Guest Blog Post by 
Audra Smith, Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Washington for Track and Field and Cross Country

USA Weightlifting certified and Master's degree in Health Education. Audra is in her third year at UW where she oversees all of the strength training for track and field and XC. A former heptathlete at Idaho State University. She lives in Laurelhurst and is currently training for her third marathon.

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You all have been there, during your run, feeling tightness in you quads, knees, glutes, hamstrings, even IT bands (iliotibial band). The feeling is quite uncomfortable but you push on because you are ten minutes in the run and you hope it will “loosen up” as you continue to pound the pavement. My first thought when athletes come to me about tightness in their in those areas is, how is your strength training? Is your body strong enough to withstand the amount of force you put into the ground with each stride? I tell my athletes, “You can be a good distance runner by just running, but you can be a great distance runner by running and incorporating strength training in your weekly regiment.” When developing strength training programs for the runner I use the K.I.S.S. acronym; keep it simple sista! That means, in the beginning of training, body weight is your dumbbell. In strength training, technique and form is crucial for success.

If I had to recommend one exercise, I believe the best prescription to benefit a runner is the goblet squat. Studies have shown a direct correlation with squats and competitive runners. Squats are one of the best whole body exercises that any athlete can do but for a runner it provides benefits that mileage cannot. Squats aid in injury prevention, core stability, full range of motion, flexibility and efficiency. Really? All of those benefits in just one exercise? Yes, and if you call and order now you can get a set of lunges included in the package for free. The next step is when, where, how, and how many. This goes back to keeping it simple;

when: after your run,

where: any old place that is flat.

how: set your feet a little past shoulder width, toes pointed slightly outward, take your hands and pretend you are carrying a large bag from the bottom. As you squat, let your hands and forearms glide along the inside of your legs until your elbows get to your knees, use your elbows to push your knees out allowing your entire foot to stay flat on the ground. When at the bottom while keeping your chest up and back as vertical as possible push at the same time through both heels and stand up. 

how many: the best place to start is counting the overall number of squats. Beginners 15 total, more advanced, 25.  However keep in mind to do this in sets, 3 sets of 5 is a great place to start, eventually 5 sets of 5. Again counting the total number (3x5=15). The goblet squat is a variation of a squat that allows you to easily get into a more efficient squatting position without having a trainer at arms length. I would recommend doing just using your body weight and let gravity take care of the rest.

So now that we've all shared why we run, we'd love to hear why you do. Maybe it's something you've already asked yourself, maybe you haven't, but whether you have a day, a run, or 3 minutes to ask and attempt to answer the BIG question, we'd love to see/hear why.

We'll add any photos to the #runlove album and everyone who takes on the challenge will be entered to win the new Big Run Tee (3 winners chosen on Monday 5/21)
Where to share
Twitter - @oiselle with #runlove
Facebook - On the Oiselle profile page
In the comments here, don't worry if it doesn't show up right away. It has to be approved first.

Sorry I can't get you out of work to answer the question but who knows this could get your wheels turning for the big Totally Trials contest!

Happy Weekend!

Seattle is a sun-starved, weather bruised community. We wait all year for that glowing orb to appear, to shed light on mountains we only get to see three times. This is only a slight exaggeration. So on Friday, May 4th, we were all drooling over the forecast. The weekend was in the 60s and Monday... 70s! We all joked that we should take a sun-day (like a snow day). And then on Sunday (the real day) came the message from Sally to Kristin, Jacquelyn and me: stay out of Oiselle HQ, BUT use the day to explore what running means to us and what Oiselle stands for in our words/eyes. She posed it as two questions:

1. Why do you Run? (visuals)

2. What three words describe Oiselle? (visuals)

We labeled the day Monday Madness and all set off on our own to do a little soul searching about this sport we love. Here is what we found.

(click each name or photo to read/see that person's thoughts on the subjects)

Kristin Metcalf

Kristin is the Oiselle Team manager. She is made for this role, so organized and focused on each gals races. You could ask any given day, who's racing this weekend and boom! she'd know. She'd also know their race goals and previous PRs. She knows because she's so excited for every member of Oiselle's team and interested in their success, and because she can make one bada** hand-drawn chart. Seriously Kristin rocks.

