Run Fast, Take Chances

Dear Friend,

What do you think of what you think about running? Maybe it's a sport, maybe it's an excuse to get our of the house, or maybe you do your best to avoid it. For a local Seattle company called Oiselle, running is none of these.

It's a lifestyle.

We learned about this company from a friend at school who's roommate works for the company. At first we thought "Oh, just another running company," but after some investigation, we were hooked. Oiselle was started by Sally Bergesen, an avid runner, in 2007. Inspired by the fact that the running apparel available to her at the time was too bulky, high-waisted, and generally unflattering, she decided to create a new line of women's running apparel. The Oiselle dream started small, but is growing as they now have a running team made up of women who share the passion for running. With a maximum team size of 125 ambassadors and 25 elites, Oiselle women can be found everywhere from local 5ks to the Olympic trials.

We have recently started following the company on twitter. They are seriously one big family. We love seeing the support that the company and team offers for runners worldwide, celebrating small PR achievements to huge Olympic trial goals. This family-like bond is just one of the things that makes this company so attractive to us. Although we have yet to meet any of these women personally, we can tell that they are all friendly, involved, and passionate people.

Oiselle is a french word for bird (specifically female birds, which is fitting since their company is for women...how clever.) Our fear of birds aside, we've come up with a list of 5 reasons why this is the perfect mascot and namesake for the company.

1. Wings. "Spread your wings and fly" is a common colloquialism. This company really has spread it's wings and spread it's love of running and Sally's original dream across the world. They are still expanding, and we can't wait to see the amazing things that this company will bring to the lives of many.

2. Freedom. Running creates a sense of freedom. Some people run to work off steam, others run to stay in shape. Whatever you run for, you are free. One of our favorite quotes is "I often wonder why, if birds can fly anywhere in the world, they stay in the same place. But then I ask myself the same thing." Birds can fly anywhere they want. One of the company's dreams is to help create this experience of true freedom in people's lives.

3. Flight. One way that Oiselle described running on one of their blog posts was that it created a sense of flight. When you are running as fast as you can and pushing yourself to do better than your best, you take flight. You aren't simply running, but your feet are flying. This might seem a little bit strange, but it's one of those things that's hard to describe. You have to experience it for yourself.

4. Family. Birds fly in flocks. When you look at the sky and see birds, they are flying in a V shape. The birds do this to help each other. One bird goes in the front of the V to take the wind, and the others draft off of the first bird, creating an easier flight. When bird #1 gets tired, they go to the back and give another bird a chance at being the leader. The company is similar. Although running is a very personal thing, and the only person who can beat that PR or make that goal is you, having a support system is so helpful. We love that the company supports it's family, both close and extended.

5. Passion. This 5th reason doesn't directly relate to birds. Passion plays such a large role in the lives of many. Without passion, we have nothing to live for. Some people have a passion for knitting, or blogging, but the Oiselle women have a passion for the run. Like we said earlier, running isn't just a sport to them, it's a lifestyle. Their constant tweets are prove of that. They don't just talk about running during race day, but they relate running to meals, friends, family, hopes, dreams...the list goes on. We love that they all have a passion for running and they chase after their dreams (get it...chase...).

Their motto, and the title of this blog post, is "Go fast, take chances". Go fast is obvious since they are a running team and company. The second part intrigues us. Taking chances is an undertone to their mission. They provide a space for people to push themselves and really challenge what their bodies can do. Running isn't just physical, it's largely psychological. Oiselle encourages women to challenge themselves and open their mind to endless possibilities.

"So in the end, the question became not so much why a new running apparel company, but why not?"
-Sally Bergesen

Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine