Dawson's Run 2016 Race Review

On Saturday, Jeff and I participated in Dawson's Run! It's a local 5K fun run held in Joplin, MT in conjunction with the Joplin Car Show activities. The race was started to commemorate the passing of a local boy and money raised goes to fund a scholarship awarded in his name. This is the fifth anniversary of the race being held, and the fourth time Jeff and I have participated, and we were celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary on the same day as the run. If you're interested in reading my review from last year, you can find it HERE.

This race is very no-frills and a great community building event. To sign up, you just message their organizer on Facebook and they reserve a t-shirt for you. You pay on race day when you pick up your shirt, and it's only $15.

There was a great turnout for the race this year, and the weather was pretty much perfect 65 degrees, partly cloudy, and not much wind. As the race was about to start, everyone gathered at the start line and the Jada, who is Dawson's mother, addressed the crowd. As in previous years, listening to her speak, and the emotion in her voice as she thanks everyone for coming and honoring Dawson, gets me a little choked up, too.

This is a flat and fast course, and I knew my triathlon training has put me in pretty good shape, so I went into this race focused on wanting a PR. As the race began, I gave myself a goal to try to come as close as possible to 8:00 miles. Fueled by Jada's emotional send off, I was off quickly right as the race started. After weaving around a lot of little kids in the first quarter mile or so, I was in some space and settled in to a pace. I kept the race leaders in my sights as motivation. When I looked at my Strava app at the first mile, I was right at 8:00. So far, so good.

I just tried to keep slowly catching up to the leaders ahead of me, including two kids that I coach at North Star in our track program, and another good friend of ours. I never did catch any of them, but it really helped my pacing and motivation to think about trying. At mile 2, I saw I had slowed a bit, down to 8:12, but I was still definitely on track for a PR. I made myself hold on to what was for me a faster speed.

When I crossed the finish line, I stopped my Strava, and saw that my time was 25:00.00, but my distance was only 3.0 miles-- not 3.1. Jeff and I measured the course with our car last year (and it was the same this year) and we had exactly 3.1. He said that he looked at his Strava and it showed that 3 miles was just ahead of the finish line, so he thought the course was probably three miles and like fifty meters or so. In other words, it may be just short of 5K, but it's pretty close. Even if it is short, I would have still had a PR for a 5K distance. My old PR was 26:10. Overall, a drop of about a minute. Official or not, I'm going to claim it! I'm pretty excited! One of my big goals for 2016 was to be under  25:00 in 5K, so i'm SOOOOO CLOSE! Better find another 5K to sign up for! :)

I ended up the second-place female after one of my young track and field athletes- an incoming seventh grader. I am so proud of her for running and finishing a strong race! She definitely has a big future in longer-distance track. The young man that I coach was the second place male, and again, has a bright future in distance running. Both are really great kids, too! Jeff was also happy with his time, which was very close to what he ran at Governor's Cup the previous weekend.

They did a great job with the t-shirt design again this year. I like the color of red shirt this one is printed on. The football logo is on the front, and the "Running with Buddy" script is on the back at the hem.

Overall, as always, Dawson's Run was a great success. It is one of my very favorite runs because so many local people come out to do it and it's just a really great time. It was also a nice way to start our Anniversary Weekend! Already looking forward to next year's run! :)

Welcome to Oiselle!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had an announcement to make, and today is the day you'll read all about it!  I joined the Oiselle Volee running team! (There's supposed to be an accent over that first e in Volee, but I don't know how to type that in...) I am so excited and honored to be part of this group of fast-flying, strong women from all over the country! Read on to find out more about Oiselle and what being part of this team means to me, and to read my review/love affair with the Distance Shorts, which is the short that started it all for me!  

If you haven't heard of Oiselle yet, you definitely haven't been reading my blog for very long! I've been pretty much obsessed with this brand since I first discovered them about three years ago while trolling through the Zulily sales one October day. That's when I bought my first pair of Distance Shorts and the day I fell in love with this company.