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Sally Bergesen

Sally is our fearless leader, the founder of Oiselle, designer extraordinaire and one funny bird to boot. Always a new idea (hello, Rundies) and the most inspiring person I've worked with/for. I'm not just saying this because she can see over my shoulder right now...

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Jacquelyn Komen

JK is a University of Washington student working at Oiselle part time in social media. She is a spark! Full of enthusiasm, energy and ideas. Oiselle HQ is a lot of fun on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with JK in the office.

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Sarah MacKay (Mac)

Is me, I'm Mac, but lets embrace the third person. She is the marketing director at Oiselle, star of two vlog episodes, and a Oiselle runner.

So I have a thing for brands. I’m fascinated by them. What makes a good one? What makes them worthy and interesting? What sparks ardent love, both inside and outside a company? What makes a brand feel personal…like a friend or even a quirky family member, and not like a business, or god forbid, a corporation?

In my past life as a brand strategy consultant, those are the questions I was asked every day. And I was paid to answer them. I was paid to help companies achieve the holy grail of brand equity: an emotional bond with customers. For our clients, especially at the CEO level, this bond was discussed in dollar terms. Higher equity meant not only more market share, but also customers who would pay more for their products (premium pricing) or stay true even in a down economy (hello 2001 and 2008).

But the money was never my fascination. For me, I loved brands that stood for something. That were about something more than a widget, an app, or a pair of shorts hanging on a rack. I respected brands that talked about big ideas. That acknowledged humanity. That had opinions, even if it meant pissing some people off. That had humor and humility.

And thus the genesis of the Oiselle brand. And the opportunity to take my own advice. One of the first exercises was creating a brand map that outlined who we are, what we do, who we cater to, and the benefits we offer. My favorite part of the map of course is the “emotional” section, in which we list words that describe the emotive connection with customers.

So…when we decided to do the #mondaymadness challenge a few weeks ago, I decided my exercise should be about revisiting the words that I used to describe the emotional benefit of Oiselle from when we started the company – and see if they still felt right.

So roughly four years ago, these are the words I used:

Empower, in that women feel their own confidence growing as they enjoy the sport. Delight, in the sense that we offer something new and refreshing to the staid running apparel market. And transform was about the transformative power of running that linked to my own experience of the sport changing my life.

But when I sat down last week and rethought them, this is what came out:

So what I found interesting about this exercise was that a) the words that feel more natural now are adjectives and not verbs, and b) the change in the words themselves and what they mean.

My take away is that four years ago, I felt a stronger urge to put something OUT into the market. It was about making sure people knew what we had to offer, thus the verbs. I was trying to identify and connect with an audience that didn’t yet know us.

Today, while “empower, delight, and transform” still feel good, I feel differently about where we are. Now that we have established a community, both tight knit (staff, ambassadors, elite team) and far-flung (Twitter, FB, media, and greater online world) I feel there is less of a distinction between the inside and the outside of our company. And so rather than gravitating toward words that describe what I want Oiselle to DO for you, I feel better about words that describe US. You, me, and the crazy running community/industry that we’re a part of. And while we are still a bit player on a very large stage, this feels right and powerful and just where we need to be.

As for the words themselves, a bit of context – since per usual, context is everything. BEAUTIFUL is a loaded word, but I am lacking a better one. When I use it, I mean the kind of awe-inspiring beauty that’s made visible when you watch a world class athlete do what they were born to do. The fluidity, strength, jaw-dropping beauty of pure athleticism. I feel this is the true meaning of beauty, and it’s a far cry from the kind of beauty sold to you in a fashion magazine. COMPETITIVE in that it’s at the core of what we do and care about. We run, we race, we train…and that comes with its own basket of goodies. It’s also quite different than a lot of women’s brands. Not better, just different. And finally, IRREVERANT. Not just because it makes our silly office escapades more legit, but because it’s about acknowledging that life is a big crazy, sometimes messed up, often joyful, bumpy journey that we are all on together. And when you’re in that journey, pack your humor sister friends, because we’s all gonna need it!

I still have a thing for brands. But another thing I’ve learned is that it’s really not about me. It’s not about what we think of us. But more about what YOU think of us. And that is why I am always, ALWAYS loving the conversation that we have with our peeps. Good, bad, or ugly, this as a collaboration. I’m grateful for your part in it. Onward!

