About two years ago, I joined a community of women runners called Oiselle. I learned about it from a former college cross-country teammate. At the time, I was feeling very isolated as a runner and struggling to find meaning and purpose after I completed my journey to the Boston Marathon. This community has been nothing short of amazing. My favorite part of running throughout middle school, high school, and college, was always the camaraderie and belonging I felt being part of a team. Okay, my competitive spirit liked the races too. After college, that aspect of my life was missing for a long time. I still ran for fun and I attended the occasional group run at a local gym or running store, but it just wasn’t the same.
The opportunity to join the Oiselle Volee team came at just the right time. Even though I don’t get the chance to participate in group runs or events as often as I would like, the team has a strong presence on social media that has allowed me to meet people and share my joys and struggles. During my time off from racing, it kept me encouraged and made me believe I could come back strong and healthy. The beautiful thing about running is how it brings together people of so many different backgrounds. In running, no one cares about your relationship status, the balance of your bank account, or what size clothing you wear. They’re probably just there for the free treats at the end. Seriously, though, it doesn’t matter what you’re struggling with, what you’re celebrating, or how much baggage you bring to a race or a run on any given day. You will walk away feeling lighter and more content. It may not be a victory or a stellar race, but the fact is you showed up. You ran with guts and put your heart into it.
I recently experienced my first race in over eighteen months with about 40 women from the Oiselle community. Women of various ages, abilities, and backgrounds came from all over Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota to run a marathon relay at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee. It was a strange scene compared to what one typically experiences in a race. A small three-lane track surrounds a large ice arena where there were figure skating lessons, speed skating lessons, and hockey games going on at the same time as the race. Add to that about 100 teams of men and women of various speeds and serious or wacky costumes/uniforms racing 95 laps around the track and you get a lot of noise and chaos, but also a lot of fun. There was music and dancing, cheering and clapping, and plenty of yummy treats to go around. Some teams were competitive, some were just there to have fun, but all of us were there to support one another. It was the perfect way to ease back into racing. I felt no pressure to perform at a certain level. I just tried to relax and enjoy meeting new people and being grateful for what my body can do. While I am not sure if I will have another race before May, I know that I will continue to lean on my fellow “birds” throughout this racing season and beyond.
Redefined Runner 