PS, my Mom called to threaten me again this morning. I hope Protective Services is watching out for me.
Thursday night, my throat seemed…dry. I ran anyways. “Aw dammit,” I thought, and I put on some distilled water for my neti pot when I got home.
The throat situation grew a little more perilous by Friday. “Aw dammit.” I netied three times.
By Sunday, I had to make an executive decision. Run, and risk that awful cloggy feeling in my already-sore throat? Or rent two Redboxes, and park it on the couch with a bottle of Essie’s “Trophy Wife”?
I chose the Redbox scenario. And I think I’m glad I did. I know I’m glad I did. There are some sicks when it’s okay to work out. And you’ll know when that is. But there are some sicks when your body just needs a break.
Instances When You Don’t Run/Work Out
Are you vomiting?
Do you have a fever?
Tummy upsets?
Strep-type situation?
Are you going to worsen an already-bad situation?
Is your nose going to run all over your shirt?
Instances When You Do.
Are you being annoying and lazy?
Do you have cramps ladies? (I swear, working out helps).
Are you a little bit pregnant?
Are you on the mend from one of the aforementioned instances when you don’t work out?
The moral of the story is, listen to your body. If you’re sick, and your body is begging for some sleep, go to sleep. Neti. Take a hot shower. And revisit the issue again the next day. If you’re kinda not sick and you just don’t feel like it, maybe you need a break anyways. If you’re just being lazy (and I do it too,) make yourself do something short, sweet, but something that still gets your heart pumping a little. You might find yourself still plugging away, an hour later, and you may feel better about life in general after a nice sweat sesh.
So this question came in, one sort of cold morning about a month ago from Mollie Cavanaugh. If you’re new to running….if you’re sort of new to running. If you’re not new, but you’re kind of broke, so you haven’t really looked into running stuff, you may have questions about what you’re supposed to wear. On this particular day, Mollie had been running, and she was frustrated because she’d had to hold her pants up that were falling off her ass as she ran. We’ve all been there. The worst. Feeling. Ever.
So why do you need this fancy running stuff? You’re more than welcome to run in your regs stuff. Put on your cotton t-shirt. Put on your like nasty hot sweatpants. Put on your cheerleading shoes from like 7 years ago. And run. It’ll feel fine for like half a mile, and then you’re gonna be all “Ughhh, Cher, like, why do I have blisters everywhere?! I hate running!” So like, just listen to me and trust what I’m saying. I’m not doing this post for my classic good looks.
So I’m gonna tell you what to wear so your pants don’t fall down and so you have a comfortable ride.
Top to bottom. Peep the picture as your guide.
Antlers. Sike.
Top. Stop wearing those nasty cotton t-shirts you got for free during undergrad basketball games. They’re the absolute worst. Cotton is great for a dress. Cotton is great for those swabs you use to take your nail polish off. But for a shirt? The shirt will get wet and stay wet. And it will be heavy. Opt for one of those tops made of a tech fabric. They’re light, and they will wick moisture away from your skin. If it’s cooler out? Layer the fabrics. But don’t do cotton.
Bra. I’ve posted on bras before. Just drop the $50 on a good bra, and don’t look back. If you are rummaging around on the table at Target for a bra? You’re in the wrong place. The absolute last thing you need is for your boobs to be flopping around. Stick with that good bra, and you can even prevent that droopy thing that starts to happen as we get a little older.
Undies. Stay. Away. From those like, disgusting cotton undies. Buy some workout ones. I’ve posted on this before. Moving Comfort makes undies, full bikinis, and thongs. If you can’t handle their steep price tag ($16 a pair can be nuts), Hanes even makes athletic underwears for about $10 for the 3.
Pantalones. Again, stick to the techs. Not everyone is comfy wearing the tight like I am. Do you like shorts? Do the shorts. Do you like more of a fit and flare type look? Nike makes that. Choose what works for you. But again, skip the cotton.
Socks. Synthetics. I can’t stress it enough. STOP. Stop with the damn bags of cotton socks from Wal-Mart. You’re not doing your toots any favors. None. You will bleed.
So here’s the thing. The stuff gets expensive, so I’m gonna teach you a little trick. Get your gear piecemeal. And buy it out of season. If your paycheck blows, buy one piece a check, and squirrel it away. Before you know it, you will have what you need. Running is seriously one of the most economic sports you can partake in, so you can ball on a budget with this sport. Questions? Put it in the comments 🙂
I’m here in Charlotte, taking care of Mom. That’s right folks, I’m domesticated. I cook and clean. It’s been kinda cool too, because my family isn’t really veg, so I’m able to introduce a lot of cool healthy foods to the fam, and the more I learn, the tastier the recipes are.
So I’m here, you know, the weather kind of blows, plus I didn’t want to leave my mom alone while I went for a run. What to do, what to do? I packed my workout clothes, and I didn’t want to lose all my fitness while I was here at home. Lucky for me, my Dad, who requested that he have a man room when he bought this house, put a treadmill in the man room. So on it I went. Among the Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada posters, the dartboards, and the pile of Sports Illustrated in the corner.
