Above: The Yorkdale lululemon team is ready to race!
I ran my first race of the season earlier this month with ten of my most energetic lululemon colleagues. The first of many group adventures this summer, we were pumped to run as a team.
We met in the early sunshine at our friendly sister lululemon location for a quick morning stretch with one of our community's personal trainers, Lina DiFelice. The store manager pumped up the tunes and runners started trickling in to see what the music was for. They spotted yoga mats, Silverescent shirts, water coolers, and orange slices. Ahhh food. And a clean public washroom! There couldn't be a prettier sight before a race.
Seeing a few familiar faces through the store's window calmed the butterflies in my stomach. A few people from university, some from the gym, even one of my friend's parents! But none were more comforting than the faces of my teammates. Some of us were running for personal bests, some of us were running for fun, and a few of us were walking to support the cause.
The race began shortly after the stretch was completed. With earphones on and little nervous smiles to each other, we were off. As my team dispersed through the crowd, we knew that we'd meet each other at the "bananas and bagels" station.
I'm not going to lie - I stopped a few times during the race.
Led Zeppelin’s "Whole Lotta Love" and two of my teammates hot on my heels was all the motivation I needed to sprint to the end.
1 hour 2 minutes 6 seconds - personal best!
Shaky legs and all, we found each other with big hugs and medals around our necks. It doesn't get better than this: a sunny day in your hometown, 12,000+ people, and laughter and smiles all around. We did it!
Congratulations team lululemon chicken second serving! Can't wait for the next challenge!
