Time for Team: the Oiselle Volée
As the local leader for Durham, NC I want to personally invite you to the team
When I was reflecting on my core values and goals for 2021, I realized one of the key things I want to focus on is community. I know I’m not the only one who spent 2020 thinking about my priorities — all that extra time at home resulted in a lot of introspection for many people — but community really is something I want to better cultivate. So pull up a chair and let’s talk about a running community that’s near and dear to me.
For the longest time I was slow to join communities. I was anxious about being accepted into groups and I struggled to open myself up to others (it’s something I’m still working on). But through the years and numerous solo wanderings, I’ve come to appreciate how powerful it is to share stories and experiences. Like my blog’s tagline says, “Every adventure has a story.” And stories — big and small — are meant to be shared.
That pull to share stories and experiences with others has often conquered my social anxiety. Over the years it has inspired me to join communities and show up to new group meetups and invite myself to outings. Through all this I’ve made friendships through hiking and backpacking and have found myself woven into the fabric of the local running communities, and I am always grateful for what these connections and communities have brought to my life.
But more often than not, I joined a group because I was specifically invited. “Liz, come participate in a half marathon training program with Fleet Feet!” “Liz, come run Table Rock ultra with me!” “Liz, come sit at Bean Traders with us!” Those personal invitations are powerful, and so I want to give you a personal invitation to one of the running communities that I feel strongly about: the Oiselle Volée.
Oiselle (pronounced “wa-zell”) is a running apparel company that makes high quality products. They are a small(er) business led by women athletes and focused on the needs of women athletes through premium, functional design that includes extended sizes and new sports bras. They are outspoken about social justice issues and support a team of elite athletes. But most importantly, I value the Oiselle Volée community. The Volée (which is French for "flock" and plays on Oiselle's bird theme) is a diverse community of women runners. Open to all women of all paces, the membership supports the elite athlete team and charitable programs and connects women locally and nationally through a dedicated app, events, and team gear.
In a sport that can often feel solitary, there's something incredible about the team experience. There have been many times when I ran a race (remember those?) and saw another runner in the Oiselle singlet and we bonded for a few miles, or all those lazy Saturday mornings when the local team members would meet up to laugh and relax at Bean Traders. There was the time I ran my first marathon at Marine Corps Marathon in 2018; I came around the corner from the bridge into Crystal City and there were at least fifty Oiselle Volée spectators there ROARING for me with cowbells and signs and high fives. Total strangers. Total community. There was the City of Oaks marathon relay with local Volée members in 2017 and the Womxn Run the Vote virtual relay in 2020. There was the day we tried curling in anticipation of the winter Olympics and the annual secret Santa gift exchanges. There were all the race meet-ups, including the cowbell corner for the Durham Running of the Bulls 8K and the post-race brunch. There were daily connections that have coalesced into community and friendship in my life.
Things look a little different now with the pandemic and social distancing; we all miss our meetups and races, but we still connect via the app and virtual meetups. From celebrating life's milestones to cheering on each other's promotions to sympathizing over daily struggles to being there for each other when it's especially hard, I know that I am never running alone. And as the local Oiselle Volée leader for Durham, NC, I want to extend that community invitation to you. Let’s fly together.
The Oiselle Volée community is open now to new members through January 22, and more information can be found here: https://www.oiselle.com/pages/volee
Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina is a popular place for hikers and runners, and is one of my favorite spots. It is close to Winston-Salem and has a very distinctive profile that lends it nicely as a landmark for navigation, and can be easily seen from some places in the Blue Ridge Mountains.