Yep, my favorite time of the year is here. Personal paparrazi to our super star Haute Volée athletes. Enjoy the recap + photo essay! 

ALISHA BROWN 800m, 2:05.64

"I felt pretty good. Almost missed my race! Ha! I felt a lot stronger than I have been feeling this season, so that’s a huge step forward. Pretty excited about that! I needed some kind of breakthrough today. It was incremental, but it was something… it was a step forward.”

MEL LAWRENCE 3000M Steeplechase, 9:44.80

“Race went pretty well! I was hoping for a faster time in the end, but that’s about the time I opened up in last year… so as long as it’s not slower, I am happy with that! I had a strong close, but I think I probably could have started from a little further out. But that’s what racing is for! To get experience and apply learned lessons to the next one."

REBECCA MEHRA 1500M

“Unfortunately, it was not my day. But I am looking forward to putting in some more miles and track workouts and coming back stronger than ever."

Excited to see what the rest of the season holds for these fierce women! Stay updated on all team events + results by following @oiselle_team on twitter!

Head up. Wings out. 

Prelude (nod to Dr. Seuss)

My socks are tall
I sing a song
Rogas for days
This can’t be wrong

My legs are fast
My shorts are long
My skin gets loose
This bird is strong

#LeskoLegs Ode (to my Long Rogas)

My long rogas take me to the best places:
to Rio, to Yale, to the top of Saddle Rock,
To twinning with our president.

My long rogas sit my butt in the stands,
They propel me out of my seat, yelling and crying,
They accommodate a little pee when K8 wins the Trials.

My long rogas perfectly accessorize my long leg hair
when I’m too lazy to shave
for 6 grey Seattle months.

My long rogas help me coach middle school
And still let me demonstrate hurdle technique
(but they can’t make my tendons young).

These #LeskoLegs may never run in buns again.
Buns schmuns.
Long rogas are my powersuit. 

Oiselle was thrilled to welcome triple jumper Tori Franklin to the Oiselle family in the fall of 2017. She is a sunburst of positive energy, and a multi-faceted, multi-talented woman. Tori slayed at the Runway Slam: "You get up!" Tori is a writer, poet, chef, and as of May 12th, 2018, the AMERICAN RECORD HOLDER in the triple jump! Tori wrote this "Ode to Legs" before her break out jump series in Guadeloupe. I think we can all agree, we want to join Tori in thanking her legs. We love you, Tori! 

To my legs, first and foremost, I’m sorry. I’m sure when we were being pulled out of our mothers’ womb we didn’t expect my life to turn out like this. Yes, a couple of cuts and bruises during adolescence as we climbed trees and swung on jungle gyms is to be expected. A scratch or two in our teenage years wrestling with brothers or goofing off during basketball practice could be anticipated. Maybe even some fatigue from practice in college is normal. But who knew we’d come this far. Who knew the endless jump sessions and repeat 200s would continue after college. I’m sure you are exhausted, which is why I am, first and foremost, sorry.  How could I have known we would make something of this competitiveness and energy I store within. How could I have known that your power is what gives us the opportunity to travel all over the world.

And although this journey hasn’t been easy, I wouldn’t trade a single day of booty lock. I wouldn’t trade my scarred-up legs for perfect Barbie doll ones. I instead just want to say thank you. Thank you for pushing me through workouts in the rain, through the aches and the pain. Thank you for being stronger than my mind on some days and listening when my mind says “just one more” on others. We’ve limped, ran, and crawled through ups and downs and you have yet to fail me when I’ve asked the most of you. To my legs I say, yes, we’ve been through much, but the days of “just one more” are far from over. Still, I am worried not, you’ll carry me through like you always have. This I’m sure. 

TORI

Birdmachine Chicago is carrying on the Ragnar Relay torch as the second team in our Podium Project Series. After talking to this crew of poised, yet determined women, I gathered extensive data and present to you some (almost) scientific findings.

Graphs are included because this team means business, and everyone knows businesses love graphs. 

