I have never had a pair of running shorts.
It isn't that I don't own any or haven't tried many of them on. I have tried on almost every damn short in my local running store. I own a couple of pairs. It is that they don't fit me and if I think about it long enough I am filled with rage.
Go to a road race and you will see every body shape and size known to man. This is particularly true in the women's race - because women of all body types are taking to racing. But you wouldn't know it from the selection of clothing available to runners.
I read this snarky comment from a fast running blogger about how she thought it was so WEIRD that so many women run in capris instead of shorts and how they must be insecure about their bodies and not REAL runners and it was awful and bitchy and I won't link her here because she is clearly ridiculous. And it was also missing the point. I think most people are wearing capris because they don't want the chafing on their thighs.
I don't have the classic runners body. I know that this doesn't matter. My body is strong and I love to run. I just wish that the running companies (including the ones that claim that they are fitting a real women's body) would look at other body types. It looks like they are fitting their elite runner and then scaling it up. And then not trying it on the larger size. I have a small waist and big hip ratio. I have large thighs. So the shorts all slide at the waist and squeeze in the legs and ride up like you cannot imagine. It is not flattering, it is not functional and it pisses me off.
Google women's running shorts that fit and you will see running board after running board with women with my problem. We've all tried the big brands like Nike and the small brands like Oiselle. And nothing fits.
I keep looking though, summer is coming after all. And maybe one day I will find that short for me. Until then I still want to punch that blogger in the face.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Letting Go
The last month has been a damn training disaster. JR has had two surgeries - injuries and nothing life threatening but it means he can't do any child care or household work. I started a new job. The baby is teething. It is . . just a lot.
I often am smug about how you make time for what is most important to you and I think that is largely true. But when your life explodes even the important things fall apart. I haven't honored my training program - not one bit - and my race is in a month.
I am starting to panic.
Though I keep saying this is my comeback race and I just want to finish the truth is I was planning to PR. And I was planning to PR by a LOT. This sounds crazy because the baby is not even seven months old and I didn't run while pregnant and I had a c-section. But the truth is my Half PR is actually pretty slow even for pokey me. I did both races within three weeks of each other and I was undertrained. So while I am incredibly proud of those finishes and I feel like they are achievements I wanted a faster time. And I had this weird plan to just crush my PR and act surprised.
That is not going to happen now.
Now I am back in the realm of struggling to finish. I don't feel strong. My legs and core are just not quite where they should be yet. Four weeks is not a lot of time to get into that place. It is more than possible that I will finish slower than I did before.
In the big scheme of things this does not matter at all. I will finish. It is my comeback! But it is still hard to let that dream go.
I often am smug about how you make time for what is most important to you and I think that is largely true. But when your life explodes even the important things fall apart. I haven't honored my training program - not one bit - and my race is in a month.
I am starting to panic.
Though I keep saying this is my comeback race and I just want to finish the truth is I was planning to PR. And I was planning to PR by a LOT. This sounds crazy because the baby is not even seven months old and I didn't run while pregnant and I had a c-section. But the truth is my Half PR is actually pretty slow even for pokey me. I did both races within three weeks of each other and I was undertrained. So while I am incredibly proud of those finishes and I feel like they are achievements I wanted a faster time. And I had this weird plan to just crush my PR and act surprised.
That is not going to happen now.
Now I am back in the realm of struggling to finish. I don't feel strong. My legs and core are just not quite where they should be yet. Four weeks is not a lot of time to get into that place. It is more than possible that I will finish slower than I did before.