Why do I run? I've been re-answering that question for the past 16 years. I had so many ideas for how to answer (at least a part of) this question...

But in the end, I focused on why I run right this minute. Which is how I'm learning to look at running. I have a narrow focus on it. I take it day by day and appreciate each run. I run because I can, and I run because in this grown up life it's the part of my day that lets me feel free, young, reckless, and strong, confident, untethered from the stress, exhaustion, insecurities that "adult me" deals with.

So I packed up my little CamelBak and set off for an adventure on my two feet. My recovering feet (only a week from the Eugene 1/2 PR). And I took everyone at their desks along thanks to the magical world of Twitter. #mondaymadness #runlove

All I need, Fa, a long, long way to run hooray!

Running off the 'island' of West Seattle ...

Author: JACQUELYN KOMEN

Why do I run?

Past

Identity. Everyone has a story. It tells your identity and how you came to be the person you are now. I ran because of the amazing people I was surrounded by. I ran because the passion they had for the sport was undeniably evident and I not only wanted to be around it, but I wanted to create. I created an identity for myself throughout high school as being a runner, and I’ve never looked back.

Present

Balance. Just thinking about running makes me smile. I run because running creates an indescribable balance and calmness in my life. I love to think of each run as a spontaneously unpredictable adventure where I am allowed to let out anger, completely relax, catch up with friends, experience new cities, and ultimately create at least one challenge for my day. Running gets easier, but it’s not easy. If I can lace up my shoes and get out the door, I have full confidence my day will be better than when I left.

Ultimately I run because it’s my way of life. It gives me a schedule, makes me productive, happy and comfortable with who I am. I run because it changes my day from feeling ordinary and potentially stressful, to feeling a sense of motivation that’s driven by accomplishment. I run because it is the one thing in my life that consistently encourages me to be a better person.

Future

Memories. Looking back so far through my 21 years of life, the relationships and memories that this sport has created for me are invaluable to the creation of my life story. While I don’t know where my life will take me, I do know the things I want to take with me throughout my life. My book, like everyone else’s, is still being written and I know it won’t stop until I stop running.

Author: KRISTIN METCALF

Monday Madness:

Today’s task for our staff was to reflect on the question of “Why we run?”…

This question for me took many places today.  For the first time in a long time Seattle had sunshine and not just five minutes worth but an entire day’s worth of 70+ weather!  It felt like the first time since last summer that my skin actually felt warm; where I didn’t have to wear a hoodie all day!  So of course I started my day with a run at Green Lake in the sun, to jump start my reflection.

I started running in high school around this lake, five blocks from where I live today.  This was new to me; an after school sport, because for the 6 years prior to high school I was figure skating every morning and some afternoons.  Figure skating was something that I loved for many years; I loved the artistry, the technique and skill, the dedication and commitment that it required and the pure love of the grace and the glide of the sport.  The part about the sport that I struggled with was the stress of competition, the scrutiny of the judges, and the pressure that all of that brought to me on competition day. 

So, by the time track and field entered my world, running was refreshing!  Yes, it also required hard work and dedication, something that I was already use to; something that was a part of my being!  However, with running all I needed was my shoes and the desire to put one foot in front of the other..It wasn’t about all the technical details of moves and scoring those moves, it was about who got to the line the fastest!  I felt freedom from running and I felt strong! 

This sense of accomplishment and satisfaction carried me through four years of track and one year of cross-country in high school and then on to collegiate running.  After competing in college for two years, I took a break from competition, but continued to run for fitness.  My senior year in college, my former high school coach and my former college coach both told me that I should coach on the high school level.

It was through coaching that I found a new love for running!  I had spent so much time and energy on my own development of my figure skating and my running for  13 years, that putting energy into other people’s goals and pursuits sparked a new passion for me; coaching.  I absolutely loved it.  I poured my heart and soul into every aspect of my coaching.  I lived and breathed my teams; I was invested in each of the girls’ happiness, in their well being, in their goals and in their development as runners.

My husband and I met originally on our college track team, but where we ended up falling in love began in the cross-country world years later.  I was coaching my high school team and he was coaching his college team.  Our paths connected as he was recruiting athletes in our state.. Our passions were similar; we both had a desire to work hard and dedicate ourselves to our teams  For fifteen years, coaching defined me and brought much joy to my life.  Watching athletes grow in the sport and grow in life was very rewarding.  The lessons that they learned from running also helped them be balanced and hard working young adults. 

