Foto Friday!

I finally figured out how to get photos from my camera onto my hunk o junk laptop!  Yippee!  Let the uploading begin!

I was able to buckle down and get a bit of work done yesterday after spewing my random thoughts into bloggy land.  Who knew this could actually make me more productive?!

After a few hours of work, it was time to meet up with my former co-worker who now works at the Vancouver Aquarium, but not without a few interesting encounters on the bus first!  First there was the man in his mid-50s who got on the bus, smiled and joked with the driver, and then sat down next to me and started bawling his eyes out!  I really wanted to help him, but didn't know how.  I did point out that we had reached his stop when it was time for him to get off, so at least I helped to not make his day worse than it already was!  Next there was the girl who sat down across from me, took one look at me and said, "You have the most amazing eyes!"  Wow!  Thanks!  Made my day!

I met my friend at the aquarium, but she was going to be stuck at work for awhile so I got to play tourist while I waited.  Unfortunately, I left my camera in her office while I looked around at the belugas, sharks and dolphins.  We met again an hour later and it was time to run.

We planned on doing the big hill that comes at kilometer 13 on the course, which I had built up in my mind to be a giant mountain.  It didn't help that my friend had been stressing that I should really run this part so I'm prepared for it on race day, and the elevation chart shows it as the one giant peak on the course.

We did about a 1km warm up, and then started the climb.  I kept waiting for it to get steep.  I kept waiting for it to get harder.  I kept waiting right to the top!  I'm sure it will feel more difficult when I've been running for 12 kms, but I think it's going to be manageable and it doesn't have me quite as worried now that I've run up it once.

We kept on running and did about a 7km loop in Stanley Park.  My friend is running the half on a run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute schedule, and we were running slightly slower than I normally would, but were also talking which I don't normally do when I run by myself!  I didn't take the walk breaks, but just ran on ahead and circled back to meet her.

We changed at the aquarium and then headed over to pick up our race packages.  Wow!  This was nothing like the Quesnel Fall Challenge.  There were probably more people working at the race pick up than there were running in the whole event in October.  This is going to be a whole new experience!  We walked around, tried a few different gels and energy bars, and circled past the Running Room store with the Garmins on sale.  This has been on my wish list for quite some time, and I've stopped buying myself rewards so that I could save up for one.  So I went for it and bought:

I'm excited to try it out!

There was a problem with the race shirts, so instead of getting a colourful women's shirt, I got this unisex one:

                                   

There was also a problem with the math of whoever printed out the age stickers on the bib.  I'm a year younger on race day!

We were off to The Foundation for dinner (mmm, yummy vegetarian food), and on the way we passed these:

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, is a public art exhibition designed to raise awareness of solutions to climate change.  Interesting stuff!  Maybe coming to a town near you, so check it out!

All in all, a good day!  I'm still a mixture of nerves and excitement, and I'm sure it will be up and down between now and 7am Sunday morning, but right now, I'm feeling good.  I feel ready for the distance, ready for the hill, and well, I'll find a way to deal with the crowds.  They are still calling for rain, but they haven't been right about a single weather forecast since I've been here, so until I'm standing there, soaking wet on Sunday morning, I'm just going to think sunny thoughts and hope for the best!