In the big scheme of things this does not matter at all. I will finish. It is my comeback! But it is still hard to let that dream go.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Riding the Natural High
I like to make a terribly unfunny joke comparing running to bipolar disease and it is not only unfunny but insensitive and it isn't like I really know anyway but I stand behind it in the most wishy washy way possible. What I mean is that some days running is just AWFUL. Your legs feel tired and heavy. You can't get a rhythm. Your favorite treadmill is taken or maybe it is raining. Running is just an asshole and some days are just like that. There is a weird achievement in overcoming that and running anyway I guess and I am never exactly SORRY that I ran. But occasionally a workout puts me in this frame of mind that my goals are unachievable and why am I doing this and I've made no progress and DIE RUNNING DIE. They don't happen all the time but in a training cycle you know you are going to have a couple. At the end you might have a couple in a row.
The flip side is that occasionally, sadly more rarely than asshole days but still they happen, you have a great run. Nothing is different - maybe you don't run faster than normal but it feels easier. That change in your stride you are working on just feels good and natural today. Your play list hits every song just when you need it. The sun is shining but you aren't hot and your outfit looks good but is also functional. And you just fucking NAIL THAT WORKOUT.
The result is that you feel like you are making progress! You are a real runner! Your pants feel looser and your calves look defined and you are going to kick ass at that goal race. You are all over this!
The difference in these two runs? May be like ten seconds of actual time. But a good one sets you up all day (best payoff of being a morning runner, I just had a tremendous day today I swear my kids were even cuter and better behaved).
Most runs are between this, they have good things and bad. You will always have miles full of doubts and miles full of joy. The bad runs harden your resolve, they make you hungry to prove that dark place wrong. The good runs are like a drug you can't shake. That feeling hits all sorts of buttons of achievement and natural chemicals.
I had a great run this morning. I hit my paces. I felt great. My feet felt light and my turnover was strong. My legs got tired but I could push through it. Yes, I white knuckled the last quarter mile but I was smiling while I hung on for dear life.
This weekend I was despairing about my half marathon - worrying that maybe I couldn't come back from having a baby. Maybe it was too hard for me. Now I feel refreshed in that goal. I don't have a time goal I have a finish smiling and feel great about my training goal.
And a secret time goal, I can't help myself.
The flip side is that occasionally, sadly more rarely than asshole days but still they happen, you have a great run. Nothing is different - maybe you don't run faster than normal but it feels easier. That change in your stride you are working on just feels good and natural today. Your play list hits every song just when you need it. The sun is shining but you aren't hot and your outfit looks good but is also functional. And you just fucking NAIL THAT WORKOUT.
The result is that you feel like you are making progress! You are a real runner! Your pants feel looser and your calves look defined and you are going to kick ass at that goal race. You are all over this!
The difference in these two runs? May be like ten seconds of actual time. But a good one sets you up all day (best payoff of being a morning runner, I just had a tremendous day today I swear my kids were even cuter and better behaved).
Most runs are between this, they have good things and bad. You will always have miles full of doubts and miles full of joy. The bad runs harden your resolve, they make you hungry to prove that dark place wrong. The good runs are like a drug you can't shake. That feeling hits all sorts of buttons of achievement and natural chemicals.
I had a great run this morning. I hit my paces. I felt great. My feet felt light and my turnover was strong. My legs got tired but I could push through it. Yes, I white knuckled the last quarter mile but I was smiling while I hung on for dear life.
This weekend I was despairing about my half marathon - worrying that maybe I couldn't come back from having a baby. Maybe it was too hard for me. Now I feel refreshed in that goal. I don't have a time goal I have a finish smiling and feel great about my training goal.
And a secret time goal, I can't help myself.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Running Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
I ran at the gym before work twice this week. I did three miles each time, and ran similar paces. the strange part how different the two runs felt. Tuesday my legs felt dead and I had to PUSH myself to hid my modest pace goals. Every step felt like a struggle. I never got into a groove and when I finished instead of a good high or an aura of smug accomplishment (both of which I am usually sporting after an early morning run). I just felt beat up. Thursday I ran the same distance, in a similar way but afterwards I felt amazing. It felt like a run that had a purpose for my training, it made me feel stronger and more powerful.
