It’s summer in Chicago and there is nothing Chicagoans love more than that. While our winter boots collect dust in the closet, we’re busy drinking beers on Sheffield, eating tacos at Big Star, rocking jorts at Lollapalooza and, of course, cheering on the Cubs at one of the worlds most famous parks.

batter's up!

Last Sunday, like all Sundays, I met my friends (not just any friends, my best friends… the kind that are more like family) on the quiet street in the early hours of the morning and headed to yoga. This wasn’t an unusual routine for us but this time it was different. Instead of riding down an escalator into a dimly lit studio, we walked through an empty, echoing stadium where thousands of people had been before us. Wrigley field has been hosting ball games for 96 years but this was the first time it'd open its gates to the yoga community. We were attending the Southport store opening party, a two-hour yoga class on the historic field.

hitting an om run

Walking onto the field was electric. That first connection of my bare feet to the grass gave me chills. I was on sacred ground and I could feel it. Chicagoans live and die by their teams and there I was, mat in tow, on Wrigley Field. Our practice was lead by three rock star ambassadors and was appropriately themed around victory. Not only did the Chicago yoga community show up but I met yogis and baseball fans alike, who had travelled from all over (think: Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Indiana) who made the trip just for this event.

a grand slam

In the middle of 1000 yogis, as I Chaturanga-ed my way into a Vinyasa, I looked to my friend Katy and said, “this is once in a lifetime. You’ll never have your face in Wrigley Field again.” I didn’t want the practice to end. Every now and then a light breeze would swing by and remind me just how alive I felt in that moment, surrounded by my friends, my co-workers and my community. The opportunity to practice yoga on Wrigley Field was such a celebration of our city, such an ode to its beauty. A true victory.

Any baseball fans out there? Give our Southport store a visit! Its design was inspired by the Chicago ball culture (Cracker Jacks not included).

We’d be lying if we said there was no correlation between deep dish pizzas and the geographical location of the first ever US warehouse sale - or as Oprah would say “the 2012 lululemon waaaaarehouse saaaaaaaaaaale!” Read on for dates, times, locations and all that jazz.

lululemon chicago 2012

dates
January 27-29, 2012

hours of operation
Friday (Jan 27) 9am – 9pm
Saturday (Jan 28) 9am – 9pm
Sunday (Jan 29) 9am – 9pm

location
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. River Road,
Rosemont, IL
60018

For more details, check out our facebook page or follow us on twitter @lululemonwhus for in the moment updates!

what to expect

what’s in the boxes?
Let’s just say if we were to lay all the product out side by side it would be as long as the Sears Tower is high. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch but in all seriousness we’ve got tons of luon for both women and men.

good things come to those who wait
Yes, expect lines but good things come to those who wait. Our lines will be indoors (take that, Chitown winter!) and will have ample entertainment (think music and demos).

check, please!
Before hopping in the line, you’ll meet our bag-check team. It is mandatory to check all coats and bags – think, two hands to shop with. All your essentials will go into an individual clear plastic bag. An outfit with a pocket (or two) will be your best warehouse sale companion. Just enough room for your crucial belongs (e.g. cell phone, cash or cards, I.D.) and totally hands free.

the essentials
Did you get that? Cash, debit or credit cards, and I.D.
*giftcards will not be accepted at the warehouse sale

navigating the sea of luon
All products will be organized by size with sections for men, women and accessories. There will be layouts and maps around so no one gets lost, as well as plenty of educators to answer any questions that may come up.

try it on for size
There will be separate communal change rooms for both men and women. Wear easy slip-off clothes if you’re planning to try things on for size.

Chitown, are you ready to throw your diamonds in the sky and get yoga high? 

Next up on the road to Boston is Gina DiCello, a real firecracker.  We stumbled upon her blog before we met over email. Before long it became clear to us: we want to be her friend. See for yourself. You probably will too. (We're pretty sure she'd happily have you over for dinner, share some training tips with you and send you home with a recipe.)    

the road to boston with gina dicello

Gina DiCello calls the Rush Street, Chicago store her local lululemon home.  If you've never met anyone with a goal to run fifty marathons in all fifty states, now you have. Her love of running is closely rivaled only by her love of friends and food. (Ah, another ambassador who loves to eat. Good thing we all like to sweat, right?) She's counting down the days to Boston on her blog and she took some time to answer our questions.

who inspired you to start running?
No one in particular, really. I was the girl the coaches always put on the B-team. I took up running when I joined the high school track team to shed my B-team/figure-skating/marching-band persona. Track was the only thing that fit my busy schedule and I thought it was the ticket to fitting in. For two years, I rocked out as an 800-meter runner but eventually, my skating took precedence.

