While our minds can get stuck in a routine, our body can as well. As runners we are forward motion focused and it takes a conscious effort to get out of that constant plane. That's why we decided to take our next series in "Runners Try" to the rock wall. Come along as we go upwards, sideways, slant-wards and back down to the mat while we attempt: rock climbing.

LOGISTICS

• Climbing gym
• Liability waiver - find this online at the gym's website
• Rock climbing shoes - provided upon arrival 
• Tutorial video 
• Chalk - optional, but all the cool kids are doing it 

WHAT TO WEAR

• Form fitted shorts or knickers (we went with Vela Shorts and Jogging Knickers) 
• Form fitted top (shimmels work great)
• Sports bra (OP Bra under the O Snap Tank was a gem)
• Socks - optional 

CHALLENGES

• Time required - it takes 3 to 4 hours to get belay certified 
• Moving on the same color climbing holds 
• Footwork
• Finding wall space where others aren't climbing 
• Patience 

BENEFITS

• Bicep workout 
• Builds endurance 
• Boosts brain functions by tapping into problem solving skills
• Flexibility 
• Body awareness 

Don't be afraid to get creative...just make sure you're close to the ground! 

NUMBER OF TIMES WE FELL

• Once! Don't worry, the mat below will break your fall. 

Do you have climbing tips for us? Get out there and give it your best shot. We want to hear your advice on twitter with #runnerstry.

The long and the short of it... our collection of seamless shorts is expanding. It started with the Flyte Short a couple years ago, a basic that became a favorite in part because of its simplicity. Just-right compression/spandex, combined with a wide waistband and beaded seam lines. For the booty short lovers - it was a go-to for any distance, with very little slippage or chafe.

Fall 2015: Kula Shorts

With Fall 15, our season of "dangerous weather, dangerous women" we've infused the Flyte with some dark edge in the form of the Kula Shorts. We've given her some warrior paint, scratch marks... and thrown her out into the elements. In stormy Charcola and beautiful Burgen, the hues are both neutral and strong. The fabric composition and fit of the Kula are the same as the Flyte, with our signature poly/nylon/spandex blend, and an anti-odor treatment that's used in all our seamless.

Fall 2015: Vela Shorts

For the gal who loved our Long Flyte Shorts, we have a sister warrior: The Vela Shorts. Similar to the Kula, this new style brings edge with jacquard stitch lines that flatter the side of the leg, from waist to hem. The 4" inseam provides additional coverage, but the same no-slip fabric as the Long Flyte. Both Kula and Vela are designed to be worn as an outer layer, but their compression and fit make them ready to play base too.

Daniel Goetz is Littlewing's assistant coach and pacer extraordinaire! He has been working with (and entertaining) these ladies since January of 2015. Daniel was named "Dino" (dee-no) by Jude the Dude, and the nickname stuck. Dino is beloved for his even temperament, relaxed attitude, and Southern charm, which all hide a fierce love of running.

Why did you decide to move all the way across the country to work with Littlewing? 
The first thing that struck me about the opportunity was the adventure of it all. I love traveling, running (obviously), seeing new cities, meeting crazy types of people. The plan was to spend the month of January training in Albuquerque then head to Bend. I googled Bend and liked what I saw. Look up pictures of Bend and you'll understand.

The other thing that gave me reason to move from Tennessee was the opportunity to coach again and work with highly motivated people. I had taken a year off coaching to check out other professional opportunities. During that time I realized that my true passion was to coach. I was slowly starting to form that idea and halfheartedly search for opportunities when Littlewing reached out to me. To say that I am fortunate would be a far understatement. I get to live in a beautiful town with trails for days and work with women who motivate me daily! Yeah, it was an easy decision.

How would you describe your job to a lay-person?
The conversation that leads up to this point is usually pretty entertaining. Little bits of confused looks and further interrogation typically leads to, "So, you just run with women for a living?" At this point I'll probably give a more direct answer like: Workouts are hard enough to do without having to think of pacing and putting in the effort to hit those paces. I (hopefully) make it a little easier by hitting certain times. All the women have to do is follow me and they know they'll be on, which is harder than they make it look.

