Have you ever watched marathoners at the front of the pack whizz by with earbuds in and wondered what they are listening to? We always do – and so with this in mind we asked our three SeaWheeze run trainers Blue Benadum, Chris McClung and Jenn Howard-Brown to share their favourites with you. This playlist is a pretty eclectic mix, proving that no two runners have the same taste in music! We've compiled their most-loved training tunes into one 8tracks playlist - click here to listen.

jenn howard-brown

Florida Georgia Line - Cruise

Cayucas - High School Lover

Justin Timberlake - Damn Girl

Bruno Mars - Locked out of Heaven

C&C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat

Outkast - Hey Ya

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop

chris mcclung

Vangelis – Chariots Of Fire

Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (Chris: "for a little Rocky-style inspiration!")

blue benadum

Hall of Fame by The Script

My Body by Young the Giant

What is your go-to music when you run? Electro? Hiphop? Country? A mix? Tell us your favourites…we’re putting together a SeaWheeze playlist inspired by our guests and we’d love to hear from you!

michelina's SeaWheeze story

Where did you grow up? Brampton, Ontario – it's the fastest-growing city in Canada, look it up!

How did you sweat growing up? Were you a runner? I played competitive basketball – I could shoot well but running wasn't my strong suit on the court. My coach always told me I had to play smart because speed wasn't my forte!

Where do you live now? Beautiful Vancouver, B.C.

What made you decide to run the SeaWheeze this year? It all goes back to last year's SeaWheeze. At this time last year, I had goals to move from Ottawa (where I was living at the time post-university) to Vancouver. I saw some co-worker's Instagram posts of the SeaWheeze launch party last year and had major FOMO – it was then that I decided I was going to Vancouver to run. When I ended up coming here, I spent a day working with the social media team and discovered what I wanted to do with my career next. What was great about the experience is that my "online friends" became my real-life pals – we ran beside each other, worked together and had an amazing weekend. It was through these connections made during the SeaWheeze weekend that I achieved my goal of moving to Vancouver and getting a job in my new favourite city.

What is it that you love about Vancouver in the summertime? I discovered this city – the beaches, mountains and neighborhoods – via the SeaWheeze. It was an incredible way to drink in this city and I fell in love. I love that on one run you can see mountains AND the beach from downtown – it is so unique. The yoga scene here is incredible and the communities are great – there is a ton of diversity but everything is close together. Vancouver has big city feel but it's still small enough to feel at home.

What running goal are trying to accomplish this year? I have a lofty running goal that's actually going to take longer than a year. My friend Danielle and I set a goal to run five of the coolest half-marathons in the world over the next five years. Some we're thinking about include the Rock 'N Roll Marathon in the UK, the San Francisco Nike Half-Marathon and more. It's a great way to stay in shape and incorporate some great travel!

What is one goal you haven't reached that you are still trying to attain? This one eats at me big time. When I was 16 years old, we visited the Great Wall Of China on a school trip. Once I got the photo op, I quit climbing before I got to the top. When I think about this it drives me nuts and one day I will get back there and summit the highest point!

Are you a morning or evening runner? In Ottawa I had to be a morning runner because it is so hot in summer. I am so excited to be able to train at different times of day this Spring in Vancouver.

What kind of yoga do you do to complement your run training? Vinyasa Flow is the practice that I love (I practice at least two times a week) - I know my body will begin craving Yin as training gets more intense and then I'll switch over.

What are you going to eat the night before the SeaWheeze? Pizza and pasta, hold the wine. I am Italian after all!

We are going to be featuring different runners over the next few weeks who are running SeaWheeze - why they are running, some tips they have and what keeps them inspired. Are you running SeaWheeze 2013? Follow along to get amped up for the big day! If you are interested in participating in the SeaWheeze weekend but missed out on signing up, we still have tons on volunteering opportunities - come party with us!

yup, it's that time again!

We've all done it: with major excitement, we sign up for a half-marathon…and then two months before the race, we realize that we haven't started training yet. Eeep!

We are launching the TackleBox training program in May – this 10-week program is engineered to help achieve your peak performance at SeaWheeze 2013 (hello, personal best!) However, we want you to begin the TackleBox program with some fitness and cardio skills already under your belt. It is with this in mind that we have created the Get Sweaty Get Ready program.

Regardless of your current level of fitness, Get Sweaty Get Ready has plenty of options available to get you into your running groove. Along with running, we have incorporated plenty of yoga and strength work to augment your training. By the time the TackleBox training program program rolls out, you'll be ready to rock!

If you have any questions about training or anything else SeaWheeze-related, please email us at support@seawheeze.com or post on our Facebook page.

For any other training-related queries, please visit our FAQ page under the "Training" tab.

See you on the road!

SeaWheeze 2013 is just over 5 months away, but we just can’t wait to get started! The Get Sweaty Get Ready program starts on March 18^th, and we want you to introduce you to the four awesome trainers that are going to be taking you from here to the finish line on August 10^th.

