I read through this recap before posting, and I cannot believe that I actually did this! It was an amazing trip! I'm so thankful that my best friend JM got to go with me to cheer me on! Plus, the timing was just crazy.... Little did I know that on the Friday that I was gone, walking around the Granville Island Public Market, my main squeeze MS was designing my engagement ring! Ahh!
So here it is...
RECAP!
Wow! What a trip! I gotta say this was one of the craziest things I have ever done. I'm not one to typically sign up for an international race. But, in 2015 I was needing something to do completely out of the ordinary for me because I felt my life had been hell and I really needed to mix things up. So after hearing some great things about Vancouver from several people and discovering the race, I knew that the SeaWheeze Half Marathon was just the ticket!
After getting passed registration, which had sold out in 10 minutes, I was ready to go. It took a whole year of waiting and trying to prep for this! But, I'm not gonna go into that! Here was how it went!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
My best friend JM, who thankfully came with me, got down to my place to have dinner with me and my boyfriend (at the time boyfriend ;-)). It was the first time she ever met him, and it went pretty well! We went to our favorite little Chinese place for deliciousness. After MS went home my mom picked up us girls to spend the night at their house.
THURSDAY
Omigosh! It was so early when we woke up to get to the airport. Our flight was crazy early, which meant we had to be even crazier early to get through security and so on. However, when we got to DFW Airport, it wasn't bad. We already had our boarding pass and the line for security was short. We found our gate then roamed to look for breakfast. The flight to Seattle was looooong. Then we only had about 30 minutes before our connecting flight to Vancouver, but we made it right before they started to board the plane. The plane was full of ladies who would be running the half marathon. I hadn't fully grasped how popular this race would be until then.
When we landed in Vancouver, the process of going through customs was looooong (thankfully not as long as our first flight). But painless. I was nervous as all because I hate the "unknown" and people have always said that customs is a pain. After we got through we then stood inline to buy our train ticket into downtown. Oh, boy! At that point, being outside in the sunlight and cool temps, I was suddenly overwhelmed. I can't believe it! We made it! Omigosh! I almost started crying!
We took the Skytrain to downtown and walked few blocks to meet our Airbnb host, who had been waiting for about two hours since we were stuck at the aiport for a lot longer than expected.The city was so clean! The air was so fresh feeling (granted everything is once you step foot outside of an airport!).
Our host and his wife was really nice. One thing that we learned right off the bat was the HOA of the building didn't like owners to rent out their units. So we were basically snuck in from the parking garage instead of the front door where security is. The unit was so much fun! It was a studio with a great layout. The best part was the view! The bed was on a platform so that you can lay in it and still see the water out beyond our windows and the other buildings. Basically, you could also see where I would be finishing my run! Sweet! There was also this yellow chair that we both loved. It was next to the window and was so comfy! It was also cool enough that we could open the windows for fresh air!
Alone in our home away from home we quickly feel deep into a deep nap. When I woke up I was a little chilled and hungry. When JM woke, we just stared at each other from across the room. "Ramen" was what we said together when we asked what we wanted for dinner!
We walked down to Robson Street, which was just a few blocks away! We knew there were some ramen places somewhere so we explored, noted where the Whole Foods was, and finally decided on Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. It was small, and very warm in there. But the ramen was good!
After that we went to Whole Foods to get some groceries. Note to travelers. Whole Foods is great, but pricey (I swear more so than in America) so I recommend going to a place like Urban Fare to get groceries (which we didn't know about until later). You'll find everything you need there, including American items too. After groceries, it was time to get comfortable for the night.
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| Day 1 in Vancouver! |
FRIDAY
Morning! Packet Pick Up Day! And first day of exploration! First off... upside to buying eggs at Whole Foods... the freshness! OMG! The yolks were so orange it was amazingly beautiful!