Sometimes running is an act of faith. There are runs that are truly terrible. They hurt, they make you feel bad about yourself and your training. And all you can do is keep moving, keep working, and trust that the bad moments will pass. I am sure there are tons of lessons that can be applied to other things in life here but mostly I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust that eventually it will feel great again.
Two treadmill runs both under 12 minute pace. 12:15-12:30 long interval pace with one minute periods of 10:30.
I had a root canal Thursday and since then my face has erupted and swollen and I am on a ton of antibiotics and pain killers. So my long run this morning didn't happen. Hoping that it will feel better tomorrow so that I can get a nice easy long run in the morning.
Sometimes running is an act of faith. There are runs that are truly terrible. They hurt, they make you feel bad about yourself and your training. And all you can do is keep moving, keep working, and trust that the bad moments will pass. I am sure there are tons of lessons that can be applied to other things in life here but mostly I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust that eventually it will feel great again.
Two treadmill runs both under 12 minute pace. 12:15-12:30 long interval pace with one minute periods of 10:30.
I had a root canal Thursday and since then my face has erupted and swollen and I am on a ton of antibiotics and pain killers. So my long run this morning didn't happen. Hoping that it will feel better tomorrow so that I can get a nice easy long run in the morning.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Mulligan
My race training was supposed to begin this week. I chose a 15 week plan because I feel like for both of my previous races I was under-trained. I had only one run over ten miles. In both races (they were just three weeks apart) I struggled BADLY after ten miles. I just felt unprepared and my brain just shut down trying to push me towards the finish line. The longer plan has several runs over that ten mile marker and just more miles overall It was the plan I was using before becoming pregnant and dropping out of the half marathon last year. This was week 1 of that plan. And I failed at week 1. Failed badly.
Tuesday was great, 4 strong miles in the gym before work. But I had an ugly, embarassing weird injury in the middle of the week and didn't run the rest of my plan. Objectively I know that no one has failed at a race because they skipped a short run with strides. But I admit that those zeros in my training log make me feel uneasy. I think that this is common. Most runners I admit that do events have that obsessive side of their personality. They devote a lot of time trying to sort out the best way to get across the finish line.
Now this week is my chance to get going on the right track. We will see if I can get a couple of speed workouts in and work past this slow start.
Tuesday was great, 4 strong miles in the gym before work. But I had an ugly, embarassing weird injury in the middle of the week and didn't run the rest of my plan. Objectively I know that no one has failed at a race because they skipped a short run with strides. But I admit that those zeros in my training log make me feel uneasy. I think that this is common. Most runners I admit that do events have that obsessive side of their personality. They devote a lot of time trying to sort out the best way to get across the finish line.
Now this week is my chance to get going on the right track. We will see if I can get a couple of speed workouts in and work past this slow start.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Race Ready
When I got pregnant I was training for a half marathon. My previous two races at that distance had been great accomplishments but poor finishes and I really wanted to train better for my next try. I felt so strong and was about a third of a way into the cycle when I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't keep up the training and eventually stopped running.
While I was still pregnant I had a feeling of loss about that training cycle. That sounds really stupid, especially since I really wanted another baby and I was much more worried about my age for pregnancy then my fitness routine. But still, I had invested a lot in that cycle and it was going so well. So I kept focusing on my comeback that I could get back to how I felt like I did during that cycle. I spent all the time rubbing that thought between my fingers, just trying to move forward until I could try again.
Coming back has been harder and easier than I expected. It was easy to get in the groove again, easy to start training. But it has been more painful than I anticipated. And less linear. Under normal circumstances each run builds on itself and you can feel yourself progressing. But I am stutter stepping forward. I get better one week and then the next every step hurts. It takes a lot of faith to keep moving. I had thought I would try another half in March, no time goal, just completing the distance again would feel like a win. A post baby PR. I had an April race in the back of my head as a back up. By the time it was November I knew that initial race was too much of a stretch for me. It was just too soon. I wasn't able to log the miles, my body wasn't recovering the way I wanted it to. . .Last week I realized that I really needed to get into a cycle if I wanted to do the April race. And it scared me.
