Chelsea’s 1st Seawheeze Experience

I did it! My first half marathon has officially been checked off the bucket list, and Lululemon’s SeaWheeze was the perfect way to do it.

The whole experience started on Friday at the package pickup party, where the pre-race day excitement  was electric and buzzing amongst the crowd. Between the Seawheeze Showcase store, partner samples, yoga and entertainment there was so much to do, but I’m biased – the Whistler Water Glacier Lounge was my fav. The Glacier Goddess and the Gladiator God, both decked out in stunning costumes and body paint were gorgeous and the life of the package pickup party!

Race day started with a 6am jumping jack warmup and a fiery Vancouver sunrise offering up a breathtaking backdrop to all 10,000 of us. Once I took my place next to the 2:30 pace beavers, met up with my Whistler Water teammate Katie Paterson, and plugged in to my SeaWheeze 2014 playlist, I was ready to hit the pavement!

My race day nerves quickly disappeared as we set off along Vancouver’s legendary seawall, soaked in the sunshine and high fived the incredible roadside cheer teams. It’s hard not to feel a rush of adrenaline when you’re running alongside thousands of other neon-clad inspiring participants. As the 21.1km run went on and my feet weren’t in step with my determination to finish, it was my playlist, spectacular scenery and the other racers that encouraged me to keep running.

Best part of the race? Crossing the finish line! As gorgeous as the route was, and as awesome as the energy was, my legs were definitely feeling the burn and I couldn’t wait for it to be over! My amazing Whistler Water cheer team was waiting at the finish line with signs in hand. To top it all off, my family was prepped and ready to help me cool off from the race by fulfilling my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge nomination. Talk about brain freeze!

Bring on SeaWheeze 2015!