I also manage most of the weight room/strength we do. That can look like doing traditional gym sessions, working on coordination and balance, doing hurdle mobility and other mobility work, and practice running over hurdles.

What is the most memorable pacing workout or race you've ever done? 
I try not to get too amped up about any single workout. I'm always trying to look at how a workout fits in with training as a whole and the progress we've made over a few weeks or months. There have definitely been some workouts where I've said "Whoa!" to myself after we get done. But the most memorable workout was the very first workout I did with the team. It was nothing special. We did it a set of mile repeats--6 of them to be exact--with short rest. The pace was what the women would later on hit tempo's in. We did this workout at Bullhead Park right by the Albuquerque airport. What sticks out about the workout is the crazy amount of wind that was crushing us that day. I'm talking like torrential, tie-yourself-down type of wind. I felt like I was leaning over at a 45 degree angle when I was running into the wind. The conditions, magnified by it being my first workout with the team, just sticks out in my mind.

What is your least favorite part of your job?
I'm not gonna lie, there's not much I don't like about my job. Bend is a hidden gem of a training spot. The women work hard and are a blast to be around. But there was one thing that popped in my mind when I read this question: HAIR! I live with a couple of women on the team and I am constantly finding hair everywhere! It just clings to all my clothes. I can't get away from it. I actually kind of enjoy giving the women a hard time about it. But if hair is the one bad thing about my job, I think I've got it pretty good.

Name one thing about each of the ladies you work with that you think most of us don't know? (But don't get them mad at you!)
I think most people who know Christine know how good of a baker she is. At any time during the week, you can walk in to her house and smell some delicious treat in the oven. What she does best in my humble opinion is her gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Let me be clear, I'm very much PRO-gluten. I used to work in a bakery. I love gluten in all its forms. There is something about these cookies that will make you want to eat a whole plate of them. You'll be very fortunate (and subsequently addicted) if you ever get to try some.

Collier has this habit that when she hiccups, she lets out a high pitched 'Welp!' that can most accurately be likened to a laughing hyena. It comes at totally random times and with differing levels of intensities. But whenever I hear that distinct sound, I know Collier is around.

Lauren loves food! Especially cheese and pastries. You should see the way she devours an Ocean Roll or almond croissant from Sparrow Bakery here in Bend. I don't feel bad about sharing this because I'm on a similar level. My dad's a cook and I grew up trying everything twice! Whenever we travel we make it a point to see each city through our stomachs and seek out amazing restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream, etc. 

Mel is uber-competitive when it comes to games. We like to play a lot games, especially one in particular: Dutch Blitz. If you've never heard of it, do yourself a favor and buy it. You'll thank me later. I'm really competitive and the one person on the team who rivals that is Mel. It gets so intense when we play that we have a rule that whatever is said during a game is not to be taken personally. Some of the things she's said may make your mother blush.

What are you most looking forward to in the next training cycle?
After the team takes a short break at the end of the summer, we'll start our base work for next year's season. This is not as glamorous as traveling to cool locations to run fast in big meets, but a lot of what we do this Fall will set us up for a strong 2016. Collier refers to this as hiding out in the "training cave." A lot of the training will be going back to the fundamentals: lots of miles, longer workouts, a little speed here and there. I love this part of training because it I get to see how devoted the team is to achieving their goals. No one else is really paying attention during this time. As winter approaches there will be colder mornings, making it not as easy to get out the door. Races seem so far away. What I look forward to is the way each athlete approaches this part of training. If each athlete can not only get the training done, but do it with an intentional, process-oriented mindset, they'll be ready to go come track season when the weather's a little nicer and their goals are a little closer.

First, queue up Naughty by Nature “O.P.P.”… “You down with O.P.P? Yeah, you know me!” 

The OP Bra. A riff on “Oiselle Performance” – it’s made for good looks and long runs. Or maybe long talks and summer suns. And although the construction is a head turner, with a triple v-back-stitch-line pattern, its silhouette is what stands it apart. It has what’s known as a “halter neck” – although that term is more frequent among the blouse and necklace set. OP Bra calls bull on that. It puts the fight in fashion… with our signature Plya™ Compression fabric to start. But also with a secure, no slip chest band and removable bra cups, which take what could be a frilly style to the next level of performance and comfort. As with all our styles, it's ready to run! (For high impact, A/B cup, low impact C/D cup)

The O Snap Tank. Oh snap… we put the love of Lux, the fabric you know us for, and combined it with the OP Bra halter neck silhouette for a stand-tall pairing that gives you support while also giving wings to your lesser known chest plate…that rarely exposed area between the clavicle and boobs that usually gets covered by straps and fabric.

