improving in my running a lot 2) I gave it too much gas in the first half which really hurt me later. I think it was about 70% #1 and 30% #2 because despite going pretty fast (for me), I never hit a point where I was out of breath or tired. I also had a great motivation - kilometers 9-10 (miles 5-6) were a turn around point. Since my friends are all faster than me, I knew we would pass eachother and I was NOT about to look like I was struggling. I trained hard and I wanted to show it. When I passed my first friend, I got so excited that I got a burst of energy and it kept me going through seeing the other two. 
And then... the second half happened. After I'd passed all of my friends, the adrenaline lost the battle and I got a terrible stomach cramp. I tried to push through it but it felt terrible so I decided to stop and walk the next part (which was all uphill anyways). Once I got to the top of the hill, I felt better and got running again. I did pretty well for the next 5k. Around kilometer 15 (mile 9), I just started feeling a little tired of running. I decided to go on a walk/run alternate. Luckily, by this part, we were in Stanley Park and my views were awesome. There was so much race entertainment and so many people and groups cheering, that it really helped motivate me to keep going.
 |
| the most beautiful sign in the whole world |
 |
| not a good way to finish a half marathon |
So I basically started singing the song in my head and picking up my pace. I definitely had some energy stored up and I figured it was a good time to use it anyways since the race was almost over...
And then more cramps hit. About 100x worse than the ones at the halfway point. I wanted to push through and just finish but it hurt way too bad. Of course, another great Broadway song came on after Let It Go but I just couldn't pick it up. I managed to lightly run across the finish line because I didn't want to be the one walking at the end, was just happy to be done. I almost started crying because the cramps hurt so bad but eventually I got my free brunch and found my friends and warmed up and that helped a lot.
The Party
And then came the after party!!! Well, then came a nap and some poutine but after that came the after party!!! I already talked about the awesome yoga, but the rest of the festival was awesome as well!
First, the Lululemon Seawheeze beer was actually really good! It was a light lager with a little bit of a citrus finish. It definitely was a good re-introduction to alcohol after my 30 days off and it was fun to try it out with my friends... while doing yoga.
The festival itself also was just so well organized and clean. I mean, a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that most of the attendants had run a half marathon that morning, but still - the bathrooms never got gross, no one ever got too crazy. It was really nice. Also - the drinks were only $6... in Canadian. So like $4 in real money. I don't think drinks are that cheap anywhere.
 |
| St. Lucia |
The bands were also amazing. I'm not too up to date on what's cool and hip in the music scene (remember back when I said my Pandora station was Broadway...) so I hadn't heard of the bands but St. Lucia was amazing. Even though I was exhausted, I still got up and danced a little. I definitely want to check out more of their music and maybe see them again if they come to San Diego!
It's All About the Journey, Not the Finish Line
But my biggest take away from the race... was that all of my hard work paid off. A half marathon is hard. Training for a half marathon though is the hardest part. I had to give up drinking for a month (I didn't have to I guess but not drinking made it easier to get up for runs). I had to wake up early Saturday mornings and go run for hours. I did lots of yoga and strength training. I put a lot of hours into just getting to the half marathon... and I'm signed up for a few more so I'm going to be doing this again and again and again.
With all of that hard work though, it meant a lot to me to have so many friends supporting me. The friends who did the race with me bought me an engraved necklace since they'd all gotten one at the Nike Women's Half. Many other friends texted and facebooked and asked how it went as well. It really just showed me that I have amazing people in my life and that I want to continue to surround myself with supportive people as I continue to make friends in San Diego. It's also made me think more about what I can do to be thoughtful and supportive of my friends in return.
The half marathon really was the start of something. I knew I'd want to do a few more of them. I knew I'd want to continue working towards improving in the Spartan community. I also knew I'd be coming home and starting my art classes. My life was about to get a lot more hectic and I felt like the race was a good experience to get my head in the right place and realize what's important and that would give me the power to really tackle everything ahead of me.
 |
| Holy crap we walked a lot of steps that day |
