At our recent Bay Area Title 9k, Why Not! Girl interviewed women to find out why they run and what motivates them.
From elite runners to walkers, from spunky run angels to serious baby jogger mamas, every participant at every T9k has their own reason for getting out there and moving. What moves you?
Representing T9, logo and all, on the summit.
For the third year in a row, a group of Portland T9ers, dubbed the “Summit Sisters,” took on their annual climb of Mount St. Helens this last Tuesday. A favorite tradition, this year twelve gals made the trek.
MADE IT!
Said Portland manager Ginny:
“The Summit Sisters have been training for this all summer long by climbing local mountains in the Columbia River Gorge and hoofing it up to high points on Mt. Hood. (AND most of the gals are getting extra support in new sports bras! Awesome!) Mount St. Helens is NOT a technical climb… it’s more of a really hard hike/scramble. Wendy (Boise retail) and Katy (home office by way of Edina retail) had the joy of doing it last year with us, so they can tell you all about it! We are so excited our summit day is finally here!“
Huge thanks to T9ers Istari and Sarah, who are held down the fort at the Portland store while the Summit Sisters chalked up another great climb.
the 2013 Summit Sisters
Do you have an annual trek you look forward to? Would you join the 2014 Summit Sisters?
If you saw our previous post on the What a Mother Runner Looks Like, you know that it’s some powerful, inspiring stuff. The photo submissions for the project were such a success that their release was split into two parts. We chose to share with you the second edition as the copy is beautifully written and says a lot about the project. You can also see photos from Part 1 here, and the rest of Part 2, here. And again, please feel free to participate in the project by sending us your photos! We will happily share and deliver photos to AMR on your behalf.
What does a mother runner look like? Strong. And smiley.
Up today: round two of What Another Mother Runner Looks Like. 75 or so mother runners who come in a range of shapes and sizes, but personify what mother runners stand for: confidence, strength, ambition, inspiration, vibrancy.
I hope the combined 132 pictures drove home the point that there is no such thing as a stereotypical runner. Sure, there are wisps who whip across the line seemingly effortlessly—and there are a few of them in this collection (and yes, we love you and your little bods!)—but the majority of the pack are runners who might have bulky quads; who might have a little extra bulge on their midsection; who might be far from the “ideal” runner physique.
But here’s the thing about the majority of us: we’re dominating the race fields. Some days, we’re running long. Some days, we’re running fast. Some days, we’re just running. We’re setting PR’s and killing the hills. We’re surprised by how running has become ingrained in our DNA, the reward of dedication and consistency. We’re inspiring others to try it.
In short, we are redefining what a runner looks like.
I wanted to share a few thoughts from Rebecca, who describes herself as overweight/obese since puberty (“and three pregnancies haven’t helped,” she adds). When she submitted her picture, she wrote,
Rebecca went outside her comfort zone to participate. That’s some serious strength.
“I like your idea for a photo essay: real women, with real bodies. It’s outside my comfort zone, but I’ve decided to include my photo because I think there are plenty of other women out there whose bodies look more like mine than any of the 14 shown so far. And I think it would mean a lot to those other women to see someone more like themselves. Women who equally value the another mother runner community that the two of you promote.”
Rebecca: we so appreciate you—and the rest of you—who have put yourself out there. There is a reason why this community is so valuable: it’s as strong and supportive as the collective legs we run on.
Again, I ask you to please share this gallery: Facebook it, tweet it, send it to your pals. Thank you, thank you. And here’s the link to Part I in case you missed it. (And full disclosure: I am not in this. I meant to be, but it’s 9:15 p.m. and I have to run at 5:20 a.m. and I have no interest into changing into a sports bra and spandex right now. Raincheck. Promise.)
Dimity over at Another Mother Runner sent us a tweet earlier this week saying, “these #motherrunners stand for exactly what you do: strength, confidence, beauty, awesomeness.” She was right. Without disclosing too much information, we are happy to promote their photo essay, What a Mother Runner Looks Like. Please, feel free to participate in the project by sharing your photos! Be proud of your work, of your body and YOU! We will happily share and deliver photos to AMR on your behalf.
What Does a Mother Runner Look Like? 14 Exhibits and Counting
October 1, 2012; By, Dimity
My very amenable, very brave running buddies, who stripped for me last Thursday morning, to begin a photo series. I asked the dogs to take off their collars, but they protested: they’re boy runners. Running with us is emasculating enough.
So I’ve had this idea fermenting in my head for six months now: a photo essay titled What Does a Mother Runner Look Like? A collection of pictures that celebrates the bodies that have carried us through all kinds of miles. I want to show that kickass strong and stretch marks go together–and that, despite what the cover of Runner’s World may broadcast, all sizes and shapes of bodies can be and are runners.I waffled for a long time, though, because I know how easily we women can fall into the how-great-is-her-body and how-much-does-mine-suck game? And I am not willing to promote those kind of sports. (Running? Yes. Jealousy? No.) So here’s my caveat: if you’re going to go into this post with a coveting attitude, covet just one thing: the fact that these women are so proud of their awesome, capable bodies, they’re willing to put them on display. (more…)
Photo credit: Thomas Campitelli
I started Crossfit exactly one month before my 29th birthday in August 2010. I was living in North Lake Tahoe and had been hearing about Crossfit from a number of friends, including one friend who was able to finally quit smoking and who totally transformed himself all in a couple of months. His results were inspiring, and I had also heard you got to jump around on things, swing on other things, and get upside down. I was so in! Those first couple of days I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make that five minute stroll home because I was so frickin’ sore.
I’ve always been active in a variety of different types of exercise, including cycling, triathlons (I can barely swim and I hate to run) Tae Bo, P90X, and more, but none were able to garner my short attention span for long. Crossfit has complemented my A.D.D. perfectly because there are literally hundreds of skills, movements, and lifts not just to learn but also to get the technique right. There’s little time for boredom with Crossfit and I always have a list of things I want to accomplish; some of it is improving technique, some of it is doing a skill for the first time, and somewhere on that list is to run more, too.