I excelled on skates but I gave it up to be a "normal" college student: sororities, spring break, academics. It was during that time I realized I missed the world of athletics and needed to find my place again. Running was that place. This is when I started training for marathons and decided to do one in each of the fifty states.

Why Boston?
Qualifying for and running Boston, is not only a rite of passage as a runner,  it’s my way of showing that little girl on the bench - me - that when life puts you on the B-team, all you need is some dedication, determination and a dream.  Anything you really want?  You can get it.

Going way back in the Gina archives

What’s your goal for the race?
My number one goal for any and all races is to have fun.  (If it’s not fun, what is the point?) As far as a time goal, I would love to finish somewhere in the 3:20’s!  I’ve had a breakthrough in my training this past year and I’m having a blast seeing how far I can take it.  As long as it’s fun and as long as I am still healthy, I will continue to push the envelope.

What has yoga done for your running regime?
Part of the breakthrough I mentioned is due to my paralleled dedication to yoga.  I didn’t start practicing until after a terrible cycling accident had me sidelined for about eight weeks.  As part of recovery, I reluctantly joined some friends from my run group on their weekly yoga session. Very soon after I became quite addicted. 

Almost instantly, I saw a difference in my running – I became less tight and felt the “heavy leg” feeling disipate. My breathing improved which allowed me to hold a higher intensity for a longer period of time. My posture changed, my core carriage changed - everything changed and all for the better.  

Where do you run on days when you feel you can conquer anything?
Because Chicago is pressed up against Lake Michigan, the lakefront path is our city’s playground. Ever seen our winters here?  It’s really the only place where you can get in quality miles on paved, traffic-free paths.  Water fountains, bathrooms and stands to buy Gatorade are plentiful.  So is the people watching, or in my case, the man hunting.

On days when I am feeling like I can conquer anything, I put on my brightest Speed Shorts, a matching Flow Y Bra, and some cool aviators. I hit the path around 5:30 or 6pm when it’s likely populated by a sea of good-looking men.  There is no greater satisfaction than passing a couple of dudes who think they’re keeping up a good pace!

When you're not training you're...
Thinking about training?  Just kidding. When I’m not training, you can find me scoping out Chicago’s restaurant scene, teaching cooking classes to children through a non-profit called Common Threads, building up my marathon coaching business and staying hopelessly addicted to routine Monday nights with college girlfriends. 

Gina created this meal off the top of her head. Yum.

What do you look for in training and race gear?
All gear must first and foremost be comfortable and make me feel athletic.  Chafing is a very real and big issue for runners, myself included (I have horror stories) and if the garment doesn’t do everything it can to prevent that, I’ll never buy it again.  In both training and race gear I like to look put together, matching but also athletic. 

Running a marathon with music: yes or no?
It depends. When I ran the Des Moines Marathon in Iowa, heck yes I listened to music.  There was barely anything to look at, let alone hold my attention for four hours.  When I ran the ING Miami Marathon, I didn’t listen to music.  With so much color, crowd support, and activity going on, I didn’t need it.  I am neither for, nor against running with music – whatever works for you is great!  (Editor's note: Want her Guilty Pleasure Super Speedy 5K playlist? Check out her blog.)

What’s next for you after Boston?
Boston will be my fourteenth marathon on the road to fifty, though it is only my thirteenth state. (I did Singapore in December 2009.)  Next up, I will probably be at the New York City Marathon this fall. If I don’t make it through the lottery or by qualifying at Boston (3:23:00 is the cutoff for women), I will run the Rock n’ Roll Savannah Marathon in Georgia. I can't wait.

visit us in boston

If you haven't heard, we love visitors! If you're planning on being in Boston for the marathon, stop by the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo and the Prudential Center store. There's a lot to see and do with us from April 15th to 18th. The store's Facebook page has all the details. (Heartbreak Hill, here we come.) 

want more?

• Follow Gina's training. She's blogging (and tumbling) the whole thing.
• Contact Gina for training tips. You can email her at walktothemailbox@gmail.com.
• Meet your local ambassadors. Find out who's teaching classes at your local store.
• Read our first Boston-bound ambassador interview with Sue Anne Clark.

