I recently had to experience something that no female over the age of, let's face it, 25 years old should ever have to go through. Yes, thanks to this fun little sport I have taken up - triathlon, I had to go purchase a new bathing suit.
Now I know that I ride bikes and that requires tight, funny-looking clothing. I also run, which for 8 months out of the year generally requires very little amounts of clothing - shorts and a t-shirt or tank top. I'm used to having my arms and legs exposed. And I'm generally OK with that. I mean, I have the same hang-ups about my body that most people have. I've always hated my legs... I inherited my father's genetics in that regard - short and stocky, especially my calves. These are the legs that inspired my Grandmother, upon seeing me as a teen to say "Boy - she'd got those Moczulewski legs, doesn't she?" These are also the legs motivated the high school track coach to ask me to shot put for the school team. SHOT PUT!! Not that there is anything wrong with shot put I guess, but it's not exactly something a high school girl dreams of being recruited to do. The funniest part about this is that I was wearing my cheerleading uniform at the time. Can you imagine? The shot putting cheerleader!
Anyway, back to the swim suit. I probably haven't purchased a swim suit in at least 5 years, possibly 8. And those were more for sunbathing rather than swimming. I trained for my tri last year in a suit I'd had for years but had rarely worn. But that suit is now pretty threadbare and a little stretched out. It was definitely time for a new one. So down I went to Endurance Sports and Rec in Franklin. Deanna was kind enough to help me with sizes, since I was completely clueless as to what size I wore. I picked out a few suits by different manufacturers: Speedo, blueseventy and TYR, all one-pieces, and went into the dressing room.
Ah - the cruel, dreaded dressing room - bright, unflattering lights, mirrors that show every flaw...not my exactly my idea of a fun place of spending an afternoon. But in I went. I tried on the first suit and almost gave up. I could barely get the stupid thing on! Fortunately, I figured out that I had accidentally picked up the wrong size. Once that was fixed, I tried again with somewhat better results. Kicker about racing suits though is that they're actually made for swimming and aerodynamics rather than cuteness. Sure, if you're an Olympic swimmer they might look cute, but one the average woman - not so much. Being short-legged, I need a higher-cut suit in the legs to make them seem longer. Unfortunately, none of these suits did that. They're also tight. I definitely felt like a sausage. A short-legged sausage. Sigh.
I did finally decide on one. It's red and black, coincidentally the same color scheme as my bike, which is nice. I don't have to be all matchy-matchy, but I'm cool with things being coordinated. I'm still not thrilled with my legs in a swim suit, but I'll deal. Yes, these are the legs that were the bane of my existence in high school, but they are also the legs that have carried me successfully across the finish line of 8 half-marathons. I've enjoyed many hours of riding my bike with these legs. They're also the legs that were muscular enough to buffer against the impact of a car pinning them against a guardrail (the doctor said most shins would have shattered on impact). And they will, hopefully, be the legs that allow me to finish the Augusta Half-Ironman in September.
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