We did it! We ran SeaWheeze and lived to tell the tale. Today, we are recapping our trip with a quick Q&A and photo overload 🙂
Q&A
What motivated you to sign up for a half marathon and why did you choose SeaWheeze?
Heather: When I was pregnant with Parker, a few moms at Jackson’s school were training for (or had just completed) a half marathon and looked phenomenal (not just for having kids but in general). They were 100% my motivation for signing up. If they could have three kids and find the time, so could I. After doing some research and talking to other people, we heard that SeaWheeze was one of the (if not THE) best half marathons to run. It’s all sponsored by Lululemon so we know it’d be good. It’s also in Vancouver BC so it was an excuse to make a weekend out of it 😉
Alix: I ran my first half marathon the previous spring and felt SO great during the race. I was excited my body could tolerate the training and race and immediately thought I wanted to do it again. Runner’s high…it’s a real thing! So when Heather mentioned she wanted to train for a half I was game and wanted to support her in her goal!
How did you prepare and train for this race?
Heather: A couple of ways. First, I downloaded a running guide by a blogger named Emily Jackson (IvoryLane). Next, I found “seawheezetraining” on Instagram and reviewed their suggestions. I kind of put the two of them together and in talking with Alix, I backed into my long runs. I looked at the calendar and knew I had to get at least 10 miles in 2 weeks before the race and worked my way down by a mile each week.
Alix: I had kept up a base milage of about 5-6 miles since my last half marathon, so it was nice to not be starting from scratch. I did not follow a specific training plan, but just slowly started increasing my long runs (which we did every Saturday) until I hit 10 miles. To be completely honest I think I overtrained going into this half marathon and that is why I didn’t feel great during the race. I continued to do all my normal workouts for the most part and just added on long runs on Saturday. Not smart and I learned my lesson.
What were your biggest challenges training and running the race?
Heather: I had never run over a mile before in my life so working up to 13.1 was no easy feat. I started with 3 miles and slowly worked my way up but when I reached my 8 mile run, I noticed my ankle starting to act up. It swelled, was sore to the touch, tender to run on and I had to ice it multiple times a day. This was my biggest challenge as it was only a few weeks out from race day that this happened so I had to stay off my feet for a week+.
Alix: I’ve had 4 knee surgeries and countless injures from soccer, so my dream of running a full marathon with my sister were never an option in my mind. I picked up running again after Quinn and felt like I could tolerate a half marathon and for the most part I did. I have a lot of residual low back and knee pain from my soccer injuries which flared up when I started to get over 6-7 miles. I worked with a chiropractor who I saw 1-2 x week that helped me get through the race, but basically told me to chill once the race was done.
What did you enjoy most about the training and race day?
Heather: I really enjoyed some of the longer runs because it gave me an hour to 2 hours of me time. It was therapeutic and relaxing at times! No, the 10 mile practice run wasn’t relaxing but I was outside, running with friends, listening to music and podcasts and rewarding myself with coffee at the end. So in a way, it was fun! Race day was honestly electric. I was so nervous but once we got going, I was in the zone. I teared up at least twice during the race because I was so inspired. Here we were, running in PACKS, people from all over the world with the same goal.. just finish this thing. The energy was unlike anything I’ve seen and I texted my girlfriend who works for Lululemon after the race and told her how proud she should be to work for such an awesome company.
Alix: I enjoyed having a goal to work towards and accomplish. Training gave me purpose and once we started getting into our long runs I felt SO accomplished and energized afterwards. TBH I would dread the long runs, but I did them with friends and made a thing out of it, so it was fun and took the pressure off. Like Heather said it was 1-2 hours or “me” time on the weekends that was nice to have. Race day was weird for me. I wasn’t too nervous because I had run one before and somewhat knew what to expect. But, because of this, I don’t think I prepared myself well enough going into the race. I didn’t take it as seriously as I probably should have. I didn’t have a good playlist and was just in my head for a lot of the race. I put pressure on myself having to finish at a certain time and that took the fun out of it. During the race I did enjoy reading some of the signs and getting good energy from other racers. The “after” feeling is the most enjoyable for me. That feeling of accomplishment. Box checked!
What advice would you give someone who wants to sign up for a race, but is intimidated and scared they won’t be able to do it?
Heather: Take it from me, if I can do it ANYONE can. I promise you. Your body is capable of so much more than you give it credit for and honestly, you could run for 3 DAYS if you had to. It’s also really cool to see what you can accomplish if you set a goal. I texted Alix every time after a run and said there’s no way I’m going to be able to do this. And I did it. Little by little I made progress each week and I slowly gained confidence in my abilities.
Alix: I agree with Heather. You will be surprised by what your body is capable of. Running is so mental, so set the goal and try to make it as fun as possible (new workout gear, fun play lists, new running routes). Sign up for smaller races like a 5k and 10k to gain confidence. It’s also smart to follow a specific training guide like the one Heather downloaded above. It’s also important to note there are so many different type of people running half marathons. We saw a wide range of ages, body types, running pace, etc. so don’t be discouraged if you don’t label yourself as a “runner” yet 😉
Would you do SeaWheeze again?
Heather: Here’s the thing.. I would do SeaWheeze again in a heart beat and recommend it to anyone wanting to do a half. However, I was one and done. I set out to accomplish this goal and I checked it off the bucket list. It was a huge time commitment and a lot of time away from my family. The one good thing is that it kept my social calendar and drinking in check, though! I had to be in early on Friday nights for my long Saturday runs and couldn’t be hungover so I felt very productive and clear-headed the last few months. Alix and I agreed that we are down to run a 5 or 10K and that 6 miles is our sweet spot. Willing to do that all day long.. 13.1 not so much 😉
Alix: I have to say I think that was my last long distance run. My body did not feel great on the long runs and during the race, so I’m going to listen to what it’s trying to tell me and scale back on the running. I would love to do SeaWheeze again because it was such a beautiful and well executed race, so if I ever changed my mind that is the race I would sign up for. I’m going to stick to shorts runs/races and give my body a break for a while, but also anxious to have a new challenge to work towards 😉
Ready for the photo overload? Ok ready, go:
The Delta was perfect for us because it was .4 miles away from the convention center and start line. Only downfall was that Starbucks didn’t open until 7 am (race start time) and room service didn’t open until then either so it was a TASK finding coffee before the race. Something we can’t live without before a long run. That definitely put a damper on things and made the morning a little chaotic but we eventually found our shots of espresso and were good to go.
What should we do next? Another race? A relay? Maybe a flip cup competition?! That would be way more fun to train for 😉
Thanks again for all of your words of encouragement as we geared up and completed this goal! We were blown away by the number of messages we received 🙂
xx, A&H
