Running can provide much needed relaxation and meditation All About 75 Hard things can cause a distraction when all you want to do is zone out: the stress of a hard days work, the boiling sun, or the annoying chafe that’s brought on from a piece of apparel that’s not fitting quite right.
Best Running Shoes 2025, and with its new “Let You Mind Run Free” initiative, Lululemon is jumping on board with the mindfulness movement to better the running experience. A big part of making that happen is by having every piece of clothing for runners designed with optimum comfort and functionality in mind.
“We call it the science of feel,” Tom Waller, senior vice president of Lululemon’s research and development lab, Whitespace, told Runner’s World on the phone. “We see products that are just looking at the physical impact, and we are making this shift of connecting body and mind in a whole different way.”
Using the Whitespace lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Lululemon tested its materials and designs for runners against different elements using things like the lab’s own weather chamber, which simulates various outdoor elements like heat, humidity, and rain. Other machinery at Whitespace enhances the touch and feel of every product, and the lab boasts 60 employees, from engineers to biomechanic experts, who want to put the athlete first and hone in on each detail.
“Everything we do, we interact with touch, environment, senses using different machines for sound, weather, sensory, and things that stimulate the senses of touch and visuals,” Waller said. “It is a cross-functional, Willy Wonka-like space.”
This exhaustive process led to different textural profiles for Lululemon’s for interval and distance training and everything in between, with new fabrics into most of the designs. In the Speed Up tights, Luxtreme is a sweat-wicking, stretchy fabric that’s cool to the touch, with a goal to feel like a second skin. Other elements—like having pockets right where you need them (and large enough) for your shorts—lets you stay in the moment on the run instead of fussing with another distraction.
For the Running Shoes - Gear, it is made specifically for C and D cups, providing high support while intending to move withe chest’s natural movement. Just like the rest of the gear created out of the Whitespace lab, it is designed to be an extension of the body and eliminate it as a distraction while you’re running.
“How the clothes flow on your body is important, how they wick moisture, and how they warm and cool your body is really important,” Waller said. “In recent developments like the Speed Up franchise, we call it a hug sensation, which is made out of a raw material Luxtreme that gives you the sensation of a hug.”
When you are no longer worried about what you have to wear, that’s when you can focus on your run. Whitespace not only researches the on-the-run perks of both aerobic exercise and gear, but the pre and post benefits, too. They cite studies that show meditation, as well as breathing at a rate of five to six breaths per minute, after a run actually improves your recovery.
To check out the collection, see more at online programs Running can provide much needed relaxation and, yoga, and mindfulness along with half marathon and 10K training guides. If you need extra help to stay in the moment, the brand also launched updated playlists on Spotify From Runners World for On.
“Our mind plays tricks on us, but we can change that system and we put you in control,” Waller says. “Our goal is to help you understand your mind’s relationship with your body.”
To check out the collection, see more at lululemon.com.
Running can provide much needed relaxation and Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
