What Happens at Running Camp

Since I returned from Bird Camp, a lot of people have asked me “what did you do at running camp?” It’s a valid question; I wasn’t sure what we were going to do at until I got there! I’ve also been trying to figure out how to recap the experience, and while I’m not convinced that what I’m doing is the best way to do that, here it goes.

Things started off well when I realized I was carpooling with some really great ladies – Beth, Alicia, Julia, & Jenna. No duds here! (fun fact: Beth & Alicia are also Spartans!)

A detour to Eugene to visit Hayward Field

We heard from several running experts over four days including a Q&A session with Lauren Fleshman and Linsey Corbin, a professional triathlete and Ironman Champion who lives in Bend, OR.

Physical Therapist Jay Dicharry, who works with pro athletes – including Little Wing – is a certified coach, has competed in several sports on a national level and so much more. He took us through exercises to focus on our posture and form and talked about the importance of mobility, stability, strength and power for runners and how we should all work at least one strength and stability session into our week. You can read his blog HERE.

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

Steph Howe, winner of Western States who’s working towards a Masters in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology and focuses on bridging nutrition & performance, presented a session on nutrition for female runners. She has a very sensible and realistic view of nutrition, which I found very refreshing, emphasizing the need for female athletes to focus on getting enough calories in order to stay healthy. Check out her blog HERE.

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

Lauren, who lives in Bend and graciously welcomed us to her town, spoke about goal setting. This was a very frank discussion as she talked about having to adjust her goals after injury – the need to be realistic and recalibrate. One of my favorite things she said was: “The best gift you can give yourself is to disregard what other people see ass success and name it for yourself.”

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

A Pro Panel with Kate Grace, Steph Howe, Lauren, and (not pictured) Kara Goucher via Skype. They covered everything from what they eat each day, to how they overcome disappointments and their best race experiences.

Sally took us through the process of developing a line, from inspiration board to developing a color pallet, choosing fabric, finding manufacturers. It was really interesting and enlightening to learn about the various steps that go into creating the clothes we wear on the run!

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

About 40 minutes away is Smith Rock, a really incredible state park with tough trails and beautiful views. We spent a morning here with a choice of hiking or trail running. I opted for the hike which took us to the top of the rock. Lauren gave us the low down on our options.

There was also, a lot of great food. I suppose it wouldn’t be very much fun if we were all hungry the whole time, so Oiselle set us up with tons of food for our Condos, snacks in the conference center, great meals and non-stop delicious Nuun. I really wanted to take home the Wild Friends Almond Butter – it was amazing – but was too nervous it would leak all over my bag on the flight. If you see this stuff, try it!

And of course, we did a lot of running – basically as much running as we wanted to do, we could do. One of the great things about the resort where we stayed – beyond the full kitchen in each condo – is that you literally could walk out your door and be on the Deschutes River Trail within a minute. To say this trail was beautiful is an understatement. I was worried about how I’d do with so much running, but my muscles were rarely sore and I was always excited to get out for more miles!

Running with Ironman athlete, Leana

Coinciding with our camp was the Twilight 5K put on by Deschutes Brewery right down the road from the resort. While it was pretty awesome to see so many women in Oiselle singlet's, my favorite part of the race was passing Kate Grace just after the 2 mile mark! Okay, so she was jogging, but still, I’ll take it.

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

Reunited with two of my favorite NYC birds – Amanda & Jenna

Beyond trail running, we also did activation exercises (below), form drills and #TheDozen (as demonstrated by Lesko two down). All new to me, I’m planning to incorporate these into my training moving forward.

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

The meditation sessions and yoga with Jasyoga were amazing – legs up the wall and “I am here now” is my new favorite way to relax and let go.

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

I had an absolutely fantastic time meeting incredible and strong women, getting to know myself a bit better and learning new techniques that will make me a stronger person and runner.

With my fantastic roommates, Katie and Michelle (We look tired because we were! this was before morning meditation!)

Fearless women of Oiselle – Sally, Kristin, and Lauren

What would Oregon be without dancing to an awesome band outside on a beautiful night?

Photo Credit: Thomas and Velo Photography

If you take anything from this really long post (so sorry!), I hope it’s that by taking chances, trying new things, building bonds and exploring new places, there’s no end to what you can learn about yourself and no limits to what you can do!

Also, it turns out, you’re never too old for camp!

Thank you to women at Oiselle HQ and Little Wing for bringing us all together for a great weekend, and to Heidi & Andrea at Thomas and Velo Photography for all the beautiful photos they took and are letting us use!