A swim, flattened boobs by The Camelbak Racebak and a run

OMG, I'm laughing before I even write anything! Let me preface this post by saying I do not weigh 100 lbs and I am not 5'4". I am a big girl at 5'9"....I would be classed as an Athena in any tri event. I've often had major issues about my size and weight. But it has helped with the very physical nature of my job. Doesn't mean I wouldn't want to be skinnier-wow, what would that feel like. I went thru periods of feeling fat, and let me tell you there are times when I feel like a fat pig! But I have really grown from having zero self esteem to actually being happy in my skin and with myself(most of the time). Hell, I've even started swimming without being chased by a barracuda or an alligator! There will NEVER be a GATOR that chases me or catches me for I am a TENNESSEE VOLUNTEER! Sorry Jen, just had to throw that in there!

Sorry, back to my day. I slept in late, ate breakfast late, ran some errands and prepared my son's room for painting, flooring, etc which starts tomorrow. While I was at home, I decided to try on my new Camelbak racerbak. It was laid out waiting for me.......Now I read the description for the sizing, measured my boobs before ordering and then ordered the size that corresponded to my boob measurement. Now I do not have huge boobs. I have normal size, I guess, 38B..it's not huge but I have a fairly broad back(damn, I really should have been a swimmer when I was younger) so I bought the XL, as per the sizing chart. Now I buy L and XL stuff all the time, usually XL is a bit loose on me. Well, Camelbak must be making their clothing using stick figures! Because wholly shit what a fucking laugh getting this on! OMG, I'm laughing and so wish I could have shown you a video of me trying to get my larger frame into what should have been sized a small or med! I got it over my head, but once over my head it got stuck right above my boobs with my arms in the arm holes and then I had to struggle to get the top over my boobs! I pulled and pulled and pulled and after getting the triple layers down past my boobs(for that is how I got it over my head since the amount of fabric should be on a size small or med) finally pulled it all the way down-but it still wasn't quite right. The shelf bra, that is built in, wasn't where it was supposed to be-it was splitting my boobs in half. So in a very delicate way, in between giggles, I gently HA! folded my boobs into the SMALL space that camelbak considers an XL bra! I couldn't breathe! My boobs were flattened so much they were pushing against my chest! Of course it probably didn't help that I was laughing so hard and so much that it was hurting! It looked great on the picture-and it's an awesome idea, if you weigh 100lbs! But come on people, not every runner, biker, triathlete out there is a skinny 100lbs! I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!!!! I have boobs, I have a figure....please lets realize this and make stuff for us "non-stick figures".

Well, I wore it around the house for about an hour and then it had to come off! And boy did my girls breathe a collective sigh of relief when they were set free!! Damn! I really wanted this to work! I hadn't even tried it on a run yet! But now was not the time, for I needed to head to the pool for a swim!!! Yep, thats right....me I am turning into a fish!

The pool....I got there and the first thing the lady asks me "do you have a library card" I lowered my head and quietly said no.....sorry! I know I could be saving 50 cents, but I'm thinking my 50 cents is aiding the California budget! maybe my 50 cents will keep my community pool open! yeah I know, I need a library card! Sorry, Terri...I will get one!!

I walked outside to the pool and heard music, seems on a thursday at 6pm, there is a water aerobics class. There were about 10 ladies in the pool with their pool weights doing exercises to Beyonce's "Single Ladies"...I couldn't help but smile!

They had 4 laps set up today for lap swimming. So I had my own lap!! There were only 2 other people swimming laps-yes both swimming freestyle! But I'm not going to let it bother me! I am a breaststroker! I just can't handle the breathing with freestyle. I do blow out while under water, but I just can't catch my breathe like I can with breaststroke. And I'm a pretty fast, in the grand scheme of things, breaststroker. And I know that because there was a young girl swimming in the lane beside me and I decided to see how my breaststroke speed compared to her freestyle speed-I beat her! thank you very much!!

I swam 20 laps. I just couldn't muster 28 today! I feel like such a slacker considering I swam 28 the last time I was at the pool. But hey, 20 is better than nothing, it was 666 yards, which is 608.990 meters which in turn is .378408 miles! At least it was just over a 1/4 mile swim! Most of the sprints are 1/4 mile swims right?

I wasn't there long. My $2.50 is wisely spent slogging in the water as fast as my breaststroke will take me and then I'm GONE! No water aerobics for this athena gal!

I got back home and decided, since Velcro hadn't had any exercise, that I'd take her out for a run with my new Camelbak Racerbak....OMG, I have to put it on again! I checked it out. I pulled the water reservoir out, filled it up(not completely) and stuffed it back in-wait, I noticed a piece that comes out that was being used as some sort of brace or padding-that is coming OUT! I need all the space I can get for my girls! Did I say that the first time I tried it on, the reservoir was dry...ha ha...it's filled now-yeah, even funnier to get on! OMG....I so needed a house husband to help me pull the fabric past my shoulder and over my boobs! Finally after much pulling, it was down. I still had to delicately fold each girl into the SMALL bra! But once in, and without that extra piece that might now become a kitty pad, I didn't feel too bad! Felt a bit like a turtle, and kinda look like a turtle. But not too bad. I wasn't having the breathing issues. But the girls were flattened!

When we started running, all I heard was slosh, slosh, slosh. So I turned my music up a bit and wow the sloshing noise was gone! Initially it felt weird running with this 72 oz water reservoir on my back. But I finally got used to it! It didn't aid too much weight. I do think they need to have a smaller reservoir version that is maybe sized BETTER or should I say more accurately! But all in all, once I got it on,it was pretty cool. Nice to not have to carry water bottles. But, I can't share water with Velcro-she hasn't quite mastered the "suck" yet!

I'd like to try it on a longer trail run. I had to stretch the fabric a bit under my arms-seriously, who are they making these for-it sure as hell isn't me! But once I stretched the fabric and heard it stretch, it felt better underneath my arms-I could see that being a problem on a long run-I'll have to stretch it more!!

When i got home, I figured out the easiest way to get it off would be to take the reservoir out FIRST! I tried getting it off with it in there and felt like my arms and boobs were flailing all over the place! Not a pretty site! Sometimes it's good to live alone-I think I might have scared a spouse today!!

I'm now going to bed! I have a busy day of painting and laying down the underlaying padding tomorrow before the Wrigley River run on Saturday morning and then a day of laminate floors with my dad!!

SWIM: 666 yards/ 608.990 meters/ .378 miles
RUN: 3.15 miles with Velcro and as a turtle (43:51)