SWAGGER

THE BOSTON MARATHON THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

By: Kara Goucher

When I lined up to race the Boston Marathon in 2009, I had no idea how much one race could change my life. I had decided to run Boston after running my debut marathon in NYC in 2008.  I feel in love with the distance, the craft of training properly, the challenge and beauty of it all. I made a lot of mistakes in NY and I immediately started thinking about what if I took more time to prepare, really got to know a course, how would I do? 

TOGETHER - HOW BIRDSTRIKE BEAT THE SPEED PROJECT

By: Megan Murray

The 12 women, 6 racers and 6 crew, who became team #Birdstrike left a dent in the universe. Whether our mark was a now-open door for female teams to take on the unsanctioned 340 mile Speed Project, or an unbreakable bond connecting us all to each other and what happened that weekend in the desert. This recap may offer a glimpse of what we saw, felt, and made out there in those miles, but these are just a few pages from the book of that story.

By: Asia Dawn

My husband left me shortly after our wedding day. I didn’t see it coming. Shocked, I moved back in with my parents and quit my job. Now I’m living out of a backpack in Latin America and getting to know myself all over again. This new chapter of my life entails some serious soul-searching.

By: Christine Chung

While I am a proud feminist, a lawyer/law professor, and try to focus on all of the awesome things my (short, stocky) body has done for me (e.g., two kids), there was a moment when all I could hear was a voice saying "why on earth would she wear a print on THOSE thighs?!”

We are a brand who's passionate about the sport and committed to our community. We also make clothes for runners of all paces and places. Subscribe to stay connected to who we are, what we make, and the incredible things we do with our community.

The iconic Boston Marathon is next Monday, April 17th. And Heather and I get to watch and cheer in person for the first time ever! (Prepping for the cheering waterworks--I can't help it!) We are beyond pumped. Oiselle has over 150 Volée who will be out there racing their hearts out. Just a few of their amazing stories are below, and we’ll be sharing many more over the weekend on the socials. So much love for this team, and all of the fierce racers who've made it to the starting line. 

ERIKA BERRY

I qualified in 1999 for the year 2000 but a car ran me over while crossing the street so I never got My Boston (due to paralysis and years of recovery). I finally have my Boston 2017! My goal – high five every kid I can, smile at every picture and cry from pure joy when I finish. Thankful.

ALISON BRENNAN

I have had to be very careful in my prep for Boston due to an injury from my NYC training block. Taking up yoga has played a big role in my recovery and preparation for this race. Monday may not be a PR but I am glad that I will be able to step to the line! The picture I included was from the NYC Marathon this past fall. I was running with the NYPD running club since my dad is a retired cop and they were able to get me into the race. Since I couldn't wear my singlet I wore Oiselle spandex. While moving from the corrals to the line I got so excited to see a girl super close to me was a fellow bird! For some reason the first thing I could think of was pointing to the name on my pants. We quickly went from not knowing each other to joking about how our runner friendship started over me pointing to my pants. Can't wait to rock my singlet in Boston!  

ANICA WONG

This is my first Boston marathon and to say the stoke levels are high is an understatement. This training block has been incredible for a lot of reasons, but number one is because I trained with several #OiselleCO Volée gals who are also running Boston. The laughs, the pee breaks, the post long-run breakfasts, the feeling of running side-by-side with someone for 20 miles...I have a feeling I'm going to remember the months leading up to Boston (and the race itself) with fondness.

MICHELE KEANE

This will be my 16th official Boston, my 6th Boston in a row, and my 20th marathon. I’m hoping to re-qualify (actually hoping to secretly beat last year’s time of 3:56) and qualify so I can run 7 in a row. I’d love to keep that streak going until I turn 60! Boston is a very special marathon to me as it runs through my hometown of Natick, MA and alongside my Alma Mater, Wellesley College. There is no better race and I love to share/show off my roots with my friends in the running community from Georgia and Ohio. I’m running this year as part of my streak, as part pride for my hometown as I will always be "Forever Boston Strong"!

