July 2016

The Best Sports Bras for DD and Beyond

Have we mentioned lately how much we love our community? It’s where we get the opportunity to connect with you and you with one another. A Facebook post spurred this roundup of the best running bras for the well-endowed. A simple question-for-a-friend had a lot of you offering up advice and favorite products, and it makes us smile to see you helping each other out. Hence, the most-recommended sports bras for DD and larger that will best serve any large-busted runners out there looking for support (or as we call it, a good boulder holder).

313bb8e4-a690-4784-8aec-885d52df7fa0Moving Comfort Juno got rave reviews.

 

pDSP1-15930204p275wPanache is a solid option for larger sizes and high impact.

 

r610487-p742688-frontFreya Sonic Sports Bra offers a huge assortment of sizes.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 11.08.20 PMEnell has a customized sizing system that ranges 32C to 52G.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 11.16.16 PMWacoal Sport Underwire Bra goes to cup size H.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 11.20.29 PMGlamourize Cami Sports Bra seems to be a hidden gem.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 11.25.46 PMThe LYNX bra line (three options) was designed by a larger breasted athlete for major support an control.

Tell us your favorite below!

#221: Post-partum Depression and Anxiety

 

&NCS_modified=20130820160721&MaxW=640&imageVersion=default&AR-301089989Sarah and co-host Dimity explore an important subject: post-partum depression and anxiety. The mother runners are joined in this conversation by Mary Jackson Lee, LCSC, a psychotherapist who works with women and couples in this arena. Mary describes the differences between post-partum depression (PPD) and the more common post-partum anxiety, as well as explaining what’s outside the “bell curve of normal.” She offers assurances about how common some levels of anxiety is, and she discusses the arsenal of tools available to help people feel better. Dimity talks about her personal experience with PPD, plus her years-long depression. Mary stresses the importance of finding “something outside your own head,” whether it’s running, yoga, or scrapbooking. Despite being a heavy topic, the discussion ends on an optimistic note. And before bringing on the guest, find out what Team Thrasher is—and why Dimity’s a part of it. (No, she’s not become a mother skateboarder!)

Important: This podcast contains trigger warnings for certain individuals.

*Save $25 off your first order of Purple Carrot, the plant-based meal-kit delivery subscription; use code AMR25 at this special badass landing page!

*To become an Acast+ member supporting this podcast and get exclusive content, head to the AMR page on Acast.

*Get more details about AMR Retreat: Run + Refresh in Spokane, Wash., September 22-25, on the Retreat page of our website. Or register here.

*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.

**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!

#220: Mother 5K Runners

3.1 and done: (l-to-r) Erin, Melanie, Crystle, and Monica + baby

3.1 and done: (l-to-r) Erin, Melanie, Crystle, and Monica + baby

Sarah and co-host Coach Christine Hinton dive into the joy (and the challenge!) of 5K races, welcoming three mother runners to talk about how they got into running and why 3.1-mile races captivate them. (Along the way, they mix in Voice Memos from other 5Kers.) After laughter-filled chitchat, Couch Christine shares sage advice for this popular-with-all-stripes-of-runners races. The first guest is Erin Troia, who recently ran her 100th race which was her 40th 5K. A self-proclaimed “running slut,” Erin showcases an infectious love of races as she tells how she adores “defying expectations about gals who wear sparkly skirts.” Next is Melanie Martin, a mother of four young daughters who ran her first 5K while six (6!) months pregnant and recently set her 5K PR when her youngest daughter was a mere three (3!!) months old. Melanie shares some last-mile tricks to keep pushing toward the finish line. The final guest, Crystle Ardoin, hails from Alaska. This military spouse gushes how her first 5K made her, “feel like such a champ,” and why she is such a fan of 3.1-mile races. These conversations will get your fired up for a 5K!

*Save $25 off your first order of Purple Carrot, the plant-based meal-kit delivery subscription; use code AMR25 at this special badass landing page!

*The book Sarah praises in intro is The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer. She’ll talk more about it—and many other new books—on the annual Summer Reading podcast, co-hosted with Ellison Weistand airing August 5.

*To become an Acast+ member supporting this podcast and get exclusive content, head to the AMR page on Acast.

*Get more details about AMR Retreat: Run + Refresh in Spokane, Wash., September 22-25, on the Retreat page of our website. Or register here.

*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.

