I have a love/hate relationship with shopping. When I don't have a particular mission, I often find a few things that catch my eye, especially if I happen to drop by a fabric/craft/quilt shop. Those days are fun...coming home with something new and fun, staying within budget and relaxed. However, if I need a particular item, the process can be anywhere from frustrating to downright depressing. My son and I had one of those good nights the other evening. I had ordered a piece for my sewing machine and picked up another machine for my mother-in-law at the sewing center; D had several items he needed/wanted at Harbor Freight; and then we went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. For our gluten free friends, D and I highly recommend the #5 meal with a GF bun. So yummy! The day before, my daughter and I had set out on a similar mission that ended badly. We started out at the local quilt shop, got some fancy chrome gel manicures having a great time and then headed to our local running store to find her a good-fitting "undergarment" for the upcoming track season. Yikes, what a different result on that trip. Before embarking on this expedition, I had called ahead to the running shop to inquire if there would be a staff person working who was comfortable helping a woman find a good undergarment. Many of the staff are young men who are college runners. That would have been awkward for all of us, so I felt we were good to go. The woman who helped H was very kind and gracious and did try her best, so kudos to her for trying to make the experience as painless as possible. My husband and I had already decided there was no budget cap for this stop on our trip...just find something that fits well and has the proper support. The salesperson took measurements and gave H several of the largest models they had on hand to see what would fit best. How mortifying was the experience when even the largest one took two people to get on--multiply that by at least two when considering that one has to be half naked to try these on. While trying to be as positive as possible, H did shed a few tears on the way home about the experience. I always try to keep the attitude that if clothes don't fit, it's a problem with the clothes, not the person. That's totally true. It's not my fault if they make the legs too long on pants or the arms too short for my body and it's not your fault either unless you are making this stuff! I am a pretty solid size M in most everything and realize how lucky that makes me. If I grab the medium off the rack and it's too small or too large, the next size up or down is likely available in the store I'm in right now. For folks who are on the larger or smaller end, they are grabbing the largest or smallest size available and just praying it fits. If it's a no-go, they are out of luck and may have to go to a different store to find something suitable. I've seen articles about gals who'd like to get into running and have a hard time finding suitable if not even cute gear due to their size. This shopping trip made me much more appreciative of their plight. It takes a brave person to try something new and then to feel like you are not properly outfitted would make it that much harder. I've gotten a few catalogs from Title Nine Sports and always thought about ordering from them. Their super cute and functional dresses and skirts always catch my eye. While paging through, I have also noticed that they have a large selection of sports bras and that they take note of having a wide range of sizes and support levels. On the way home from shopping, I promised H we'd pull up their website and order anything we could find that looked suitable and return whatever doesn't work. After this much frustration, the no budget cap was more like sky's the limit...just find SOMETHING! Title Nine ranks their sports bras support level in terms of barbells. One barbell for light support, maybe for those who only wear bras because everyone else does or for very light activity to six barbells for very gifted gals who do high impact activities. Since H does a lot of weight lifting, jumping and spinning to train as a thrower, plus her giftedness, we looked in the 4-6 barbell range and found four to order that we are hoping at least one fits properly. At that point, we will return anything that doesn't fit and probably order a couple more of the favorite style. We really appreciated the light hearted nature of the website in terms of the bras. Well, we all wear one, so no need to be embarrassed. The only thing we should be embarrassed about is not seeking out the proper gear for our activities! H and I even joked a bit that she could use the barbell system to help other young women find a better bra..."Excuse me, but you seem to be a 5 barbell girl in a 2 barbell bra," would sound better than telling someone they are bouncing all over! LOL! I applaud any stores that are trying to include as close to everyone as they can in their sizing. God made people in all shapes and sizes and we should encourage all people to be active and feel good doing it.
Have you ever had an experience that made you feel bad but totally was not your fault like the bra shopping? Feel free to share in the comments! We are currently having a good old January thaw and I LOVE IT! While these temps would have felt a little chilly in October or November, I love it now. Every day that we can avoid the double digits below zero is one day closer to spring. The holiday lights are still ablaze and I enjoyed them running alone yesterday and walking with Deb and Charlie today. Not sure how long if ever it will take me to tire of the lighted trail, but I'm afraid they will disappear this week and I'll look forward to being out there again next year. Happy running--Missee
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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