Run With Emily – Week 3
The countdown to the Genworth Virginia 10 miler continues and this week in my journey I learned how to look the part! For instance, I was educated on how to avoid a uniboob, why socks matter, cool clothing and how your water bottle can become a functional part of your outfit!
Dressing for success
Let’s start with the basics, the sports bra. Ladies when it comes to sports bras there is a lot to consider like the fit, padding, and the activity you’re doing in the bra. According to Web MD, it’s important to think about the girls because breasts are mostly composed of fatty tissue and are supported mainly by skin and fragile ligaments called Coopers’ ligaments. Because these are not elastic, during repetitive or high impact sports the breasts bounce and pull on the ligaments, forcing them to stretch causing saggy boobs! Yikes! On top of it all, a study by Wacoal America found that 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. However, you can make sure you’re getting the right fit by getting measured. Jen Lulley with Riverside Runners helped to measure me and it took just a couple of minutes. She measured me right under the bust and over the fullest part of my bust. Then she pulled out a handy dandy chart to tell me what size bra I should be wearing. She then gave me the lowdown on the type of sports bras to choose from:
Secure Low Impact Sports Bra: Just like it sounds, this bra is good for low impact sports like yoga. However, if the girls are big, I would skip this altogether because they would probably pop out of the top or the sides of the bra.
Stabilize Sports Bra: This is for the more medium size chested ladies or if you’re planning a lot of activity. Jen runs marathons and she tends to use this type of bra. She says since she’s been wearing the right type of sports bras she’s avoided chafing. Her chafing was so bad at one point she got scars from it!!
Control Sports Bra: These are like the Mercedes of sports bras! They have thicker straps and some even have gel in the straps for a more comfortable fit! They can also go up to a size 44 at Riverside Runners and overall are made for a larger chested woman. Some of them even look like a bra with separate cups and hooks in the back.
Compression Bra: This is the uniboob bra! It looks like one tight piece of fabric. They compress the breasts against the chest wall to restrict movement. They are fine for smaller chested women with size A and B cups. If you’re looking for a different look or fit the encapsulation bras offer support for each breast.
Other Reasons to find the Right Bra: Having the right fit helps to keep the girls from bouncing too much which can be embarrassing and make you feel uncomfortable. Also the bouncing can cause neck and back pain. Plus who wants underboob sweat? Sports bras are made in fabrics to help wick the sweat away.
The Science Behind Socks! Finding the right pair of socks can be the difference in a good run or a painful blister. There are specific types of running socks, the first is with a thin liner with little padding to help with a better fit in your shoe. Personally, I like a thicker sock with dense cushioning in the heel and ball of the foot. I think it feels soft and it’s supposed to reduce foot fatigue!
Workout Wear. Finally the fun part! Finding the right outfit! I got to play dress up and found many outfits that were so comfortable I would love to wear them on a regular basis. Some of the styles these days use thinner fabrics and I definitely felt cool in them! The light blue outfit was from Nike. The key is to look for quick-drying synthetics or lightweight, moisture-wicking fabrics, to pull sweat away from your body. However if an outfit starts to stink on the regular, toss it. According to an article in Women’s Health Magazine, fabric can only take so much sweat and then it needs to be retired!
Accessories!! I’ll Drink to That! I’m rounding out my workout outfits with a functional piece, a new handheld water bottle! With my new water bottle I can retire my butt-pack since it annoyingly bounces up and down while I run. The water bottle has a cool little hole for my thumb to hold comfortably while I run and it has a pouch for my cell phone!
Thanks for reading the latest installment of Run with Emily! In the next couple of weeks I’ll be learning about the specifics of hydration and the science behind the running form! The folks with Rehab Associates will be videotaping my running form to tell what I’m doing right and wrong!
It’s not too late if you would like to train for the 10 miler or the 4 mile walk or run! To find out more about registration and the race itself click here.
Emily Robinson is an ABC 13 talk show host, award winning producer, health nut,
sci-fi nerd, pop culture fan, life-long student, California girl, wife, mommy
and a potential athlete that needs a lot of training.