Celebratory night run

Oiselle head to toe (minus headband) selfie. This took me 10 tries and 15 min before I was supposed to go on my spontaneous run. Aka, this may never happen again.

In yesterday's blinding elation and infinite self happiness, I had to remind myself how lucky I really am to have had the week that I did.  I got to spend it with so many friends, the love of my life, eat great food, see new places, and hit a max with my official sponsorship offer from Oiselle.

Today, I learned that there were several women who applied for the Volée racing team who didn't get offered sponsorship, many who were disappointed, some who had negative or angry feelings about the process.  With 400+ women vying for 125 spots, I could easily have not been chosen.  There are so many amazing women out there, it's hard to differentiate who deserves to be on the team just through a single application.  

I had a lot of time to think about this, as I discovered the team was looking for new athletes right around the time they first posted on the website, submitted my application 27 days before the deadline, and waited anxiously almost the entire months of June and July to hear back.  July 31st, I even agonized over Coach Kristin's wording in her email about letting members know by August 1st. (Does that mean it could be any point before then? Does anyone else know yet? [Search twitter to see if there's any joyful posting] Oh my gosh, are they even going to let me know if I didn't get accepted?) Yeah, clearly, I'm a nuts over Oiselle, moving on... The point is, I was emotionally invested.  So the bf asked me what I would do if I didn't get accepted onto the team.  I paused and searched for the words.  

The disappointment would be excruciating, but I would continue to support the company, display my dedication and our shared philosophies by getting more involved with Oiselle's online community, and try a different approach in my application in their next cycle.  But above all, I would stay true to my love for running.  There is nothing that can diminish my connection with running and its influence over my life.  The fact that Oiselle (and my FF training crew!) cultivate the same love of running and the encouraging environment that I have been seeking in a community is icing on a cake (albeit, a very special cake that I have been searching for all my life).  The cake itself will always be about me and my love for the run.  I'm happy to share the miles and my triumphs, but those experiences are primarily mine and mine alone.  

So yes, I am really lucky.  It could have gone the other way; I could have been crestfallen yesterday.  I'm fortunate that Oiselle was able to see that we will work well together!  With those thoughts in mind, I laced and birded up (homage to my newest partner and community) tonight and celebrated in the best way I knew how.  A six mile tempo run.  :)  

Final note: I really wish I worked on my core enough to "earn" the right to blind everyone by going bra and shorts only. 77 degrees + 80% humidity = someone punching you in the gut every 50 meters! :(