I distinctly remember my mom dragging me to the junior high track when I was younger so she could walk around the track and I could ride my bike or play with the other kids while she was getting her walk in. It was all fun and games until one day my mom busted out the spandex. First of all, I love my mother.. to death! But I think there comes a point in every child's life when being embarrassed of your parents is bound to happen. And for me, it happened that fateful day. I don't remember her looking bad at all, it was just the principle of them being spandex. Period.
Sadly I have to report that I now know why my mother threw her heavy, hot, annoying, cotton sweatpants aside and risked the embarrassment that is bound to come. Yes, I bought spandex pants. Or whatever you want to call them: black-too-forming-elastic-that-shows-E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G running pants.
You see, being nearly at ten miles, something was bound to change. I've been annoyed with my running wardrobe for sometime but wasn't convinced enough yet that I was enough of a runner to invest in special "gear" besides running shoes. But now, I can no longer justify adjusting my pants every thirty seconds. It's been a problem since the beginning of this running journey of mine. My pants would fall down, my shirt would slide up, my underwear is annoying to say the least, my headphone chords bug the crud out of me flopping all around and my hair was always in my face or too heavy on top of my head.
And these little annoyances have really affected my running. When I'm running with the group, I'm fine. I deal with everything in stride as that's when I'm at my best... chatting with my pals getting our long distances in. But when I'm by myself, these annoyances stop me. At first I'll adjust and let it slide. But after that, I let these things stop me dead in my tracks and soon I'm frustrated. I'm not comfortable and I keep stopping my run. Ugh!
I'll be honest, after I got my new pants, I kept the spandex in my workout bag for days, even missed runs all together or ran in my annoying cotton pants, because I couldn't muster up the pride or whatever it was that I needed, to get out and run in them. I was frightened!
Well yesterday it was perfect weather outside and I was itching to get out. Instead of changing at work like I usually do to avoid being publically seen by my co-workers, I slipped myself into my spandex at the bathroom in the park near the trail I run on. Let’s not start the discussion of HOW to get spandex on…but, they got on somehow. I also had my baggy tank top and a jacket tied around my waist to cover up any of my wobbly parts from showing too much. When I got on the trail and started running, I felt like a new woman... I know, you can hear it in your head now, "You make me feel like a natural woman!"
No really, I felt/feel 100% better! Firstly, I was running smoother. I didn’t have to adjust all of the time, I could just focus on my run. There was nothing, besides my annoying headphones, to keep me from running. And I also think that I felt more like a “real” runner and not just one of the for-fakes runners that I’ve categorized myself in for awhile now. This might have amped up my level of seriousness towards running… I’m not sure but whatever it is, I love this change!
So world.. like it or not, I’m going to be running my wobbly parts to and fro in spandex from now on. I’m sorry if you’re offended by my shapely bum outlined just so in elastic goodness, but then again, I’m not because I am finally running comfortably!
Now.. I just need to find a solution to my annoying headphone chords J
Who else has given in to the spandex revolution?
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