Pre-Race family photo from Dawson's Run back in June. Brett (he's not actually family, but he feels like he is sometimes!), Katie, Josh, Tom (holding Brandon), Me in my hot pink Distance Shorts, and Jeff. Carol is in front with Harvey.

Oiselle (Pronounced Wa-Zell) is a women's fitness and running apparel brand that's relatively young, but is committed to designing quality running clothes that FIT a woman's body. And they do not mess around with this mission! The first time I tried those Distance Shorts on, I was completely smitten and have recommended them over and over since then. They are currently my go-to summer racing shorts and they never fail to perform.

Pre-run planking in my Distance Shorts (with a non-Oiselle top).

Just the other day, I actually had all my Oiselle running clothes in the dirty laundry so I ran in an old pair of (Big Name Brand) Tempo shorts. Man... I never realized how poorly they fit until after I've been running in Oiselle! I mean, the crotch area has a pooch of extra fabric as if they should fit a man! A lot of other running and active apparel companies unfortunately have the design model of taking men's styles and just recreating them in "feminine" colors. In the industry, this is known as "Shrink it and Pink it." (I should know thanks to my degree in Apparel Design and 10+ years working in active apparel retail!) That is why it is SO REFRESHING to see styles from Oiselle that are specifically designed by and for women athletes.

Distance Shorts (again!) with Verazzano Bra from Oiselle.

And they do not settle for anything less than perfect! Take the example of the newly released Bra-Zen style they just put out. Oiselle has offered a few styles of sports bras and has done a really great job with them, but to be honest, they're more for smaller-cup ladies. Ladies who are blessed with bosom have requested over and over a good, functional sports bra to give them the support they need, and preferably with the same awesome Oiselle style. Oiselle heard them and spent a long time perfecting the new Bra-Zen style. It had to be just right before they'd release it! I haven't tried it, but I do love my Verrazano Bra and my Traction Bra. All the reviews I've read about Bra-Zen are RAVING, so I'd say it's probably a smashing success!

Bra-Zen bra from Oiselle.

Ok, so enough about the clothes. I mean, they are fabulous and functional, but what really kept me hooked on this company is the culture it fosters. Oiselle is all about empowering women to be the best versions of themselves. Take this excerpt from the Flight Manual (sort of a company manifesto) for example:
"We are not building a single sport, or a cause, or even an idea. We're building a new kind of family. One that is strong, supportive, passionate, and all-in on a woman-up world." This is an idea I can get behind. It's a better-stated-than-I-could-ever-come-up-with reason why I coach track. It's why I run. It's why I strive to support and inspire.

So who are my new teammates on the Oiselle Volee team? They are women from all walks of life, every corner of the country, and every level of running ability. From someone like me who is middle-of-the-pack at best in the local 5k Fun Run all the way up to Elites like Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman. This team encompasses everyone and is full of positive and encouraging people who just want to help one another. It's like when I saw Heather Lieberg at Governor's Cup and she was so friendly and gracious. I feel lucky and proud to be part of this group, and to know that when I race in my Oiselle singlet (coming soon!) I represent this company and this body of outstanding people.

Now, I'm teammates with Heather Lieberg as a part of Oiselle Volee!

My perks for signing up include extra discounts on Oiselle clothing and gear, and freebies and opportunities throughout the year. I'm not a paid member or sponsored athlete by any means, and I didn't join for clothing discounts. I joined to be part of something bigger. Isn't that what being part of a team is all about? I did get sent some cool items right away, including my new bright Oiselle Orange spike bag, some temporary tattoos, and a copy of the Flight Manual. My singlet will be here sometime in September.

New swag from Oiselle, since joining Volee!

There are only a few other Volee members in Montana, but Montana is a really big state and we all live in opposite corners, it seems! So, it's not likely I'll see or network in-person with other Montana birds, or anyone else, very often. That means, in order to continue to feel connected to my teammates, I'll be trying to stay active on the Volee Facebook group, Instagram, Strava, and Gametiime, in addition to reading/commenting on other birds' blogs. Maybe when I travel I can get in some runs with other ladies from around the country. Who knows?!