After breakfast we walked long the harbor on the way to the convention center to get my packet. It was so pretty out there! The line for packet pick up was not as bad as I thought. Especially compared to the line to get into the SeaWheeze Lululemon store that was adjacent to the packet area. Holy crap! I'm glad I didn't go through with that! I knew the prices were high and the chances of finding my size could be slim. I have to say I'm not really a Lululemon person anyway. In fact, I felt like an albino, slightly-chubby giant compared to all of the other runners who were shorter and slimmer than me!
My packet was pretty cool, actually! It came in a nifty mesh duffle (which would be handy for when we fly home!), sunglasses, water bottle, Nuun (score!!), and a timing tags for both of my shoes. It was SO WEIRD not to have a bib to wear! After we dropped the packet off at the condo we headed out towards Granville Island Public Market.
We took the metro train to the Yaletown - Roundhouse Station and walked to the waterfront. There were parks all over, which included plumbed bathrooms, which is really nice. Tip: There is a nice bathroom at the David Lam Park, which is hidden under a fountain/waterfall. We found a stop for a water taxi and hopped one. The water taxi was was fun, and a rare experience for JM and I to be on a boat! It was fun! The water taxi dropped us right off market, which was perfect!
The Granville Island Public Market is. so. cool! It as a must-visit place whenever you are in Vancouver, I swear! I wish that my M was with us cause he would be in Heaven! There were so many fruit stalls, berries an fruits that looked so perfect and beautiful! There was also different meats and sweets. We had to buy a donut at one shop. I almost bought a cinnamon roll that was pretty much as big as my face. But I knew I couldn't get it cause I would eat it all and all that sugar would be bad for me the day before my race. For lunch, JM and I got fish and chips. It was so tasty and fish was so fresh!
We walked the whole island (thought I swear it isn't an island cause there is a park that connects it to the mainland) before we headed home for a nap. For dinner we got an order of hot food at the Urban Fare near by. I got the prime rib and fresh veggies, which was tasty, but perhaps a bit small on the serving size. We ate the dinner in the Harbour Green Park near the water, which was so nice. We definitely can't do that in Texas for most of the year!
After getting my clothes and gear all sorted out, I ate a sleepy gummy to help calm down from the excitement of the day and nerves so that I can sleep well before getting up uber early for the race.
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| Vancouver Day 2 - Packet Pick-Up! |
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| Vancouver Day 2 - Adventure! |
SATURDAY... aka RACE DAY... aka THE DAY I RAN A RACE AND WALKED ANOTHER... aka I WAS ON MY FEET FOR ALMOST A MARATHON
The Race
I woke up before dawn! I got to watch the sunrise over the harbor while I sipped my coffee! I was so happy that I had trained my body to do its business with coffee with before a run! Lol! I was nervous about the race. My main fear? That this was a girly race and I'm not girly like most of the women I saw yesterday.
I said bye to JM and was out the door. Thankfully I dressed right - tank top and shorts - for the weather! It was going to be in the mid 60s and sunny. It was waaaay cooler than Texas and naturally wanted to wear a t-shirt and capris, but I know better than that! I walked to the starting area, which was by the convention center. I hung close to a porta potty area and stretched. I didn't have to wait too too long for the staging time because I was was staying so close to the start line. I staged myself for the 02:45 pace group and tried to get into the groove with the very energetic pacers. It took a while for our group to make it to the start, but I was definitely feeling excited for being in another race and rocking out a good run!
Mile 0 - 4
Ok. So, I definitely felt the fact that I walked a lot on Friday exploring during the first few miles. My legs were sore! And in the city there are hills! Not crazy big hills, but little steep hills! I was keep pace with the group, which was nice cause they also served as tour guides! But, they weren't taking in walking breaks, which I didn't think of. Oops! Between Mile 2 and 3 I had to go pee, but I didn't want to lose the group. I waited till we were at the seawall near the area that I had walked through before. In fact, right after Mile 3 we were at the David Lam Park ... and that hidden bathroom under the waterfall. It was time to break away from the group! I wasn't the only runner who did that, and I felt a great sense of comradery with the other women cause we briefly would say something about our bladders going to explode and so on. I felt like I was part of the running community at the very moment! The Mile 4 marker represented me gong to an area that I had yet to explore during our visit!