Boom. Two styles that change your look. Change the game. Ready to fly!

Fall marathons are close on the horizon and there's no better time to work yoga into your cross-training plan. The truth is, your hamstrings should be like rubber bands — not guitar strings. This 30-minute video features a functional sequence that will encourage your hammies to become more elastic so that you can maintain a more fluid stride and prevent injuries.

Check out more Jasyoga videos to optimize your running at jasyoga.pivotshare.com...

Last year at the US Championships in Sacramento, we began our journey with Division III superstar Christy Cazzola. Fresh off graduation and with a fire and passion for being the best that she could be, Christy joined our running community. Throughout this year Christy has learned about the challenges of being a professional runner. We are very proud of Christy and are so happy for her as she takes flight on a new path and adventure. Leaving Oiselle behind, she is joining the Atlanta Track Club in Georgia, to be coached by Amy and Andrew Begley. Christy Cazzola is a force to be reckoned with! We are confident that she will continue to improve and we are honored to have been a part of her story. Fly, @FiveKrayCazzola!

My experiences as an elite athlete / professional runner.

Spring of 2014 I came off of one of the most decorated Division III careers ever in the NCAA and earned Honda's Woman of the Year for Div III. I had a teaching license in the state of WI and was substitute teaching and coaching track and field at a local high school, enriching kids lives and learning about what it means to lead kids on their journeys into adulthood. My life was pretty amazing; I was also starting my master’s program in Educational Leadership, taking care of my two beautiful children and holding on by a thread to being the best wife I could possibly be (and let me tell you, my husband did the dishes a lot) ;).

2014 was my second year qualifying and competing at the USA national track and field meet. I was so looking forward to meeting and hopefully signing with Oiselle. Becoming a bird and sponsored athlete was the highest honor I could receive that year; I was thrilled when Oiselle stepped into my life. I know this doesn’t come to a surprise to hear from another one of their SPONSORED athletes that I/we love the company, but it’s not a gimmick. It is truly their service, commitments, and goals that drive all the women and bro birds involved in the company to be the best they can be at all times.

Oiselle told me early on, “You matter to us,” and “we are here to support you, just let us know what you need," "we want you to be successful.”

I didn’t know what I would need in the upcoming year. It ended up being a lot more than I expected. It seemed like everything I did and everything I dreamed of doing kept falling apart. Then Oiselle stepped in. I had a simple contract and they were not legally responsible for any of the things they did for me, but they did it because they care about me and my dreams and they want those dreams to come true.

I thought, "It’s my first year running as a professional runner, I am sponsored = everything is great." Except it wasn't. I didn’t have teammates I could talk to or rely on. That shared experience was gone. I was in graduate school. School was very different and much harder. It required more time for reading and writing. I was working 20 hours a week. I served on a curriculum committee for the college of education, helped the toy drive for family services, and yes I am a MOM, a WIFE.

In reality things really fell apart when I didn’t have that college coach to schedule my meets, get me into meets, arrange for all my travel up front, and bring me to all the meets. That list of extras pushed me over the top and stressed me to a point that made me realize, finally, yes finally, that I CAN’T DO IT ALL! Besides, of course, being in Wisconsin and training in below zero, and fighting off normal seasonal affective disorder because it’s freezing cold, I run alone, and drivers try to kill me on the roads. I knew I needed to make a change.

So the conversations started and I started reaching out. Like family does, Oiselle started helping me make connections. I started to talk to other running groups, ask other questions about coaches and other athletes. I started to see a new world that I never had considered. I never thought I would leave Wisconsin: my family is here, my friends are here, and I have never lived anywhere outside of the regional Fox Valley. The saddest part for me was that the groups I was talking to had other sponsorships that would require me to leave Oiselle: my family, my flock. I couldn’t imagine it and after all the company had done to support me, take care of me, and pick me up when I was down….I didn’t know if I could do it.

