Coaches of T9
The team at Title Nine has many players — and many coaches. Our own athletic and personal lives have been shaped and influenced by coaches we’ve had, making the decision to embark on the same path an important one. We look up to those who lead the way for us: it’s time for us to lead the way for the next generation.
Do YOU coach? Tell us why below.
Athlete Defined
One-in-a-Million: You Could Win!
We are excited to announce that Title Nine is partnering with Timbuk2 for an incredible giveaway!
A true San Francisco original, Timbuk2 was born from a bike messenger making products that served his own needs — and, much like Title Nine, it found its start in a garage in 1989. Timbuk2 brought customization to the masses, launching the first online customizer in 1999. Every single custom bag Timbuk2 makes is still put together by hand at their headquarters in San Francisco. While Timbuk2 continues to grow their lines, the original made in San Francisco custom messenger remains the iconic style and the heart and soul of the company.
For years, we have proudly brought you our exclusive One in a Million messenger bag: a durable, timeless, place-for-everything messenger bag crafted from specially chosen seasonal fabric that Timbuk2 only offers through Title Nine.
We know that our fans and customers are completely unique – so now we are giving you a chance to create a custom messenger bag that is as one of a kind as you are!
Tell us why you are One in a Million in 50 words or less and YOU could win!
ONE lucky winner will score a size small Timbuk2 messenger bag, customized for and by you!
Two runners up will each take home a medium custom Tartine Tote.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN Title Nine and Timbuk2’s One in a Million Contest. Title Nine and Timbuk2 employees, affiliates, are not eligible for this giveaway. Open to legal residents of the continental US and DC who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Begins midnight PT 4/7/14, ends 11:59 p.m. PT 5/7/14. Void in Puerto Rico & all other US territories & possessions and where prohibited. By entering, you are agreeing to provide your information to Title Nine for email notification purposes.
Forward Motion
Comfort zones: we all have them. Those circumstances that make us feel accomplished, competent… confident. They are present in every area of life. From our weekly workout routine to our sex lives, no place is exempt. For the most part we live and function happily in these places, maintaining a sense of confidence by doing what we know and love the way we always have. That is, until change takes us out of that zone, pushing the boundaries and exposing us to the place where we don’t feel accomplished, competent or confident. Sometimes that change is a deliberate choice on our part and sometimes it is thrust upon us.
I was recently pushed out of my running comfort zone and headlong into dark and snowy woods. Typically I run road races, during the day, wearing sneakers. For my first race of 2014 I donned snowshoes and ran at night, in a snowstorm, through unlit woods. Not only did the race bring me out of my comfort zone physically, but my type A-need-to-know-the-details-so I-can-plan self was slightly thrown by ever-changing race details. Going into the race I had no idea how it would feel–save a handful of runs on my backwoods-behemoth snowshoes. I had no idea where I was going and the race directors stern warnings not to get lost were no help, neither was having no idea if I’d be able to finish the four mile trek. The day before the race the advertised 5K distance was changed to four miles due to the “epic snow conditions.” I had only ever run two miles in snowshoes and those two miles were tough going; the thought of four sounded unnecessarily grueling.
The race turned out to be a thrilling foray into the unknown. And I loved every minute of it. So much so, that I signed up for a second snowshoe race the next weekend. I’ve even purchased a pair of running snowshoes and, despite the polar-vortex that has winter lingering long past it’s welcome, I’m looking forward to next years snowshoe racing season.
Running a snowshoe race was a subtle stretch of one of my comfort zones. There are others that I’d like to keep firmly intact, places where I don’t want to risk failure… so I hang on. Sometimes running headlong into the dark and unknown is exactly what we need to do. We need to shake things up sometimes. Running a snowshoe race isn’t the most profound stretching of the boundaries of safety and security that I’ve created, but it is a start. Maybe it will open me up to take healthy risks as a mother, as a wife, as a friend. Maybe it will help me take down the boundaries that keep me from moving forward.
When we step out of our comfort zones we grow. We become stronger. We discover new talents and abilities that would have gone unnoticed if we had stayed put. We move forward. And isn’t forward motion what life is all about?
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Sarah’s full recap of her snowshoe racing adventure can be found here.
Sarah Canney is a wife, mother, runner and defeater of bulimia. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two children. She is passionate about family, running and freedom and she blogs about it at RunFarGirl.com.