I typed up my training plan and started to worry. I just didn't feel ready. Every run seemed scary - even without a time goal. I had actual doubts about finishing.
And then I got an email about a new women's half debuting on a great course nearby. They were even offering a discounted buy in. Sold. That gives me three extra weeks to get ready for my training. I didn't realize that it was weighing on me so much until I changed my focus. Then it was clearing the right decision. Now I am excited about starting out and sure I can finish it. I can't imagine PRing this race so I will still be at the back of the pack. But I can finish. That feels huge at this stage.
Last week was a sluggish one.
4 miles treadie on Sunday - progression run
3 miles HITT on Thursday
6 miles road on Saturday - 1 mile finish on hill repeats
While I was still pregnant I had a feeling of loss about that training cycle. That sounds really stupid, especially since I really wanted another baby and I was much more worried about my age for pregnancy then my fitness routine. But still, I had invested a lot in that cycle and it was going so well. So I kept focusing on my comeback that I could get back to how I felt like I did during that cycle. I spent all the time rubbing that thought between my fingers, just trying to move forward until I could try again.
Coming back has been harder and easier than I expected. It was easy to get in the groove again, easy to start training. But it has been more painful than I anticipated. And less linear. Under normal circumstances each run builds on itself and you can feel yourself progressing. But I am stutter stepping forward. I get better one week and then the next every step hurts. It takes a lot of faith to keep moving. I had thought I would try another half in March, no time goal, just completing the distance again would feel like a win. A post baby PR. I had an April race in the back of my head as a back up. By the time it was November I knew that initial race was too much of a stretch for me. It was just too soon. I wasn't able to log the miles, my body wasn't recovering the way I wanted it to. . .Last week I realized that I really needed to get into a cycle if I wanted to do the April race. And it scared me.
I typed up my training plan and started to worry. I just didn't feel ready. Every run seemed scary - even without a time goal. I had actual doubts about finishing.
And then I got an email about a new women's half debuting on a great course nearby. They were even offering a discounted buy in. Sold. That gives me three extra weeks to get ready for my training. I didn't realize that it was weighing on me so much until I changed my focus. Then it was clearing the right decision. Now I am excited about starting out and sure I can finish it. I can't imagine PRing this race so I will still be at the back of the pack. But I can finish. That feels huge at this stage.
Last week was a sluggish one.
4 miles treadie on Sunday - progression run
3 miles HITT on Thursday
6 miles road on Saturday - 1 mile finish on hill repeats
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Gear Score
Running articles love to trot out the idea that running is a fitness activity that doesn't cost any money. All you need is a pair of shoes and you can run. This always makes me laugh because man runners LOVE spending money on running. Sure you do see some grizzled old runners about in big cotton t-shirts and tube socks sans watch and everything else. But most runners I see like to invest in gear that makes running more comfortable and allows them to run their best. Moisture wicking clothes top that list because after a sweat heavy workout in a cotton shirt you are likely to have giant chafe marks ripped in your skin.
For me the big national brands like Nike and Under Armour have not worked. I do not have a typical runners body - I have big thighs (and not the runner's big thighs where they still have thigh gap) and a booty but with a smaller waist and I have boobs. A lot of the bigger brands seem to have taken their best men's styles and shrunk them down and made them pink. I think this works well for a lot of slimmer runners and they have no problems. Stores like Lululemon and Athleta have challenged those brands by making tech clothing that also looks great. My issues with those stores are primarily about function - sometimes they are so cute but maybe not as practical as I would prefer. And price. I don't mind investing in workout clothing but $100 running pants seems crazy. I also don't love the founder of Lululemon and would like to not ever give him my money.
