A Girl's Best Friend

A good sports bra is hard to find.  For years I wore two sports bras at once, because one never did the trick, and even that still wasn't great. I assumed that since I was busty I was just not built for running/jumping/etc., and that definitely had an impact on how much (or little) I exercised.  Even when I did work out, I certainly didn't push myself to the limit because I was too self-conscious.  However, a while ago a found the best sports bra.



Behold:


(www.championusa.com)

             the Powerback Underwire Sports Bra by Champion!

Pros:

1. Minimized Bouncing: The construction of this bra is such that bouncing is contained in all directions.

2. Adjustable Straps: Hooray!

3. Price: $40 each (which is a lot better than many comparable bras), but there are often Buy 1 Get 1 Half-Off sales.

4. Lift and Separation: I look and feel good when I wear this bra. No one wants a uniboob.

5. Solid Construction: I’ve had some of my bras for over a year, and I wear and wash them a lot, but they haven’t lost any of their integrity. The fabric is nice.

6. Underwire: I’ve never felt any discomfort from the underwires, and they aren’t coming out at all.

 

Cons:

 

1. Difficult to Don: The racerback closes with 3 hook and eye closures. You have to have some flexibility in your arms/shoulders in order to get the bra closed. (I have come close, but never had to resort to asking the poor soul at the locker next to mine to strap me in.)

2. Sizing: They run true to size, but Champion should definitely carry these bras in sizes larger than DD!

 

The pros totally outweigh the cons (unless, of course, you can't clasp the bra by yourself).  Champion has never given me anything for free (although I wouldn't mind that!) and we have no relationship.  I just wanted to put this out there for girls like me whose lack of a good sports bra is holding them back.

 

 

P.S. I am sorry about the formatting. I copied and pasted and something happened, but I don't know how to fix it. You'd think an engineer would be good with technology. Not so- I'm pretty much a technophobe.  I will try to be better.

Fall Training Schedule

My Turkey Trot 5k plans have been foiled, because I'm not going to be where I thought I was going to be for Thanksgiving, so that race is out.  However, I'm still going to start with this training schedule and figure out the race schedule at a later date.  This training schedule will get me running regularly, and that's good enough for me.  I've found that just by getting our there and running, I improve.

The training schedule is based on Hal Higdon's Intermediate 5k training program.

To be honest, this schedule seems really tough for me, and I totally wasn't expecting to log so many miles training for such a short distance.  I hope I can do it, but if I have to shorten some of the Tuesday and Thursday runs in order to get a good strength workout in, I won't fret.  I'm trying to work on my speed, and this is my first attempt at doing any kind to speedwork or tempo runs, and I'm slightly frightened of the intervals on Mondays.  We shall see.

Alternative Workouts

Thanks for the encouraging comments about taking a little break from running!  Instead of running, I've been doing some workout videos, taking long walks (like last week I took a 4.5 mile walk around the DC monuments), and playing tennis.  Last night was my weakest workout yet, and I'm not sure if I should really count it.  I played Dance Dance Revolution on workout mode for 40 minutes.

DDR Dance Party!

Does DDR count as exercise?

I can't figure out how to create a poll inside my post :(

September Goals

Ok so I think I got to 26 miles in my quest to 80 in August.  Good thing I never actually signed up!  I'm going to change my workout goals for September.  I haven't been enjoying running lately.  Simply, my goal is to get some form of exercise each day.  This may be going on a run, a class at the gym, or a workout DVD in my living room.  It could even be a long walk.  I'm not going to force myself to run if I don't want to.  I'll pick back up with my running in late September.  I'm working on an 8 week training plan for my annual Turkey Trot 5k!