ALLIE BIGELOW

My prep for Boston has been unconventional to say the least. A year ago this week I completed my first 1 minute run after sustaining a major back injury and losing 100% of my fitness. Sixteen weeks ago I broke my toe. And 9 weeks ago my coach and I decided that accepting a fundraising bib through the nonprofit I work for would be a great way to trick me out of the (understandable) trepidations I've had about really reinvesting myself in running. All that said, my marathon prep has been surprisingly smooth, and it has been completely full of joy. My body has cooperated, my long runs have been mostly fun (thanks to the company of my Oiselle NC teammate Meredith Bazemore), and I'm coming out the other side feeling more like myself than I have in years. My goals for the race are as unconventional as my prep: logistically speaking, I have 5 fundraising athletes running, so I want to finish ahead of them so I can greet them at the finish line. But most of all, my goal is to cross the finish line healthy, whole, and overflowing with gratitude for this terrible/wonderful journey I've been on this year, and for the people who got me through it. Because really, who would have ever thought it could possibly turn out like this?

SHANNON OAKES

This will be my first Boston. Last year when I was turning 40 I set the big, scary goal to qualify for Boston. I didn't exactly have any blazing fast times to show that it was in the bag! And not just qualify, but make it in to run the race. It might've been safer to keep this to myself, but I told everyone my goal and achieved that mark (3:42) at the steamy Buffalo marathon. I've thought about running the race on marathon Monday every day since then. I logged my highest mileage month of my life this March during the cold winter stretch in Upstate New York. As so many women do, I wear a lot of hats: wife, mom, social worker, youth coach and finally "runner". I have two daughters, one an aspiring runner herself. Logging miles that aren't always easy, convenient or pretty is important to show them. And having a mom that can state out loud bold goals, with no guarantee of achieving, is also crucial to their development as young women. My 12-year-old wants a Boston jacket of her own, and I dream of the day that I can see that happen. My goal for Monday is to have race I'm proud of, no matter what the day may bring, and that my girls see a strong, happy, athlete mom in the process.

MIYA HIRABAYASHI

I've been injured since late last summer. Needless to say, approaching Boston injured and undertrained was not what I envisioned. But I'm really proud of the emotional and mental work I put in — this cycle was about letting go, finding ease within struggle, and cultivating gratitude. I won't PR and I won't run a pretty race, but I'm going to show up, toe the line, dig deep, and be okay with whatever happens.

ALICIA AMARO

When I BQ’d I hired a coach to help me put a plan together. I was doing so well with my training until shin splints turned into a grade 2 stress reaction. I haven’t run on the road in about a month, but have spent many hours running in the pool, spinning and strength training. With my doctor’s ok, my coach’s support and my number one sherpa waiting at the finish, I am going to go out for an easy 26.2 run and enjoy the journey. The time on the clock doesn’t matter because anytime I cross a finish line is a good day. Special shout out - you can do hard things.

MAELUEN GRUMAN

Boston 2017 will most likely be my 5th and final marathon. I hope to end with a goal time of 3:15!

Will you be in Boston? Come cheer with us! Follow @oiselle_team on twitter for live updates and find our Cowbell Corner at Mile 13!

xo

Lesko + Feather

It was my junior year of college at Syracuse. I had just finished 8th at an easy team opener meet at Colgate. 8th was not good enough. I should have been top 5.  

Coach Fox asked me to coffee. "Let's focus on one thing this year, and that is having fun...You won't have this forever."  

"What won't I have forever?" I asked him.  

"A team. College is your chance. So get out of your head, race for your team, and just try to have some fun doing it."  