THE OFFICIAL 2018 BIRDMACHINE CHICAGO ROSTER

BECKI SPELLMAN: speed demon – FOUR time Olympic Trials Qualifier – has the ability to make the most exhausted and sleep deprived runners smile.
MAELUEN GRUMAN: The energizer bunny of the relay team, she will keep going, and going, and going. Need actual proof of this profound ability? Her relay-without-sleep record is 40 hours.
JEANNIE SULLIVAN: Meet the team jokester, Jeannie. On deck for any moment the team needs a morale boost whether its via inappropriate jokes at the starting line, or turning the darkest moments of the race into a solid punchline.
BETSY NEUSTIFTER: The Queen of the night legs! Betsy claims to have natural night vision that will give her the ability to run the darkest sections with absolutely zero fear… and without a headlamp. Just kidding that would violate rules and we’re not about that. Definitely will test at a later date though.
LAURA JULIEN: Laura is a mother of an 18 month old who refuses to sleep through the night AND she works full time. Therefore, she can succeed without sleep. Meanwhile I’m tired just thinking about it.
COURTNEY HANSEN: Courtney calls herself the execution master. Gnarly uphill? Executed. Downhill? Executed. Morning leg? Executed. Night leg? STILL executing. This woman is relentless and an honorary captain of the Gritty Bitches Racing Team. 
KRISTINA TABOR: A super encourager, who is also super organized. Fun fact, Kristina possesses an internal GPS and will 100% find any item that may be lost or forgotten during the relay.
NICOLE FALVO: A Ragnar Relay veteran, Nicole is prepared to conquer any and all obstacles the race may throw her way.  
JENNA MUTZ: The team rock, Jenna is able to stay calm even in the most unexpected moments. Mountains into molehills? Ha! Try ant-hills. Teeny tiny ant hills. Also, look for Jenna and her varying Goodr glasses that will perfectly coordinate with each outfit.
ELIZABETH MILLER: A champion of others and their accomplishments! Elizabeth is ready to focus on one step at a time and find joy in her teammate’s successes.
AMY SCHLOTTHAUER: A consistent runner who has such an impeccable feel for pace she is basically a human Garmin.
ASHLYN HOWIE: Rounding out the runners for Birdmachine Chicago is Ashlyn! This is her first relay but she is more than ready to push herself outside of her comfort zone and go for the win, maybe even squeezing in some naps along the way. 
ANDREA GILLESPIE: Crew member and DJ master, Andrea is ready to keep the good tunes and good vibes rolling all weekend long.
LISA BROWN: Next on the crew team is hardcore cowbeller, Lisa. She will ruthlessly cheer on all teammates until they no longer want to hear her voice, further inspiring them to run faster.
MOLLY THOMAS: Documenter extraordinaire. Molly is ready to take pictures of everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. No team member, no moment, is safe from the camera.
CHRISTINE PEITER: Last but not least, is crew member Christine who will be drawing inspiration from Lionel Ritchie. Thus she is ready stay up all night long and make runners laugh even when they want to cry. Honorable work. 

The Birdmachine Hierarchy of Needs
When asked what item they would absolutely NOT forget the birdmachine team came forward with an array of answers. However, some items were frequent repeats, and therefore proven to be essential (hence the items at the bottom of the pyramid). Not essential to all, but a pillar to some, was their Yeti. Rumor has it a Yeti dance party may ensue mid-race pending current energy stores. Stay tuned. Glasses of all variety are packed in bags predominantly for safety reasons, such as seeing the road or speed signs. Tweezers were only mentioned once but could prove vital if a mid-race sliver unexpectedly cripples a runner. Findings: Birdmachine Chicago is very prepared. 

Team Talent
All twelve runners and four crew were asked to share their relay superpower. This elaborate graph shows this team has all of the ingredients for a sweet, sweet recipe of winning. 12/12 fasties, 4/4 organized crew. Bonuses included a comedian, a DJ, a photographer, a mother to an infant (read: performs great under pressure without sleep) and a master of Ragnar Relays. Findings: Birdmachine Chicago is a well-rounded elite Ragnar team.

I'm done dropping #BirdmachineCHI knowledge for now, but there will be more to come this Friday and Saturday! Follow our Oiselle Podium Project twitter and #BirdmachineCHi for race day updates.

All the legs who have come before us - have led the way.

Oh what a journey it's been.

In 1835, "gymnastics trousers"

Women's pants started emerging, but they were often worn under heavy skirts and other layers.

We'd say these are the "OG poofy shorts", worn by Fanny Blankers-Koen who won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics in London. With a nickname like "The Flying Housewife" - did she also have to carry a frying pan?

In the 1960's, shorts or briefs became more form fitting - and fabrics began to improve, though most were still made from cottons or canvas. Bare shoulders also became more acceptable.