Don't worry--I haven't given up on Team Beef Montana for joining Oiselle Volee! I'll still be wearing my Team Beef jersey at select races throughout the year and will continue to be an advocate for beef as part of a healthy diet to fuel the run and recovery. I mean, we're serving hamburgers after our 5K On The Farm, for Pete's sake! Now, I just get to represent TWO different teams instead of just one! Kind of nice to have options, right? ;)

In order to really kick off my new membership with Volee, I've decided to start a new series on my blog. I'm calling it Oiselle Flight Fridays. Each Friday over the next seven weeks, I'll be taking one of the seven "Principles of Flight" from the Flight Manual and writing about it. What that principle means to me and how I can challenge myself to fly with it. For a teaser, here are the seven principles:

1. Build the Sisterhood
2. Set a Goal
3. Own the Journey
4. Fly With the Winners
5. Feed the Machine
6. Be a Superfan
7. Believe

I'll be mixing in my own stories and experiences when introducing each of those principles, and probably showing off some of my favorite pieces of Oiselle gear along the way. I hope you'll check back on Fridays to read more about what this awesome company, my new team, is all about! 

New spike bag from Oiselle.

Stay tuned for more Oiselle posts! And remember- Head Up, Wings Out!

Dawson's Run Race Recap

Sometimes the best races are the ones with the most familiar faces. That's what Dawson's Run in Joplin, MT has become for me, Jeff, and our family. This community fun run was began four years ago to honor the memory of a local child named Dawson who had tragically passed away. Proceeds from the race each year go to a memorial scholarship in his honor and to the Joplin Memorial Park. This is the third year I have run in this race and it has been really cool to see how it has grown in the past few years. The best thing about this race is how many community members, friends, and families come together. The atmosphere is always festive, even when the weather hasn't been.

If you're a racing elitist with no sense of community, this may not be the run for you. They don't use race numbers, sign up is sort of done via Facebook just to reserve a t-shirt (then you pay and register on race day), and this year there was no timer for the event. So, if you need to have a race bib, advanced online registration and chip timing or fancy things like that, this is probably not your run. I think the absence of those things just brings it all back to making the community, the people, and Dawson, who is the REASON for the race, the stars of the show. I love this race and I hope they keep it true to its Joplin roots for as long as they want!  While it is really fun to do big races like Governor's Cup or the like, there's always going to be a place in my racing itinerary and my heart for small town gems like Dawson's Run.

This year, the Bangs contingency had a large presence: Jeff and I were there along with Tom, Carol, Josh, Katie and Brandon. Standing around before the race is always fun because it feels like a community reunion of sorts. People from up and down the Hi-Line and all around gather for Dawson's Run. It's always fun to say hello and catch up with people you haven't seen in a while. This year felt like the biggest turnout for the event that I have seen in the three years I've done it. There were a lot of people there, and everyone seemed happy and excited!  Katie and I were remarking before the race about how many people where there and just how cool of an event it is.

Josh, Katie, and Brandon were in town this year for the race and accompanying weekend festivities. 

The race itself includes your choice between running or walking either a 1 mile or 5K course. They do a great job measuring out the distance for the 5K--it is excactly 3.1 miles! Sometimes when you do a small-town run, they're close but not quite. Not so for Dawson's Run! Getting the distance correct meant they have to take the course around some silly around-the-block loops here and there, which can get confusing for some if they don't follow the arrows. I spotted a few people going the wrong direction- I met one of our family friends coming towards me and he said he had gotten confused about which way to go!  A few people later told me, too, that they were surprised at their quick times and that the race felt shorter than normal to them. In discussing the course, it turned out they missed the loop-de-loop altogether and ended up doing 2.7 instead of 3.1! No worries, though, as this event is just about getting outside and moving in memory of someone special. The course is overall very flat and fast, with mixed surface of in-town pavement and gravel and some dirt road through farm fields.