I mused on that. I pulled my head out the clouds and showed up for my team. And it was a magical season for us. A scrappy group of 7 runners pulled it together, for each other, and finished 10th at NCAA Cross Country Championships. It wasn't first, it wasn't even a podium finish, but it was an accomplishment of a big goal that we set for ourselves. "TCB", we used to say. Take Care of Business. We took care of business that season and on that day. I'll never forget it.  

A year later, we graduated and went off on separate paths. Some continued to chase the dream (shout out to Lauren Penney, Katie Hursey, Sarah Pagano and Maegan Krifchin).

And others went off to pursue different paths off the track. 

It was a floppy time in life for me. I leaned on my team so hard all through high school and college, and now I felt this gaping hole in my life. Feeling angsty in my new coaching position at Georgetown University, I desperately wished that I could find a group of women in Washington, DC. Women who I could call my teammates. The transition from a college team to working with four men was challenging (to say the least). 

Then in the fall of 2014, I was hired to work at the Nest. As I packed up and got ready to move to Seattle, I was excited but terrified…. New place. New people. New job. New coast. Scary! Scary! Scary!  

I felt an immense amount of gratitude for the Oiselle women and Volée. A team again! But the move also stirred up a deep sense of regret. Why had I spent two years of my life without this? Why was this loving community so difficult to find when I was living in Washington, DC? Why couldn’t this feeling exist in all places?  

As we continued to grow the Volée, I watched our loving and supportive community come alive. New team members popped up across the country and in different parts of the world. Running in Oiselle and racing in the singlet. If the opportunity to join the Volée had existed when I was in DC, I would have joined in a heartbeat. I would have had a chance to meet people in a place that felt so lonely to me.  

I am proud to be a part of this community. And so proud to be able to extend the opportunity for others to join. Our collective voices and shared stories give one another strength to be brave. To take risks. To experiment. To step up to start lines everywhere, with our heads up and our wings out.  

It turns out that team doesn't end after high school or college. It's an opportunity that exists for all who seek a singlet and a sisterhood.  

Today we're honored to welcome new members to our team.  

xo 

The team is now open! Join the Volée!

Running’s past is filled with influential acts of defiance. And while many of us wish that the world of athletics was a brief respite from protest and posturing - the truth is - sport has always been a playing field for progress.

“Women aren’t allowed, and furthermore are not physiologically able,” was the race director’s direct answer to Bobbi Gibb's Boston Marathon application in 1966. Bobbi broke the rules as a bandit in the 1966 race, throwing down a spicy 3 hour, 21 minute marathon and starting a conversation about women’s right to sport. With Boston on the horizon, we can’t help but think about Bobbi.

Or the female steeplers in the 2008 olympics, finally able to see their stage.

Or Lauren Fleshman reclaiming her body, by reclaiming her body image.

Or Kelly Roberts' refusal of another’s definition of strong.

Or Kara standing up as a whistle-blower in the sport.

Or our CEO Sally’s unapologetic leadership and continued fight for the female athlete. 

Or Tommie and John, Cathy, Feyisa, and the countless others who have used the stage of sport to host a conversation about change.

Our Spring Collection - Destroy // Create - was born from this insight. That a deconstruction must precede a reconstruction of any significance. That our most radical acts of progress come from first, the choice to break, shake, or take apart. We see it in this season’s designs - from rule breaking styles like the Two-Timing Tank and long sleeve. We see it in rebel-inspired moto inspired looks like the Portman Pants. We see it in silhouettes and prints that channel the breaking act itself (meet the Smash Tank). Even in feminine skirts and dresses, now in technical fabrics, reclaimed by the fierce as a new style altogether. Rebellion is our tribute to running. Saluting both the tradition of the sport, and the power it has to transform our future. 

We rounded up some of our running rebels: The Famous Feather Stephens, Little Wing Rule-Breaker Jess Barnard, Fledgling Heroine Hannah Calvert, & Volée Member / Voice For Social Justice Morena Newton - to run rebellious in this spring’s most defiant designs. Outside the lines of the track or trail, with the streets as their playground, they talk about the intersection of running and rule-breaking - and explore how we change through sport.