**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!

Race Etiquette for Kids: Prepping Is Par for the Course (Get It?)

We need your help again, gals: This week we are recording podcast about 5K races. We want to hear many voices on the topic.

Please record a Voice Memo, starting with your name and where you live, then tell us why you love, hate, avoid, or are addicted to 5K races. A standout memory. A goal you keep striving for. The buzz you get from one. The Voice Memo should last 1 to 2 minutes total.

Please email your Voice Memo to runmother [at] gmail [dot] com by 5 p.m. PDT today (Tuesday, July 19). Thank you VERY much!

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 9.49.13 PM

Meagyn sent us this comment recently regarding seeing a lot of kids, some as young as preschool/kindergarten aged, running a 5K with their parents this past weekend. While not all races are open to kiddos, she mentioned maneuvering around the little ones, especially 8-9 year olds who “seemed to be running on their own and not understanding the rules of the race, which side to pass on, you can’t come to a dead stop mid run, etc.” threw her off her (9 min/middle of the pack) pace. We posed the question on Facebook and overall, the response was pro kid. We’ve culled some great tips (from the 120 comments!!!) from the Tribe for prepping kids (and adults, cough, cough) with race etiquette:

I think we should be the helpers.. take 2 seconds and say “careful sweetie, walk on the side so you don’t get run in to.” Runners have such a great community, let’s encourage the kids to keep going, and make them feel a part of the community.
Mattie Porter

Looking at the majority of kids in America and how unhealthy they are, I think it is amazing to see kids running races and I highly encourage it! I would love to be tripping over kids during a race if it meant they weren’t at home sitting on their butts playing video games. And I also feel like me not reaching my goal time is totally worth it if I had to be stuck behind some kids doing their thing.
Jonna Hatton Anderson

I love it when kids are out racing/running! If you want a fast race or PR, then pick your race accordingly. I get my kids involved in races/runs as often as I can but we talk about walking to the side and being aware of other runners. My hope is that they’ll grow up loving to run and will learn healthy habits now! And besides…running is always better with a medal at the end!
Carissa Howard

Love seeing the kids involved and moving, but almost think courtesy rules should be mentioned before the race. My peeve right now are the walkers and strollers starting mid-pack, not at the back!
Susan Schwartz Breske

Support the kids and help them learn–they didn’t benefit from having someone teach them in advance. I have had more issues with adults performing these bad behaviors than kids. All 3 of my girls started running with me when they were 4-5 doing 5ks. When they started to beat me around age 7…I would get to observe their interactions on the course as we looped by each other. I loved how nice everyone was to them on the course- shouting you go girl! (Especially in tris where your age is on your leg). Be that person, encouraging them. I always make it a point to encourage the young ones.
Stephanie DeWeese Sadowski

There are lots of races geared towards families and others are clearly not. Know what you are signing up for and be prepared.
Deanna Hays

I say encourage them! Heck, teach them the rules kindly on the course! I love giving encouraging words to kiddos struggling on courses. If you see them stopping mid course, maybe say, “Ekk, scoot to the right hun! Hate to see someone make you a speed bump.”
Annette Becker Stoffel

I’ve run hundreds of races and the kids are always the best part!
Katie Oglesby

Have anything else to add? Tell us in the comments section below!

#219: Mother 10K Runners

10K runners 500x300Fresh off her own 6.2-mile race, Sarah talks 10Ks with co-host Molly Williams. The Portland gals bring in a variety of voices on the topic, talking with four mother runners who have recently crossed a 10K finish line and mixing in Voice Memos from other 10Kers. First up is new mom Sarah Axelrod, whose story highlights the importance of checking a course map pre-race. Her 10K race wasn’t what she’d hoped it would be, so hear what she did for a do-over. Then Erin LeFevre, a mome of two young kids, talks about why 10K is the perfect race distance for her. Erin explains why she doesn’t have a time goal when she races; instead, 10Ks are about finishing with a smile on her face. Next up: Sara Roach, a runner since 2013, describes her transformation from a run/walker on her “dusty treadmill” in her basement to a Boston-qualifying marathoner who loves 10Ks as a way to get her speed on and let her endurance show. This self-proclaimed “grinder” shares tricks she uses to spur herself to go faster in races, as well as training tips. Finally, Tasha Shepard from Georgia tells about how running for weight management has lead her to run in the largest race in the U.S. —the Peachtree Road Race, a July 4th10K tradition in Hot-lanta—three times. Sarah and Molly suspect you’ll sign up for a 6.2-mile race once you’re done listening to all this 10K talk!