This week, meet Chris McClung and Jenn Howard-Brown, who head up the Rogue Running group in Austin, Texas. They set a BHAG to bring 150 runners to Vancouver in August and kicked things off with a launch party last week - look for more of their inspiring story coming soon!

chris mcclung (twitter: @chrismcclung)

Chris was a retired (and recovering) soccer player at age 19 when he began running to stay in shape and quickly became addicted to the sport. Since then, he has run 10 marathons, struggled through 2 Half-Ironman events (w/o drowning!), and completed over 90 other road races and triathlons. Chris is one of the co-owners of Rogue Running, an Austin, Texas-based running store, training center, and community that is committed to changing people's lives through running.

jennifer howard-brown (twitter/instagram: @jennhb)

Jenn is a run coach for Rogue Running who is passionate about helping athletes find the joy in running. She has completed 14 marathons -- London, New York, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, San Jose, Dallas and Eugene; more than 3 dozen half-marathons; 2 triathlons; and countless 5k's and 10k's. Jennifer began coaching for Rogue four years ago and has trained hundreds of athletes, who describe her as a Tiger Mom coach -- nurturing with a dash of drill sergeant.

q & a with jenn and chris

1. What made you want to be involved with SeaWheeze?

C: Fate? A calling? Changing lives through running and fitness is my passion, and for some reason much bigger than me, I was meant to be a catalyst to inspire others for this year's race. On a drive to an ambassador meeting at lululemon, I had this spontaneous vision of this tidal wave of people from Austin experiencing the journey to SeaWheeze together. Less than an hour later, I had put that vision into words, and that is when the BHAG was born. Now we have over 150 strong coming from Austin to do the race, and I am so excited to help others in the journey through the training program as well!

J: Joining an inspired group of runners and yogi's for a fun-filled weekend in a beautiful city was impossible to resist.  There is an electric hum buzzing about the SeaWheeze that I had to be part of.

2. What's your favorite race to run?

J: The Eugene Marathon in Eugene, Oregon -- better known as TrackTown, USA. It's a smaller race on a good course with reliably good weather in magical, running town, finishing on the track at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, where the running greats have run.

3. What's your favorite way to sweat (other than running)?

C: Chasing my children! I have two and four year old boys and a newborn daughter. They keep me on my toes!

J: A juicy, vinyasa flow class.  It's equally as a tough as a run workout without the impact.

4. Favourite thing about your hometown (Austin, TX)

J: The best thing about Austin is the "weird."  We pride ourselves on being a little quirky with our "Keep Austin Weird" slogan celebrating everything from our colony of 1.5 million bats living under the Congress Bridge to our Cathedral of Junk and our food trailer culture.

C: In my opinion, there is no better fitness community in the US than what we have in Austin. Whether you want to run, swim, bike, stand-up paddle, hit the gym, or do almost anything else, you can find a community of like-minded athletes who will surround you with love and lift you up. That and the BBQ and Tex-Mex food too!

5. Who inspires you?

C: The athlete's I coach. I love being a part of their journey from goal-setting to action to accomplishment.

6. Best piece of advice for a first time half-marathoner?

C: Be consistent and have fun! Find a local run group or get a group of friends to together to meet regularly. Choose shorter, fun buildup races that will provide milestones along the way. Oh, and smile more!

J: Have a positive, mental attitude.  Your body listens to your brain -- those unspoken doubts in your head affect your physical performance.  Stay positive and trust your training.  You will succeed.

7. Tell us one goal you have for 2013.

C:  To set a new personal best marathon time this year (under 2:46!) My marathon best came in 2004, just over 9 years ago. I have been close to breaking that time again, but haven't yet gotten there. This is the year that I do it!

J: I will achieve my Boston-qualifier in 2013, which means running a qualifying time (3:45) in order to register for the 2014 Boston Marathon.  (I need to PR by 37 seconds!)

We are super excited to meet those who will be following our program from home or from their local lululemon store. See you all in Vancouver in August! –Chris and Jenn

Okay pals, it's crunch time. Like we mentioned on Facebook earlier this week, we have sold 8,000 of our 10,014 spots for SeaWheeze this August 10th, 2013. Have you signed up yet?

I repeat....ahem...have you signed up yet? Because this puppy is going to be sold out soon and I don't want anyone missing out on what is one of the best parties of the summer. Last year I had a family function and had to miss it - and while I had an incredible time at the other event, I also had major FOMO. Consequently, as soon as tickets went on sale this year I pulled the trigger.

From what I've heard (I sit quite closely to the planners of SeaWheeze, and they don't exactly whisper) this year's race and weekend events are going to be next level. This year I have declared that I am going to be like Jim Carrey in "Yes Man", just saying yes all day every day. Yesyesyesyes. I'm not doing the usual things I do; waiting to see "who else is coming" and then missing it or "waiting to see if my hip hurts" only to feel great in August but not have a ticket.

The summer of 2013 is going to be major. I'm going for it. I am COMMITTING IN CAPS LOCK. This is serious!

For more info (and less cliched uses of the words "going for it", "rad" and "caps lock"), please check out the SeaWheeze registration page here.

Yup, it’s that time again. Last year we decided to throw a badass half-marathon party on the streets, seawalls and beaches of Vancouver and it was such a success that we’re taking it to the next level this year.

We are thrilled to announce that registration for SeaWheeze 2013 goes live tomorrow, Friday January 18^th at 9am.

Were you at SeaWheeze 2012? If not, watch this video to get a little feel for the race.

what's this half-marathon all about?

Like last year, there will be crazy cheer stations (hello, drag queens!), tunes pumping through the course, a runner’s lounge and a SeaWheeze store. We’ll have yoga throughout the weekend offered to keep you limbered and relaxed – after all, this is the summer time and we want you to feel awesome. Last but certainly not least, we will be having another concert after the race this year – details are top secret for now (any guesses?!) but we promise it’ll be something you’ll never forget. Check out this page for more information on all things SeaWheeze.

We’ll also have a training program to help you achieve your running goals. Wanna get your personal best down by five minutes? Want to finish your first half? Whatever your goals are, we’ll have a program to help you get there.

So are you in? We hope so…this year we’re taking it to another level and we want to celebrate with you.

Register here – we’ll see you at the start line on August 10!