Swimsuit Stupidity

So, now that my tax return should be going into my account soon, i'm actually starting to feel as if maybe i can continue my triathlon training. i'm not rich, by any stretch, but i am richer than i thought i would be. Which turned my mind to a new swimsuit.

Here's the long and the short of it: i've had my current top two seasons and my current bottoms i bought when starting to train because my guys swimtrunks were fine for leisure swimming but not training. i wear size 22W on top and size 18W on bottom (maybe 16W by the time i buy new bottoms). One piece suits never fit me. If they fit me on bottom, i can't get them over my breasts. If they fit on top, the bottom is baggy. And inevitably they are too short: i don't think i'm long waisted or torsoed or whatever you would call it, but they never fit. i can't wear underwire (they're never wide enough for my large frame) and hate bulky padded cup (the goal is speed here, not padding my DDDs!). And if it's a scoop back, the straps usually feel like they're going to fall forward off my shoulders. i haven't found a one piece that could fit since about the time my bust went up to 40D, and that was quite a while ago.

So i'm looking for a tankini. Apparently, this is too much to ask. Tyr and Speedo don't make them large enough for me, and pickings are slim as it is (i would really love a Tyr Tri Tank, as i loved my Tyr swimteam suit, but too expensive and not in my size does not a happy swimmer make). Most tankinis out there do not provide coverage for my chest. For some reason, manufacturers seem to think that even full figured women want their breasts hanging out all over the place.

So this begs the question... Why would i pay $15-95 on any suit that doesn't fit? How am i meant to get fit if i cannot clothe myself to exercise? After i have become fit, why on earth would i willingly pay for a suit from a brand that is too stupid to make me a suit in my present size? Why should i provide them with my valuable patronage? If they are actually capitalists and trying to make a profit, then why on earth do they refuse to make a product that the public can actually wear when they are healthy or endeavoring to live in a healthful manner (and no, underweight athletes and anorexic people do not count and never will, shame on them for endorsing such unhealthy lifestyles).

i don't know how to continue training for triathlons because i cannot find any gear to fit me even if i do pay $50-100, and i really don't want to pay that much. Zoot isn't even making 2X tri tops anymore!

Stupid stupid stupid. If everyone is overweight, as the media is telling us, then these people need to get with the program and actually offer us merchandise we can use. And i am so mad at Danskin right now because they keep letting me down: i do not want to wear pink, either. i'm not five and i don't have breast cancer. Please provide grown up colors, and black is too hot and not technically a color. Grr.

TriNewb W1D2

Yesterday time got away from me so i didn't get around to pumping up my tires or going on my ride. Today was relatively warm, i didn't even take a jacket, and wore my tri shorts under some capris. i was really glad for the shorts, and even so my lady bits fell asleep about halfway through the workout. i don't remember my seat bothering me very much in the past, but i guess i'm a little off my form, though my average speed was the same as it was at the height of my training last summer, and that was on Mom's bike.

With thoughts turning to the upcoming race season, i'm wondering how much i will be able to race this year. Right now i would like to take part in the Las Vegas Irongirl in May (or, barring that, the one in Boulder in August) because i believe it's the race that was recommended to me at the Highline Hustle. Unfortunately, i don't have $85 to spare right now really. Fortunately i don't think i will have any gym or equipment expenditures until the summer outside my diet, gels, and possibly some tubes. i doubt i'll get new rims and tires this summer, i'll just have to make do with my bike for now.

This also begs the question of whether i should join USAT this year: how many races would i have to compete in to make it worthwhile? One day race permits are $10 while an annual membership costs $39... so i guess i would need to do at least four races and ideally five. Can i commit to that?

finally resuming triathlon training

Today i went to the new gym on campus for the first time and tried out the new equipment. It's all very nice and brand spanking new. i didn't run as fast as usual but i stayed in my zone without any difficulty. After that i lifted weights, and not just a few, i did everything: biceps, triceps, rows, lat pull, shoulder press, leg press, extension, curls, abduction, adduction, and chin up and dips to round it off. i think i forgot to do chest presses, but by the time i finished with my dips i was a little shaky and felt i had done enough for the day. i hope i don't get sore, i did a lot but with weights that were a little lower than i would probably normally do. i did not like the pec deck setup they have there, but i don't usually do those anymore anyway. Next time i will most likely do the chest press and omit the lat pull as i prefer chin ups.

So completes the first day of the TriNewb 11 week sprint training program. i'm going to try to complete every workout in order but i don't know if i'll be able to keep up with how many workouts there are per week. That is the goal, of course, but i have had a lot of homework to deal with this semester. My weight, i am sorry to say, had crept higher than i would like, which i was aware of because of how out of breath i have been climbing stairs and crossing campus, even though i hadn't verified my assumption with a scale until today. i'm kind of down about that, however i don't think i've lost much muscle tone, just gained back some fat. i would say that i'm still in better shape than last time i weighed this much.

Anyways, back on the bike tomorrow, i think i'll start riding it around campus again, too, which means using my new purse less and my backpack more. i'm more used to the cold than i used to be, but i'm definitely ready for it to start warming up a bit, too.