JESS ON RUNNING (OR NOT RUNNING) LIKE A REBEL

I thought my rebelliousness was a new found identity. But thinking back, it's been me all along - especially in running and sport. In high school, I ran the ran the 4x400, 300m hurdles, did the long and triple jump because people said distance runners couldn’t do those events. I never ran with a watch. Sno-cones and pizza were my pre-race snacks. I was that annoying kid who never showed up to 7am practices all summer, but showed up in the fall ready to kick some ass and take some names. I became a steeplechaser in college because no one else was up for the challenge. My embracing of rebellion is tied to two things: my independence + my need to prove the nay-sayers wrong. 

HANNAH ON CHANGING THE GAME

“Don’t make the first move.” This isn’t just in the context of relationships. This is a rule that needs to be broken in many areas of life. In careers, in dreams, even in racing. If you see a first-mover advantage that you want, be bold and take action. 

MORENA ON WRITING YOUR OWN STYLE RULES

I dress myself according to a couple of rules, one of which is to approximate pajamas whenever possible while still looking academic chic. This means that I am very into wearing jeans that aren't stiff, slacks that sit low and and don't bind, flannels, cardigan sweaters. When I want to go my own way, I pull from either my collection of boots or my ugly shoe collection and work from there.

FEATHER ON THE DEFIANT ACT OF RUNNING FREE

I feel most rebellious any time I run unplugged. No music, no watch, no sort of measurement of pace, distance, or time. It's the freest form of running for me.

MORENA ON CHANGING RUNNING'S NARRATIVE

Growing up running track and flirting with running in college produced a competitive streak that is difficult to quell. I'm not nearly as fast as I feel I should be and this is a difficult reality that makes it really tough for me to put in the effort to improve. I want to be faster and stronger right now. I want to run how I used to run. This is what I would change about running. There is certainly a place for the competition part of running but I wish that the running community, and specifically the media, could be different and possibly smarter about the consistent narratives. Perhaps instead of articles about how to get faster, magazines could write about how to have more fun, how to make more running friends, and how to brunch the best after running.

JESS ON RULE-BREAKERS UNITING

Rebelliousness loves company? Is that how I ended up here at Oiselle? If breaking rules means fighting for change, celebrating women, speaking out... then where's the rulebook? It's our new to-do list. 

HANNAH ON HER FAVORITE REBEL RUN

Crystal Mountain Ski Resort is right in the backyard of my hometown, and sometimes in the summer I will go there to run the same routes I ski. Running up those hills destroys me, plus it feels a little rebellious to run up hills people usually prefer to rip down.

MORENA ON RUNNING LIKE A REBEL

I spent part of my sophomore year in Manhattan. I will always remember my first run in Central Park. It felt risky and rebellious. But the sights, the smells, the people! I remember running back down the perimeter of the park and gawking at the buildings on the upper east side, running to the northern border and into Harlem, striding past the Museum of Natural History and the Julliard/NYC Ballet/Metropolitan Opera campus. I remember having a difficult time sleeping, and running from mid-town to Times Square sometimes well after midnight. There were so many things to notice while I traveled on my own feet. This habit has become my preferred way to explore new places, which is where I find the rebellion in it.

FEATHER ON LIVING LIKE A RULE BREAKER 

I believe strongly in exercising the right to question any and all things. Growing up, I learned in school that rules were rules. You either followed along or you were punished. It's a pretty narrow scope for developing any sort of meaningful understanding of the world. Who defines what is right and wrong? Whose ideals are being represented? I like to enter any situation with an open and inquisitive mind. Sure there are important rules that exist, but I'd say it's most important to fully grasp their value and the effect that these rules have on the forward progress our big and beautiful collective world. 

Running has always been a venue that provokes “how would you change the run? your life? the world? Why?”.

