What's A Girl to Do?

There are two things that can kill a good run quickly. One of them is stomach issues and the other one is chafing, AKA: your thighs rubbing together! I don't think guys have to worry about this as much as women, but I don't know. Every man I know who runs could cross their legs and their thighs still wouldn't touch. For me, however, this is a HUGE issue, especially in the summer. Knowing this, I have been on a quest to find a pair of shorts that would fix this dreaded problem. I went to Ross the other day and got a pair that were made of a stiffer material than my other running shorts. I thought the weight of the material would keep them from riding up in the middle, thus creating a layer of protection. Wow, I was waaaaayyyy off on this one. I wore them today for the first time with the intention of going for a 4-5 mile jaunt. It wasn't more than a mile into it when all hell broke loose. Not only did they ride up worse than my other shorts, the thick cording on the bottom cut into my thighs like a knife. I was only able to make it 3 miles and that was with the last mile being a walk. It was awful!

After I got home, I came to the realization that I was going to have to go the Spandex route to get full protection. Ultimately I think I knew this all along, I was just hoping it wouldn't come to this. Now I am by no means a large girl, but I do live by the motto: Spandex is a privilege, not a right. Normally I don't care what I look like when I run. I buy running gear for it's comfort/durability/fit, not what it or I look like in it. Spandex though is a whole other story. I am very self conscious about my thighs in form fitting apparel, especially when doing an activity that causes your body to "jiggle" for extended periods of time. So I went to Target this afternoon just to see what they had. Low and behold I was able to find a pair of Lycra dri-weave shorts that not only covered my thighs, but made them appear smooth and defined. On clearance no less. So I bought them. I haven't tried them out yet, but I hope to soon. I'm leaving for Washington D.C. tomorrow and will be gone until Sunday. Due to our packed schedule and the fact that I will be walking five to six miles a day, I do not plan on doing any running this go around. Once I get home I will begin my first week of actual training for the race. So this week will be a nice rest before the pain begins.