As spring arrived and I was struggling to come back from injury, I knew I would be at USA championships but I didn’t know how well I could do. This uncertainty and the lack of racing made it hard for me to perform. I went out and I thought I would just give it hell until the gas ran out. It was the best I could do with the shape I was in. I felt embarrassed and truly sad about that race. But it is only one race and under the circumstances I won't let it define me. I took control of the race and showed that sometimes you race just to show yourself you're brave enough to lead. I am brave enough to lead and when I am healthy I will be able to take that experience to the bank. I had the best time watching, cheering, and hanging with my Oiselle team at USA’s; you know they always throw the best parties every year! Meeting Sally was a heartfelt moment when I could express how much I look up to her and appreciate all that she has created for not just elite women athletes, but for all of us gals who just need a push in the right direction.

The Pittsburgh Liberty Mile will be my last race for Oiselle, but I know I will always be a part of this flock. With the help of the Leskos, I will be moving on to the Atlanta Track Club to work with Andrew and Amy Begley. It was a heartbreaking decision to leave my family and friends here in Wisconsin, and to leave the Oiselle name because to me it’s not just a brand, it’s an idea and a family. I will be sad not to wear it or tweet it, but no matter what I’ll always believe it!

Atlanta Track Club is a thriving organization with great leadership. It's is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With more than 22,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Atlanta 10 Miler and Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives (which I will be involved in), including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. Atlanta Track Club Elite (which I am joining) is comprised of the Club’s top athletes who train together and represent the Club at local, regional and national races. The team aims to help athletes realize their goals while promoting competitive distance running, track and field and the mission of Atlanta Track Club. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.

I’m excited to embark on a new adventure and become involved in all of the community action in Atlanta! I hope to keep in touch and follow all of our flyers throughout their running and life journeys. To all of us dreamers: Go Fast, Take Chances, something I wouldn’t have learned without this amazing family. Thank you Oiselle family, you know who you are!

Christy Cazzola 

Shante Little joined our Oiselle run family this spring and since then has made huge strides in her training and racing. Having dual citizenship in the US and the UK, Shante entered the post season of outdoor track as the number three best 400m Hurdler in the UK. She traveled to Birmingham to compete in the British Outdoor Track and Field Championship. From Shante's reflection on the weekend, you will learn something that we already know about this wonderful woman: she is brave, courageous and driven to be the best that she can be.

Just like that, my first post-collegiate track & field season has come to a close! On July 4th, I competed at my first senior national championship in Birmingham, England. If we're being perfectly honest, I can't tell you what I expected heading into the heats on that Saturday. I hadn't had a full week of training in over a month because of a back injury that just wasn't going away. I was scared shitless. I felt unprepared. It felt like every single thing that could go wrong leading up to that weekend did.

But if there's one thing that I believe in, wholeheartedly, it's in being brave...and I was really freaking brave. I had every reason not to run. However, I made a deal with myself before I drove up to Birmingham with my aunt and uncle that I would take the risk and put it all out there. After all, I committed to this a long time ago and there was no way I was just going to lie down and die (for lack of a better phrase).

To make a long story short, I ran the second-slowest time I've ever run in the 400m hurdles that day. I somehow managed to qualify for the next day's finals but unfortunately, I would not be compete in them. My back wasn't holding up and I had to make the decision to put the whole of my 2016 season ahead of one race, on one day. Track & field is filled with sacrifice, but I've learned that you cannot sacrifice yourself. It's the first rule for being human. We only have one body, and it is ours for the duration of our lives.

Looking ahead, I'm excited to take on the world of professional track & field once again - this time armed with the lessons I've learned, slightly less chocolate (I ate my weight in Galaxy smooth milk chocolate bars while recovering post-race in the UK) and a new perspective.

Shante Little 

Olympian Sarah Attar joined us this past April. Since then, she's made a decision to take her training to the next level. With a big move to Mammoth, CA, she is now training with Coach Andrew Kastor and the Mammoth Track Club. It's not only an amazing running community, it's a runners paradise. Hear the latest from Sarah...

