Posts Tagged "lululemon"

My Slacker SeaWheeze Training Continues

Posted by Elle on Jun 13, 2013 | 0 comments

This post could just as easily be titled “How Not to Run” because essentially I am a living example of what not to do should you decide to be a runner. Despite having a half-marathon sneaking up on me in these next two months, my runs have become yet another exercise in pursuing pleasure and I’m pretty darn proud of that to tell the truth.

I once read an article asking why people ran. As far as the author could tell, no runners were ever smiling so it didn’t seem like it was any fun. For some reason that stuck with me and in my endless pursuit of enjoying my life I decided I wouldn’t do it if I couldn’t love it.

SeaWheeze Training Diary Day One

Posted by Elle on Apr 25, 2013 | 2 comments

Last weekend I hit the road for the first time in goodness knows how long. Since last year’s SeaWheeze half-marathon I have run a grand total of one time, two now!! Wooohooo! Progress! I gave up running this past winter for two reasons. First, I hate cold. Even the California kind. Second, running can burden a women’s reproductive cycle and since at the time I was experiencing hormonal chaos I decided to give my body a break. This year though I have some catching up to do and I intend on doing it in a very loving, goddessy, taking care of my adrenals way. What does that mean exactly? I have no clue! But I’m determined to find out how to run in a way that nourishes my hormones and keeps me from grannying my way through SeaWheeze.

Saturday I ran so slow I literally had time to stop and smell the roses. In fact, I ran the exact same route I ran last year the first time I hit the road to train! Thankfully this year was a bit easier on the bod. I think the fact that I now know I can run 13 miles helps take the edge off my tiny three miler. It feels like nothing in comparison. In addition, the hills and rough trails of my home terrain feel like training in a high-altitude environment compared to the smooth hill-less stroll around Vancouver. Ok, its not a stroll. But at least this year I know what I’m capable of, I know what I’m in for.

I’ve been in major yoga mode this year so it felt soooo deliciously amazing to do something a little more high impact for a change. I know, yoga can be powerful, but let’s not pull any delusions here, it’s not the same experience as running. Nor should it be. But there is no amount of power yoga that can prepare you for a jog, not even a tiny one (I should be fair, the same goes for runners who do yoga). Either way, I get bored when I have to pick so I’ve come up with a plan! It’s my special, I’m-going-to-try-to-be-half-as-good-as-my-sister plan. You are going to think that I’m an underachiever there, and maybe I am a bit, but really my sister is just that good. Trust me, I’ve seen her on Strava. (Darn app!)

So essentially the plan is this: Every day I’m going to do whatever I feel like doing so long as it’s outdoors. Some days that might be swimming, gardening, a walk, or yoga. But every weekend I have to go on one jog that is longer than the run I did the previous week. I know, I’m kind of a cheater. I only ran three over the weekend so the bar isn’t too high for next weekend. On top of that I even just told you I’m not starting it until May sooooo maybe it’s the slacker’s guide to SeaWheeze! Doesn’t matter to me! I need to do what honors my body and my health and I’m a little afraid of too much hormonal ruckus right now to go all out. But I could use the push forward. I’ve been a little too mellow, a little too reserved, and this early summer feels like just the time to turn it all around.

So if I can so much as keep an even keel, and feel good while doing it, in a way that doesn’t keep my fam from heading to drinks without me, I will feel sooo great about this year’s event. I want to run slow enough to miss the glutenous breakfast but fast enough to make it to the after party! Perfect! I suppose that translates to something like a 10 minute mile. But who’s counting?

I’m so excited for the event this year. It’s going to be even more amazing than last year!!

Image Credit: NY Marathon – 29

We Pray Through our Pores

Posted by Elle on Aug 28, 2012 | 0 comments

I had every good intention of not Christianing you to death this week but then Lululemon wrote this AMAZING blog called The Gospel of Sweat. I can’t even believe it. The second paragraph is literally my philosophy! Let’s look at it:

“In today’s culture, more and more people are building metaphorical sanctuaries on their spin bikes, temples on their mats, and churches within the walls of their dance studio. Times that were once reserved for religious service attendance, are now reserved with equal dedication for a yoga and fitness classes. This kind of spiritual practice is highly individual in that the power is not in the search for answers, but in the recognition that we already have them. Whether through chaturangas or sprints, grande jetes or push-ups, we are peeling something very physical and mental away to tap into the core of our spiritual being. We pray through our pores, period.”

Right?? Soooooo true. It’s amazing. In fact, I used to teach yoga at the Lucas Valley Community Church for the same reason New Yorkers will be congregating at Riverside church on September 7th: To pray with our bodies. I wrote about this before and I’m sure I’ll do it again. Yoga is spiritual, sweating is sacred. We pray through our pores. It’s amazing.

Thanks for sharing Lulu. I’d be there in a heartbeat if I lived in NYC. Who’s game for a Marin Chapter?

Photo Credit: The SeaWheeze Half by Lululemon via Flickr

Yoga. Run. Party.

Posted by Elle on Aug 22, 2012 | 0 comments

The title of this blog completely sums up our weekend in Vancouver. I just got back since Husband and I transformed our Vancouver weekend away to a full week in paradise (more on that later). We just loved it! We spent the weekend in a SeaWheeze oasis hitting the yoga classes, taking advantage of the massage tables, checking out the SeaWheeze store,  and waiting in all kinds of crazy lines with 7500 like-minded, health-driven, vision board creating, neon-wearing people. Even the lead singer of fun. looked over the crowd to say, “Wow. You guys wear the sh** out of neon!” (yes there was a free fun. concert just for us lovely runners!) One thing was very clear, Lululemon didn’t just host a half-marathon, they created a community.