Wilma Rudolph, the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics, competing in high waisted short shorts, signature to the 1960’s.

Mary Rand, the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field, Tokyo Games in 1964. 

In 1980, Marita Koch of East Germany, carries the baton. Synthetic materials, including polyester, came to rise in '80's - both on the track and in other exercises, such as aerobics and jazzercise

In 1984, the U.S. Olympic uniforms were made by the Italian company, Kappa. It's what Joan Benoit was wearing when she won that incredible first women's marathon in Los Angeles.

Today: Long shorts, short shorts, mid-shorts. Capris, long tights, loose pants, competition briefs. The options are infinite, as are the preferences.

What empowers you? Discover it. Wear it. Your legs know the way...

Since I have completed a single Ragnar - I pretty much know all there is to know about how to run and win a Ragnar. I am a professional Ragnar racer (team #BirdMachineCC represent), so take it from me. I even simplified it into 10 easy steps!

1. Build a badass team. Team captain/our fearless leader/fastie Nicole Freeman brought together quite the gaggle of speedsters + skilled crew members. 

2. Have a profesional calligrapher on the team. You may think this step is not neccesary. But, think again. It's all about the team van aesthetic. Bow down to queen Julia Bez. 

3. This one is super important: keep your van clean + organized AT ALL TIMES (examples below). Cannot emphasize this one enough.

4. No need to practice handoffs. It'll just make things complicated. Follow your intuition.

5. Fan girl the sh!t out of the woman who just finished her leg. Keep the hype train choo-choo'ing. 

6. Be Brave. Get Ugly. Like... really ugly. Tired, hangry, van stench, no showers, yesterday's mascara type of ugly. 

7. Be seen. Stay safe. Create jealousy amongst the other teams with your Lightning Layers. O reflective styles > everything else. #facts #notsorry

8. Wear Snap and Spandos to intimidate the competition. Can't explain this one... but 60% of the time, it works every time. 

9. TRY and run it in with your captain who just slayed an 8mi leg in 6:45 pace.

10. Celebrate your collective #womanup-ness. 

Boom. That's how you win. You're welcome. 

Signing off, 

#BirdMachineCC Member 

#PodiumProject is in full swing. 1 down, 5 to go! Follow along on twitter @oiselle_podium for all the fun! 

Last year, in the spirit of celebrating women’s achievement in sport, we published the 4:30 Poster: a list of all the U.S. women who had broken the incredible barrier of a sub 4:30 mile. We plan to update and re-publish that list every year in the fall. 

While we love the mile, we also look to the marathon. And with all due respect to Breaking2 and the energy around the possibility of a male runner breaking the 2:00 barrier for 26.2, we asked: what is the benchmark we can call out for women? What is a finish time considered exceptional for women in terms of performance and speed?

We present you with the new 2:30 marathon poster, including all the U.S. women who have broken the mark - including our very own Kara Goucher and Allie Kieffer. To them, and to every woman who takes on the marathon - at any pace or finish time - we salute you. And we salute the tradition of tradition.

Our limited edition 2:30 poster ships free with all web orders starting today! While supplies last.

Don't forget to check back! We will continue to update. 

The baby's rolls and dimples smile
Upon her juicy thighs.
Will she know their power
As the culture tells her lies?
Will she pinch them in the mirror
And wish a different size?
The strength of their squeeze,
The knobs of the knees,
The kicking them any which way that they please.
She's got legs.
She knows how to use them.

She takes them to the mountains
Feels the call of open spaces.
Will she let them carry her
To unexpected places?
Will she learn to love them
For their movement and their stasis?
The freckles and scars,
The prickles of hair,
The heat generated from slicing through air.
She's got legs.
She knows how to use them.

Will she strut up to the line,
And stand with her feet planted?
Will she jiggle them to feel alive,
Not taking them for granted?
Will she trust their trained resolve
Will rise to what's demanded?
The curve of the thigh,
The edge of the shin,
The strength and the softness
That shivers the skin.
She's got legs.
She knows how to use them.

Join us this week in celebrating the strength, beauty, and power of legs - and the places they take us. Please share your own #OdeToLegs (six words, six sentences or lines - it’s up to you!) this week on any and all social media platforms, and we’ll be reading and sharing along.

We were born to run.

We grow up free and barefoot and wild, with tangled hair and scraped knees - never asking for permission to move our bodies.

As we get older, what happens?