When you first enter the town of Mammoth Lakes, you are greeted with a “Welcome” sign that also includes one of John Muir’s most beloved quotes, “The Mountains are Calling…” I haven’t spent much time in the Eastern Sierras before, though after reading anything by John Muir, and admiring Ansel Adam’s photographs, it was easy to be infatuated with this area before even visiting. There’s a certain magic to these mountains and I’m grateful that I now get to fully experience this place.

My first experience of Mammoth was back in 2008 for high school cross-country camp. I had just joined the track team the season prior, and was officially planning to join the cross-country team in the fall of my upcoming junior year. It seems almost poetic that I am now back in Mammoth to train full time, where I initially got my first real taste of a running lifestyle.

Little did I know at the time that seven years later running would come to be such an important part of my life, and really the main focus, bringing me back to Mammoth to train. Even in the beginning of this year I didn’t know that this would be the path, but I am so thankful for opportunities that have come about, allowing me to pursue this passion.

In the beginning of this year I began to look at the possibility of making a move to train full time. While navigating the typical transitions and explorations after graduating in April 2014, this was a constant, making its way to the forefront of my thoughts and begging the question, “what if?” Of course, there were a lot of factors that would need to come together to make this a feasible option, but regardless, I began to pursue it. Initially I reached out to some friends in the running community, explaining my pursuit and goals, and asking for recommendations on coaches and training groups.

In steps Coach Andrew Kastor and the Mammoth Track Club. From my first conversation with Andrew I could tell that I wanted to pursue a training program with him. He was passionate and genuine, as well as someone who would be invested in the unique path that I seem to be on. In May, after a few more conversations, a visit to Mammoth was set up. Everything about it felt like the place for me to be right now. It all fell into place, a dream come true really.

The Mammoth Track Club is a very strong established running group that got its start back in 2001 with Coach Vigil and Coach Larsen as Team Running USA Californian. It then morphed into a track club with Terrance Mahon, and in 2012 Andrew and Deena Kastor took on the club. They are passionate about sharing their years of experience and knowledge of professional athletics, and I am so grateful that the opportunity arose for me to live and train under the guidance of such powerful and positive guiding figures.

Is it just a coincidence that I am taking on full time training about a year out from the 2016 Olympic games? No, but I have no answer as to whether I will be competing for Saudi Arabia again or not. As you may have read before it was a last minute decision to send Wojdan and myself in 2012, and I don’t know what the plan is for 2016. However, I do know that I am insanely passionate about this sport and I want to find out what I am capable of in the marathon. So that is what I am here to do. I have some big dreams, and I am controlling every variable that I can to make those a reality. If the opportunity comes up to represent Saudi Arabia that would be awesome, and I am doing what I can do be ready.

Next on my calendar is Chicago marathon in October, with a tune-up half marathon in August. This is the first time in the past four years and seven marathons worth of training that running is able to be my main focus, and also my first time training at altitude, besides that week in high school of course. I’ve just barely scratched the surface in my running, but I am excited to see where this path continues to take me, it’s already been pretty wild, and I feel like I’m just getting started.

Runners...there's a lot of good to be said about us. But a pitfall many of us share is getting stuck in a routine. Becoming a roborunner is a real present danger. All about adding up miles, whether you (or your body) is feeling it or not can lead to injury and burnout. For the next four weeks we're shaking up our routine in our series: Runners Try. We hope that by challenging ourselves to get out of our routine, and risk trying something new that we'll come out the other side more present, stronger and more focused. Perfect as fall marathon training really ramps up. 

This week we grabbed our SPF, suits and paddleboards to try Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga on the Puget Sound. Come along! 

LOGISTICS

• Paddleboard (borrow a friends or rent one)
• Paddle
• Life jacket
• Access to water
• SPF
• Sunshine

WHAT TO WEAR

• Swim Suit 
• Board Shorts - Lori Short or Pockito are perfect.
• Shades - leave the expensive ones at home!

CHALLENGES

• Need access to a board/water
• Weather dependent
• Stiff-runner-body = increased fall in risk

BENEFITS

• Killer core workout 
• Balance work increases coordination
• Major armworkout
• Boost of vitamin-D
• Sense of calm 

NUMBER OF TIMES WE FELL IN

• Three

Moves to try: Runner's Lunge, Downward Dog, and Warrior II (above). If headstands are in your repertoire, go for it.