Oh, yeah, and we ran! The race was amazing and I surprised myself by running the entire 13.1 without walking or stopping! I may have staggered across the finish line and collapsed, but that is besides the point. I did it! I ran it in 2:38 which wound up being about mid-pack. I’m totally happy with that. Every step of the race I was surrounded by cheering, excitement, and a beautiful view. People held up funny signs (our favorite was the husband holding the baby and a sign that read “Hurry up! My diaper’s full!”), transvestites cheered us on in stilettos, acrobats launched themselves off the roof of Lululemon headquarters, and we ran through a Lulu “party zone” around mile 8 that got us all re-ramped up for the coming 5 miles to go. Seriously great. Needless to say, that night we hit Gastown for some well-deserved celebrating. Only we couldn’t even walk down the stairs to the bar.  The bouncers thought we were drunk at first (my husband had to walk down backwards and the rest of us somehow manged to get down without bending our knees), once he heard about the run he  high-fived us and gave us the comfiest seats in the joint (which I would later fall-asleep in).

Apart from the SeaWheeze extravaganza, my sister and I were in absolute Lululemon heaven and sufficently tortured our significant others by dragging them all across Vancouver in a Lululemon pilgramage. We went to the Lululemon headquarters, the first Lulu store, and the infamous Lululemon Lab Store. We finally conceded and let them drag us to a brewery. It’s a hard life.

Even after the race we kept our event bracelets on which gave us instant access to new best friends all over the city. Somehow we were always amazed that we had so much in common. You ran SeaWheeze?? Us too!!! OMG you love yoga too?? NO WAY!! Yeah it was crazy like that. We were absolutely surrounded by amazing, beautiful, and inspiring people everywhere we went. It was incredible (did I say that already?). There are no words to describe all that went down last weekend, hopefully my pictures can speak for themselves. The one up top is me just arriving to the check-in location in the convention center. We were like kids in Disneyland!

Of course we couldn’t pass up doing yoga all over the city…

Headed on our pilgrimage (that’s me on the right with my sis)

SeaWheeze Store!!

Lounging in our new gear

On to a Lulu yoga class (with a beautiful view!)

So excited at the lab store

Race day begins, sporting our chips complete with Chip’s picture, get it? (Chip is the founder of Lulu!)

Starting line!

The whole crew post race (that is bro-in-law, sis, me, and my husband)

How we did this after the race, I have no idea…

Showered and watching the fun. show. We were a pretty dead crowd as you can imagine

The fun is over, but we still wore our wristbands all weekend. Until next year SeaWheeze… We will definitely be back!

SeaWheeze Half-Marathon Countdown

Posted by Elle on Aug 3, 2012 | 0 comments

Do you want the good news or the bad news?? Ok let’s start with the good: 8 days until I run the Lululemon SeaWheeze Half-Marathon and my training has been going AWESOME. I totally can do this! I have stuck to my revised training schedule and hit my 10-mile run on Saturday. Nailed it! The bad news? I ran maaaaajoooorr slow. And there was pretty much zero elevation gain. To be precise (thanks to my Strava app) I ran 10.1 miles in 1 hour 59 minutes. That is an average of 12 minute miles. I’m going to blame it on the heat wave of course, and also partially on my crazy idea to go for a run smack in the middle of a 90 degree day with no water or shade. So smart.

The first eight miles I ran in this peaceful sort of state where thinking that 13 miles was going to simply be another easy breezy run. No sweat. 13 miles is hardly anything to get worked up about after all. Then, when I was oh-so-close to home, delusion set in. I actually had to stop running because I was dripping so much sweat I worried I might slip. My mouth dried out so completely that I was trying to drink my own saliva (it was gross, sorry for the visual). I felt like I had been wandering through the desert for 40 years holding out all hope for a drinking fountain along the way. SO CLOSE. I only had two miles to go but they were HELLA-HOT. Those last two babies took me 15:34 then 14:19. That is some SLOW running. Or walking. Or whatever I was doing. Now that I think about it, I can hardly remember the torture. Must have blacked it out.

I did it though. Accomplished! Somehow I made it home. My husband came back from a bike ride to a melted heap of wifeness collapsed on our kitchen floor exhaustedly chugging water from a giant pitcher. But hey! If that is the worst that can happen- I’m feeling pretty good! I have faith that my beloved Lulu will provide refreshments for me along the way and that Vancouver won’t feel like the desert that Marin has been. I know that I can run! I know it will be fun! So if ten miles can’t knock me out, 13 should be no swear!

So in the vein of Lulu’s thirteen things blogs. Here are my own…

13.1 things I’m looking forward to at the SeaWheeze Half-Marathon:

1. Doing yoga with my sis and our men. All the time every day!
2. Shopping the limited release SeaWheeze Lululemon gear!! I haven’t bought anything at all the past two months in prep for this awesomeness.
3. Experiencing what has to be the most colorful half-marathon of all time.
4. Seeing fun. in concert!!
5. Checking out the Vancouver shoreline while running THIRTEENPOINTONE miles.
6. Drinking water (yay! hydration!)
7. Meeting other way cool Lulu obsessed runners!
8. Checking out the Lululemon lab store. (Not part of the marathon but I’m stoked about it nonetheless!)
9. Surprises! Who knows what Lulu has planned. All I know is it can only be good.
10. Being on Lulu’s home turf. I’m so excited to see B.C. It’s going to be incredible.
11. Cheer teams! Lulu is awesome at inspiration. We’ll be needing it!
12. Crossing the finish line of my first ever half-marathon!
13. Feeling major accomplished!
14. After party! We deserved it.

Image credit: Preparing with a Good Stretch by Lululemon Athletica