Toe-Shoes Tina: Let's talk boobies!

Distance:  8 miles
Pace:  9:15
Average Heart Rate:  144
Wine consumption:  4 glasses of various reds between 2:00 (lunch) and 11:00 (after brother's wedding)

We took a very quick trip to Las Vegas for my brother's wedding on Friday.  We were literally in town for 20 hours.  This required 10 hours of driving.  I'm at the point in life where I can run for an hour with less pain than sitting for an hour.  I'm not sure if this is depressing or encouraging.  Because I would be missing my beloved 90-minutes-of-pure-torture boot camp, I planned to run 8 miles on Saturday morning.  I am growing more concerned with the fact that my 16 week training plan starts with a 10 mile run.  I thought 8 miles would be a good barometer as to whether I'm ready to run 10.  It also gave me a chance to put some distance in my new Vibrams, which were a little tight in the toes.

For 8 miles, I made sure to pack my heavy duty running bra.  I'm no Pam Anderson, but I am bustier than your stereotypical runner.  I cannot wear the cute spaghetti strap sports bras they sell at Target.  In the past, I've opted for simple compression bras (aka, the "uniboob") made by the usual suspects (Nike, Adidas, etc.).  They work fine for hockey, soccer, boxing, boot camp because you change up your movements a lot.  Distance running is different.  An optimal running stride will give you 180 foot strikes per minute. (Yes, the website I cited is sort of anti-barefoot running, but not really.  And it is pro-vegetarian, so it all balances out).  That means the girls bounce in the exact same way 180 times per minute for over an hour.  Without the right equipment, this is bad news for the girls.

(This is not me running.  I hope she is not running far in that swimsuit.  It does not look supportive.)

When I trained for my first half, I signed up for a running group.  My first real long run was 6 miles.  I returned home proud of myself for completing 6 miles without walking.  Despite it being a cold morning, I was sweaty and desperate for a shower.  I got in to the shower, ready to relax in the steamy water.  The first stream of water hit me and I nearly screamed.   It turns out I had taken about an inch of skin off the underside of each breast.  This was my first experience with chafing.  I've since learned that Body Glide is a must for long runs and does a great job with preventing skin loss, in general.  For really long runs, though, the sports bra area is always problematic.

(My non-running friends always look at me funny when I tell them I use Body Glide.  It is an anti-chafing stick, not some other type of lubricant.  Get your mind out of the gutter, people!)

Recently, I saw a Runners World article (of course) that talked about finding the right running bra.  It turns out, there is some cool technology out there these days.  You don't have to settle for just compression.  Now they have bras designed for encapsulation to provide support from every angle.  Less movement = less rubbing = less chafing.  After conducting extensive research (okay, reading the article and finding out which recommended bras were eligible for Amazon Prime shipping), I settled on the Moving Comfort Fiona bra.  It compresses and encapsulates.  It also has adjustable straps so you can get the perfect fit.  At $50, it was the most expensive sports bra I've ever owned.  But $50 is a small price to pay to keep my skin on my boobs.  The bra is awesome.  The band is really snug on my rib cage and it is sort of tough to get on, but the girls stay in place.  The first time I wore it, I jumped rope for several minutes to see if I could get them to move.  Nope, they stayed in place.  I am happy to report that the bra held up for 8 sweaty miles on Saturday morning.  I forgot to pack my Body Glide, so I chafed in other places (around my arm strap, on my leg, under my heart rate monitor), but not in the bra region.

The run was surprisingly great.  I took it slow and started out uphill.  We stayed in a hilly area just west of Vegas, so I was hoping to get high enough to get a nice panoramic shot of the strip.  Unfortunately, it is so built up with houses and buildings, I never got my clear shot.  My first 4 miles were slower, a 9:30 to 9:45 pace.  Complicating matters, I'd had no coffee or breakfast that morning and did not even open my water bottle until the 4 mile mark.  I see a blog post about proper hydration and fuel in my near future. When I finally got to run downhill, I sped up to a sub-9:00 pace and managed to finish with an overall average of 9:15.  Negative splits, indeed, and with a heart rate under 150 to boot.  The best part, though, is that I did not hurt.  My feet didn't hurt, my calves didn't hurt, my joints didn't hurt.  Even the next day, no soreness at all.  Could I have run another 2 miles?  Definitely.  Did I want to?  Hell no.  So my body appears ready for my first 10 miler.  It's my brain I have to work on.

(I had to settle for a shot of my toe shoes in front of the off-strip casino, Red Rock Station)