Now it's your turn, good luck out there! Share your SUP Yoga adventures with us on Twitter or Instagram with tag #runnerstrySUP.

Walking away from USA's in Eugene all of us felt like the week was a success for our elites in different ways. Some women walked away not with the races that they wanted but with a clear vision of their future goals. Many of them walked away with a renewed fire for what is to come this next year leading into the Olympic Trails. Some felt that their overall goals were accomplished but that more was left in the tank for next year as well.

Highlights from the weekend included Shalaya Kipp finishing 6^th in the finals of the steeple in a time of 9:37:09; her best of the season which helped her qualify for Toronto Pan Games at the end of July. The week as whole ended on a pretty spectacular note with Kerri Gallagher finishing 3^rd in the 1500m finals. Despite finishing third she still needed the A standard in the 1500m in order to quality to race at the World Championship in August. Recovering from the week a small group of our elite women packed their bags again and headed to Europe to run some great races in Europe’s summer circuit.

First up, on Tuesday July 7^th Kerri Gallagher gathered her momentum from USA's to win the Lignano Meeting International 1500 meters in a time of 4:03:56. This race was not only a personal record by 5 seconds but it smashed the World Qualifying time as well! Booyah! She punched her ticket to Beijing in her first European race. This is not always the case when travel can affect your sleep and how fresh you feel on race day.

Next up, Lauren Wallace raced Tuesday as well in Cork, Ireland. She finished 2^nd in the 800 meters in a time of 2:04:02 behind road mile extraordinaire Heather Kampf.

Saturday both Kerri and Lauren travelled to Kortrjik, Belgium for the Flanders Cup Meeting International: Kerri in the 800meters and Lauren in the 1500m. Kerri walked away with another PR this time in the 800 meters with a time of 2:02.6. She finished 8^th in another stacked field. Determined to go under the 2:02 barrier Lauren Wallace raced this week as well in Luzern, Switzerland with a low 2:02 racing an aggressive race and taking several risks along the way.

So what’s next for our group on the European circuit?

FRIDAY, JULY 17
Diamond League Monaco - 1500m: Kerri Gallagher

SATURDAY,  JULY 18
Toronto Pan Am Games – Marathon: Catherine Watkins

FRIDAY, JULY 24
Morton Games in Dublin, Ireland - 800m: Lauren Wallace

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 24 & 25:
Toronto Pan Am Games – 1500m: Kerri Gallagher

Follow along for race times, coverage and results at: @oiselle_team and @oiselle

We are opening a limited number of new team spots, one day only, on Friday, July 31st at 9am PST.

The backstory: Last year we introduced “The Flock” and were blown away by the interest. Thanks to all of you -- our community! We’ve met so many amazing women athletes from all over the world and received interest from many more. As of now, we have all 50 states represented, and some international team members. We feel we are just scratching the surface of what this community can be.

Beyond product or a singlet, the most powerful benefit we’ve heard that members love is that it’s helped them forge new connections. New long run groups. New running friends. New races, relays, and of course – post run celebrations. And for us, that’s the beauty, and the part that we want to keep fueling. Why? Because running is not just another way to stay healthy, but also a way of life - a way to feel more connected. Running is friendship with magic and meaning. With or without Oiselle, that will always be the case. But if our team can in any way help foster those friendships, we want to make it happen.

Fun meet-up photo from Laura and team in California.

As the team grows, one of our big goals is more unity. The best way to do that is to eliminate some of the levels of membership that have been created over the years and simplify under a single team name. We’ve decided that umbrella name/community will be our beloved “Volée”, which is simply French for “flock”. This means all previous Flock and Volée members will now be under one team name, Volée, and we will ALL be #oiselleteam.

Birds flying fast at the Eugene Marathon. Photo from Sarah.

Among our current Volée, some team members have told us they want to do more. Like last year, a group of them will be designated team leaders in different regions throughout the country. The leader of the leaders is our very own Heather Stephens (aka “Feather”)! Amazing runner, coach, Oiselle employee, and all around amazing person - I’m so happy to have her leading our Volée.