We start to get a different message. Namely, that in the school of life, exercise is an elective. The side gig. The take it or leave it… as in, maybe you’ll grow up and prefer art history instead.

BY: REBECCA MEHRA

Rabbiting at Payton Jordan last Thursday in one word… ouch!

To back up just a little bit, before the race I had run on the ground (for the first time in over 2 months) exactly 5 weeks and 1 day prior. Before I was set to race in Edinburgh, Scotland for team USA (woo!) back in January, I got an MRI on my shin, which had been acting up for nearly a month after I raced at USA Club Cross Country Nationals in Kentucky. Through the month of limping through runs and workouts, I knew something was wrong, but being the stubborn runner I am, I refused to believe it was anything worse than a perpetually tight calf. I opened my MRI results while sitting alone in my car, and stared blankly at the words “Grade 4 stress injury of the mid right tibia.” Upon scanning the page a second time, I realized this was written for my “distal right tibia” as well. I had two high grade stress fractures. I had been down this road many times before, but the immediate heart throbbing and gut wrenching feeling still overcame me once again.

I spent the next two months making big changes. I moved to Portland. I joined a new club team. I cross trained 90 minutes per day. I went to dozens of PT appointments hoping for the day my PT would clear me to run. It took exactly 60 days for the words “ok, you can try a 20 minute run today, but it needs to be EASY.” I obliged and was absolutely elated. FINALLY!

Though I was so excited to be back doing what I love, I think the hardest part of coming back from injury is not letting yourself do too much too quickly- aka being extremely patient. I so badly wanted to put my spikes on again and roll at 1500m pace on the track. But it took another few weeks of running before I finally got to touch that. My first sub-70 second 400m I ran at practice was exactly one week before Payton Jordan, and in my 3^rd “real” workout back. I remember thinking to myself “How the heck am I supposed to run 1000m at 66 seconds per lap when I felt like THAT for just a lap?”

For some context, a “rabbit” is sometimes contracted to pace elite level distance track races to keep the rest of the field on a certain pace. My job was to pace Heat 1 of the Payton Jordan women’s 1500m at 66 seconds per lap, for 2.5 laps, or 1000 meters.

Fast forward, and I am on the starting line at Payton, full of jitters and doubt in my ability to perform. Just a few minutes prior, I donned my spikes for the first time since January. Stanford is my alma mater, and stepping onto Cobb Track and Angel Field felt like fleeting comfort. To add to that, I was pacing 3 former teammates, and gosh I wanted to do a good job for them, but also had no idea where my physical limitations would be in pacing this race. They were depending on me, and I really dreaded messing up the pacing.

The gun went off, and I turned off my doubtful thinking as much as I could. I wore a watch, which I never normally do in races, but I did because I wanted to be able to check my pace every 200m, in case there wasn’t a clock I could reference on the track. I ran through the first 400m well ahead of the field, thinking to myself, wow, I must be fast if I am so far in front! Nope, it was 66.2, exactly on pace, and no one was running with me. At 600m into my 1000m of pacing, it hit me. My legs started to yell at me, and the negative thoughts seeped in as I tried to remain calm. My 2:45 1000m pacing job was actually going to be an all-out race. As I approached 800m (2:13) I knew my pain face was creeping up on me. Indeed, a photo later proved I was correct! At that point I was sprinting to stay out in front and on pace. I made it through 900m, only to be finally passed by the field. I jogged it in through the last 50m and watched the field blow by me. I was done! What a relief.

Some final rabbiting reflections… pacing when you are not in racing shape is ROUGH both physically and mentally, but so fun at the same time. I really did miss that leg-burning feeling you only get when you run races. I also totally felt the pressure of wanting to do a good job (even more so than a race), but also not being certain if I could even run the necessary pace for the field. And finally, I am proud that I threw myself back in the ring. It can be really intimidating spending months on a bike or in the pool while you see friends, teammates and competitors posting on social media about PR’s and winning races.

But at Payton Jordan I ripped off the proverbial band-aid and went for it! Last week was good practice of shutting out the negative self-talk and nerves, and running at 1500m race pace. For better or for worse, I expect with my minimal training this track season may be trying, but I am ready to be brave and go for it.

Despite the “ouch” feeling, rabbiting the 1500m at Payton was a big first step!

