Rowing this morning was supposed to be 6x 10 minutes at 80%, but we ended up cutting it slightly short because someone was taken ill. Not sure of the details because I was in the other end of the boat, but she was bad enough to need someone to drive her home. T and I talked about it, and decided Yosemite Sam probably did the right thing getting us off the water early, because someone needed to stay with the sick rower and it was safer not to have to divide his attention. Because coaches need feedback too, I told him (YSam) today that if he’d been making an effort to be more positive while coaching, it was definitely noticeable. He seemed to take that as the compliment I intended.
In the boat this morning, I started thinking about how many women wear two sports bras, or a bra under a tight supportive shirt. Why is that? I mean, it’s not like those puppies are squirming around and trying to escape. Obviously, some just need the extra support -- there are bras that are supposed to provide enough support for aanyone but I’m sure they’re not cheap, so it might be more cost effective to wear two old ones. But what about the rest of the women, those without, um, unusually large support requirements? Rowing is not exactly a high-impact sport -- boats don’t bounce. And with summer temperatures approaching, some of those double-layered outfits look pretty damned hot.
Next question: why can’t someone build a sports bra that doesn’t chafe under the arms? You’d think it would be obvious that they would be worn during exercise (that is, while the wearer is moving a lot) and that women who exercise are quite likely to build up shoulder and pectoral muscles. The worst was the one I wore Tuesday, from Moving Comfort. They were so careful to build the thing so that there would be no seams against the skin, but they left a bump at the top of one external seam that left a welt so painful I had to tape it for Wednesday’s row. Maybe it’s because they design for runners, who don’t have to move their arms as much or as close to the body. Or maybe it was a brilliant idea that wasn’t thoroughly tested in the real world.
My rock-climbing bra works better, because it’s cut much lower on the sides, away from the underarms. It also almost makes me look like I have cleavage, but really, I swear, that’s not why I like it. The sad thing is that a lined top I have from Regatta Sport, designed for rowing, mind you, also cuts into my underarms whenever I wear it for actual rowing. Whatever were they thinking? Rowing women have shoulders, and a company designing clothes for us should know that. Maybe I’ll just give up on the actual bras and just try some tight tank tops. After all, it’s not like support is an issue here -- though I may regret that when we jog up after taking oars down to the water. Or I could use it as a reason not to jog. Much better idea.
By the way, am I imagining this, or are half the women who journal on D-land all menstruating at the same time? Yes, moi aussi. I seem to have been reading an awful lot about bleeding in the past few days.
Posted by dichroic at May 11, 2001 08:31 AM