The Running Event–But Really This is Real Life

* The winner of the Moleskine is Ashley from The Broccoli Blog! Hooray! *

I was pretty MIA last week and I’m going to be pretty MIA again. It’s fine – y’all are plenty busy with holiday shopping and decorating and cookie baking, and if that’s not enough there should be some killer race reports coming out from everyone who just absolutely laid the smackdown at CIM and Rehoboth. High five, all you ass-kickers!

But while I have you, may as well tell you what I was up to.

In case you don’t follow me on social media (@sarahoual on twitter + instagram + fb), I was down in Austin for TRE, aka The Running Event, aka Runnerd paradise with Oiselle for my new sales rep gig. Here’s a quick breakdown of the trip, because bullets and photos are easy and make me happy.

Tuesday – [Travel forever.] Speedier-than-expected 6 mile jaunt along the water immediately upon arrival with my favorite toe sock people. Dinner with KJ at Austin Ale House, recommended from my favorite “salad + craft beer” Yelp search query.

sure no running water = no washing hands, but it also = no coffee on board

beets… mmm… IPA… mmmmm….

Wednesday Morning – Group run hosted by the North Face and Luke’s Locker after an awful night of sleep (nerves? time zone change?). Fight to balance the run-fast-but-still-be-able-to-talk line for 5 miles. Breakfast at Mellow Johnny’s while trying to act chill around Timothy Olson. I only said like, two things that made the table do that awkward ‘I don’t know how to respond to that” silences. I’m so cool it hurts.

credit blurriness to “trying not to get dropped at fun run”

somebody PUH-LEASE bring this to OC

pan left for nervous/intimidated oual (credit @SFRunCo)

Wednesday Midday – Show prep and seeing Fall14 for the first time at the super cute rental condo. [moment of silence for the future awesomeness that I’m sworn to secrecy from you] Few hours at the tradeshow showing the new line to current and prospective dealers. Hit the freshman Rep role on the head, eavesdropping on everyone’s conversations to osmosis all their veteran knowledge and get a grip on “professionally” selling rather than “dude these are my effing favorite shorts, you should totes buy them” like I’ve been spitting the last two years.

airbnb >>> hotel

Freshman hard at work

touchy-feely is totally encouraged

Wednesday Evening – Party here, party there, parties everywhere. Modcraft hosted the Oiselle, Nuun, and Soleus crew at Moonshine and it was nice to kick back with some old pals, meet new ones, and spy on the elite invites. Quote of the night:

Shanna: “Sarah, do you know Leo?”

Sarah: “Yeah, like I just KNOW silver medal Olympian Leo Manzano. We’re old pals. So much in common… har har har”

(Shanna IS old pals with Leo.)

… Which is probably why I didn’t get introduced to Meb later on. Ugh who invited this girl?!

spying on Leo from a safe distance

Thursday too-effing-early Morning – Rolling on about 12 hours of sleep over the last three days, two hard days of running, and a pretty significant hangover, I somehow made the 6am busses for the Indie 5k. Audibly chattered my teeth and seizure-like shivered in the sub50 temps (socal weenie, official) until the gun and took off with about 200 other runners on the super hilly course. Ran with fellow Ois rep Cindi who was great company, incoherently yelled at Bart Yasso at mile two (“it’s me! sarahoual!”), and managed to cross the finish line without dropping dead or puking in 25ish minutes. Lobbying to change it in my training log to a “successful 3.1 mile run” instead of “race” to save the PW humility.

Fuelstrip was at the finish testing runners’ sweat for glycogen depletion which was cool but all my sweat drops had already turned to sweat ice cubes so I didn’t do it. Womp.

here’s Sara and Bourbon Chase teammate Kevin from Modcraft because they look much better in spandex than I do

#proof I ran, too

Thursday All Day – Brag about Sally, Oiselle, and Fall14 to anyone and everyone who will listen. Graduate to second semester Sophomore rep status. Pinch myself that this is real life.

Browse around the other booths, find some cool discoveries:

• The new Brooks Launch colorway looks much better in person than online. Nuun Energy – three flavors (cherry limeade, lemon lime, wild berry) with caffeine and B vitamins coming soon! Localeikki app makes being active while traveling or exploring a new area easy. Addaday makes the most inappropriate-looking but most effective massage roller for knotty calf people. 4iiii is like the Google Glass for enduro-junkies and super iRobot-ish. Sandy from BIC Bands is still one of my favorite people ever.

new Launch (far right blue/orange) get. on. my. feet!

and you, get in my bottle.

Thursday Evening – Dinner with the birds at Polvos. Debate the differences between East coast, Texas, and West coast mexican cuisine. Seek out vaccination for Baby Fever.

Mama Bird Sally with baby Ryker

Friday – Quiet day at the show, sad farewells to the people, Austin, and beautiful Fall 14 samples. Until we meet again, polyester meshy antimicrobial logo’d compression knit lovelies…

Bonus Itinerary Item – Sprint through Bush International terminal A –> E, count it as a speed workout.

Don’t feel bad for my separation depression though (note sarcasm), because tomorrow I’m going up to Seattle to reacquaint myself with everyone for our annual sales meeting. And just because I need to earn some cold-weather stripes back, I’m heading to Bend, OR for the weekend (seriously, ___-teen degrees?) to super cheer the Oiselle Team at Club Cross Country Nationals! Oh yes, official Fan Girl Correspondent, reporting for duty. Stay tuned for that *freezing* coverage.

Sarah OUaL