Haven't we all emerged from the tree break at the top of Grouse Mountain (or any other grueling hike for that matter) and said 'I'd love to do that 13 more times?'*

*Disclaimer: For those of you who haven't hiked the Grouse Grind the 3km trek straight up Grouse Mountain is often lovingly called Mother Nature's staircase... which is entirely inaccurate unless by Mother Nature you mean a terrible monster and by staircase you mean a smorgasbord of creaky wooden planks, uneven terrain and an unimaginable plethora of mosquitoes. Fun, right?

steph takes on the grind

It’s no secret we’re big on goals here – make that big on big goals – so when the head of our recruiting team, Steph, proclaimed she was going to summit the peak of the Grouse Grind 14 times in a single day (smashing the current women’s record) we suppressed our immediate urge to call her crazy and, instead, showed up at the base of the mountain at 6AM ready to will her to the top over a dozen times.

getting out of the daily grind for a different kind of grind

Throughout the long and hot day, co-workers from our office and local stores made appearances to cheer her on. The power of declaring goals has never been more apparent: friends and strangers alike came out to do a Grind (or two, or three) with Steph and dozens more came out to do their first Grind ever knowing that they could conquer their own personal goals alongside someone else crushing hers.

dream bigger, fail harder

On the 11th summit (all of which were under one hour), Steph burst out of the trees with the biggest smile on her face saying, "Well, I guess that's what 11 Grinds looks like!". Daylight hours were dwindling and it appeared that 14 Grinds wouldn’t be in the cards before the night fell. Knowing it would feel better to finish on top (no pun intended), after 33km of vertical climbing and 44,000+ feet of elevation conquered, Steph called it a day (an awesome one at that).

a note from steph on failure

"Thank you for your hearts, your full days, your Grinds, your cheers, your snacks and your smiles; online and offline. Simply seeing you out there made my heart sing. I set a goal and failed. It was worth every damn step along the way. I hope you will set goals and crush them…and sometimes fail too. It keeps us feeling like we are living lives bigger than we could have imagined."

What are some of your big hairy audacious goals?

cheer station* stats**

# of people: 203
% cheer-induced sore throats the next day: 98
# of cowbells : 119
# of cowbell injuries: 1
# of rain sticks: 1
# of smoothies served by The Juice Truck: 550

*The lululemon cheer station at the 9km mark of the half marathon.
**All stats unofficial but as accurate as possible to the best of our knowledge.

Inspired to #runcouver, too? Visit seawheeze.com - T-minus 94 days and counting!

Marathon Monday. To many, this phrase might not mean much, but here in Boston…it means everything.

the super bowl of running

For some, the Boston Marathon is the Super Bowl of running -- the goal every runner strives to achieve. For others, it’s a day to celebrate -- a major holiday where roads are closed and work is canceled. And starting early in the morning, fans spill outside to line the entire 26.2 mile course.

Last year, I joined the sideline crowd with lululemon’s cheer station on 'Heartbreak Hill' -- one of the hardest stretches of the race where runners need the most support. We arrived early, pumped music, and danced with motivational signs.

I still remember watching contestants pass by: wheelchair competitors, with flexed arms and sweat pouring. Military crew in full uniform. The amazing Kenyan, Geoffrey Mutai, on his way to win. And the very last charity runner, winning a personal battle for both himself and someone else. And I knew in this moment, “I want that.”

honoured, excited and terrified

Fast forward one year later, and I could not be more honored, excited and – let’s be honest – terrified to participate in this monumental day.

what we don't see

Because boy - I had no idea what I was in for! What spectators don't see are your struggles with chafing. They don't hear your alarm ring at 6 a.m. before sunrise on Saturday, feel your blisters growing, or watch you trekking through snow...in the dark.

That’s why the incomparable support of Boston’s sideline – from Newton to Boylston Street – now means more than ever before. It’s funny, but I’ve learned you actually do hear the things people say along the way. "You're almost there!" starts at mile six. "It's all downhill from here!" as you approach Heartbreak Hill. Or my personal favourite, "You're looking great!" Really? With spit foaming at the mouth, and salt crusting to my face, I doubt it – but hey, thanks for making me think I do!

why you should cheer on april 16

So, if you are in Boston on April 16, go stake out your spot and cheer on the runners. Because, we can train all we want and eat the right gel packs during the race, but it’s that smiling face, that crazy cheering fan, that is going to pick us up and push us forward when we think we have nothing left.

And honestly, it really doesn't matter what you do – hold a sign, hand out high-fives, or yell any ridiculous phrase. Because those small gestures mean more than you will ever know.

If you're in Boston this weekend, stop by and say hi at the pre-marathon expo! Look for a big, red box and you'll find us. Not in Boston? We'll be sharing our marathon weekend experience via Twitter (#bostonmarathon). Good luck to all the athletes, and see you on April 16!

26 miles of pavement pounding can be a daunting prospect, so when our friends set their minds to completing Vancouver's recent BMO marathon we were determined to support them. "When someone's cheering you on and telling you, 'you can do it,' it shuts up the little voice inside your head that's telling you otherwise," says Matt Corker. As runners approached our cheer squad it was great to see heads come up and smiles come out.

Matt Corker - Leader Development AdvisorCaroline Nybo - Store Manager, West 4th

Deanne Schweitzer - VP of Brand

Congrats to all of you who completed the marathon (and the half-marathon). We're already starting to think about NYC and the fall races (though we're planning to enjoy summer too). Time to hone our sign-writing skills.

want more

• Get race ready, your two week countdown.
• Run that marathon. It's as easy as ABC.
• See more signs of inspiration.

You don't ask questions if there's a  chance to kiss the grey goodbye and set sail for the sun. Our Creative team escaped to SoCal last weekend to capture the LA Marathon...except it rained in California and was gloriously sunny in Vancouver. (Why is Alanis Morrisette's "Ironic" coming to mind?)

pack your bags. you're going to los angeles.

Those words are music to any Vancouverite's ears. In March, there's a 99% chance of finding better weather anywhere outside of the city. This weekend it was not so.

Nothing could be more fitting than our videographer's out-of-office response: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." The team took their cue from Fred Astaire himself. Sure, it poured yesterday at the LA Marathon. That didn't stop the team from capturing the amazing (albeit soggy) time had by all the athletes. 

If our marathon packing list and race-ready guide got you excited for your upcoming race (or at least stoked to set goals to run next year), we hope you'll like this visceral motivation. If they can do it in the rain, so can you.

Los Angeles couldn't rain on their parade.

The first wheelchair athlete screams by the team at the 50:21.

Can anything wipe that smile off of Molly's face? We think not.

The Brentwood cheer station broke sound barriers.

Assistant Manager Alivia set a new PR despite the rain. Goodbye, 3:15. Hello, 3:07.

So many marathons, so little time. Race season has our heart rate soaring. Up next? We interview our ambassadors who are headed to Boston. Get ready for more inspiration to put a bit more spring in your step.