Since I’ve been running, I try to pick one “vacation” race every year. We pick a place we’ve never been and make a family vacation out of it! This year I was trying to decide between 2 races – Lululemon’s SeaWheeze half marathon in Vancouver or The Great Smoky Mountain half marathon in Townsend, TN. The SeaWheeze half marathon is one that you enter a lottery to be selected to register, so I had already decided that I would put my name in the hat and if I didn’t get selected we’d head to Tennessee! I entered the lottery back in February and one week later I found out I was selected to register. Once you’ve been selected they give you 24 hours to decide if you’re going to run. I mentioned it to Chase and he was like “Sure! Let’s go to Canada.”
We got Chief a passport, booked our flights, and found a hotel right on English Bay. You can read all about our family trip here.
We arrived in Vancouver two full days before the race – the perfect amount of time to get over the travel, get some rest, and do a shakeout run before the big day. The day before the race, we packed up the stroller and walked the two miles to the race expo. As you would expect from a Lululemon race, the “Pre-Wheeze” festivities were top notch. In addition to picking up my race day bag, they had yoga classes, foam rolling classes, talks geared toward running/yoga/meditation and everything in between. They had incredible vendors and even more incredible swag.
The only blunder I encountered the entire weekend was with their race store. They set up an entire Lululemon store with gear you can only buy at SeaWheeze – gear they’ll never sell in stores with special edition prints and patterns. You can only purchase up to 10 items; they make it feel super exclusive for the runners. They made us sign up for a time to shop the store so they could regulate the amount of people in the store at one time. Unfortunately they were running 2-2.5 hours behind. It was a zoo. People (i.e. ME!) were waiting two hours or more to get into the exclusive store. I was irritated once I finally made it inside and that was only magnified by the fact that the checkout line was probably an hour long wait. I couldn’t do it. After waiting for nearly two hours I ran out of there as fast I could.
Early the next morning I jumped out of bed at 4:30am, made a cup of coffee, downed an English muffin with banana and peanut butter, and grabbed my gear. I took a cab across town to get to the start line bright and early. The course ran by our hotel so the boys stayed behind so they could catch me at miles 4 and 6, then they met me at the finish line.
The race was INCREDIBLE! Seriously all 13 miles were packed with cheering stations, bands, high-fives, mermaids and balloons for days. They had video boards displaying messages from family members. Chase, my sister, and my bestie Laurel all sent in messages so I could see them on the course. As you would cross the chipped markers along the course, a personalized message would display. It really gave me all the feels.
- “Way to go! I would’ve quit a long time ago. Woof.” – Charlie Dog
- “Go Adventure Mom!” – Chase & Chief
- “Canadian Cassie, eh!?” – Whit
- “Cass, Usain Bolt is behind you!!! Run fast!” – Whitney
- “Loves you Mom” – Chief
- “HURRY UP CASSIE! Brunch is waiting for you!” – Laurel
- “The pride of Chelsea, OK – Cassie!!!” – Chase
The only thing better than the party on the course were the views. Running the sea wall of the English Bay was probably the coolest running experience I’ve ever had.
When I crossed the finish line they put a medal around my neck, a eucalyptus towel on my forehead, peppermint oil on the back of my neck, a Lululemon hat on my head, and a box of brunch in my hand. Chief promptly stole my medal, my hat, and my brunch, but I expected nothing less.
I LOVED the race and really am so glad the whole crew got to experience it with me. I don’t know if I’ll try to run it again next year, I’ve got LOTS of runs on my list, but I’d love to visit Vancouver again – running or not.
Official Time: 1:56. Here’s the recap video of the weekend.
This post is spot on! I must say you never cease to amaze me, you truly deserve an award for all you do! From pulling off picture perfect parties, to keeping strong and fit to making the most appealing toddler lunches. You do it all with grace. Keep doing you girl!!!
PS you are the queen of good running photos 😉
Thank you, Carrie. Really, I’m flattered. 😘 It’s only because my work schedule is so relaxed. Hope we “run” into each other soon!! 💙