*Get 30% off any Burley products with code AMR30 at Burley website.

*To become an Acast+ member supporting this podcast and get exclusive content, head to the AMR page on Acast.

*Get more details about AMR Retreat: Run + Refresh in Spokane, Wash., September 22-25, on the Retreat page of our website. Or register here.

*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.

**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!

10K Race Report: SBS’s Twilight 10K

sarah_10K

Post-race glow–from SBS and the sky.

Courage: that word has resonated strongly with me ever since I spied a pendant in jewelry store in Victoria, B.C., before my 2014 Boston-qualifying marathon. It read, “courage without fear.” Courage: It was a word my brilliant coach, Bri, said in a tweet to me. Courage: It was a random, last-minute addition to my fire-me-up 10K playlist. And when that song came on near Mile 3 of Saturday evening’s race, that word became my mantra.

But as I tie my shoes in the minvan after parking at Vancouver Lake, I feel timid and nervous. Telling myself I have to fake it until I can make it, I get out and walk away from crowd of racers, port-a-potties, and start/finish arch. I need to get in my own headspace, do my own warm-up, listen to my own body.

sarah_race_

Hamming it up…

And when I tune in, I like what I hear—and feel. I am filled with a sense confidence that the short 10K taper has been timed perfectly. Not just to the day or the hour of the race, but the precise minute of it. My strides feel loose yet powerful as I run for 10 minutes; my hips, knees, ankles, and feet are free of aches and impingements as I do dynamic flexibility drills on a deserted stretch of pavement. I soar doing 50-meter strides before heading to start line.

The starting area is delightfully uncrowded toward the front; organizers are asking racers to self-seed by pace. I take a brave-for-me step and stand toward the front, amidst runners half my age—and two-thirds my weight.

sarah_starting_line

A quick Garmin check as I cross the starting line.

The moment I cross the starting line, my body feels lit up by adrenaline and caffeine (thank you, Nuun Energy!). The lower half of my body is countless pinpricks of electricity, not muscles and bones. I remind myself to breath, and focus on running a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) 7. Bri had described it in the race plan as, “strong, but VERY controlled…it should feel like you are holding back a little.” Bri instructed me to not look at my pace at all in the first mile, so I don’t. First mile clicks by in 7:54, under my 8:00 goal pace to bring me to my A-goal of 50 minutes.

My legs materialize underneath me for the second and third miles, which I run in 8:12 each. I only glance at my GPS watch when it beeps at every mile. Despite Bri telling me she wanted me to drop the pace by 5 or 10 seconds from the first mile pace, I decide I’m running RPE 7 until the final mile, when I’ll try to turn it up to RPE 8. I might not be a natural runner, but I am proud of my canny knack to run by feel.

Chugging up a slight, short incline toward the turnaround spot of the out-and-back Twilight course, my chest heaves with pride almost as much as aerobic exertion: I’m still up near the front of the pack. A smattering of light rain falls from the overcast skies as I try to hang with a guy who looks to be in his early 40s. When “Girl on Fire” comes on during Mile 4, I try to summon the tenacity of mother runner Michelle whose grit (and grace) I admire.

As much as I try to keep my foot on the gas, my exertion level dips a few times in Miles 4 and 5, as does my pace—8:24 and 8:26, respectively. But in the final mile, an internal repetition of “Courage,” then “Unleash,” spurs me on. Bri’s race plan told me to, “Give me what you got, Sarah….no regrets here.” The long, flat straightaway to the finish arch seems endless, then it’s not: I burst across the finish line in what turns out to be 51:03.

sarah_results

A little rain won’t ruin this moment. It fact, it MAKES it!

Seeing the official results, I regret not looking at my GPS: If I’d realized I was so close, I might have dug a little deeper after the midway point. But my spirits are buoyed when I learn I placed 1st in my age group (a first 1st for me!) and 38th overall (as in, men and women!). To be one of the top finishers in a 10K race makes me feel very, well, courageous.

There’s more than this race report: Hear more about my 10K race report on Friday’s podcast, which is all about 10Ks, with numerous mother runners joining the conversation. Come back and check it out!

Go to Top