Mile 5 - 7
Right around Mile 5 we ran over a bridge to the other part of the city before racing to Mile 6, which as at the top of a hill! There were a lot of great spectators lone the Cornwall Ave stretch, and at the turn around were doggies to give kisses! Love! After the turn around we backtracked down the hill and back over the bridge before heading out to the famous seawall.
Mile 8 - 11
Here are my favorite things about the seawall... and, basically, what I like about the race in general... (1) It's flat! For the most part. (2) The view! I'm landlocked in North Texas. My water views consist of the lake or pond that I run around at my various parks. The views here in Vancouver... It's a bay, and beyond that.. a sea! Amazingly awesome! The beaches were so cool too. There was a sandy beach then a pebble beach too.
By this time in the race I was definitely getting tired. I would pause to take picture of cheer groups and the beach and the scenery to keep this section of the race fun. My legs were tired, but I kept going doing an interval run. Around Mile 11 or so was when the 3:00 pace group passed me. Dang it! Not much I can do about it cause if I pushed myself too early I was going to completely burn myself out. When we rounded the edge of the seawall on the other side of Stanley Park I was hit with another amazing view!
Mile 12 - 13.1
Mile 12 was the marker that took me into the edge of Stanley Park. I knew if I had more time I would want to come back and explore the park because it looks beautiful and amazing! Mile 13 was right near the entrance of the park, but on the other side of the bridge. I messaged JM to let her know that I was close to the end. She was already somewhere near the finish line waiting for me, and tracking me on my Garmin GPS. I saw her somewhere before the finish. The pictures she took of me definitely show that my lower half was tired. My hips were at an angle, but I also look like I was finishing strong despite it. The finish was great! My overall time was 03:00:05. Not horrible!
Finisher Shoot
After the finish I got my medal. This beauty is so heavy it could be used as a murder weapon! We had to snake our way up the ramp or the stairs to get out of the finisher shoot. I opted for the ramp, which a good idea cause I also got some other goodies like essential oil spray for pain relief and stress calming. I also got a SeaWheeze hat. I'm not a hat wearer unless I'm running, but I'll take it! I decided not to go for the Finisher Breakfast because it didn't sound very filling, and the line for it was absolutely nuts and didn't move for more than 15 minutes.
I found JM and I sat for a few minutes before I got her take my picture. Then it was back to walking up the little steep hills to the condo. I showered and JM cooked me breakfast. Then I completely passed out. On the floor. While stretching.
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| Vancouver Day 3 - Race Day! |
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| Vancouver! Checkout that beauty! |
The Fun After the Race!
Post-Nap adventures began. We had lots to do! Rocking a pair of bright pink shorts, a punk band t-shirt and a pair of brightly colored compression socks (I can't believe I forgot to have JM take of this outfit), I stepped out with JM, and we took the metro to Chinatown to walk around. Before we did I got some Tim Horton coffee to see what the hype was all about. Not bad! We also searched for a place to eat but couldn't find anything that jumped out at us. We walked around so much that we ended up in Gastown, which was a really nifty area! We were about to eat there, but realized that we were getting close to the last ride out to the Capliano Suspension Bridge, which was on our must-do-no-matter-what list. So we :: walked :: from Gastown towards the convention center. While we were there we got some gelato then it was back to our condo!
We refreshed ourselves and had another snack before we walked back to the convention center to catch the bus out to Capliano. It was a lot of fun riding in a big couch bus, and seeing parts of Vancouver that we wouldn't have seen on foot.
If you are ever in Vancouver, BC... you, must, must, MUST go to the Capliano Suspension Bridge. It is sooooo cool and fun! We walked across suspension bridge, which 140 meters (That's just shy of 160 feet!) long! The view from the bridge was gorgeous. There were other bridges and platforms in the trees, on the side of the mountain that were beautiful to climb and walk through. I did trip once up the stairs cause my legs were so tired, but I refused to let that bother me. We even walked across a bridge that was on a side of a cliff. Plus, it was made of glass!