So I have spent a lot of time experimenting. I have a few things from Road Runner (my favorite running store) that are very functional and practical (but sadly not always so flattering). I have a couple of things from the Gap that are pretty good but seem to be SLIGHTLY more about lifestyle than actually working out. And I do have one Lululemon shirt (that I bought at the outlet with a gift card so I try to tell myself they didn't make any money off of me) that had been my favorite - as much as I loathe the company it was just so nice and light and not too warm in hot weather and not cold in cool weather and it never even smells. But it just made me crazy it was Lulu and I wouldn't buy another.
Out of the blue JR bought me this from Oiselle. Oiselle is a Seattle running company that makes functional but stylish running apparel for women. Their shorts sadly don't work for me - but I have yet to find any that do - but their capris are the best around. This shirt is now my top choice for every outdoor run. Just as functional as the Lulu - it even has great hand coverage and is the perfect length and never rides up. At $66 it is an indulgence (and an amazing gift) but I love it and I find myself choosing it every time.
Imagine my excitement to go to a Oiselle sample sale this morning. I got another Flyte top, two lux layers (which seems to be discontinued) and a tank top (and shorts for my girl Linda). My share was under $100. For their quality and how cute and comfortable everything is (I tried on one of lux layer shirts when I got home and uh never took it off - I didn't even run and my mom tried to steal it) that feels like free.
I am still on the quest for running shorts (if I am ever going to turn myself into a summer runner they are a must) that don't provoke the chub rub but my work out wardrobe feels like it is in great shape. I have grand plans to go to their next sale and drag Linda with me (we can run after so it will feel healthy).
No run today. Hopefully a long run tomorrow.
For me the big national brands like Nike and Under Armour have not worked. I do not have a typical runners body - I have big thighs (and not the runner's big thighs where they still have thigh gap) and a booty but with a smaller waist and I have boobs. A lot of the bigger brands seem to have taken their best men's styles and shrunk them down and made them pink. I think this works well for a lot of slimmer runners and they have no problems. Stores like Lululemon and Athleta have challenged those brands by making tech clothing that also looks great. My issues with those stores are primarily about function - sometimes they are so cute but maybe not as practical as I would prefer. And price. I don't mind investing in workout clothing but $100 running pants seems crazy. I also don't love the founder of Lululemon and would like to not ever give him my money.
So I have spent a lot of time experimenting. I have a few things from Road Runner (my favorite running store) that are very functional and practical (but sadly not always so flattering). I have a couple of things from the Gap that are pretty good but seem to be SLIGHTLY more about lifestyle than actually working out. And I do have one Lululemon shirt (that I bought at the outlet with a gift card so I try to tell myself they didn't make any money off of me) that had been my favorite - as much as I loathe the company it was just so nice and light and not too warm in hot weather and not cold in cool weather and it never even smells. But it just made me crazy it was Lulu and I wouldn't buy another.
Out of the blue JR bought me this from Oiselle. Oiselle is a Seattle running company that makes functional but stylish running apparel for women. Their shorts sadly don't work for me - but I have yet to find any that do - but their capris are the best around. This shirt is now my top choice for every outdoor run. Just as functional as the Lulu - it even has great hand coverage and is the perfect length and never rides up. At $66 it is an indulgence (and an amazing gift) but I love it and I find myself choosing it every time.
Imagine my excitement to go to a Oiselle sample sale this morning. I got another Flyte top, two lux layers (which seems to be discontinued) and a tank top (and shorts for my girl Linda). My share was under $100. For their quality and how cute and comfortable everything is (I tried on one of lux layer shirts when I got home and uh never took it off - I didn't even run and my mom tried to steal it) that feels like free.
I am still on the quest for running shorts (if I am ever going to turn myself into a summer runner they are a must) that don't provoke the chub rub but my work out wardrobe feels like it is in great shape. I have grand plans to go to their next sale and drag Linda with me (we can run after so it will feel healthy).
No run today. Hopefully a long run tomorrow.
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