Finding Oneself in Leading Others

This post was created by Amy, a Marketing Coordinator for Title 9 and enthusiast for all the things Title 9 stands for – including most important of all, it’s customers. If you have an idea for a post or would like to connect with Title 9 shoot her an email.

Already our 3rd Annual Bay Area Title 9K is coming up next month which makes me realize that its truly incredible how things pan out. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be lucky enough to start working with the Title 9K team, and on top of that, meet the people that I have. One gal in particular, Miss Irma, has blown me out of the water. In my attempt to market the race in any way I could I found a local running club in San Jose and reached out to their director in hopes of something, anything. Little did I know on the receiving end was an energetic, kind, and motivated mother passionate about running with others. I’ll stop now and leave you with Irma’s rendition of the birth and development of not only the Mom’s Run This Town San Jose chapter, but Miss Irma herself. Cheers my dear, here’s to you.

Every person experiences life changing events (LCEs) in their life – both positive and negative.  As a social worker and runner, I firmly believe in the power of exercise to undo the negative effects of LCEs.  I started running after I got married not only because I needed to lose weight, but to do something that was just for me, amidst the togetherness of a committed relationship.  I continued to run through the pre-mature deaths of my twins, Lucas and Larissa, and then after the births of my daughters, Sophia and Samantha.  As a mom, running took on new meaning. I wanted my kids to know that “being healthy” doesn’t just happen – you work hard for it, like everything in life that’s worth working for.

I thought I would be done with any significant LCEs until my kids went off to college.  Wrong!! Last year, my husband got a job in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA.  The stress of moving across the country and being away from all our family and friends took a toll on me – I gained 15 lbs and had the hardest time adjusting to our new life here.  So, I started running again after the holidays. The problem:  running alone is not my forte and the runs for the local running groups didn’t fit with my schedule.  If I were to run first thing in the morning or after work hours, I would have to bring sleepy and/or hungry kids in the jogging stroller. And who wants that at their 7 AM run or 6 PM run?  Not me – and they’re my kids!

What was a running mom to do?  Enter Moms RUN this Town (MRTT) – a FREE nation-wide running club for moms, by moms.  The name intrigued me because I believe moms (and women in general) run the world and if we had the opportunities to do it on a larger scale, the world would be a much better place.  Since there was no chapter in San Jose, I contacted the founder and found myself as the new chapter leader of Moms RUN this Town-San Jose!

At first, I recruited moms who I became friends with through my kids. Mid-morning, we would run with our jogging strollers, then let the kids out to play and have lunch.  Exercise time for mom and the kids get a play date – a match made in heaven!

My first consistent running partner was Ellen, mom of 2, who hadn’t run for over 5 years.  Yet, after only 2 months, we completed a 5K in less than 35 minutes – a PR for both of us!    After that race, MRTT took on a whole new meaning for me.  I made up some fliers and put them out at local running stores, coffee shops, supermarkets.  Then, I got really bold and started handing them out to women I saw running or walking with a stroller or with kids. I became part of a larger group of like-minded, strong moms who did RUN their corner of the world.

Junella, has young four kids, works part-time, and gets up at 5 AM to run since she is training for a marathon and a 5K obstacle run in October.  Patricia, who has grown kids, has run/walked a half marathon every month since June of this year.  Melanie is mom to a 4-legged “kid” and is training to run her first marathon this October.  Truc-Co last ran in college (over 10 years ago, but she’ll tell you it was only 5 years ago!), yet since joining MRTT, she has been running 3-4x/week while pushing her 2 year old in a jogging stroller!  She has signed up for the Title 9K (her 1st race), a half marathon and a 5k obstacle race.  She has also perfected the art of opening snacks and juice boxes and picking up various toys that have been tossed out of the jogging stroller all while maintaining a 9-10 min/mile pace.

In the 3 months since our group started, we’ve grown to include 30 women with varying running backgrounds (1st time run/walkers to experienced racers) and in various stages of motherhood (1st time moms with new borns to older moms with grown kids).  We’ve created a community of running moms who inspire and support each other. Every time I log on to our Facebook page and read their posts and comments, I am humbled by their strength, dedication and kindness. We each know what it takes to make the time to run when you’re a mom.

For me, MRTT was what I needed to get back on track to the healthier life I wanted to have.  It was not just the physical act of running that helped to mitigate the negative effects of my LCE.  It was the social, mental and emotional connections made through running (and specifically from running with other moms) that contributed to my life adjustment and satisfaction.

When I found out about the Title 9K race series, I thought it would be a great first race for our newer-to-running moms but also for our seasoned-running-moms.  The fact that it was for women only and accommodated strollers was a bonus! Most of us have only run with strollers and most races don’t allow them.  Also, having it be all women gives it more of that community, “we’re all in this together, no matter what your pace may be” feeling.  Lastly, since 9K is not usual race length, we’re all sure to PR!!

