WOW!!! I really do not think I can put into words what an amazing experience and opportunity going to Bend, Oregon and being at Bird Camp with
Oiselle was! Life changing for sure!
First of all this was my very first time EVER flying/travelling alone! I know I have lived a sheltered life...LOL. Second, this was my first time leaving my kids and hubby for that long. Once I got to the airport and on the plane I was excited about this adventure!
Looks a lot different from Delaware!
There are so many reasons why I love
Oiselle and everything that the company means/stands for ... The perfect word to express the bond that I immediately felt is .. Sisterhood!! Here I am flying across the country by myself .. going to a unfamiliar place and meeting a group of women I have never met before in my life at the airport in Portland and yet they all welcomed me in and we immediately hit it off! When we got to camp we were just in time for dinner and everyone was super friendly and inviting. I LOVE that we all had special name tags!!
I expected to feel a little uncomfortable and nervous but honestly I NEVER once felt that way!! I got to meet my amazing roommate Victoria :
She is such a fabulous woman and friend! Instantly we bonded and I knew it was going to be a great match! Oh yeah and this super ROCK STAR woman Lauren Fleshman!!! Talk about a class act of a person .. She is a stellar athlete, an Olympian, amazing mother and instant friend ... She brought us into her home of Bend, OR and treated us all like family! I cannot say enough about her and how much she inspires me to reach my goals and dreams!! Here is a pic of Lauren showing us the trails:
Our second roomie Suzie B. joined us on Thursday and I feel in love with her right away! We definitely hit the roommate jackpot!
Okay this is so hard to condense into one post so I will give you my favorite memories! Trails, TRAILS and more trails ... I am now completely addicted to trail running and definitely need to explore more areas. There is something so freeing about running and being surrounded by nature and all of its beauty. No cars, no horns, no red lights ... just you and the trail!
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| Whoa .. steps to help get up the hills |
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| Snow capped mountain |
I was tempted by this rope swing into the river!! I would never want to be inside if I lived here. The air is crisp and fresh .. the river is clear and clean .. I am in love!
We all loaded up in 2 buses and went to run the Deschutes Brewery 5K! As I have said before the 5K distance absolutely terrifies me .. I have a love for distance running and the speed of the 5K really intimidates me. But with this amazing and supportive group my outlook was completely changed! I had a blast and loved every step of the race ... and the beer afterward!
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| Strong, beautiful flock of birds! |
Also going on in Bend was the Bend Brewfest!! I know my hubby would have loved to be a part of this .. NOT so much the running!
After the race and cheering on my teammates .. Lauren took us on a quick shakeout/cool down run around the river! GORGEOUS is all I can say!
Then we re-hydrated with a few brews! Looking fly!
Saturday we went to Smith Rock ... Holy breath taking views! I have never seen anything like this before in my life:
Smith Rock is a rock climbers dream and a runners play ground!
LF giving us the details about the variety of trails and varying levels of difficulty.
I went with a 6 mile run with breath taking scenery and even better company!
Thank goodness I had my
Mizuno Wave Kazan trail shoes with me!!! They really got a lot of mileage put on them in Oregon and they felt great .. light weight yet super supportive on the different terrain!
I seriously could have explored ALL day here in Smith Rock. We even had lunch and I enjoyed chatting and getting to know more of my teammates!
Sunday we did a long run along the Deschutes River trail and I am soooo thankful for these two wonderful women:
Susie and Darnelle!!! We ran to the Benham Falls ( which were absolutely amazing )and back for a total of 16 miles. I am so grateful for having the time to bond and learn more about these two rock star runners!!
Fellow birds along the way who took a detour!
And I am so proud I only fell once on the trails!! Woohoo!
We jumped in the river post run for a nice cool down and modified ice bath on our legs! This felt incredible!
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| LOVE this pic! |
We NEVER went hungry at camp and they proved us with the most delicious, healthy and fresh foods! We even had
Brew Dr. Kombucha:
I have been seriously craving this since I got back home and have not found a
kombucha that stands up to it here in DE!
And to wrap up camp
Oiselle threw the best party complete with tacos, beer, a band and DONUTS!!!
Other major camp experiences include Jasyoga ( taught me so much and helped me RESET and relax ), Jay Dicharry ( PT extraordinaire ), Stephanie Howe ( female winner of the Western States 100 mile race and Sports Nutritionist ), Linsey Corbin ( Professional Triathlete), Kate Grace ( LOVE HER, she is a super star runner and amazing person ), form drills and activation exercises and PICKY BARS!!! ... So much talent, amazing advice and life lessons learned!!!!
I saved the best for last:
Kristin Metcalf .. LOVE her! She is such a big part of
Oiselle and to finally meet her in person and get to experience just how awesome she is was priceless!!! THANK YOU for everything you do!
Dr. Sarah Lesko: UMMM how the heck did I not get a picture with Lesko?? Epic fail on my part! Anyway ... Lesko I another HUGE part of
Oiselle and I am so honored to have had the chance to meet her, chat with her and learn from her!!!
Sally Bergesen: Momma Bird herself!!! She is my idol and I am so lucky to be a part of her dream! She is the Founder and CEO of
Oiselle and the most down to earth, friendly, supportive, positive woman you will ever meet!!! Thank You for EVERYTHING!!!
I really cannot cover all the fabulous things that we did and experienced during this trip .. but I can tell you it was exactly what my life needed!!!
Happy Running!
