Dress The Part!

As a lawyer, I know how important it is to dress the part.  In fact, I constantly find myself annoyed when lawyers show up to hearings not properly dressed.  Don't get me wrong, I show up to my cubicle looking all a mess on a regular basis, but when I have a hearing or an important meeting, I dress like I own the place.  And by "the place" I mean my cubicle, since my suit and dresses were all obviously bought on sale!  Well, many of you pointed out that I am not dressing appropriately for biking without some proper cycling bottoms!  My previous post elicited a number of urgent pleas to go get some real bike shorts with padding in the bum.  It's nice to know that so many of you have my back....or should I say backside!  


Finding good, durable workout clothes in my size is often a challenge.  Sports stores (at least the ones around here) do not keep plus size womens clothing on the shelves, and the stuff I am able to get at department stores is usually not very supportive, durable, or properly designed for a bigger body. However, I need some extra padding (never thought I'd be saying that) so I hit the internet in search of something to keep my booty protected throughout my 192 miles this summer.  I found a great website dedicated to women's athletic apparel called TeamEstrogen.com.  They have a pretty extensive selection of plus size (and regular) apparel in different brands, styles, and colors.  I found some promising-looking bike knickers (capris), by Canari, that come in purple. Score! I'll buy anything if it comes in purple, but I did check with Jared and he said he's had good luck with Canari, so it wasn't a complete impulse purchase. Check 'em out!

Jared also encouraged me to get a real bike jersey because when it starts getting hotter and I am taking longer rides, he says I'll be more comfortable in moisture wicking material than cotton or polyester.  Luckily, I found a matching purple bike jersey ON SALE!  Woohoo!

My order came within three days, which was pretty awesome. Though, it would have been more awesome if we weren't being pounded with rain for 10 days straight!  Riding in a rain shower that starts after you are already out is one thing, deciding to go out when it's already raining, is quite another, so I didn't bike during the week at all.  As for my new clothes, I love the pants.  Love! Love! Love!  The waist is high and they are very supportive without being tight.  They slide down a bit when I walk (Jared's have draw string to keep them up), but I won't be doing too much walking, so it's fine. The padding is thick and takes the edge off the pressure from the bike seat.  The shirt is good.  It's a little short on my long torso, but it's not like I'm doing much reaching while on my bike.  Besides, the chances of finding a plus size, tall, bike jersey in purple for a price I can afford are pretty slim! I'm so excited to pass as an actual cyclist!  Check Me out! 

That's our new dining room!  With all the rain, Jared needed to ride on his own today, so he left a couple hours before I did.  He did a short-ish ride though since we had plans to go to a family party.  I left around 10 am and thanks to my awesome new pants, I was able to do 10.5 miles - and with a lot less discomfort. I ended up biking in 4 towns: Somerville, Cambridge, Arlington, and Lexington!  I just barely crossed the Lexington border, so next time I'm going to try to make it further in.  I played around with the speed of my pedaling and learned that when I pedal slower, I feel my muscles engage more, but I feel less tired overall, and when I pedal faster I don't feel as much specific muscle fatigue, but I do feel overall tired.  I found that a combination of the two approaches worked best for me, especially since I'm not trying to win any awards for speed!  I also took a quick stretch break after 5 miles, and I think that helped.  I was really proud of myself and couldn't wait to tell Jared all about my solo adventure.  When he got home, I talked his ear off, made us grilled cheese sandwiches with fresh herbs, and begged him to pose for a picture with me.  Don't we make such a cute cycling couple?

Thanks for all your support, comments, and donations.  Click Here to donate to Jared's PMC ride!  Thank you!