My alarm went off at 5am. I jumped into my jog skirt and headed to New York City with a group of friends for the Nike Half Marathon. Start time: 7:30am. You’d think with 16,000 runners there would be chaos, but the beautiful spring weather in along with the enthusiastic community of runners made for a harmonious event.

I’ve only been working for lululemon for three weeks but was determined to seek out other colleagues that I’d heard were running. I scanned a blur of people clad in spandex and running shorts milling around a wall of porta-johns. Thousands of runners, yet impossible to miss was a cluster of Leader of the Track checkered running skirts. I recognized Kristin, who was with Melissa, Christine, and Cara. We embraced the competitive yet unified spirit of the race day and shared a mini pep talk before heading to the corrals.

Marguerite (in the middle), with Melissa, Christine, Cara, and Kristin

I’m happy to report that everyone in the photo achieved their goal time, and I reached my personal best to date at 1:53. My jog skirt was a home run and the prospect of celebratory mimosas with my friends an inspiration!

I may have missed Val’s class for a race, but you can bet I’ll be back practicing tomorrow with a new appreciation for the benefits of a vinyasa flow class to soothe my race muscles. With my race goal achieved, my next quest is to educate my fellow runners on the benefits of a restorative post-race practice -- even if it’s just a few downward dogs and a nice long savasana.

About Marguerite, the author of this post: I am the Assistant Manager for the soon-to-be-open lululemon Summit, NJ showroom. I have been with lululemon for 3 weeks and have loved every minute of it! I have many years of marketing experience with a focus on and passion for sports and fitness. My husband Jim and I have two beautiful kids: Teresa and Henry. They are my inspiration!