When I had my daughter, MacKenzie I had to balance a whole new sets of priorities.  It wasn’t just coaching, and teaching, it was being a good mom also.  This was a challenge for me to have to step back from 110% coaching and find balance in my life.  After several years of balancing the three, I decided that it was time to be a mom full time.  MacKenzie was entering Kindergarten, and I was stepping away from high school coaching.  The first cross-country season that I wasn’t coaching felt like I was missing a part of myself.  I had to redefine my own running; I was running by myself and for myself again.  As many of us know the motivation is different when it is just you out there, making your schedule and holding only yourself accountable.

Two years later I was looking for something new, something to do while MacKenzie was at school; Something that connected me back to running but in a different way.  Living across Green Lake from Oiselle, Iwas intrigued with the success of their concept and their product.  So here I am a part of Oiselle; A company founded on the idea that running makes us stronger women and makes us better people because it challenges us and inspires us to push harder and to continue to learn about ourselves.

What does running mean to me and why do I do it?  Because I can, because my legs and body carry me to many different beautiful places daily.  Running makes me feel strong, it requires me to work hard if I want to improve, gives me a sense of freedom, clears my mind, and makes me a better person every time I lace up my shoes.  Being a part of Oiselle allows me to be a part of a group of women who strive daily to improve themselves through running.  Not only is our company offering women great apparel but Oiselle is offering a community of women who believe in the same idea; that running makes us better people.  When asked what words come to mind when I think of Oiselle, I think of:

Creativity, Commitment, Quality, Community, and a Kick Ass Time!  

Kristin aka oiselle_team

Meet Mac Mama

My mama ran all 9 months of her pregnancy. She tells one story that cracks me up. She was huge with mini mac, running down the sidewalk. A semi truck come up from behind and was like Toooot Tooot yeah then as they passed her looked back in shock that they’d just honked at a hugely pregnant lady.

I don’t really remember a time in life without running. As kids it wasn’t uncommon to pile into the minivan and play ‘guess how long the run was’ as they clocked it, or drop off Gatorade along the long run course.

My mom showed me that women could sweat and spit and kick some serious ass. That running is a place for guts and toughness. That competition is satisfying. Another favorite mama story is about the end of a race. A man was hell bent on not letting a woman beat him. He was grunting and killing himself to get across the line ahead of her, no other dude in sight. After they crossed the line she shoke his hand and said, “congratulations, you’re the first woman.”

She never pressured me to run, even watched as I tried to throw shot put in a one track meet. But when it turned out I was decent at the whole running thing she was there to encourage me.

In high school she was invited to coach the distance team and she did. I mean I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pushed. But I’m glad I was, it made me a tough nut accountable for my goals or… at least it gave me some solid ‘suffer stories’. Like the time I had to stay home from school because my face, neck and arms were blown up with poison ivy and she still had me do the hill workout on the schedule. If you haven’t sweat through intense poison ivy, you haven’t suffered for the sport.

When I tore my meniscus and needed a surgery to repair the damage she made me a mix tape with songs like that oh child (It’s gonna get easier) song. She knew how low I was. After a great track season and nabbing the school 2-mile record I ended up cheering for my team at the State cross country meet from crutches.

My mama still runs and is still a speedster, look for her name under the course records around Boston. I still turn to her for my track workouts and her training has lead me to some great PRs recently. She has a broken rib right now, so it’s my turn to make her a mixtape until she can be out running the road again

Contest

Tell us about your mom. How does your mama inspire you, your running? Or what do you hope to instill in your daughter(s).

We’ll pick one random mama/daughter team to win matching Oiselle tees (just like those matching jumpers in the ‘90s but WAY cooler).

Tell us about your mama on Facebook (in comments under contest), Twitter or right here in the comments.

Must enter by midnight PST, Sunday May 13.

So we all know Marathon can take your best laid plan, chew it up, and spit it out before running off into the sunset of your broken dreams. And in the five marathons I’ve run before Eugene, that’s happened to me twice before.

