image: Tim Snell

We're celebrating the return of colour this summer and what better way to celebrate the arrival of Grapeseed than with a bottle or three of vino. It could just be the wine talking but we think it's a pretty sassy shade.

grapeseed, a colour and so much more

I grew up in Oliver, a little town in the South Okanagan. It’s the “Wine Capital of Canada” and its semi-arid climate produces some of the most incredible wines around. Wine is a part of who I am. My mum has been in the industry for years, and I have friends who are winemakers, sommeliers, tasting bar managers ... the whole wine gamut.

There are few things I love more than sipping a big, bad Meritage or Merlot on the patio at Burrowing Owl in Oliver. Watching the South Okanagan sun set, and feeling the heat of the desert disappear into night is an event that everyone should experience once in their lifetime.

1/2 corked marathon

One of my favourite wine experiences takes place in Oliver every year – it’s called the “1/2 Corked Marathon”.  (It's so good that this year's event sold out in less than 48 hours.) Basically, you run about 20km through the vineyards of the Okanagan, sampling wine at wineries along the way. Could anything be more heavenly? Wine + cardio + costumes = my happy place!

personal rituals

favourite wine

Stoneboat 2007 Pinot Noir. Violet, cherry, berry ... it’s a truly delicate and classic pinot noir. I catch myself having dreams about it.

Cave de lugny - Cremant de bourgone it's pink, it's bubbly, crisp and refreshing; everything you should look for in a bubble.

One of my favourite things about drinking wine, aside from the drinking of course, is the opening of the cork and capsule. Wax? Metal? Plastic? Cork? The feeling of opening the bottle tells a story unto itself!

What the winemaker hopes you’ll experience when settling into that next bottle goes far beyond the wine: bottle weight, ease of opening, texture of the label. They all matter and they all craft part of the story but for me the cork and capsule experience is the "lives happily ever after."

If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go? Napa? Tuscany? Bourdeaux?

want more?

• See our latest offerings in Grapeseed, Pink Mist, Citron and Tango Red.
• Try our bliss balls.
• Tell us your drunken thoughts. We love feedback.

grapeseed deep breath tank

Rest, relax, recover and revel in your accomplishment! You have trained hard for the past four months, so it's time to let your body repair. This is often hard for many runners, as a marathon brings not only peak physical fitness, but a phenomenon called "runner's high," which makes you feel so good after a run that you can’t wait to run again.

Along with all of these wonderful feelings, post-marathon can also bring about feelings of depression. A lululemon run club guest recently came to me a couple of weeks after her first marathon and told me that she was feeling depressed. She asked if it was crazy to feel that way. The answer? Not at all. Post-marathon depression is very real and is often accompanied by a sense of loss. You spend four months training, you structure much of your life around your training, you look forward to race day, and then in a matter of hours, it is done.

Rest is vital. Your body needs a few weeks to repair itself and recover before you begin your next training cycle.

a game plan

For me, I set out a post-marathon game plan. This season, my race is the Philadelphia Marathon. After the marathon, I am taking five weeks off from hard training to allow my body to repair and recover. Besides lululemon run club, I will not be running, but will be replacing my hard runs with yoga classes, core work, and strength training to let my body recover and to lay a foundation for my next training cycle. In terms of beating post-marathon blues, I always host and cook Thanksgiving dinner (this year for 14) to give me something immediate to look forward to and focus on once my fall racing season is over.

after you cross the finish line

Once you cross the finish line, start rehydrating immediately. Before your post-run celebration beer or wine, make sure you have had plenty of water -- after all, that is what your body needs. Replenish yourself with some carbs and protein, stretch, and put on a layer of clothes over what you raced in for your walk back to the hotel to keep you warm.

the morning after

The morning after the race, jog 10-20 minutes to get your legs moving a little bit.

the next month

Following that, the next month should be about easing off of running to let your muscles repair. If you're going to run, take it very, very easy, don’t race, and don’t do speed workouts. I recommend cross training. While I pick-up yoga (and cooking), try a racquet sport or something different that keeps you moving, but not training at full capacity. This will not only be good for your body, but you will start your next season feeling fresh and eager to be running again, and will help you keep your post-race emotions in check.

how you spend your post-marathon time

How you spend your month post-marathon is important. As runners, we are sometimes greedy about our fitness, and we want to stay in peak form all year round. This is impossible to do, and trying will often lead to injuries and feeling of burnout.

Are you just starting to run? Read Elyse's other blog post about The Run Date!