Running Clothes Make a Difference! :-)

Running clothes for larger women is a problem.  I recently went and bought some clothes at Sports Authority.  The biggest size they had was XL.  I have stuff at home that is that size so I bought it without trying it on.  Big mistake.  I could get it on but everything was so tight I felt like I was a can of biscuits ready to pop.

Then when Joe and I went looking for biking shorts, the kind with the padding.  :-)  The first bike shop we went to didn't have anything bigger than an XL.  I tried it on and I could get it on but again, not comfortable.  So we asked a gentleman who worked at the store if they had anything bigger.  He picked up a box that had liners you can wear under regular shorts.  The biggest size he had was XL but he kept assuring me that he could get them all the way up to size 4XL.  Now, I know that he was trying to help.  Joe's take on it was that he was trying to assure me that there were more sizing options with those liners.  My take on it was that he must have thought I was a huge ole hippo.  He didn't just say it once, he kept repeating that they went up to 4XL until I just wanted to yell at him to quit.  lol  Joe was probably right but if you are going to be working in a service industry that sells clothing you might want to learn how to be more diplomatic when talking to women about sizes.

The second bike shop we went to also didn't not have anything bigger than a XL.  However, this gentleman was much more diplomatic.  He was telling me that he doesn't understand why these companies that don't make clothes for athletes bigger than a size 12.  Sweet man.  Bigger than a size 12 covers a lot of sizes.  :-)  This store also does try to keep in stock 2XL but they were currently out.  Evidently they go fast.  I ended up buying some men's bike pants.  They work pretty good but could use a little more padding up front.  I really am looking forward to the day when I can get into a women's size that they have on the rack.  It's a little embarrassing to have a bigger size in men's than my husband.

Here are clothing options that I have found work for me when I run.

I get my sports bras at Target.  I like the C9 by Champion.  It goes all the way up to XXL and does a good job of keeping the girls contained without feeling like I'm getting strangled.  Also, it isn't too expensive and comes in all kinds of colors.  :-)

C9 by Champion at Target, $16.99

I recently found tank tops at Old Navy that I love.  A lot of running tops are form fitting.  This causes two issues for me.  First, I'm self-conscious about my rollies.  I have learned to wear what is comfortable for me and to not worry about it as much but that doesn't mean I like it.  The tank tops from Old Nave are loose and kind of flow around the waist.  They are called bubble tanks and are super comfortable.   They don't have the built-in bra but since I have a good sports bra that isn't an issue.

These tops go up to XXL.

I also got one of these compression tanks.  This one does have a built-in bra and is just a little more expensive.  I am going to have to take it back though cause it is a little too big in the bust area.  But I like how it feels when I have it on and I like how it looks on me.  I got an XXL but will exchange it for an XL.  :-)

I have had the best luck with running pants, Capri's and skirts at Costco.  You have to watch through the spring and summer for anything to show up.  And if I buy something that I take home and really like I generally go back and get more because you never know with Costco if you will ever see it again.  I have one pair of Capri's that are my favorite.  I wish I had gone back and gotten more.  :-(  I also have three running skirts because I did go back and get more of those.  :-)  The downside at Costco is that they only go up to size XL.  But they fit better on me than the XL clothes I got at Sports Authority so it just depends.  

Another thing that I have noticed, more in the summer cause it's hot, is that the clothes are comfortable when I head out, but they are tight when I get home.  I can't wait to get out of them because I'm back to feeling like I'm busting out of a can of biscuits.  I think this is because I swell up badly when I run in the heat.  But I don't notice it while I'm actually running.  I notice it when I stop so to me it's not too bad and I can deal with it.  

I wear Under Armor Compression shorts under my running skirts and Capri's.  It helps with the chaffing in areas that it is not fun to chaff.  :-)

Because the pictures of the clothing are all slender women I figured I really should have a picture of me wearing them.  Remember I don't like having my picture taken but I'm willing to sacrifice for my four followers.  :-)

Bubble tank, running skirt and compression shorts.  I just finished an 8 mile run!

I had a great run on the hills last Saturday.  For the first time EVER I was able to run the whole route without stopping.  This route has two miles of rolling hills.  Followed by a half mile really steep hill.  Then you get to go down for a bit and then you get a one and a half mile slow and steady hill that gets a a bit steeper at the top.  Then you get to finish up with a nice downhill.  Usually it is about 5 miles but we decided to take a little bit farther route and I ended up with 6.75 miles.  Probably should have tried to get the even seven miles.  But as soon as I got the car my body said DONE.  lol  Since I had run all the hills AND gone 1.75 miles farther than normal for that route I was okay with that.  

Conquering the hills in North Albany!

Tuesday I ran later in the morning.  I'm trying to get ready for Cascade Lakes Relay.  I really hate running in the heat.  I only went three miles but I felt slow and it was a struggle to run the whole thing.  About all I can say is that I got it done.  

Wednesday I went for a swim.  I usually swim for about 15 minutes and then use the kick board for the last 15 minutes to work on my stroke and breathing pattern.  This time I swam the entire time without the kick board and fins and got my 1/2 mile done in 30 minutes.  Which means that if I had to do the triathlon tomorrow I could do the swim portion in 30 minutes.  :-)  That's a good feeling.  Hopefully by October that will be faster.  

Then I went on my bike ride.  I went seven miles.  I felt pretty good for the first five miles but I just ran out of gas the last two.  Still, I didn't want to go out and swim or bike today so I feel like getting out the door was a victory.  

I decided to do my long run today instead of Saturday because we are going camping at the beach.  I didn't want to have to figure out where to go that I wouldn't get run over for a long run while camping so I got it done today.  It was a struggle.  I ran out of steam on about mile six.  Managed to run the whole 8 miles but it wasn't pretty.  I really struggled with my runs this week.  I hope that I don't struggle this way next week at Cascade Lakes Relay.  That would be really frustrating!  

Didn't get negative splits the whole way but did manage to suck it up for my last mile. :-)

I'm still not where I want to be with my weight or my speed.  But I'm so much farther than I was in January.  Trying to focus on that instead.  Some days that's easier than others.  This week has been hard in my head.  Maybe next week will be better.  :-)