 And so I had a new plan. A plan so radical it involved crazy non-competitive adjectives like “fun,” “relaxed,” and even “enjoyable.” It also involved putting the word “bananas” on my race bib instead of my first name to A) remind me not to take myself too seriously, and B) hopefully hear the crowd yell, “Go bananas!” for 26.2 miles, which I thought would be very funny while also helping me reach my goal of 3:15. (Previous marathons: Seattle 3:37; Portland 3:02; NYC 3:05; Portland 2:59; Portland 2:59).

So the first sign that my plan would go awry was the bib number itself. My number, 440, was BIG. And the word bananas was small. And sure enough, for the first 22 miles, not a single soul uttered “Go bananas!” except perhaps...the banana. (Thank you Meghan. Seeing you equaled the highlight of my race.) But beyond that, just quiet, 3:15 pace group crickets. But no biggie.

The 7:25-ish miles felt beyond easy. At 16 miles I got the joyous news that @oiselle_mac had gotten her Half Marathon PR of 1:19/3rd place and Oiselle athlete Marci Klimek had taken the win. I immediately felt a rush of joy and happiness (if anything, over the past 10 weeks, I had been more excited about Mac’s goal than my own). All seemed well with the world...I took off my arm warmers and felt ready to bring it home. But at 21 miles, something changed. I could feel a tightness building in my right quad. And by 22 miles, both quads felt as if they had been shot with an elephant gun. So tight and painful, they were unrunnable. Not an ease-off-and-run-a-few 7:45 miles here and there kind of unrunnable. Just simply could not get them to stride without searing, tight pain. And so the walking ensued. The walking and the self-doubt. I went down the list of what I thought I had done right: pace (check), training (check; light at 45 mi/week but I had done the long runs), fuel (check, 3 gels at miles 5, 14, and 19), water (check, almost every station, a half a cup). But there I was. Walking. By then, the volunteers had plenty of time to read bib names, and with earnest sympathy the sweetest looking high school girls looked me in the eyes and said,“Ohhhh c’mon bananas...you got this...” “It’s okay bananas, you’re almost there...” “Aw bananas...”

Ah, sooooo ripe.

After seven cups of fluids, I was able to run the last two miles. This was the only relief, and a small salvaging of my race time (3:24). That, and getting to run onto the track at Hayward, with its iconic silhouette hovering on the sky like a beacon of running hope and heritage.

Of course the after-party was amazing...

The other salvaging part was every other aspect of the weekend...pics better than words:

So one week later, this is where I’m at: I am humbled and grateful for the experience. Much like my less than stellar NY Marathon experience, I felt the hard times of mile 22-24 took me to a dark place that I was then forced to find my way out of. A big part of what drew me forward was the love of the Oiselle Family... which equals our staff, customers, team members, online peeps, and the marathon volunteers. There was never a time when I felt alone in the true sense of the word... and for that I am eternally grateful. I love this business. I love the people. I love where Oiselle is at in its growth and evolution. Go Bananas!

When we get the new season in the office I love pairing things up and imagining all possible running outfit combinations. This spring my dream outfit was the violet armwarmers with the stripey simplicity tank and black stride shorts. Also any and all of the alder tops with indigo bottoms or the black distance short with the violet boise bra... the list goes on and on.

When we still packed web orders here in the office I loved seeing what customers put together. Awesome combos I never even thought of, cross season orders were the best.

Annnnyway, today the Aero Tank is here! One of my favorite pieces for spring 2012 because it's the perfect balance of fashion and function. Hello, little key pocket. Hello, contrast flatlock stitching details. Hello, SUPER wicking fabric, like so wicking that 98º + 99% humidity feels like a cool breeze.

And here are two of my favorite Aero Tank looks. The second one would be perfect for a marathon or trail run, where three zip pockets could come in handy.

What would you pair the Aero Tank with? Did you ever get a note from me back in the day complimenting your online order outfit choice?

For the past 12 weeks Sally and I have been training for Eugene. Sally signed up for the marathon and I signed up for the half. We each had business to take care of in Eugene. I wanted to break 1:20 in the half and Sally wanted to enjoy the 26.2 while qualifying for Boston.

This Sunday morning we raced Eugene. But the weekend itself was even bigger than Sunday morning. Come along for the ride, I'll try to keep it short.

