This last weekend I had the opportunity to join around 70+ women from various cities for BAnna Camp, a running camp. This camp was once a dream of Anna Weber and Becki Spellman’s, both part of the Oiselle’s Haute Volée. Thankfully, their dream became a reality and the inaugural camp was held outside of Austin.
I met Becki last year when she was in town for the Austin half marathon. Becki is one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. She has no filter, tells you how it is, but is always your biggest fan. Oh and she is a superb runner. If you have the chance to meet her, do it. She will inspire you to not only run your best, but to be a better freaking human.
This week was the first time I met Anna . Part of the Lonestar birds gathered for a precamp run and I was able to run with Anna. Anna is mighty. She has a heart of gold (her and her husband take in and care for elderly pups in their final days. I’m not crying. You’re crying.) and by the end of camp, I learned she is gritty AF. Basically, I need to be her best friend. Anna, where do I apply?!
A large portion of camp focused on mental strength and strategies. I opted to be a “day camper” and I created a schedule that would allow me to attend as many mental sessions as possible because this is a weakness of mine. Coach Dean gave a presentation, had small group (basically we all wanted to be there though :)) sessions, and held individual sessions. Dean’s knowledge is endless. A few of my favorite take aways from Dean:
- Control the controllables.
- We are selective. Choose wisely where you place your focus.
- Stress is self created.
Saturday kicked off with a run. And holy cow. I have never met more inspiring, hilarious and supportive women. Women who just began running, completed their first marathon, training for Boston. It didn’t matter where you were in your training cycle. Everyone belonged. It was such a treat to share some trails with these women!
Later that morning, Anna and Becki presented “The Art of Being a Gritty Bitch”. These women are fire. They touched on the what is and the what is not of being a gritty bitch. They shared their ups and downs and working to be a better version of themselves. Provided tips on getting through tough workouts. How to handle embarrassing moments. The importance of surrounding yourself with gritty people. And then they opened up the floor for questions. One brave soul raised her hand and told us how she was at a race with people she knew. She was told she didn’t belong up front with the fast people and sought advice on how to handle those situations before a race. If you ever want to see a group of women runners get fired up, say this and then run like hell because we will come after you. Several hands went up. The room was filled with gasps. Women were appalled and questioned her if she told them to f*ck off?!
It was obviously, this camp was more than running. It’s about building the sisterhood. Not only showing up for yourself, but showing up for the women next to you. There is space for everyone and I can not think of another group I’d rather share this space with more.
Thank you, Anna and Becki, for a weekend I’ll never forget. Counting down to 2.0! xo
Cheers!