MRTT, Title Nine and the Title 9K Race Series all have the ideal of women as powerful and influential at their core.  We matter – to our families, our communities, our countries and the world.  Our lives are full of LCEs
that can threaten to stop us, but the rhythm of running keeps moving us forward one step at a time.

If you’re interested in joining Mom’s Run This Town San Jose you can find their information here. Live in another part of the country? Find your local chapter here, or become an Irma and start your very own!

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Live Dangerously

A word from Missy to kick off your next season, adventure, day or challenge…

Go ahead and eat it, even if it’s past the 5-second rule.
Skip the anti-bacterial soap and let your immune system do the fighting.
Skip the antibiotics…chances are it’s a virus.
Let your child work with knives. The learning will astonish you both.
Take that job offer, even if, especially if, you think you’re under-qualified.
Take that trip to an undiscovered part of your world.
Yes, your son can walk to the store by himself.
And, your daughter should learn to build a good fire.
And even if you think you haven’t trained enough, do that race anyway.
Live dangerously…learning awaits.

How do you live dangerously? Tell me.

On the Fly Dress Campfire Cookin Rollick Print Crew
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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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It’s Time for The Title 9K!

Our annual Title 9K’s are coming up in Chicago and the Bay Area and we can’t stop thinking about them!  So much that we thought we’d come up with a run plan for those of you who would like extra motivation or don’t know where to start. You may be wondering, how many miles is a 9K? Well, to be exact: 5.59234073 miles, but for the sake of sanity, let’s call it 5.6. But don’t worry, if you haven’t run at all in the last 5 years, or if you’ve been running for the last 5 years straight, we’ve got a training program for everyone, and we mean everyone – all ladies and their kids, moms, sisters and girlfriends. This race is all about having a good time!

Training Schedules:

Walkers/Joggers

Built for those who would like to walk with a little jog mixed in between, you only work out 4 days a week, 3 walking/running, and one doing cross training. The workouts are written as: 1/1 x 11. The first number is minutes to run followed by minutes to walk. So 1/1 is one minute of running followed by one minute of walking.

Start your workout by warming up for 5 minutes – a brisk march or light jog will do. Bored? Try some squats! Anything to amp up your heart rate! At the end do your heart a favor and cool down for 5 minutes. Finish with stretches holding each one for 15-30 seconds! You want to keep those worked muscles loose and limber!

You’ll need to mix cross-training sessions into your workout. These are extremely important; they balance your muscle groups reducing your chance of injury. Examples of cross-training include: swimming, water running, cycling or spinning, elliptical and rowing! Anything to pump your heart rate and work those muscles.

WALKING TRAINING : Bay Area Title 9K

WALKING TRAINING : Chicago Title 9K

For the Runners

Are you ready to run 5.6 miles!? We’re here to get you there. This plan is intended for those who are already able to run a couple of miles. If you don’t think you’re there, spend a week walking for one minute and jogging for 11. Do this for a few days before kicking into this plan – and once you get started, if you need to break in bouts of walking during your runs, that’s okay too!

If you need to switch days to accommodate your schedule, and swap a run for a rest day, that’s fine. Your EZ runs should be a comfortable pace to help loosen your muscles. The cross training (CT) sessions held once a week are extremely important; they balance your muscle groups reducing your chance of injury. You will also avoid getting bored with running and can continue to train if you inhibit certain injuries. Examples of cross-training include: swimming, water running, cycling or spinning, elliptical and rowing!

RUNNER TRAINING : Bay Area Title 9K

RUNNER TRAINING : Chicago Title 9K

We’ve laid the groundwork, now the hardest part is up to you – getting out there and training! But don’t worry, you’re not alone! If you have a question, are looking for help, or just need to vent about your last run, check out the group pages for both the Bay Area and Chicago Title 9Ks.

Are you ready? Keep us updated on your progress, share your goals, and post pictures below! We would love to hear from you!

Interested in volunteering in Chicago or the Bay Area? Drop us a line at t9k@titlenine.com

See ya’ll soon!

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Physio Friday

Here at the T9 Clubhouse we work hard and play even harder, even when the summer sun sings it’s siren song.  Sometimes moving seamlessly from morning meetings to a quick lunch, a few pull-ups, then back to the grind, one might mistake us for a very serious bunch.  And we are very serious — about getting outside and trying something new, just like our parents used to hound us to, and most importantly, we’re dead serious about having fun at every opportunity. Knowing what is going to happen around here is just not possible!  If there is one thing I have learned in my six years here at Title Nine, it’s that the unexpected that you didn’t expect is exactly what you should expect. No, really.  When someone says “Megaball,” they really do mean a six foot tall ball used to play some sort of crazy game.  When someone starts dancing at the end of a company meeting, it very well could be a full blown flash mob kicking off.  And when someone emails a video in jest, it just might end up being an official (well supervised!) Feats of Strength event.

When you do step out and try that something new this summer, just make sure you make those parents extra proud and wear clean underwear.

Mom, Dad, you’re welcome.

– Christina @T9

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