Last night I had the opportunity to combine a few of my favorite things:

• shopping
• running
• time with friends
• Lululemon

The awesome staff at from the East 66th and Madison Avenue stores invited a few bloggers and runners who are runningthe New York City Marathon in just a few days to come in and spend the evening shopping their new gear, taking it for a test run and then participating in a design feedback session. In exchange for our feedback and time, Lululemon gifted useach with complimentary gear of our liking. 

As soon as I reached the store, my excitement tripled! The cold weather gear greeted me with the same level of warmth and excitement as each of the employees. They were so thrilled to have us there last night and truly went out of their way to make it a great shopping experience.

For the next 45 minutes, we perused the racks of brightly colored bras, tanks, jackets, and gear picking and choosing items we’d like to try. While we aren’t required to wear the gear on marathon day as they know many of us are Type A and have had our outfit picked out for ages, they did want us to wear it during a run later in the evening. Therefore, I avoided any gear that was aimed at indoor workouts or warm weather running or anything too heavy. Last night it was about 50 degrees, in line with what it will probably be during the morning wait on Staten Island.

Equipped with about 15 pieces of clothing I headed back into the dressing room area in hopes of finding something new and fun. My primary goal for the evening was to find a new sports bra as my Champion ones aren’t cutting it these days and my current Lululemon bra is over 2 years old and starting to show wear.

It was fun having the other ladies provide their input on the outfits in addition to the staff. While I tried on a few pieces I really loved, nothing could compare to the items I chose.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join the 80’s zipper jacket gang as they didn’t have a black one in my size but how adorable are they in their matching jackets?

The above outfit was my final choice consisting of 3 Lululemon pieces , each of which I wore on our test run and absolutely loved!

Energy Bra: I wanted to find a bra that was light enough in color that I could wear it under all different tops in addition to one that wouldn’t chafe during a 26.2 fun run. The Energy Bra has flat seems which will help ward off chafing, cool-max liner that can keep me cool, a thick bottom strap that will stay put, full coverage, and an open airy back. I thought the back straps may annoy me but I actually forgot they were any different than normal when I was running and appreciate the open design. I also noticed on the website today that this is one of their highest rated bras! The consumers are normally right.

Run Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve: I feel like I don’t even need to type anything here. If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ve seen me rock this shirt in my 2 marathons and a number of other Fall/Winter races. It is comfortable, the thumb holes make it easy to wear during a race, it’s so light I forget I’m wearing anything, and it doesn’t sag when it gets sweaty. I’ve had one of my Run Swiftly short sleeve tops for 3.5 years and it still looks like new. I love this bright orange color with my brunette hair and for something new and fun. If I wasn’t rocking a pink sparkly skirt for the marathon, I’d consider wearing this with my CW-X shorts on marathon Sunday since it’s NYCM colors!

Track Time Crop: These may be my new favorite crop pants! They are made from the soft Luxtreme material which is odor resistant and moisture wicking. The seamless design means there is no chance of chafing and the higher waistband holds everything in while allowing me to focus on running versus adjusting. I love the fun design on the back which is quite flattering, especially on someone like me who doesn’t exactly have a butt to speak of at all thanks to the flat butt syndrome I inherited from my dad. In addition, the longer length means that they are actually “crop length” on my long legs.

After we chose our outfits the gang headed to Central Park for a 4 mile workout led by Gia! The workout, 8 quarter mile half marathon pace repeats, was a great way to get our legs moving without taxing them too much 9 days out from the marathon. Ali and Gia were great cheerleaders while we pushed through the speed portion. I enjoyed chatting with the other ladies during the recovery portions as we discussed race day strategy and more. Gia and I had some heart to heart moments where we decided how I’ll tackle the marathon. I can’t wait to share this with you all next week!

After the run we headed back to the store where we enjoyed some healthy snacks and discussed the products. For an hour we all provided honest feedback on the things we love, hate, want to improve, and just plain would get rid of if we had our way. We provided feedback regarding things like running gear but then also other programs such as run clubs at the New York City Lululemon stores. I love that they were open to the feedback, both positive and negative.

It was such a wonderful evening with other runners and Lululemon. This is my second year participating in a program like this and I can’t say thank you enough! I can’t wait to see the Lululemon cheer section at Mile 22 as I’m heading back towards Central Park on November 4th!

In case you’re a size 8, 10, or 12 I’m selling some of my Lululemon tanks on eBay! Many of them have only been worn a few times because they are now too big. Check them out here!

What are your thoughts? What, other than discounts, would entice you to join a local Lululemon run club on a weekly basis and keep you coming back?