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?

Dance (on a shipping container) or run a marathon like no one's watching.

The answer to: "What are you thinking at Heartbreak Hill (aka Mile 21)"?

Why her mom runs.

Never, never give up. Our Detroit ambassador, Sue (on the left), ran the marathon with her aunt Sue, who finished chemo 4 weeks ago.

Who supports you in a marathon? Family, friends, and strangers.

It was No Stopping Monday.

"The world" and cookies. When life gives you lemons, you know what to do.

Love notes come in all forms.

Canadian Josh Cassidy near the top of the hill, before finishing to break the world record in the men's wheelchair race by two seconds.

Overheard at Heartbreak Hill: Go banana, go!

Neighbours: good for borrowing cups of sugar from, hosing you down in the middle of a marathon, and...

...handing you water when you need it the most.

How to cheer: make signs. Bring music. Scream your heart out.

Don't forget to have fun along the way.

With temperatures hitting the mid-80s (Canadian translation = around 30), the heat was intense, even as a bystander.

Friends don't let friends run up Heartbreak Hill alone. (Bare feet: noted.)

Boston ambassador Wayne Levy has logged more than 93,000 miles of running in his life (to date).

Go Wayne, go!

Molly from our community team with her run mantra...

... and running with her heart the next day.

To everyone who participated in the Boston Marathon this year: you inspire us. Thank you for the goosebumps.

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!

It was the fourth-largest race in the United States and lululemon athletica Ala Moana was ready. Our crew came out in full force for the 37th Honolulu Marathon, an event attracting nearly 24,000 runners from Hawaii and around the world.

On the morning of the marathon, we set the alarm clocks for 4 a.m. and headed out to the race course to find the most prime location to cheer on the runners. Armed with lululemon manifesto posters, a stereo and ipod to play motivating music for the runners, cowbells, huge speed shorts, not to mention our voices and hearts… the Honolululemons cheered for almost three hours straight! Using our manifesto signs, we reminded everyone to "Sweat Once a Day," "Breathe Deeply," "Choose a Positive Thought," and "Love!"

From some of the most elite runners in the world to walkers to wheelchair racers, we reached out to and supported each and every marathon participant - 23,469 people to be exact!

'Sweat once day' signs encouraging people to hit the pavement harder.

Whether it's one of the biggest marathons, our store's run clubs, or a yoga class… as part of the lululemon athletica community, we aim to build relationships with people like you. We hope to spark authentic conversations, encourage you to set a goal and to motivate you to take that first step towards a new life. Find the store nearest you and just ask.Tell us your story. Share your goals with us. We are your cheerleaders, your supporters, your motivators, and we hope to change the world… one cheer station at a time.

Who are you cheering on?

Elyse after her full marathon.

Was I nervous? There were the normal pre-race jitters, but I tried to keep them at bay as I went through my pre-race routine. Besides, I knew I wasn't really going into the race alone - I had much support from friends and training partners, and I was confident that my running coach, lululemon Ambassador Mike Hamberger, had me well trained. I was read to go.

I had two goals in this race:

1. to stay relaxed and have as much fun as possible, and
2. to run a 3:10 marathon

I knew what all of my split times had to be for each mile, and all of my training runs had shown that this was in the realm of possibilities. I lined up in my corral, and the gun went off. My first mile should have been a 7:15, but I ended up hitting the first mile split in 6:38. Way too fast! Instead of panicking I re-adjusted my pace, but I never ended up slowing down to that 7:15 pace. By mile 15, I was three minutes ahead of where I needed to be in order to run 3:10, and by the last 10k I was nearly four minutes ahead of goal, so I just held the pace until the end. I ended up running 3:06, over an eight minute personal best time, and finished 24th!

One of my favorite moments was passing the Philadelphia lululemon cheering section. It was definitely the loudest and most exciting! I was looking forward to seeing the lululemon crew all race, and hearing them during the last 10k was exactly what I needed to keep me on target.

For me, being able to run well and be myself at the same time is of the utmost importance, and this was a race where I really tested that. I am learning that I don't need to put a lot of pressure on myself to be a serious runner, but that I can be fun and my natural friendly self at races, while achieving new personal bests at the same time. I can be focused in a race and be taken seriously as a competitor, but still wear a cute outfit and pearls! I can finish in the top 1% of a major marathon and have the most fun doing it. I can smile at crowds cheering and still remain focused and in the moment with each mile. Hence, I ended up putting it all in stride, and really enjoyed each and every moment of the race. And all of the cheering for the girl racing in pearls didn't hurt, either!

Lastly, this was not a solo effort by any means. I attribute much of my success to many pre-race pep talks by my training partner, the guidance of my coach, all of the great training runs with the lululemon and Washington run clubs, and the inspiration of my amazing run mentors and friends!

Elyse's running journey has truly been inspiring. Read her first blog post back in April, there’s nothing like your first time.