Staying motivated while training for a marathon (or any race, for that matter) can be challenging. Gina's blogging; some of you may be journalling. How do you stay on track when the road to a race is an uphill climb?

When she moved here in 2005, Jocelyn's intention was to spend three months getting the core fusion program off the ground at Exhale Spa. She was the lead core fusion teacher and teacher trainer in Chicago, and she met our regional community leader, Brooke Johnson, at one of her classes. At that time no one in Chicago had really heard of lululemon. Brooke recognized Jocelyn as one of the best instructors in Chicago and product tested her a pink ujjayi tank and black groove pants. It didn’t take long before Jocelyn was hooked and decided to be one of the first ambassadors for the first lululemon store to open in Chicago on Halsted Street.

The year Jocelyn was an ambassador was a fundamental year in her development. She attended meet and greet events with other lululemon ambassadors, and participated in a function show, modeling some new luon at an art gallery where she broke out into booty dancing in front of the whole crowd!

Last year Jocelyn had a five-year goal to open her own fitness and dance studio, but she was forced to take action in early 2009. With help from her husband Ron, she made it all happen in only three months! Akemi Fitness Method opened this March in Evanston, the closest suburb north of the city of Chicago.

Akemi means “bright and beautiful” in the Japanese language, and it is an exact description of Jocelyn’s personality. She chose to name her business Akemi Fitness Method because she believes that "all people are bright and beautiful, and that is something [she] wants them to recognize."

The classes at Akemi were inspired by the Lotte Berk Method, which combines core exercises, dance, weights, Pilates and yoga. With classes like Akemi Barre, Abs, Arms & Booty, and Akemi Cardio Sport, Jocelyn teaches us to tone and sculpt our booties to the hottest jams. All of the educators on my team in Evanston consider ourselves lucky to be so close to Akemi. Jocelyn’s classes are always a blast, and we're constantly inspired by her immense beauty and joyfulness.

Check out her amazing studio here: http://www.akemifitness.com/index.php

I am grateful to have been part of this event, which began at the Northbrook Court mall about 10 miles north of Chicago. Our Northbrook store’s ambassador, Marcy Caron, kicked off the 3-day with a morning stretch for 2,200 walkers at the opening ceremony.

In being there to see the opening ceremony, I was able to get a small taste of what the walkers would go through over the next 3 days. They trained for this event and looked forward to it for so long, and throughout the weekend they cheered, laughed, cried, shared, and celebrated together.

Beth, Liz, Marcy, Kristin, Suzanne, and Billie supporting the participants of the 3-Day Chicago at Northbrook Court.

Once the walk began, I went to a spin class at the Pilates Barre in Winnetka with the rest of the Northbrook lululemon team. To our surprise, when we were eating at Panera after class, the 3-day walkers were moving through Winnetka! In the brief moments I spoke with the walkers and encouraged them on their journey, I was touched by their stories, their memories, and their unforgettable t-shirts and memorabilia. It was so incredible to be a witness to their courage, commitment, love, and optimism.

I met Emily at the first benefit concert she put together, "Just Let Me Breathe". This was long before I had met lululemon. Emily was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 18 months old. CF is a disease that creates a thick mucus in the body that blocks vital organs, making breathing extremely difficult. There are lots of different treatments, but nothing yet that is a cure.

Even with a terminal genetic illness, Emily has never stopped choosing a positive thought. She created her own nonprofit that raises money for CF as well as gets the word out about the disease.

Exercise isn't typically an option for CF patients but Emily refuses to believe this. She never looked back after her first 1/2 marathon last year. She has also cycled for CF in her City to City ride from Detroit to Chicago. Running and cycling has kept her hospital visits for her "tune ups" down to a minimum.

After a visit to Colorado in August and a visit to our Cherry Creek store I couldn't have been more inspired that she was about to ride across the country to get on the Ellen DeGeneres show where she would let the world know about CF. Her spunky attitude and never-ending smile never lets you say no.

No questions asked, I wanted to help. With the support of our Somerset store in Troy, MI and the team at 900 N. Michigan Ave in Chicago, we got things rolling. They threw her parties to celebrate her goal and helped her with yoga classes before and after her ride from Detroit to Chicago.

Emily is now riding a vespa and her bike to Denver and then Burbank, CA talking about CF and raising money for the cause. She is also inspiring everyone she comes into contact with. She is breathing deeply and appreciating the moment. Because she knows that living in the moment is the meaning to life!

Lets support her along the way! Check out her blog at letsrockcf.org.