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ZOOMA Napa Valley 13.1 – race week!

ZOOMA Napa Valley 13.1 – race week!

I’m pretty much a broken record these days (always?), but like I think I wrote in one of my recent posts about running while pregnant, and particularly in the third trimester, if you would have asked me in my first tri — particularly in the second part of my first tri — what my running would look like late in pregnancy, my two-word response would have been: what running? As I’ve said time and again, pregnancy is such an unpredictable experience, potentially a new adventure every day, and I have no idea how I’ll feel from hour to hour, much less from day to day or month to month.

You can imagine my elation, then, at how healthy and strong I’ve felt, both in my running capacities and in my normal, everyday life capacities, as my pregnancy has progressed. I just very comfortably capped off my second-highest training volume week of my pregnancy — just shy of 40 miles — and while that is inconsequential compared to my usual volume, that’s huge for me for pregnancy. I am so floored, so grateful, and so happy to be running so comfortably and fairly effortlessly that my words fail to express my gratitude. It is unreal. Realistically, had you asked me in late December or January if I’d be up for running a half marathon in Napa in late June, I would have told you that there was no.fucking.way., that pigs would surely fly first. I felt like ass, and when the world wasn’t spinning wildly out of control, my head felt like it was going to explode, making spending any amount of time upright — much less any time running or being physically active — just dreadful. To my hormones: thanks for what you do in my body, because you all are super important and do a lot of essential and critical stuff, but you guys sure can be assholes sometimes.

Barring whatever life and/or pregnancy might throw at me between now and race day — because let’s be honest, anything can happen — I’ll be toeing the line to run, not race (this is operative), on Saturday at the second annual ZOOMA Napa Valley half marathon as a social media ambassador. I had the pleasure of being an ambassador last year, for the inaugural, and this year, and both years, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the other women and promoting the 13.1/6.2 footraces. I’m approaching the ZNV half much as I approached the SLO half I ran at the 24 week mark — not so much for a particular time goal (though if I’m being honest, I’d really be thrilled to run 13.1 at a sub-1:55ish at 31 weeks+ pregnant) but more just for the fun and experience of it all. I mean, c’mon, the hell does it matter how fast or slow I run at this point? I’m really just thrilled to be out there, to be able to be out there. Fuck, I could argue that I should spend as much time as possible running just to prolong the enjoyment factor! haha

Pretty badass to score a side-5 with the one and only pro runner (and fellow pregnant mama!) @stephrothstein mid-race at San Luis Obispo this morning. @ericaagran and I had so much fun chatting her up post-13.1 today. Good gracious, how I love this community. #raceSLO #runningwhilepregnant #stravarun #letsgoHOKA #Idigstrongwomen
There is one professional runner in this pic from the SLO half, two pregnant women, and three women who had a good experience on a tough course.

 

Napa = hot air balloons on Saturday mornings
Napa = hot air balloons on Saturday mornings

 

Anyway, ZNV put on a good race last year, and I’m confident that there will be a repeat performance this year, too. My RA pacing buddies will be there again this year as well, so between seeing the other ZNV ladies and my pacing friends and running a good race in a pretty location, it should make for a fun morning.  Plus, Meredith, a Chicago-friend-turned-Berkeley-transplant, is also running 13.1, and these things are *always* funner with another.

I think the women’s running community and in particular, the women’s-centric racing scene, can be kind of a tricky thing to navigate. I’m personally all for women taking up running — I mean, why the hell not, right? if you want to run, then run — yet at the same time, I cringe at a) how many women’s-centric races self-promote and b) at the messages inherent to their advertising. It’s difficult for me to adequately pinpoint what it is that I see that often makes my skin crawl, but suffice it to say that there’s a lot I’ve seen that I do not like. I’ve read some interesting articles about the topic, and I often find myself agreeing with some of the authors’ points yet hesitate to fully subscribe to all their ideas. It’s complicated.

case in point: when you ask me about the Nike women's HM in SF I ran in Oct, I think of this pic ...
case in point: when you ask me about the Nike women’s HM in SF I ran in Oct, I think of this pic: a well-organized race, tough course, fundraising for TNT …

 

... not this
… not this, doing a race to earn a Tiffany necklace (though don’t get me wrong, it is pretty!)

 

Ultimately — and what matters most — at the end of the day, women’s-centered races have one purpose: to inspire and motivate women to take up/continue a healthy lifestyle by training for and completing a running/walking event in a safe and supportive environment, for a distance ranging from 1 mile all the way up to ultramarathons … and this, this central purpose, is something I can get behind (and absolutely support). I’ve run women’s races before and have always enjoyed the ones I’ve done, yet it’s still hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I enjoy about ZNV that sets it apart. I’ll have to think about it and get back to you.

Napa-ing last year
Napa-ing last year [PC: RA]

Anyway, yay race week! Yay, Napa! See you on the other side!

