Fabulosi-T: Stampede Road Race Fun!

YAHOO! It is that time again.... #stampederoadrace!
It's one of my fav races - local, awesome and it is my favourite Calgary Stampede activity. (see last year's post).

My festivities started with a little bit of a fun volunteer session - stuffing packages!

ooooh then package pickup

And, of course then choosing the outfit (hey its stampede - cowboy attire required!)

And then off to the RACE - Let's get this halfmarathon party started. Actually race morning was quite cool - a whole lotta degrees cooler than it had been earlier in the week (good for running) but rain was imminent (boooo)! But off we went. The first few kilometres were slightly roll-y - I recalled - oh riiiight - this one has some hills. HA! It was nice to see a few friends doing the race as well - Sandra - but I never got a photo of her. And then I was getting a massage when she finished so completely missed her smiling face!

Anywhoo...back to the run...a few kilometres in and the fighter jets appeared. There were a few first timers around and were cheering in amazement. That is the handy thing about this race - it is on during Stampede, so several of the places we run by have great entertainment! Plus the volunteers. AWESOME.

Overall this race went well - except for two bathroom breaks and feeling tight in my hips (a direct result of climbing Moose Mountain a few days before). Hey its a tougher hilly course and was only a couple minutes off my last half pace - so not the result I wanted (i.e. faster) but overall a great feeling to finish and then have treats (pancake, sausage and ALL the water) oh and a glorious massage ... So much awesome. Oh and the VOLUNTEERS on the race. They give the BEST hi-5s, hugs, Signs, Calls out of Encouragement!!! Really they are awesome! Its such a great community and one of the big reasons I love it.