Again this year I tried to run the race with Harvey. (This meant that my hands were tied up with his leash, so I left my camera in the car... thus, not many photos in this post!) Harvey used to love running races with me but something switched for him in about the past year. He's not in love with the idea anymore. When the race began, I had to do a little bit of bribery with some string cheese to get him started. Once we got going, he did pretty good overall. After about a mile into the race when the crowd had started to thin out, Harvey showed his competitive nature. Overall, he and I kept a pretty even pace, but once we'd start getting close to someone ahead of us, Harvey would speed up and pull ahead on the leash to pass, and I'd stay with him. About as soon as we'd pass someone, he'd level pace back off again. Darn dog just has to be first! (**Harvey was the First Place Dog again this year, by virtue of being the only dog in the competition. He's not too proud to claim the victory, however! To read more about what Harvey loves, check out this post he wrote about what he's thankful for: http://www.prairieponderingsmt.blogspot.com/2015/06/thankful-thursday-vizsla-perspective.html)

For some reason, even with the flat and fast course I'd run before and was used to, the run felt really difficult to me. I really felt like I was laboring throughout the entire 5K. Maybe it's because Harvey and I had a slow start and felt like we had to surge in the first mile to get ahead, or maybe it was the heat and sun, or maybe because my legs were still tired from the previous weeks' Governor's Cup race. Who knows. I'm still pretty happy with my time of 27:06 (timed with my trusty Timex Ironman watch). I'm only about thirty seconds away from my 5K PR and feeling really good about being able to beat my time sometime this summer or fall. Jeff said he felt like he was struggling a bit during the race, too, but he still finished right around his recent PR, with a time of 30:13. Not too shabby!

After the race we stuck around Joplin for quite a while. The race is held on the same day as Joplin's annual Art in the Park and Car Show event, so there were tons of people in town for that. We spent the rest of the morning checking out artist booths, catching up with friends, and snagging a delicious home-cooked barbecue lunch.

The weather was PERFECT on race day, too. If anything, slightly warm to run in, but overall very nice. It was about 70 or a little warmer outside, with clear, sunny skies, and NO WIND! Much better than last year when it was about 45, windy and rainy. The warm weather really brought the crowds out to run and walk and to the rest of the festivities in Joplin.

One other thing that's always great about Dawson's Run is the race tshirts. They are always a plain cotton or cotton blend t-shirt, my fave!, and always feature a really fun graphic. Here's a photo of this year's tshirt design:

Everyone has a smile on their face and a big heart on the day of Dawson's Run. The positive energy is always astounding. To me, participating in Dawson's Run, even just being there at all, feels like a celebration. It might seem odd to be celebratory at an event to honor a kid who is no longer with us, but I think it's good, and maybe even healing, for people to come together to celebrate a life and celebrate community, family, and friendship. That's what this race is all about. It's not about worrying what your time was, or how cool the tshirt is (although they're always pretty cool!), it's about people coming together to celebrate life. Special thanks to everyone who helps put on the race. It's definitely a tradition in my family! Already can't wait for next year!

Happy National Running Day and an Announcement!

Guess what, guys?!  Today is National Running Day!

I know not everyone who reads my blog is into running, but it's part of who I am, so I'm not going to stop writing about it. Today is National Running Day and I wanted to share Five Reasons Why I Love Running. I'll also tell you about some upcoming races Jeff and I are planning on doing, and share a special announcement. :)

Salomon XR Mission trail running shoes and a smiley barn!