Keep running. Keep asking. Keep changing. The rules were made to be broken. Let’s re-write them, together.

* http://www.runnersworld.com/running-times-info/eleven-wretched-women

* https://www.outsideonline.com/1783996/myth-falling-uterus

* https://www.outsideonline.com/2156316/brief-history-running-protest

I was laying in bed, getting ready to hit the hay when I first saw the video of Sally speaking at this year’s Muse Conference. The second she said, “...clothing has the power to transform not only how we feel but what we do”, a memory I’d stashed deep, deep in my shame cave flashed through my brain.

I thought about long it took me to feel comfortable wearing running clothes. And the struggles I faced trying to go from capris to shorts or shirts to tank tops. But the specific memory that raced through my brain was the day before my first marathon, when I went to over twenty stores to try to find an outfit that made me look like I could run a marathon.

Back when I was getting started as a new runner, I had a really hard time mustering the courage to go into a store to try on running clothes. On the one hand, I didn’t want to invest in new running clothes because I didn’t think I’d stick with it long enough to make my investment worthwhile. So I wore cotton shirts and cotton leggings from Target for the first few weeks. But once I stopped giving up on running every other week and found myself running regularly, I decided that I needed to do something about my cotton induced chafing.

So I turned to the internet and discovered the complicated world of technical running clothing. I started Googling words like “sweat wicking” and “compression” and decided to play it safe and buy a few inexpensive “sweat wicking” technical shirts for less than $20 a pop, and two of the cheapest pairs of capris I could find.

I remember when they arrived, how excited I was to try on my fancy new running clothes. But the second I looked at my reflection, I felt defeated. I didn’t look like a runner. My capris accentuated my waistline and my shirt did everything but flatter my body. But faced with the choice between clothes I felt insecure in and post cotton chafed showers, I chose my new running clothes.

As I started training for my first marathon, I couldn’t help but feel envious of the clothes the other runners wore. The women I saw out running looked like they had just walked off a fitness shoot with their matching pants and shirts. I felt like I looked like an imposter. But I was too afraid to go into a store and face an employee who may or may not believe that I was a runner. It’s embarrassing to admit, but a fear of people not believing I ran kept me awake at night.

Hell bent on finding special running clothes that made me feel and look like a runner, I started ordering more options online.

But they’d come, I’d try them on, and I’d feel totally silly in bright colors or matching outfits. What looked cool and effortless on the women I saw running by me felt ridiculous on me. So I’d return it all, one shipment after another.  

That went on for four months until I found myself with no race day outfit the day before my first marathon. Sure, I could have easily have worn the same boring capris and shirt I’d been training in for months, but I’d worked so hard and I was so freaked out about surviving the marathon itself that just I really wanted to look like I was supposed to be there.

I remember the first store I went into, I walked around aimlessly looking at all the clothing, feeling overwhelmed, until an associate came up to me and asked me if I was looking for anything in particular. I took a breath, readied myself to say, “I’m running a marathon tomorrow and I need a race day outfit.” But what came out of my mouth was, “No, just looking.” And then I quickly turned around and left.

The next store I went into, I found some options, tried them on, and still didn’t feel like a I looked like I knew what I was doing. (Spoiler alert, I didn’t actually know what I was doing.) I spent the entire day driving around San Diego, wasting my time, trying on clothes, and trying to find something that made me feel like I could run my marathon.

Out of options and time, I decided on the loudest pair of green capris with a matching hat, a bright yellow technical shirt, and my trusty two sports bras that I layered on top of each other.

Looking back, I can’t help but smile thinking about how I spent so much time agonizing over a way to feel like I belonged. My problem was never that I didn’t look strong or beautiful in running clothes, it was that I didn’t feel like I deserved to be in them.

But there isn’t a magic fix for those of us who don’t feel like runners. It took me a long time to work through the mental and physical parts of myself that I feel insecure about. From showing my arms in a tank top, to running in a sports bra, and going from capris to shorts that force me to show my legs. It took years to develop the confidence that I have today.