We are so thrilled for Becki and her FOURTH Marathon Olympic Trials qualifier, and honored that Becki will be representing Oiselle for the third time at the Trials. We loved cheering for her in 2012 when Oiselle was just a newbie presence in the elite arena, and are excited that Becki will be one of our team mentors and role models for the rocking Oiselle crew in Atlanta in 2020. Becki is the definition of persistence, patience, team dedication, and positivity, as you will see below! We love you, Becki! 

Last fall, I set my sights on qualifying for my fourth Olympic Trials Marathon. Training was going well, and then, I was hurt. A stress reaction in my foot led me to write “How To Be A Comeback Queen”  back in October.   I chose to reassess my goals and make some changes. I used the elliptical through my injury and worked out a core/plyo routine to use through the spring. I set new goals! Instead of “break 2:45 and qualify to the trials” I decided to throw out the limits and see what I was capable of between then and April. What was the worst thing that could happen? Would I end up injured? With a fresh sense of what I was trying to accomplish, I found myself pushing to see what I could get from a workout instead of hoping the workout would give me what I needed. I started thinking of my ability as a limit I wanted to find, not one that had already been reached. I began to love running more and felt the passion I had missed.  Training was more fun than it had been in years, and so were races. I ran two solid races prior to Eugene, learned from them, and took those lessons with me. I honed my race week nutrition to help my stomach better handle travel, racing and nerves, cutting out fiber, and doing a mindless activity like a puzzle proved to work well at in D.C. Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon where I ran 1:17:05. So I used the same tactics in Eugene. 

On the starting line of the Eugene Marathon I knew that in the past 16 weeks I had run 1381 miles, completed the fastest tempos, and some of my strongest speed work in nearly 10 years. I had done core/plyos at least 4 days a week. I felt ready to see what I could do. My goals were a new PR and an Olympic Trials “A” standard of under 2:37. The gun went off and I found myself at the front of the women’s race with one other woman. After the climb to mile 5 I knew 5:58’s was too fast on this day. I almost lost it, watching my goals slip made my heart race, and then just like I had rehearsed so many times in practice, I found myself choosing a different path. “New goal”, I told myself, “see what you are capable of...on this course...today”.  

Happy tears at mile 25.

I settled in right under 6:10 pace and worked with a guy (Colton) to get through some miles. Around mile 18 I had a cramp in my ribs and started to worry.  It was getting hard. I reminded myself “no regrets, stay in the mile you are running”.  At mile 20 I knew I had a decent cushion. I needed to stay calm to run a solid time and hit the qualifier. I saw my best friend for the fourth time at mile 25 and cue the happy tears! Talk about #getugly umm, yeah!  I told myself “6 more minutes of pain to be a four-time Oly Trials Qualifier”. After an eternity of wondering “where the expletive is Hayward Field” we popped off the bike path and could see Hayward Field. My teammates screaming for me, I felt overwhelmed with joy. I kicked as hard as I could for the half lap in Hayward, crossed the finish at 2:41:49, and threw up on the sacred track.

Throwing up followed by celebrating with teammates and friends.

I couldn’t believe it was done. I felt shock “did it really happen?”. Every time I qualified for the trials, it’s been a different experience. The first was absolutely thrilling, disbelief, and elation. The second I was sad; the race had blown up and I suffered and did not appreciate the accomplishment as I wish I had. The third was a near miss turned fairytale. The fourth, I decided I wouldn’t let pass me by, I soaked it in felt gratitude for a body that was healthy, a race that had gone well, and an team of people that poured love my way. I am thrilled to have the qualifying standard for Atlanta, and excited to see what I am capable of between now and February 29th, 2020.

BECKI SPELLMAN

The crop. It’s more than a sports bra. but more minimal than a tank top. It’s supportive. It’s versatile. It’s extremely fast and dangerous. It’s ready to fly. For many women, it’s their powersuit.

For us, its origin is in our elite kit. The style we designed to fly with the fastest birds. Lauren Fleshman. Kara Goucher. The Haute Volée. But what we know is that fierce isn't limited to fast. Fierce is a feeling. And the crop is the ideal style to help you channel your strongest, most badass self.

We needed a crop for all. And here it is. Made from our most premium poly-spandex knit from Italy. It’s got stretch and coverage, but also power. Women up to D and DD report feeling supported by the crop. The longer body length, plus the power stretch liner and the removable cups make this the all-in-one race top that’s ready to get going, and get strong - out on the roads, track, or trail.

Oiselle's crop has gone through a great evolution over the years, and we welcome the Blackbird to our crop family!