(PS, my Dad actually watched like 3 hours of The Real Housewives of Atlanta last time I was home because I left the television on Bravo. It’s actually a good show, y’all, Nene Leakes speaks the truth).
This is me, mid-stride, running. I haven’t been able to get rid of that bra that the hook broke on, so it’s still going. Notice the Derek Jeter poster behind me? I was able to get 5 miles in while The Bodyguard blared. Whitney bettah werq! I know we all complain like someone is stealing our firstborn when we have to get on the “dreadmill” but it really wasn’t so bad. And, if it turns out I need to take a leave and move to Charlotte while my mom heals, I need to make this treadmill and these yoga DVDs out to be the most fun thing since Amanda Bynes starting tweeting weird stuff.
I need to give Nike, the Nike Women’s Marathon, and the Half in DC some mad mad props. So, as we crossed the finish line on Pennsylvania Ave, some handsome young men in tuxedos (tuxedos!) handed us our finishers medals, which were those little Tiffany tags. We moved through a little further into a super efficient system for us to pick up our finisher’s tees. And the coolest part? All the vendors that had been crammed into that tiny, miserable expo the day before? Were set up on this big open park. Women were getting $10 Paul Mitchell haircuts, which was pretty brillz considering all of our hairs were jacked up from running around for 13 miles. Nuun was assisting us to slam some Nuun shots to re-hydrate and re-electrolyte. And the absolute best part was bareMinerals was set up out there. So I have this disgusting thing that happens where I’ve got salt that cakes on my face after I run. So this wonderful woman at the bareMinerals tent gave me two pouches of face wash, and lotion, and I was able to wash my face, moisturize, and continue looking as sexy as Beyonce as I continued to find friends who were completing the race. I’ve never ran a race that was so intentionally thought out, and once again, if you can snag a lottery spot in one of these races, I so encourage you to do so. They won’t disappoint!
Y’all missed me? I bet. I’m the friggin brightest spot in your day, right? So I was at the Inaugural Nike Women’s Half Marathon in DC, which I will tell you awllll about later. Give you a little preview though, it was good!
So onto the stuff.
I pulled my laundry out, pre-race, and LOOK just LOOK, look,at what I found! One of the hooks broke off of my Juno, the best bra ever, leaving me fairly braless for my race. Whatever, I made it work.
The story behind the bra? This bra really kind of changed things for me. So mid grad school, I was hired to teach Zumba at the best place in the whole world, a little slice of heaven, Camp Pocono Trails, a weight loss camp nestled in the Poconos. (If you ever watched “Fat Camp” on MTV, you’ve seen where we were). I felt so weird about my body. I wasn’t in great shape, and my boobs (sorry boys) were the bane of my existence. My mother, whom I swore was so wrong, convinced me not to go for a reduction, citing that “You’re reading all those magazines and Rihanna looks like a little boy. Is that who you want to look like?!?!” A roommate of mine who was endowed similarly told me to go to Omega, and get this bra. It was the first bra I’d ever found for girls like me, with a large chest, that would protect, compress, and not make me feel like a big fool, flopping down the street, as I struggled to get on the health train.
The bra took me through that summer. It traveled with me to classes, certifications, licensures. It ran down the street with me shirtless, making sure nothing fell out of place. I sweated. I doubted. I accomplished. The bra is actually a little big, beacause I did’t by a new when I lost a few pounds. And now, I think it’s time to let the bra go. Bras shouldn’t see a birthday, and this guy saw three. So RIP, Juno. I’m not ready to throw it out yet. Should I have it framed?
So runners are an amazing breed. Most of us, anyways. We love to eat. We love dogs. We look good in a bikini. Even the boys. And we don’t tolerate being threatened especially well. Check out this sweet top we printed to benefit the victims of the bombing! I was so proud to wear it and more than happy to answer any questions folks had about it. Love it?
So, to make this crazy week even crazier, I headed up to Asheville, or more specifically, Marshall NC for a bachelorette gathering at a cabin. I tried to record everything, at the very least, with my eyes so I could bring it to you. You’ll feel like you were there gurl! Werq! So after a super stressful week, and a loooong rainy drive by my lonesome, I rolled into the Asheville area…and promptly got lost. So I had to stop somewhere to get directions right? I stopped at a gun shop, a GUN SHOP, for directions. And though I was frightened out of my mind, and stuck out like a sore thumb (I was wearing a bright pink printed dress, and everyone in the gun shop was smoking cigs and wearing camo everything,) they were the nicest people I’ve ever met. Because of how remote the area was, my cell phone and my GPS wasn’t working, and the folks at the gun shop (?!) looked up the cabin on the computer, and offered to lead me to where it was. But I found it! And look how cute it was!
Cedar Creek Cabin. Look it up! It’s rentable!!
We spent the first night hanging out, talking, and sitting in the hot tub (which felt amazing on my hip flexors, which for any of you who run, know can get horrifically tight). I couldn’t pass up a run in Asheville, and I woke up the next morning, totally ready to bust out a few miles and explore the area around me. My first issue though? Asheville is freezing in comparison to Raleigh, and I had to layer on top. No big though, I trained in the dead of winter. So I piled on the clothing, and began my trek up the mountain.