One thing I wish would have known back in 2013, as I was agonizing over how to look like I was a runner was to just be patient. That the strength I was working really hard to acquire will speak for itself with time. It’s like Sally said, “clothing has the power to transform not only how we feel, but what we do.”

We are a brand who's passionate about the sport and committed to our community. We also make clothes for runners of all paces and places. Subscribe to stay connected to who we are, what we make, and the incredible things we do with our community.

Fashion. Feminism. Feeling. #mypowersuit

Via World Muse

We are a brand who's passionate about the sport and committed to our community. We also make clothes for runners of all paces and places. Subscribe to stay connected to who we are, what we make, and the incredible things we do with our community.

What do you wear when you warm up? How are you trying to feel? What’s your ideal emotion toe-ing the line? How does this affect what you wear? After the race - what do you throw on?  It's racing season! We hear from Haute Volée athlete Alex Wilson on how she puts on her powersuit. 

WARM UP – WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO GET IN THE ZONE?

When I'm warming up for a race I'm usually wavering the line of excitement and nerves and I feel like unique prints sort of embody that feeling. Spandos in particular help keep me in a positive mindset going into the race. Flyout Tank keeps me cool, dry, and looks seriously awesome paired with Spandos!  

STARTING LINE – HOW DO YOU WANT TO FEEL? WHAT DO YOU WEAR? WHY?

Confidence is definitely my ideal emotion when lining up for a race. It's easy to be confident when you’re at home thinking your way through a race, but when you’re standing on the line waiting for the gun to go off it can be a little more difficult and you have to make sure you're able to bring that high level of confidence. Making sure your outfit has you feeling like a badass can only help. Again, I can rely on Spandos to get the job done! Paired with the Plum Portman Shorts - I'm. Feeling. Confident. The waistband fits me just right and I love the side pintuck detailing. 

Photos by: Heather McWhirter

POST RACE GRAPHIC TEE OF CHOICE?

Comfort is the deciding factor in my post-race attire. That feeling post successful race is such a great feeling. After being full of nerves and excitement all day it's nice to just throw on some Lux Track Pants and Oiselle Logo Tee and enjoy being a track spectator for a few hours. 

JANA EFFERTZ, Minnesota 

“For me the singlet represents both connectivity and freedom. I am the mother of two very busy and determined young girls, a wife to my fabulous husband Joe and am a full-time attorney. It’s a lot of roles to juggle and I feel the weight of it some days. On tough days I like put on the singlet for my runs. For me the singlet also represents freedom – the kind of physical and mental freedom only running can give me. When running I don’t have to juggle any of life’s chosen roles, I just run. I only have to focus only on me, my effort. It’s a welcomed break from chaos of life. The singlet is a powersuit."

So… that escalated quickly. We sold out of the Oiselle X HOKA Clayton 2’s! But, as you know, birds of a feather fly together and many of our wonderful run friends around the country are selling the Oiselle X HOKA Clayton. Try any of these retailers, or hokaoneone.com, to try to snag a pair before they’re gone!

Charlotte – Ultra Running Company

Essex Junction – Fleet Feet Sports Burlington

Tacoma – Fleet Feet Sports

Chicago – Fleet Feet Chicago

Glen Mills – Philadelphia Runner

East Syracuse – Fleet Feet Syracuse

Healdsburg – Healdsburg Running Company

Sacramento – Fleet Feet Sacramento

San Luis Obispo – Running Warehouse

Mill Valley – San Francisco Running Company

Cleveland – Fleet Feet Cleveland

Portland – Fleet Feet Sports

Bend – Foot Zone (say hi to Collier for me!)

Anchorage – Skinny Raven

Nashville – Nashville Running Company

Oklahoma City – Red Coyote

Park City – Park City Running Company

Southern Pines – Run In Our Tribe

Happy flying!