On Baggy Red Shorts and a Texas-Appropriate Wardrobe

Week of July 24, 2011:

Bike: Tuesday, Thursday

Yoga: Monday (Morning Flow #1)

Run: Friday (two for one!)

It occurred to me recently that for someone who lives and sweats in Texas, I have a shockingly small number of running shorts in rotation.  I have two pairs that I wear all the time, but in this heat, two pairs is not enough to get through a week of bike rides and treadmill runs.  I’d love to go to Target to get a running skirt or two—a skirt! for running! oh, be still my racing heart!—but until that happens, I’m still in need of more summer exercise clothes.

Enter the red running shorts (see Figures 1 and 2 above).

I’ve had these shorts and a grey pair just like ‘em forever.  I think I bought them back in college, when I was a really hardcore runner and thought I might enjoy wearing real running shorts.  At the time, I found them weirdly baggy and uncomfortable with their extra inner lining.  I felt like I was wearing a tent.  So I shied away from wearing them, until last weekend when I pulled them out for a weekend morning of bike-riding.  And this time I liked them!  They still seem baggy to me but not uncomfortably so, perhaps because I have different underwear now.  (Too much information?  But let’s be real here: when you are riding a bike, or running, the fit of your shorts and your undergarments can make the difference between pleasant and downright irritating.)

So what do you think?  Too baggy?  I do like their cheerful red color—I’m a big fan of red.

On a different note, today I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill!  I had planned to run earlier this week, but it didn’t happen because I was feeling exhausted and overworked.  I let myself lounge a bit and decided that I’d try to make today a “long run” on the treadmill, or the equivalent of two 10-minute work-outs.  I did a 2x10 minute set, with 2 minutes of walking between sets, with all the running done at a 9:05/mile pace.  It was a terrific work-out!  And the second 10-minute set was so easy.  I feel like I’m starting to gain some of my running stamina back.  The funniest thing is that of course I didn’t want to run on the treadmill today, because I can be pouty like that.  I was tired, it had been a long week, blah, blah, blah.  To handle this pouty toddler of mine, I fed her some cereal, gave her some water, and let her putter around a little bit before dragging her to the treadmill room.  And it totally worked: the carbohydrates quieted my rumbling tummy, the water quenched my thirst, and by the time I put on my running shoes, I was ready to work out.

Bribery!  It’ll fix what ails ya.