Last week, while visiting the lovely city of San Francisco, I joined the lululemon Grant Ave. store on their Thursday night run. Not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about dropping in, seeing as I'm a new runner [read my blog on the No Excuses Run Club], but the Grant Ave. run club info said "all levels welcome" so I decided to check it out.

5:55 p.m: people started gathering inside and outside the store.

The first few people I talked to were all first-timers to this run club, too. This is Lucy from the UK, who first heard about lululemon in Peru while trekking through the Andes with llamas.

This run was the first time Lucy took her new Run:Speed shorts out for a spin. Lucy, if you're reading this - what was the verdict?

Our group split into two: a 5km and a 10km group. The route for both was handed out on a piece of paper. Very helpful for newcomers in unfamiliar territory!

Our run started off by running (uphill!) through Chinatown.

We ran along the Embarcadero and under the Bay Bridge. It was a beautiful sunny evening and I was so happy to be outside!

We looped back through downtown. I was dazzled by tall buildings - a little different than the seawall I'd gotten used to running on in Vancouver.

The run ended back at the store where we stretched it out.

Fresh fruit and electrolytes were waiting for us.

Me stretching next to Matt, who ran the 10 km route. I had actually already stretched and eaten lots of fruit at this point but wanted an action shot.

Ciara's an educator at Grant Ave. and was also documentating the run club for the Grant Ave. run club Facebook group.

Meet Clay and Jessica, run club leaders and planners!

It was Canada Day and I was understandably drawn to Kim. Yup, she's a fellow Canadian but currently lives in the U.S. This was a great way to spend Canada Day, eh Kim?

Paige is training for the Chicago marathon. This is her on the final stretch of the 10 km. What the photo doesn't show is after she got back to lululemon, she kept running! Her training schedule called for more than 10 km that night. Go Paige go!

All in all, running through the streets of San Francisco with the lululemon run club was a great way to explore the city, meet some new people, and sweat once a day. To the Grant Ave. run club and all the fellow runners I talked to - thanks for sharing your amazing city with me! I'll be back.

If you're travelling this summer and there's a lululemon near by, make sure to check out when and what their weekly events are.

find a lululemon run club or yoga class

1. Check our store locator at lululemon.com/stores to find the store info, and then choose either "community events" or click on the calendar to see what's going on.
OR
2. Find the lululemon store on Facebook by searching and ask the community there.
OR
3. You can always call or email the store to ask for the most up-to-date information (find the contact info on the store locator).

Lifelong Vancouverite Alexis from the lululemon Store Support Centre has put together a list of nine of her favourite Vancouver hotspots for you to add to your itinerary. Create your own adventure challenge and see if you can experience them all for yourself!

1. spanish banks

To me, there is no better beach in Vancouver than Spanish Banks. To be sure, Kits Beach to the East is better for people watching, and Wreck Beach is definitely better if you can’t find your bathing suit, but Spanish Banks has it all going on: an amazing view of the North Shore Mountains, sandy beaches that extend halfway across the inlet when the tide goes out, and expansive grass where locals play beach volleyball in the summer and start up snowball fights in winter. The best part: the concession still serves cream soda floats, Archie Andrews-style. Wooo!

2. vancouver public library

The downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library is my favorite place to sit with a coffee and observe life in Vancouver. The architecture of the building is phenomenal – tiered floors with light-filled nooks and crannies make getting lost in a book a pleasure, and if you close your eyes in the mezzanine for a moment, you’ll swear you're on a cobblestoned street in Europe with the smells of espresso and pizza tickling your nose. It's a great place to spend a mellow afternoon.

3. cypress bowl lookout

Wanna feel like you’re on top of the world…literally? Drive yourself to the top of Cypress Bowl and tell the clouds to get out of the way. On a clear day, you can see Mount Baker glistening from south of the 49th Parallel, the density of downtown Vancouver growing taller by the day, and the mighty Pacific beckoning from the West. The ultimate place for “I always-forget-how-stunning-my-hometown-is-until-I-revisit-this-spot” realizations.

4. sushi...any sushi

Along with coffee, you’d better get an affinity for raw fish if you want to dine like a Vancouverite. Sushi is a full-on obsession in this neck of the woods – from the suburbs to downtown and beyond, sushi restaurants are found on every street corner…and they’re packed, too. Any local worth his weight in sashimi can tell you their favourite places for takeout, gourmet, and the ultimate Vancouver sushi phenomenon, all-you-can-eat (my picks: takeout – Honjin, 140 Lonsdale, North Vancouver; gourmet – Miku, 1335 Robson Street, Downtown; all you can eat, Shabusen, 2993 Granville Street, South Granville). Advice for those new to this style of Japanese cuisine: don’t go too hard on the rolls at the start - you’ll bow out early. Trust me.

5. stanley park

This is the quintessential place that all visitors to Vancouver MUST check out. Stanley Park is older than the city itself; originally the site of the Musqueam, Burrard, and Squamish Nation First Nations people, the 400 hectare park is filled with totem poles, old growth trees, and secret paths that lead to the zoo, aquarium, and numerous gardens. Breathe in the fresh salt air on the seawall and get a birds' eye view of Coal Harbour, the original port site of Vancouver, and now the epicenter of the glass architecture movement our city has become synonymous with. In winter, you can take in a rugby game at Brockton Oval, near the lovely Yacht Club, and in the summer, artists and street performers line the walkways – if you’re lucky enough, you might even jump into a chalk painting Mary Poppins-style! Stanley Park also boasts many lovely beaches. I think I can speak for all Vancouverites when I say I feel lucky to live in a city with park like this at my fingertips.

6. seymour demonstration forest

British Columbia is Mecca for those who love coniferous trees, and there is no other place in Vancouver better to observe them in all their glory than the Seymour Demonstration Forest. Stately Douglas Fir, Cedar, Spruce and Pines line paved pathways that are perfect for biking, running or rollerblading. When you get to the top, enjoy a view of the Seymour Falls Dam and the satisfaction that comes with breathing in some of the cleanest air in the world.

7. chinatown

Like Stanley Park, Vancouver’s Chinatown district has roots that began before the inauguration of the city. Its wonderful, authentic architecture has been undergoing a recent revitalization and now is filled with lofts, bustling markets and underground clubs and lounges.

8. the commodore

Speaking of clubs, if you go  to see one live concert in this city, make sure it’s at The Commodore, located on the Granville Strip. With enough room for 2000 people to dance their faces off minus the annoyance of stadium seating, The Commodore is always the most fun venue in Vancouver, hands-down. Personal highlights: counting velour suits at the Snoop show, dodging the blood machine at Gwar, and the always-wicked TV On The Radio.

9. yoga

No day spent in Vancouver would be complete without a bliss-filled hit of our city's favourite pastime. Whenever I need to fit a bout of stretching and relaxation into my busy schedule, I visit my favourite yoga studio: North Shore Elements. There I will take class with instructor Will Blunderfield, who has achieved modest fame amongst Vancouver yogis for his unique talent: he sings while he teaches!

How do you love our fair Vancouver? Count the ways! What are your all-time favourite experiences and locations?