You guys saw this the other day. But I’m reposting. This stopped me in my tracks as I ran up this windy two-lane.
I headed up, I headed down, and tried to get some of that fresh mountain air as deeply down into my lungs as I could. I was hoping to absorb some of the calm of the mountain. Fun fact. Everyone lives in teeny cabins adorned with “No Trespassing signs. Can anyone tell me why this is? But seriously, if you’re in Asheville, definitely run. It’s stunning. It’s calming. It’s just what I needed.
Wine!!!! We hit up the wine shop, and it had a nifty machine that allowed us to taste a bunch of stuff.
This is the Bridal Party! (We’re a progressive group, if you’re wondering about a guy being there. Andrew’s been with us since the beginning.) He’ll probably be in mine, too.
That’s the bride on the far right.
Asheville was gorgeous. Not only that, we ate some delicious food, and I’m pretty sure that the food was the best part about the entire city. We hit the Laughing Seed First, an establishment with incredible veg options. It’s wonderful to see that vegetarian food can actually be prepared so that it has incredible flavor. And that’s not super hard to find, however, it’s a common misnomer that vegetarians only eat beans and grass. Not so. You can’t go wrong with anything on that menu. Check them out here. http://laughingseed.jackofthewood.com/We also hit the Blackbird Restaurant for dinn, and again, I was blown away by how they could shove so much flavor in a cup of soup. Again, you can’t go wrong. Hit them here. http://theblackbirdrestaurant.com/ (My only complaint with that last place is the bird decor. I find birds to be terrifying.)
Finally, I don’t know why life does this to you. But I’ve been talking myself out of getting a dog until I have more space for years now. Years. So we’re walking around downtown Asheville, and this dog on a blue leash just looks out me. I instinctively crouched to pet him, and began talking to him in the voice I reserve for my pets. “Hiiiii babe!!”. He jumped into my arms and gave me in the biggest, sloppiest kiss I’ve ever had. And I loved it. So the woman walking him goes, “He’s up for adoption! I’m just walking him right now!” So what do I do? His name is Zach, and I’m pretty sure he wants me to be his mom. Ugh. Decisions.
Okay, so enjoy my pics, and next time you’re in Asheville, take a run, take me with you, and pick up Zach and bring him home to Mama!
Shoutout to my adorable girl, Sam Cibelli, for allowing me access to her computer while I’m out here in the mountain. More on that later.
This week has been dreadful. But I’m beyond happy that the second suspect in Boston bombings was captured. That said, I’ll reserve comment until we find out what’s really happened.
I’m in Asheville right now for a bacherlorette party, more specifically, the bustling metropolis of Marshall, NC, and of course, we run where we travel, right? I’ll save the big post for later, but to say the least, this town is gorgeous. And after this week, it’s nothing short of a blessing to be able to run without the fear and anxiety surround the fact that there was a psychopath terrorist on the loose. I felt like, for the first time since Monday, that I could run without a weight on my chest.
So here’s a preview for the big Asheville post….
I’m a Scorpio, so the sound, the sight, and the smell of water has a magical calming effect on me. But the pictures don’t do it justice. I can’t to share this with you.
A hot mess. The universe is off-kilter. Between Monday’s horrific tragedy in Boston, and continued weird events throughout the week, I am 100% confident in saying, that we all could use a vacation. And a hug. And a smile.
And knowing that the universe was acting strangely, I forced myself to run yesterday. And usually when I do this, it ends well.
My first mistake? It was over 80 degrees, kinda humid, and I was wearing Nike Dri-Fit Capris. “Oh, it’ll be fine, these hot capris will keep your chub from rubbing!” False.
Then, I drank enough liquid to solve the clean water crisis in Africa. I was thirsty!
Third? I really didn’t feel like running. Not I was just being lazy. I really wasn’t feeling it! But sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference between laziness, and your body telling you to chill. Learn to tell that difference. So you won’t be a mess like me.
I set out on a short run before I had to teach a class yesterday. And I began my gallop down the sidewalk with the grace of a Holstein Cow. Took a few more steps. And the liquid began to slosh around in my belly. My pace fluctuated as wildly as my breathing did. Sweat began to drip into my eyes. And all I could think was. “Shucks. This is a bad run.”
It was a bad run. Really bad. I haven’t felt so defeated since I began to run. And you know what you do when you have a bad run? Drop it low, do a dance, be grateful you’re not injured, take a day off, and revisit running when you feel up to it.
Bad runs happen. You’re emotionally drained. You’re physically exhausted. Your girlfriend just dumped you. You lost your house. You’re going through a divorce. And your body is like. “Nope. I need to expend energy grieving and repairing myself, not messing around here in this hot weather, inappropriately dressed.” At that point, it’s tempting to push yourself harder, and try and redeem yourself, prove to yourself you can run. You can. You know it. You’ve run 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons, marathons. You need a break. So when a bad run happens to you, (and it will, because you’re a human being), take it in stride. Take a day off. Come back when you feel ready to come back. Dress a little more appropriately. And do your thing a little better and smarter next time.
Overactive Blogger 