Category: Ordinary Women

What Does a Mother Runner Look Like?

Dimity over at Another Mother Runner sent ustweet 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…)

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Life Lessons in a Years Worth of Roller Derby

Our Creative Project-Managing whiz Danielle, stepped out of, WAY out of, her comfort zone and  joined a women’s roller derby league a year ago. Below she shares with us some life lessons and with wisdom like this Danielle, it sounds like you’re on the right track. 🙂 Keep it up! You rock!

Photo Credit: Russellreno Limprecht

A year ago, I decided to join Reckless Rollers, the rec team for the Bay Area Derby Girls Roller Derby league. What started out as something fun to try has turned into one of the best experiences of my life. I have bonded with a family of women who have taught me so much and to whom I have a fierce loyalty to like no other group I have ever encountered. I love my derby sisters like family, and I have learned and continue to learn from them on a daily basis. The support system that the B.A.D. girls foster is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I am forever grateful. While it hasn’t been an easy road, and my learning curve is a long one, it has been an amazing road to travel.

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Title Nine From Behind the Lens

Almost as a perfect example of how we do things around here, when photographer Laura Barisonzi learned about Title Nine she reached out to us interested in working together, and next thing you know she was on a plane headed west. When it’s good, it’s good and we won’t waste any time seizing an opportunity. Who says we don’t like the East Coast? As T9ers you already know that the shots turned out fabulous and we couldn’t be more excited to have a new, vivacious and outgoing gal on our team. Glad to have you on board, Laura!

 *the following post was featured on the blog of “Wonderful Machine Cog“, a marketing engine for commercial photographers*  

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Power of Nine Winner – In More Ways Than One

This is a guest post from our gal who works in eCommerce, Amy. She worked directly with the winners from our Power of Nine Challenge and has such been in constant contact with Jamie the Grand Prize winner, organizing her plane tickets to our Title 9K in Chicago. Amy intended to write a piece focused on Jamie and her back story, who she is and where she’s from, how she found Title Nine and the like. But when she got to writing all the facts flew out the window and a description of Jamie as a person, a wonderful person, came to fruition in their place. Enjoy.

I work in Marketing. Behind a screen. Sending out any vibes I can through the tips of my fingers, rapidly pushing on the keys in front of me. Conveying to everyone how happy their excitement and pleasure in our product and our company makes me can be a challenge for a girl with a limited vocabulary. I often find myself at a loss of words and half ashamed to continually tell them they are “awesome, amazing, wonderful, and beautiful”, but in reality, that’s what they are. These women I’ve found myself connecting with are INCREDIBLE women. Incredible. They are doing their part to make the day okay. In any small way they can. Today I received the picture from our gal the Grand Prize winner from the Power of 9 giveaway, and the sight of it brought me to tears. I mean, look at her! 🙂 Her smile was and is, one of the most genuine, gleeful, proud and honestly thrilled to be in the moment photos I’ve seen in a long time. Sheer, complete, truthful joy! The look on her face wearing her new Title 9 t-shirt with a tennis racket, golf club and soccer ball in one hand, is a look I’m certain parents have the privilege of enjoying on their kids on a summer day. She’s beautiful. She’s happy. And to top it off, she had just finished her fastest mile as part of her T9K training program 🙂 She’s a teacher. She has daughters. And she’s enjoying every last moment of her summer that she can. And taking the time that I know she doesn’t have to put on her new shirt, find some props, and talk someone into taking her picture to send to the pesky marketing gal at the home office. Jamie my dear, you are a doll. You put in more than one exclamation point despite it being a grammatical error because dang it, you’re excited. We sign our emails “love”. We address each other by our initials. You’re my long lost Midwestern pen pal. Thank you for reminding me what life is all about and how wonderful it will continue to be… if you let it. If you’re open to it. You are a beautiful gal – there are far too few like you. Rock on JMG – you’re going to be great come that October race day.

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Mentioning Unmentionables

Anna Blake of Infinity Farm first caught our eye with her bra humor. A gal who isn’t afraid to voice the idiosyncrasies of trying on a bra is someone we’re obviously going to get along well with (have you seen our Bounce line?!) and when we heard she runs her own horse training business we fell in love. Well, and maybe the fact that she found her perfect riding bra at Title Nine. Thank you Anna for taking the time to blog and to share.

I’m going to be blunt about sports bras- not trying to offend anyone, (or exclude either of my male readers.) If you work with horses, or dogs for that matter, you should probably be wearing one. The good news is that they have improved!

Note: No one wants to model, or even see a sports bra, so I chose this photo of Clara in her fly sheet. It has that certain look sports bras lack.

Back in the dark ages women were not expected to do anything un-ladylike enough to worry their underwear. Still, they were laced up tight, and elastic hadn’t been invented yet, so I am guessing they were shallow breathers. Early feminists threw away their corsets for a more full lung approach to the world, but I’m not sure how many of them were riders. Some of us do ride and we can become distracted by a certain contrary wave motion happening in our front torsos. It’s hard to focus on rhythm, and seeking that horse/rider oneness, while some part of your anatomy is jumping up and down, and name-calling in a heckling sort of way.

It was always a challenge, but once I came to dressage, home of the sitting trot, I clearly needed a better solution. Department stores were useless, so I scoured tack catalogs, took my best guess, and placed the order. That sports bra arrived with not one bit of elastic anywhere. I mounted up and went for a trot. The good news is that there was a graveyard-like stillness on my front torso. The bad news is that nothing else moved either, especially my lungs. Its truss effect also managed to round my shoulders, so now I was riding hunched and clamped and flattened and deflated. But at least the bra was expensive. I went back to buying a size smaller and layering.

That was then, this is now. When I was preparing to start riding my young mare I thought I might buy her a starting present, but I got myself one instead.

I had been getting catalogs from Title Nine and there were pages and pages of sport bras, labeled in ways that were more amusing than offensive. Strength of support is categorized by a barbell symbol. Three barbells should be good for riding. And there is a local store. (Unsolicited opinion, Title Nine does not sponsor me.)

Ever had a ‘fitting’ like this? I am not the sort to volunteer, but someone had to know more than I did. I left my ego at the door and when the clerk said to throw my hands up over my head, I did it with abandon. Not too mono-bosom, not too elastic- I could breathe and move my shoulders. They are less expensive then tack catalog options and returnable for a full year.

I remember when I finally got a new horse trailer. I left the old trailer with the dealer and flew down the road, checking the rear view in happy disbelief. Trailer technology had really improved in 34 years. My old trailer was like dragging a box of rocks.

I guess this new sport bra experience was kind of like that. Two months later, I am on the brink of zealous. So nice to focus on my horse’s movement, stay cool and breathe, simultaneously!

At the risk of too much information, (but why stop now?), I come from a long line of German women who use bras like pockets. It was common to see women pull hankies, cash, keys- you name it- out of their underwear. It’s a good tradition. Frequently I ride alone and I like to keep my phone handy for safety. These new age sports bras can pack along a smart phone. At the trot. Impressive, isn’t it?

(Titillation-free zone:  I chose my words carefully in this post. Internet search engines sometimes bring the unwanted visitor looking for that p-word that rhymes with corn. I hope they are very disappointed with my blog.)

Anna Blake is a full-time horse trainer and riding instructor based out of Colorado Springs. Anna’s clients are both two and four legged. She spends her days training horse and rider using the classic method of dressage, training relaxed forward gaits, and ads a touch of her own slightly unconventional approach and a positive sense of humor.  If you and your pony are in the Colorado Springs area and are looking to rekindle your bond riding to music, Anna Blake is your gal. You can find her blog here, and learn more about her business here.

 

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