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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

New Gear: Boobies Edition

So, I'm just gonna go ahead and admit the unadmittable: I have been wearing some running bras for about 7 years now.

Dudes probably don't know that's a "bad" thing, but ladies probably know that supposedly, you're supposed to switch out regular bras once every 6 months or so (does anyone truly do this?  I don't know about you, but last I checked, bras aren't cheap, so I know I don't replace bras that frequently), and because running bras are meant for the nitty-gritty of ta-ta support, you're not supposed to wear one for even that long.

Ha!  Really? 

Sports bras are just as expensive, if not more so, than regular bras, so who truly can afford to replace them that often?  And, what do you do with the old ones?  You can not donate bras, no charity accepts them, because, um, who wears someone else's old bras?  Especially running ones that have months or years' worth of sweat saturation?  Yummers.

Anyhoo, as I said above, I have a few running bras, which I'll be honest, are very comfortable, and I've been wearing them for far too long. 

And, unfortunately, boobs change after you have kids.  Sorry, if you don't have kids and you want them and think that your boobs now will be the same afterwards; I'm here to burst that bubble: Kids will ruin your boobs.  During pregnancy, you get totally rad boobs, and then if you breastfeed, the radness continues, but then when you stop nursing?  Nature is like, "No boobs for you!"  And then what you're left with is something that resembles an orange in a tube sock.

In short, my boobs now are not what they were years ago when I first started wearing a few of these old bras, so the truth is, even though those ancient bras are comfortable, they're not really giving me the support I'm supposed to have while running.

Knowing this, and being concerned for the support of my sweater bunnies, Jerry bought me some new sports bras as an anniversary gift (forget Victoria's Secret, I want Nike!).  The past few days I've been able to wear my new gear, and I have to say, they are delightfully comfortable and, wow, HELLO support!

Guess I need to demote a few of the really old bras.

Ladies, what's the longest you've worn a sports bra?  Dudes, aren't you glad you don't have to even think about this?

14 comments:

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

I couldn't even honestly give you a number of years I have worn sports bras. I have one that is literally in shreds but I would still wear it out of habit. Maybe I need to add a few to my Christmas list.

"NO boobs for you!" gave me a Friends flash back. heehee That might have made for an even funnier episode.

Megan @ The Running Doc said...

I didn't even know I should replace my sports bras every 6 months! I'm pretty sure the ones I've been wearing lately (I have a rotation of 3) are a year or two old. Guess I need to add sports bras to my Christmas list.

TNTcoach Ken said...

Great topic! I actually have on occasion had to send out information regarding the ta-ta support to my team. I'm still laughing about the sentence, "In short, my boobs are what they were..." short??????? HA

Julie D said...

Oh boy, not encouraging to hear... ha ha

Lee said...

About a year ago, I got rid of some sports bras that I remember buying my sophomore year of college which was 97 or 98!

Erin said...

What is the proper fit on a sports bra? I am doubled up with a real bra and a sports one because they don't hold me in well enough. I would have black eyes otherwise! I think I need to invest in some new ones.

Tiffany said...

I finally tossed a sports bra - not because it was out of shape it was because the elestic was showing through and I honestly cannot tell you when I bought it - many, many, many year ago. Actually, I recently bought one from Moving Comforts that I love but it was $50! Also, my boobs are so small that I don't even need a sports bra - just a regular bra will do. Bascially the only reason I change my bra to work out is because it gets sweaty!

Carolina John said...

as a dude it pains me to see someone wearing an ill-fitting sports bra. I also love the analogy of an orange in a tube sock, that's very fitting. I most often say that post-kid boobs look more like two empty caprisun packets hanging from her chest. at least you still have the orange.

The alternative to dealing with sports bras is dealing with nipple chafing. I know it's a struggle to put those things on, but try forgetting the band-aids one time and dealing with bleeding/soreness/chafing on the nips. much less fun I think.

Good luck getting some new ones!

MCM Mama said...

Gosh, I have some that I think are from when my 11 year old was a baby...

Kohl's recently had one of my favorites on sale and I had 30% off, so I now have 6 new bras... that I'll probably still be wearing when he heads off to college...

I keep wearing them until I feel unsupported. ;o()

Jim ... 50after40 said...

I was gonna make my monthly pop in on some of my favorite blogs today and drop a quick comment ... and then I came to your post. Well um, gee I guess I got nothin! Have a great week and good luck with them lady parts.

Anonymous said...

I have no idea what you are talking about. I just saw the word "boobies"

Laura said...

I know for a fact that one of my go-to sports bras I have had since college. That would make the ol' girl approximately 13 years old. I think she still does her job just fine - I figure as long as I'm not uncomfortable, the support is okay...but, I probably don't know what I'm missing. I'm hoping the 6 month rule is just something dreamed up by the sports bra industry. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I don't even buy new running shoes that often.

Agate Lake Girl said...

Pregnancy is killer on the boobs. Be happy there is an orange in your tube sock - I'm only left with the sock.

Unknown said...

I will just go ahead and admit this...some of my sports bras are hand-me-downs from my mother. It's a sad truth. She gained weight and hated to toss them. I had a child and couldn't figure out why my size "small: sportsbras were no longer comfortable. The fact that they were too small never occured to me. But since I'm wearing my mothers old bras, this probably doesn't come as much of a shock!