Five Reasons Why I Love Running
I meant to get this typed out to share with The Right Fits running blog, but I totally spaced it until she had her post up today. There are many more than five reasons why I run, but I narrowed it down for you (otherwise this post could get really, really long.) Here's my list of Five Reasons:

1. Time To Think. Running is time to myself to de-stress, think about my day, plan for the future, and it's when I come up with some of my best ideas... one of which I'll be announcing later in this post!
2. Challenge Myself. I love the feeling of accomplishing something difficult. Running gives me that. Whether it's a tough workout or pushing myself in a race, running offers endless ways to prove my strength to myself. I don't care what other people think of me, I'm just doing it to show myself that I can. In so doing, I think I am a stronger person all around.
3. Inspire and Connect with Others. Running allows me to connect with other people on something we have in common. I've met some pretty cool folks through running, and gotten to know others better because of it, too. I also feel like because I run and I talk about running a lot, I can inspire others to possibly find some joy in running, too. 
4. For My Health. Let's be real. I really love food. I also enjoy a good glass of wine and the occasional beer. Running helps allow me to eat and drink what I want. More than that, though, running has so many health benefits that I know I'll be reaping well into my future. I'm keeping my heart and bones healthy, my whole body healthy, by running!
5. Enjoy the Scenery.  Running and racing allows me to see places I'd maybe never see. It's also allowed me to see my own place, right here at home, a little more intimately. I feel like I know every piece of gravel in these old roads! I appreciate this place more each time I run it!

This was my route on tonight's run. :)

Are you a runner? What are some reasons why you run? If you're not a runner but you have some other form or recreation you enjoy, what are some reasons why you like to do what you do? When I asked Jeff why he likes running, his response was, "Uhhhhh...."  Ha! I'm telling myself that his non-articulated response was because really his thought process about running is too complex to put into words. ;)  If you want to check out a whole bunch of reasons why other people run, stop on over at The Right Fits and see the all the lists from others she's posted! There are some pretty great reasons to rekindle or start a love of running. Who knows?! You may just feel like lacing up your shoes and heading on out there for a run yourself!

If you're looking for an upcoming race in Montana to fuel your running fire, there are two coming up quickly that we are planning on doing: Governor's Cup and Dawson's Run.

Governor's Cup is coming up on Saturday, June 13, in Helena, MT. It's only ten days away!  They offer many options for distances: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon. Governor's Cup is the longest-running marathon in Montana and is also touted as being one of the best for qualifying for Boston. If you're from somewhere other than Montana and looking for a Marathon to travel to, this could be the one! Jeff and I are not marathon runners, so we won't be doing that distance. Jeff is signed up for the 5K and I'm signed up for the 10K. The 10K starts at 7:00 a.m., so I'll be done in plenty of time to cheer Jeff on in his 5K, which starts at 9, and watch some of the full and half marathoners complete their finish. This is a really big racing event with some cool keynote speakers and potentially some big-name elite runners participating. I'm really excited to do this race for the first time this year, and just to take it all in!


Dawson's Run is coming up only one week after Governor's Cup. It's a local race held in Joplin, MT on the weekend of their Car Show and Art in the Park event. It's a small, intimate race where everybody knows your name. Jeff and I have done it a few times and had a blast each year! They have a one mile and a 5K distance. It's just put on by some local community members and they always do a great job. There's no website, but if you're interested, you can look for their Facebook page. This race is becoming a staple of my spring/summer racing series and I'm so pumped to do it again this year!

And now for the big announcement! We've been tossing around the idea for a long time, but now we're really going to do it. Jeff and I are going to host a 5K fun run! More details will come, but right now the tentative date for the race will be Saturday, September 12. It's going to be held on our farm and I think we're officially calling it 5K On The Farm, but I've also been tossing around the title Goldstone Shuffle. Maybe 5K On The Farm: Goldstone Shuffle??  We're pretty much 99% positive of the date, so mark your calendars! We're thinking of a 10:00 a.m. start time, and plan to offer a 1-mile fun run and a 3.1 mile (5K) run/race/walk. Both distances will be out-and-back routes starting and ending at our driveway. After the race, we are thinking we'll feed everyone a grilled hamburger lunch! As details become concrete, I'll share more info. For now, just circle the date in your calendar and get excited!