The gift shop is great too, which is were spent a lot of our money. There are places to eat, but by the time we were done exploring they were closing down. Next time! The shuttle ride home was insane with traffic and bus driver who didn't care! Back in Downtown we got some pizza and headed home. I looked at my phone at the tracks movement... it says I walked and ran 22.6 miles! Crazy! Needless to say, we both feel a sleep easily that night!
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| Vancouver! I had to include a picture of the gorgeous eggs! |
SUNDAY
Last day in Vancouver! We finished off our delicious and still uber fresh eggs before packing our bags. We cleaned the condo to the best of our ability before meeting up with the Airbnb host to check out. Then we walked around with our backpacks for a while.
We went to Central Library, and it was so cool! I can't even remember how many floors it had, but I believe it was 7! Wow! JM and I explored every floor. We also visited a very clean bathroom! After resting in the library for a while we went on the hunt for poutine. We knew we couldn't leave Vancouver or BC or Canada in general without trying it! After a couple fails from Yelp we found a spot and shared one. It was weird and yet tasty!
We walked back to the convention center area to rest some more. We did stop by a souvenir shop to grab a couple more presents for the family. We sat down and enjoyed the water and the breeze since we were burning out on the walking and we were tired and getting grouchy. Finally it was time to make our way to the airport. At the metro station we got some Tim Horton donuts to eat outside the airport.
Going through customs was not that bad! First we went through regular security, where I was selected for a pat down (it was bad at all and they were extremely polite and nice!!!!). After that we went through US customs, which just as easy! Whoa! Then we were in the airport, which was amazingly cool looking. Until we found our terminal. It was down a hallway. Then down an escalator. Down a hallway and up an escalator. The terminal was so tiny. And not as fancy as the rest of the airport. There was a bathroom and a little convenience store. That's it. We decided to head back to the main area for lunch (cheap Asian food!) before settling down at our terminal. We actually took a 45 minute nap before there was any action (aka other passengers showing up)!
It turns out our airplane was a little bombardier jet. With propellers! We had to walk to the plain and we were both excited and nervous! We had never been on a plane so small! It was so tiny inside! I couldn't fit my backpack in the overhead compartment by any means, but it juuuuust fit underneath the seat in front of me. We sat right below the wings, and could see the hint of the propellers. I tell you taking off and landing was an experience! Thankfully it was a short flight to Seattle!
At Seattle we were able to rest for awhile. It was getting close to midnight, and the airport was crazy busy! When we took off from Seattle, JM and I chewed on some sleepy gummies cause we had to sleep no. matter. what. I'm so glad that MS told me that this was absolutely necessary... otherwise we would've been screwed!
By the time we landed back home, our bodies thought it was 4:30 in the morning, but it was really 7:30am local time! Somehow we managed to find a way out of the concourse and found my mom! Then we had to find her car in the parking garage. Then it was home! We got JM some Starbucks coffee and food before she had to drive all the way back to Denton to get a training day session (she's a rockstar for pulling that off!).
I took a shower at my apartment before driving over to M's for breakfast. It felt amazing to be back with him and in his arms! (Yeah, that was a little mushy!). He made me breakfast before I completely passed out on his couch for a couple of hours. Haha!
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| Vancouver! Poutine and a propeller jet! |
THE END...
Well, that is is in a nutshell. Looking back, as I :: finally :: finish typing this post, it was an amazing trip! The trip was something that I really needed. It was an adventure. Finishing the race and coming home was almost like ending a chapter of my life that I started in 2015 before I met MS. It was a time for me and my bestest friend in the world to have an amazing time together. Vancouver is definitely on my list of favorite cities!
I do plan on going back to Vancouver for just a vacation even without a race. I would totally run along the seawall again. Just for fun!
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