FitFest at Title Nine (#T9FitFest)– and a bra giveaway for you!

FitFest at Title Nine (#T9FitFest)– and a bra giveaway for you!

Hello from the midwest — land of high humidity, super green grass, NO DROUGHT, and (most of) my family!

cousin!
cousin!
more cousins!
more cousins!

I was pretty surprised– and pretty excited– when Title Nine (T9), a women’s activewear and bra company, contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I’d be interested in participating in their 2015 Bra FitFest in the Bay Area. Though I had heard of T9, both from when I lived in Chicago and since relocating to CA, I had never actually shopped there. Among other things, T9 is known for their extensive bra offerings (sports bras, day-to-day bras, and lots in between), but I never felt like I needed to shop at such a nice store for my undergarments because those $15 sportsbras from Target (or those 2-for$20 offerings from Costco, or hell, *cough* those bras I might still have from high school or college 100 years ago *cough*) worked juuuuuuuust fine.

Well, please let me tell you a little secret: when you get pregnant, and consequently, when you breastfeed, your knockers go all sorts of wild. A-cup before? Bring on the Ds (plus)! Cheapy-cheap bras worked ok before? Kiss those babies goodbye!

So, yeah… it was pretty serendipitous timing that T9 contacted me right in the beginning of my third trimester because a) I’m pretty sure my boobs are growing still, b) once I begin breastfeeding, they’re only going to get even bigger, and c) I should probably stop wearing those cheapy-cheap guys I keep talking about when I run 30+ weeks pregnant and several cup sizes bigger than norm if I want my boobs to *not* hit my knees when I’m 32.

A and I headed over to the T9 store in Los Gatos for a fitting (me, not her). I had no idea what I was looking for — something more everyday or something specifically for running — and furthermore, I didn’t know if it’d make more sense to get a bra that’d fit my pregnant/breastfeeding boobs or the normal-sized gals. The T9 staff was super attentive, super patient, and super knowledgeable as they helped me figure out how things were fitting versus how they should be fitting and which type of bra made the most sense for my purposes. By the end of my fitting session, I kid you not, I am pretty sure I tried on at least 30 different bras.

Ultimately, I ended up with this gem from Moving Comfort because I’d be able to wear it now (very pregnant), running (pregnant and postpartum), and breastfeeding — the latter being the real kicker since the bra features nursing bra-like clasps and flip-down cups (and if you’ve ever BF, you know that having a good nursing bra is priceless). To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever tried on or merely *thought* about bras as much as I did during the fitting I had at T9. To boot, from what I’ve felt on runs so far, the bra fits great and has had minimal chafing (big win!).

While I’m sure you’re extremely happy for me and my breasts (thanks!), I am bantering on and on about my boobs and my bra fitting experience because T9 wants you to come on out to one of their FitFests at a local store — so you, too, can ensure that you’re wearing a bra that makes sense for your purposes — and best of all, they are providing my readers with a giveaway for a free bra! How awesome is that (my first blog giveaway!)?!

First, here are the details about the FitFests:

2015_FitFest_Retail-1

The idea behind the FitFest events is that the T9 bra experts want to make the whole process easier and more fun. They’ll help you find your perfect bra — based on your unique body shape, size, and activity–  and therefore, get you goin’ toward a more comfortable existence (yay!) and workout (double yay!). T9’s FitFest events entail:

  • Personalized bra fitting advice from a “bravangelist” expert
  • An expanded assortment of bras (including nursing bras for my pregnant or breastfeeding mama athletes out there!)
  • Bras for sports, work-to-workout, everyday and date night
  • A “Bounce-ath-a-lon” for those who want to put Title Nine’s bras to the test, with stations like hula hoop, jump rope, run around the block, & burpees

Anyone interested in participating at a FitFest should RSVP at a local T9; I’ve screenshot the locations and events below. Go to the titlenine website to RSVP!

2015_FitFest_Retail_Landing_03

And! If the FitFest stuff isn’t enough, they’re also hosting a giveaway for one of my readers! It’s open to anyone in the US and includes a personalized fitting (in-store or over the phone, in case you’re not near a T9 store), along with one comped bra (really awesome!!).

To enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment below by Friday, June 19, telling me why this awesome opportunity is the right fit for you (get it… fit… bra… I am so clever…). My independent panel of judges will decide the winner, and I’ll notify you via email if you’re the lucky one.

For more information about T9 via social media:

Let’s have some fun with this! And thank you, T9, for the great opportunity!

Goes without saying, but the views expressed here are my own. T9 comped my bra, and it rocks, and I was really impressed with this company and their service and thus want to recommend them to you. If you can make it out to a FitFest, I’d encourage you to go for it, and even if you can’t, definitely check out T9 next time you’re in the market for a bra.