Meet the lululemon SeaWheeze : a weekend of connection
In an alternate timeline, Today would have been the start to the SeaWheeze half marathon weekend
Earlier into my lululemon addiction (January 2012), I received an email about a half marathon in Vancouver BC, hosted by lululemon.
I immediately coerced my friend Rebecca to sign up with me. A whole weekend created by lululemon??? I’m in!
Also, a half marathon was on my bucket list.
Rebecca is seriously the greatest. It was so fun to share the first SeaWheeze with her!
I suffered through training all summer (bad idea) all for the goal of a magical lululemon weekend away in a new city.
because life always throws a curveball, neither of us ran the race
Rebecca had a training injury and I had the food poisoning two nights before the race (did I mention she is a saint?).
We had a great weekend, regardless, and swore to come back some day!
The next year, tragedy struck again.
The race sold out immediately. As it turns out, lululemon was so good at hosting a fun, entertaining, beautiful race, everyone wanted to attend. I missed 2013–but someone who is now very close to me went! Spoiler alert: I met him because he wore a shirt from the half marathon weekend and now we are married with two puppies.
I was determined to run in 2014, and sat by the computer endlessly refreshing the enrollment page (I didn’t have an iPhone then).
I got in, and forced my friend Andrea to go with me. I finished the run and toured the city on a bike.
Andrea and I hanging out in Vancouver SeaWheeze weekend
2015 was a big growth opportunity for me
Why?? I roomed with two women I met in a lululemon Facebook group. They were fantastic.
We got in line for the special showcase store at midnight (there were people who slept in the street that night to be closer to the front of the line). I attended a dinner with 25 women from my Facebook groups. Being a shy, introverted person, that was a huge step for me.
Some of my internet friends!! Yes, we planned the matching shirts.
By 2016 I was dating Brian.
We traveled to SeaWheeze together but each had our own group of friends. This time, the store lineup started at noon the day before. People were in line before we even landed!
Being a sane lululemon addict, I rushed through dinner to take a nap and got in line at midnight.
Brian slept. Lame.
This year, I walked the entire half marathon with Brian and our friends Hannah and Tony. Brian had spinal fusion a month before the race and couldn’t run yet. Yes, walking a half marathon was rough.
The finish line is my favorite.
I think 2017 was my favorite.
Instead of being a fully crazy lululemon person, I was surprisingly chill about the trip. I got in line for the shop at 4am, I spent time with my best friends rather than shop all day, and we got to make memories together.
Our friends came up with us in 2017 for an epic weekend!
In 2018 Brian did not get selected.
lululemon started a lottery for race selection, and while I got a spot, Brian did not. We ultimately opted to skip because we were getting married and had some BIG PLANS.
Like having a surprise wedding and getting married in our fanciest lululemon!
And in 2019…Brian and I attended as lululemon ambassadors!!
Brian, me, and our fellow ambassadors from around the world at a special tour of lululemon headquarters.
I struggled with 2019. My brain injury was one year before, and I thought I’d “be myself” again.
I was registered to run (I couldn’t run).
I was registered for all of the amazing experiences pre-race, like hair braiding, nail painting, goal setting, SHOPPING, yoga, and other fun experiences.
I couldn’t do most of those things.
At that point, I still struggled to even sit down for a dinner out. I spent most of our trip resting in our friend’s condo, alone. I had constant nausea, head pain, and vision issues.
It was a very different experience, yet I’m still grateful I got to go.
This year, like so many events, SeaWheeze has gone virtual!
While it’s not the experience I would have preferred, I’m finding new ways to enjoy the experience.
I didn’t have to sleep on the street to shop (although my phone battery died in record time because of the constant refreshing).
I connected with old friends on the Facebook groups for the shop experience (I’ve been off Facebook since my accident other than business since I have a strict screentime limit).
I have the option to do a virtual half marathon (I can see myself doing a Netflix marathon since I’m not cleared to run yet. Does that count?).
Most important, I can still keep in touch with the friends I’ve made through lululemon, as we reimagine 2020.
Sending good wishes to all of my fellow SeaWheezers as we socially distance this epic weekend.
. . . And did I mention the shopping??
Take a look at the special module lululemon dropped for SeaWheeze. If you make a purchase through this link, you support this blog and my mission to make mindfulness tools accessible to all. Thank you for your support!