Getting Ready To Fly

The week before our races was charged. I’ll let Sally tell you what was going on in her mind. But I was swinging between excitement and terror. Lying sleepless for four nights before my race. I had shouted my goals from the internet mountaintops. Twitter, Running Starfish, Facebook, DailyMile… all proclaimed  “1:19:__ or bust”. I felt that pressure. Also I had my first elite race entry, which means I didn’t pay to run. I was like a guest, and I wanted to make sure I was a good guest. Which in Eugene, means a fast guest.

Anyway I’m sure Oiselle HQ was a real fun place for Kristin, Jacquelyn, and Kerr to be. Fun like walking a landmine field is fun. Questions about the weekend could set off any number of emotions. But we kept the façade of “pure excitement” strong in my opinion.

Off We GO!

Sunday morning I left West Seattle with Owen; Sally and Lesko left from the East Side. We met at The Nest in Eugene. Yes, that was really the name of the little house they rented. We had lunch and then headed over to the expo at the Hilton to watch the Flomas’ talk (Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas). It was an open format QA about nutrition, competition, training, returning from injury, etc. Such a great talk – they are both naturally gracious speakers, funny, thoughtful and interesting to listen to. 

Owen and I killed some time and then I returned for my first ever ‘Elite Meeting’ upstairs at the Hilton, holy nerves! All these fit people sipping water and eye balling each other. Eeeck. Get me a drink! We learned where we’d meet the next morning and which porta-potties were set up for us, etc. I left feeling like a bundle of nerves/really excited about the prospect of having a warm place to hang out in the next morning since I tend to show up very early.

The next hours: bundle of nerves, dinner together, nerves, nerves, ice bath/hot bath, sleep….

RACE DAY - EUGENE STYLE

Time to see what’s inside. I got less nervous the closer we got to the start, more excited. I’d already done the tough mental work and by race morning had talked myself into this: you put the work in, lets see what you have (and this isn’t the last race on earth). 

Meb Keflezighi started the race by giving a short talk, then firing the starting gun. I could see him. Just feet from me. Starting our race. I was full of love for the pure sport of running as we all started the race and our individual races. All at once.  Here we go. 

The temperature was great, the course beautiful. I had little packs of men to run with and spent very little time alone. When I felt myself get tense I breathed out the word calm. I held back trying not to go too far under the pace I needed. I couldn’t wait to get to 3 miles out to start to crank as much as I wanted. Of course by then I was hurting more, but still ducked under 6:00 pace for the last miles. I crossed the line at 1:19:11. High fived a pancake, yes really, congratulated Oiselle runner Marci Klimek on her win! And got back on the course to cheer for Sally.

Sally wasn’t with the pace group I expected, and I began to worry. But then there she was, hamming it up slapping her hands onto her quads, which I assumed meant 'oh crap my quads are shot'. Which it did and they were. But she hung on, still BQed and, as seen in these pictures from Meghan's blog, did have some fun along the way.

We were all left Hayward relieved to rest before a fun night out with none other than Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas AND Meggie Smith. Tweet up!

The best part of the weekend aside from crossing that finish line was meeting so many people in real life (or IRL as the kids say) for the first time.  We had Meghan on the course cheering in a borrowed Banana suit! (Sally put 'bananas' on her bib number instead of her name so people would cheer GO BANANAS! Check out Meghan's blog post Operation Go Bananas for more on that.) We got to hang out with Meggie Smith, a Oiselle runner, who was just as much fun as I imagined. We got to shoot the breeze with Lauren Fleshman (seriously?!?!) and Mr. Fleshman. And I got to spend the weekend with lots of my favorite people.

Let’s just say it was hard to come back to reality...but great to know that on June is just around the corner. OLYMPIC TRIALS!!!

Or something like that. The question I've been asking myself as I get ready to run the Eugene full on Sunday. Right now, I have only three thoughts: 1) I have been completely awed, inspired, buoyed, humored, enlightened by the input (mostly tweets) of the Oiselle community who told us how they dealt with that first question. Amazing. 2) I am often grateful to my Dad (pictured), who can't run now, but who introduced me to the sport when he could. And 3) Some truths are eternal (and even go well on a t-shirt). His now-vintage R. Crumb "Keep on Truckin'" tee is still probably, to this day, the best advice for marathons -- and life. If you will be in Eugene this weekend, we hope to see you! I'll be the one with the bib number that says "Bananas" and thus feel free to holler "Go bananas!" as I run by. That, or "keep on truckin'!"

Papa Bergesen Truckin' circa 1972