Tara Caudle ran a 40 second PR and finished 3rd at the RRCA National Championship Go Mile. Post race celebration with Haute Volee Teammate, Christy Cazzola. 

These team leaders will do more on a regional level. From organizing meet-ups to helping share info and events from us here at The Nest, team leaders will strengthen our bond. A huge thank you to these women who take the time out of their busy schedules to get more involved!

Left: Wendy Heatherington looking AWESOME at mile 18 of the LA Marathon. Right: Brandi Lemperes-Swortz earned a marathon PR and a BQ 3:41 at the Tunnel Lite marathon!

VOLÉE MEMBERSHIP
*How We Communicate & Connect
We currently use email, Facebook and Strava as our main platforms for communicating. However, most team members also connect through several other social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, etc. All of these tools are evolving, and we are too! We’re always looking for new ways to connect, share stories and keep up with each other - even when we might be separated by many miles.

Powerhouse of our emerging athletes, Haute Volée.

*Costs and Benefits

• Annual $100 Membership Dues
• Free Shipping on all orders (USA only)
• Oiselle Team racing singlet
• Oiselle Spike Bag
• $20 towards any one pair of running bottoms of your choice
• $25 towards the Emerging Athlete Fund (this fund contributes towards how we support our emerging elite athletes)
• Invites to team meet-ups and Oiselle events
• Exclusive offers throughout the year (you never know what you might get…! For example, this year we are mailing a copy of our newly printed team manifesto to all team members. Stay tuned for more to come!)

Next step, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to hear first when we will open on July 31st. I’m so excited for the new formation of Volée to take flight. Head Up, Wings Out!

From Lauren Fleshman...

As we lined up along the fence that separated the fans from the hammer throwers at the USA Championships, Sally weaved her way through our team’s cheer section to deliver something to me. A booklet. Seventeen beautifully designed pages, presenting seven important concepts: “Principles of Flight” that gave words to experiential truths that have presented themselves over the years; some learned from wins, other from losses, and a few I had barely begun to dig my toes into. Holding the final product in my hands made the ground feel as if it rose up to meet my feet in a way that made me smile from the inside out. It made me want to attack the world.

When I joined Oiselle in January of 2013, it was a very small, tight knit group, supported by an extended run family of early believers. The clothes, the people, the mission were all so incredibly strong that everywhere you looked were opportunities to grow and amazing people to bring in to the fold. And at the epicenter of every meeting I was a part of about the business’s wide-open future, there was a gravitational pull towards a few principles that added clarity to tough decisions and made hard work feel purposeful. It was the same type of gravitational pull that kept me in love with the sport of running.

As Oiselle began to really take off, our team began to grow, and we were presented with a challenge. How can we communicate what the heart of this team is to people we may never physically run side by side with? How can we be clear what we stand for? How can we extend that gravitational pull of passion and energy to our community who can’t step inside the office? How can you take all those abstract things and put them into something someone can hold in their hands?

So Sally got to work. It was a long project, with many iterations, combining language, art, design, and powerful moments of our team in action. The finished product affirms why I’m here, and I hope it makes you feel, as strongly as I do, that we are worthy of the dreams we chase, and that the gravitational pull to woman-up for ourselves, and one another, is something worth navigating towards.

From Sally Bergesen...

Today, as we open Oiselle's first store, I feel a connection with you all stronger than ever. Thank you Fleshman for helping me articulate the ideas behind the piece better than I can, in this day, this moment. And thank you to The Nest and all of you for inspiring every word -- and every footstep.

As I tweeted out recently, we're mailing a copy to ALL team members. It's quite a few people, so please bear with us as Christine Babcock and I get them out via good old fashioned snail mail. 

As celebration of all that's led us here, and all that's ahead...just a heads up that we plan to open new team spots/memberships on July 31st (more info on the blog soon). For those of you who've wanted to join, thank you for your patience...we want to fly with you! 

Lastly, if you're in the Seattle area stop by the Oiselle Store today, 7/9 (University Village across from Ravenna Gardens). Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman will be signing Manifestos from 4:30-5:30pm!

Much love and respect,