Winter is here. In the Pacific Northwest that means everything from rain, to snow, to morning thunderstorms(?). And most everywhere it means the days are short and the temperatures are dropping. Add holiday parties, gift shopping and work to this mix, and it can be hard to lace up those running shoes.

I asked our tweeps what got them out the door during these dark, cold (and busy) days. They find motivation in getting to eat dessert guilt-free,  picturing a vacation where they want to be fit, signing up for a race in the spring to give themselves a reason to train, and rewarding themselves with relaxing in warmth afterwards. I pull motivation from all of these! Mmmm and egg nog lattes....and imagining who might be out there pounding the pavement.

But what I find more challenging this time of year is finding the time. I can let days go by with excuses of I need to eat dinner, I am meeting friends, it's too late, it won't be worth it if I can only go for 20 minutes, yada yada. I am breaking the cycle this week by going back to my tried and true method to getting my runs in: planning. I find motivation plus a solid plan eliminates excuses.

This Sunday I planned my week, which days I needed to work early, which nights I have plans with friends, which nights I might have plans, whatever. I make a goal of mileage for the week, and threw in a strength training day. Then I mapped it out and wrote it down. Some days I had to wake up and get my workout in before work, others I could do it after work. After work run days I need an extra afternoon snack, so I don't foil my plan by hitting my front door starving. Of course I have to break the plan sometimes, but I try not to beat myself up too much. Even if I can get 20 minutes in it's better than nothing. I know it's elementary but a week with a written plan gets me out the door. As opposed to a plan floating around in my head.

The holidays is all about maintaining fitness for me, plus winter is a perfect time to rehab any nagging injuries or strength imbalances. But that's a blog for another day.

We're excited about the holidays over here at Oiselle. The snow is falling in Seattle, my Charlie Brown Christmas Pandora station is playing and it feels like the holidays are really here! Of course snow also means Seattle completely shut down for a day, but we're back.

So every good shopper knows this weekend is THE shopping weekend of the season. I'm not one for waking up early to shop. I'll wake up early to do most anything else, ski, run, get a root canal. Luckily Oiselle is online, so while we'll be offering some great perks you don't even have to change out of your PJs. Pull up your chair to the warm glow of the internet and check those fast ladies off your list.

FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $75. It will be automatically discounted during checkout.

FREE GIFT WRAP. We are primed and ready to get wrapping. Chic and simple brown paper with a satin orange ribbon. Also we have created one-of-a-kind stamped Oiselle cards to write your gift messages on!

FREE KIND BAR with every gift. So if you have 3 seperate gifts just let us know, we'll wrap it all seperate, and top each gift with a delicious KIND Bar.

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Stay warm, travel safe and good luck in your turket trot!

You may have seen the Oiselle running wedding dress in the pages of your October Runner’s World. Perhaps you’ve even seen the video of the running wedding dress going for a jog around Green Lake Seattle, just steps from the Oiselle office. And maybe you thought to yourself, "Cute, but would someone really get married in a marathon...and in a technical, wicking running wedding dress?" The answer is yes and yes. The Runaway Bride Dress will make its racing debut this Sunday in the New York City Marathon!

Less than two weeks ago we got a phone call from New York. Nina Parks had seen the Runaway Bride dress and wanted to wear it in the NYC marathon on November 7th. She and her husband, Mark, will be renewing their vows at mile 17. Now, this dress is one of a kind. Literally. We just have one right now. There was no time for adjustments or a fitting. Just enough time to send that beautiful running wedding gown off to the big apple to see if it was Nina Park’s Cinderella slipper. Luckily it was! It fit perfectly.

The Bride and Groom
Nina Parks and Mark Taylor were married ten years ago at the 17th mile of the New York CIty Marathon, in front of their Manhattan home and hundreds of marathon spectators. The ceremony was 15 minutes long. The bride wore white running tights and top with a train of tulle flowing from her waist and a veil. The groom wore black  running tights, white wicking shirt, a bow tie and what appears to be a white fanny pack.

The New York City Marathon was the perfect place to say their vows. It’s where they met just one year before while waiting for a race shuttle to take them to the starting line. Mark proposed in September of 2000. They planned their race day dream wedding in just two weeks!

Now, ten years later they will run the legendary New York City Marathon together to renew their vows. I’m sure Nina will look stunning in her Oiselle running wedding gown. Can’t wait to see the pictures!

There are so many stories that make up a marathon, of hard work, beating the odds, triumph, heartbreak and now, true love. Congratulations on ten years together, Nina and Mark! And here’s to the miles to come!

See more pictures of Nina and Mark's New York City Marathon wedding at our Facebook page and on Flickr.

I will admit it, I love good food. I also love running. Running aids my obsession with food and vice versa. I think of food in many of the same ways I think of running: 1) fun, 2) essential, 3) elemental, and 4) delicious. It is no irony that this spells FEED.

FUN because that is what eating and running are to me. The endless combinations, the guilt-free pleasure I take in it, and the friends and family I share great food and running with. ESSENTIAL in that I can see the big picture-which reveals that food is essential fuel for my mind and body, much like running is essential medication for the two. ELEMENTAL because what is more primitive, basic, or simple as the two? The simple ability to create a dazzling, mouth-watering dish out of basic ingredients or the primitive urge to run-not always away from something but also to smooth the troubled waters we often find in our minds.  Finally, DELICIOUS, as in the roasted red pepper soup and elk steak, avocado and spinach salad I had for dinner. And delicious in the sense of calm and self-confidence that is inevitably found on the run-with the rhythm of your every breath and the response of your muscles, unconsciously answering the request to move in sync. For me, running spells feed. It feeds my mind. It feeds my soul. It feeds my body.

What does running spell for you?

- Andrija Barker