Breathing right and Great Britches

Wow. Friday night after a long week of a lot of work! Last time I checked, I worked part time. Last time I got a paycheck, it was part time pay. Trouble is... I work every day!!! Not sure how that happened, but regardless... I missed two 3 mile runs this week because of WORK!!!! Aaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!

But I got my 5's in and tomorrow I am set to repeat my 12. I am ready for it.

I wanted to talk a little bit about something I notice that happens to me when I begin to get tired or my heart rate is rising. I am smart enough to slow to a walk, but I catch myself doing something that is really stupid. I take short, shallow breaths. Not sure why I do this... maybe I get a little nervous...? Concerned about high heart rate...?

The problem with short, shallow breaths is they don't get a lot of oxygen to your lungs and in turn - into your bloodstream. So your muscles are screaming for more oxygenated blood and your heart starts beating faster to get that oxygenated blood out there. Not the time to start scrimping on breathing. If you do, your heart rate will continue to rise. So watch yourself - when your heart rate starts getting high, consciously think about your breath. Take deep breaths that fill your lungs. Watch your abdomen distend as you pull in big, deep breaths. And then watch your heart rate begin to go down quickly.

Note to everyone: Take slow, deep breaths (kind of like mediation breathing) right before and during a blood pressure test. My readings are significantly lower when I do that versus when I let my nerves take over and I fret about what the reading might be.

Everything works better with deep breathing. Remember to practice it when your find your heart rate rising!

Let's switch gears. I just received two new items of clothing to keep me entertained with running!

First I will tell you about the functional piece I ordered - The Stabilyx 3/4 Tight. What an incredibly engineered piece of clothing!!!! CW-X makes several versions of shorts and tights that have built in support straps to give structure in the right places. Wearing them is almost like running in ace bandage wraps. They are expertly designed to support your major muscles and your knee joint. So I finally broke down an ordered a pair ($90!!!), after studying a very complex sizing chart. When they arrived I pulled them out and held them up and the first words out of my loving husband's mouth was, "don't cut the tags off, you're sending those back". Seriously, they looked as if they would fit an 8 year old. They are about 8 inches across and maybe 24 inches long... before you put them on. I was really unhappy because I thought they sounded so cool and I really wanted to try them out! So I reviewed the sizing guide again and dang it all, I had the right size! So... I tried to get them on.

Pulling them on was like putting on a pair of REALLY THICK pantyhose. It was a bit of a struggle. But.. they were accommodating my tree trunk legs and once I got them all the way up... they felt pretty dang good! They are extremely supportive and I know they are going to help me keep my knees healthy. They are high compression which I like! Makes all the jiggle disappear. I am going to love running in these tights this winter.

Check out their Website to read more about them: www.cw-x.com

Next! I read an article on all the great attributes of running skirts. Okay... I fell for the girly image of running in a skirt! After reading all the reviews, I ordered one. Had to find a skirt that had shorts underneath and not bikinis because of the thigh chub I wrote so much about a while back. Found one that looked good, so I ordered it. Skirt Sports GymGirl - even has great hidden pockets and a port for your iPod cord! I was nervous. Wished I could have tried one on before buying, but went for it anyways. Well... it is VERY comfy! GREAT waistband that is wide and sits below the belly button. I have put several miles on this skirt since it arrived as it is cool and flattering and covers the right things and sways with your stride just perfect. The ad said running in this skirt makes you feel happy to be a girl and ya know... they were right. I love my GymGirl Skirt and I just might go buy some more. It is so comfy I could see running errands, going grocery shopping, even just hanging out in my GymGirl skirt!

Check them out at: www.skirtsports.com

I am exhausted now and gotta get to bed. I want to get up real early for my 12'er tomorrow. I'll let you know if I have a better 12 tomorrow than last week's drag of a 12. I don't think it could get any worse! : )