You know your bike shorts suck when...

You know your bike shorts suck when you're more comfortable riding in a skirt.

My outfit for my ride yesterday.  Kind of stylish, but not very  serious looking.

I suffer from a complex that a lot of overweight people do.  I refuse to spend significant money on clothes, because I don't want to wear that size, and I plan to shrink out of it.  Because of that, I only have one pair of cycling shorts, and they are cheap ones from MEC.  Now, they aren't horrible, and with the use of chamois butter, I've been okay going for rides as long as three hours.  Having said that, they aren't great either.

Yesterday morning, I realized that I had not washed said shorts.  I had a ride planned for the afternoon, so even if I washed them, they wouldn't be dry in time, since they don't go in the dryer and the chamois takes a while to dry.  I had a few choices: I could wear my shorts dirty, I could wear my tri shorts, or I could wear my cycling skirt, which I had bought for casual rides on my hybrid with the kids.

My last ride had been a 3 hour one, so the idea of re-wearing those shorts wasn't appealing.  I've decided I don't like my tri shorts, as they are too short, have no grippers, and ride up (I'll be getting new tri shorts this season).  So, that left me with the option of wearing my skirt (which does have bike shorts underneath).

And, it was way more comfortable then my regular shorts.  The chamois was much softer, and didn't annoy me as much.  I will admit that the skirt flapping in the wind was annoying, so I won't do it regularly, but it was a very good lesson that there are different qualities of bike shorts and I might want to upgrade, particularly as my long rides continue to get longer.

Now, since I've been getting delinquent in posting pictures lately, here's one from yesterday's ride:

The clouds look pretty cool.  I was afraid I'd get rained on even though the weather forecast said no rain.  I was glad to find out that the forecaster was right that time.

Modesty is optional

Yesterday evening was a treadmill run for me.  The great thing about training in your own basement is that it doesn't matter what you wear.  Generally, less is good, because it gets warm.  I can open the window in the guest room and let some cold air in.  I can also use a fan, but it still helps if I don't wear too much.  One nice thing is that I can wear clothes I wouldn't wear out of the house.

In this case, I have a pair of running capris I bought online.  They're great to run in.  Super comfortable.  Probably the best feeling running bottoms I've ever used.

They are also kind of transparent.

Then there's the sports bra.  I've always envied women that can get away with just wearing a sports bra while running.  That will never be me though.  Right now, I'm not happy enough with my weight.  Once I get down, I'm pretty sure there will be extra skin I want to cover up.  I'm okay with that.  But, when I run in my basement, I can wear my see through capris and my sports bra sans shirt.

And, now, since I'm making sure to take pictures, here's a couple from yesterday (don't worry, no view of the see through capris and sports bra.)

I love raspberries!  I can't wait for summer, when they'll be less expensive and taste better.

Alright, you can see a bit of the capris.  ;)  Here's my new running shoes on the treadmill.

Do you give up on modesty when you work out in your own home?

Three Things Thursday

1. My leg is feeling totally normal.

I had been getting a bit concerned about the shin pain I was having, but as of today, it's not bothering me at all. And that's considering I ran on it yesterday. It may not have ever been something to worry about. Perhaps in a few years I'll develop a better sense for which aches and pains are worrisome.

2. The resolution jacket is starting to grow on me.

I've even changed my profile picture to the one of me wearing it. It's really comfortable and I've enjoyed wearing it for my runs. The thing I didn't expect was that I'd start liking the colour! The day I picked up my race package, my mother commented that the colour suited me. At first, I thought she was crazy, but I think she may actually be right.

3. I'm not making New Year's resolutions.

I'll probably talk about resolutions and goals further in another post, but for now I may as well mention that I won't be making them this year. That's not to say that I have no goals right now. I do. Very concrete ones that I'm working towards. I just don't feel the need to set new ones simply because a new calendar year has begun.