We have been home from our trip for about a week now and, boy, it feels great. I am a bit of a homebody (same with Matt), so it feels so good for us to be home. Even if it is for a short time. We are off on another 2 week adventure at the end of the month!
Last weekend we were in Canmore, AB for our friend’s wedding. It worked out that the half marathon was the same day as the wedding and I thought “eh, why not do both” because…well…that is the kind of crazy things I pull.
Saturday night we joined the wedding party for the rehearsal dinner. Matt was the MC for the night, so it was a good opportunity for us to get to know the wedding party. Also, I enjoyed elk meat for the first time. Hello, elk grilled cheese! This was heavenly!
The steakhouse was at the Silver tip golf resort (which is also where the wedding was held). It looked over this awesome hole. What a beauty!
We got to bed at a decent hour, but for whatever reason we didn’t sleep well. Matt was wide awake at 2 am, and I was waking up every hour or two. So I started the morning of the half marathon with a few cups of coffee to say the least. Not enough to disturb my tummy though. I wore my brand new rainbow stitch CW-X compression 3/4 length pants. MAN, seriously cannot rave about these enough. I have them in a pink stitch too and I just love the feel. Horrible photo to showcase the stitching, but whatever.
Matt dropped me off 25 minutes prior to the start (which was at 8:45) and I got myself warmed up and ready to go. It was an absolutely beautiful day. PERFECT temperature and a little breeze here and there (nothing crazy). There was quite a few people running the half, so it was much bigger than I expected. There was also a 10 km and 5 km race option. Instead of race shirts, though, we got race SOCKS. I am actually pretty stoked on that!
Since this race was my final race for a little while, I figured I would just do what I can to enjoy it. No stressing about pacing or time. Just enjoy the scenery and take it all in. After all, I was running in the Rockies. Too beautiful to not soak it all in.
We crossed a few of these bridges and a water purifying plant, but for the most part we were out in the trails and soaking in the beautiful sunshine, mountains, trees and rivers. Seriously one of the most beautiful course I have ever been on. Could not recommend this course enough.
As for terrain, there was a fair amount of paved ground.. but most of it was gravel trail or wooded areas. Considering that I didn’t do too bad. Some of my long runs I did back in Vancouver were on similar terrain so I felt okay with it. As for elevation, there was a hillier chunk between about the 14 km and 19 km mark. Nothing I felt overwhelmed with. But it was a fair amount of climbing. Either way, I finished and felt good. No aches or pains. Just tired legs and a full heart. Pretty much the perfect way to end a race and end the season for me.
It was one of my slower finishes, but that was the whole point. To not look at my watch. Not care about the pacing. Just let my body do what it wanted and focus on my surroundings. One thing I LOVE about destination races like this, is it isn’t about time. It is about the run, the place around you, and your heart. It is runs like this makes me remember how much I love running.
Fast forward a few hours, I managed to get myself ready for the wedding. Matt looked handsome as ever, and I wore heels (huge win since I ran 21.1 km that morning).
The ceremony was beautiful. Soon as we left for the wedding, I looked at Matt and gasped “I FORGOT TISSUES.” If you know me, weddings make me very emotional. It is a beautiful moment to witness and honestly I am an emotional mess during them. Good thing the wedding planner sat near me. She gave me many tissues throughout the day!
The venue was absolutely beautiful. I loved the theme they went with and our friend (the bride) Jodi made all the table names on her own. The tables were all named after various trees. I loved how they brought the feel and love they have for nature, into the venue.
We are SO happy for our friends, Jodi and Kris. It was an absolutely amazing day. Matt did phenomenal as well as the MC and we danced the night away. Oh, and we of course hit up the s’mores pit they had set up for their guests. There were little baggies with 2 graham crackers, a marshmallow and a bar of chocolate in them. So amazing. Also, nothing beats the smell of a fire and s’mores.
Then.. get this.. the next day it was SNOWING…IN SEPTEMBER (this baffles me being a west coast girl..). They literally got the last day of summer it seems like. It was a fun trip back to Calgary, and we had to wait a few hours for de-icing of the plane and what not. But I did get plenty of crocheting done ;). I made my Mom some hand warmers and a turban style headband!
An amazing trip all around. Felt SO good to get home, but like I mentioned.. not for long! We are off to explore the state of Florida for two weeks soon. Can’t wait for that!
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