If you would like to meet Kris in person or would like to have her as your professional bra fitter, join us for our Diva Day on May 18th.  Kris will be hosting bra fitting clinics and be doing personalized bra fits throughout the day.

GET UNDER CONTROL!

 I am one of those people you do not want to meet if you aren’t under control.  I’m not talking about being emotionally under control or organized.  I’m talking about boobs.  My name is Kris and I am a sport bra expert/fanatic.  I am that person who stops you mid-run to talk to you about the support your sport bra is providing (or most likely not providing).  Yes, you might try to out run me at first, but think about it….a sport bra is a highly technical piece of equipment and you need the right one for you.  It will help you workout more efficiently and comfortably.  A good sport bra is as important as a good pair of running shoes, sometimes more important.  Did you know that 4 out of 5 women are wearing the wrong size bra?  Don’t worry though there is help.

When shopping for a performance sport bra here is where to start.  Flip your sport bra inside out and really look at what is supporting you.  A sport bra’s support comes from either compression (holding the breasts to the chest wall) or encapsulation (holding each breast individually).  A combination of both usually works best.  When looking for a new sport bra, you need to look at the 3 pieces of construction:  bottom band, cups and straps. 

 First, are the straps.  This is what most people assume is the most supportive aspect of the bra, but that is incorrect.   Your straps should have a stabilizer in the front and not stretch.  If they are moving, so is the rest of you and that isn’t good.

Second, are the cups.  There should be some sort of cups built into the sport bra to support each breast.  Make sure you are completely in the cups.

Last, but definitely not least, there is the bottom band.  This does all the heavy lifting.  You want your band more snug than your lingerie bra, but one that doesn’t make it difficult to breathe deeply. 

 Okay now you know how a good sport bra is built.  The next step is the most important:  The Fit

Here are two examples of bras that don’t fit well.  The bra on the left rides up in the back. The bra on the right is not big enough and has side spillage.

How does this performance sport bra work for you?  Try it on and let’s see.  Does the bra feel comfortable?  Does it ride up the back?  Are you completely contained in the bra or is there spillage?  Does the band stay on your chest wall or creep up onto your breasts?

 The best way to see if this sport bra will support you is to mimic your actions.  Run in place.  Jump around.  Twist and shout.  If there is minimal bounce and the bra moves with you, not on you, then this just might be your next BFF. 

 Remember like your running shoes, sport bras wear out and breakdown.  They should be replaced every 6 to 12 months depending on its use. 

                [Here is a hint:  if you can’t read the label inside your bra, you probably need a new one.]

 Gravity may not be your friend, but a good sport bra is and together we can get you under control.

After Reading the following Top 5 Winter Running Tips from most of our employees. Can you pick out what the #1 most common tip is?

Mike’s tips

1) When it is windy, start your run against the wind and have it to your back when you return

2) Stay hydrated

3) Wear Smartwool socks

4) Wear reflective gear (lights, vest, etc) Be seen!!!!

5) Realize you are ahead of most when you train in the winter.

Amanda’s Tips

1. Don’t worry about your feet getting wet. If you have good socks they won’t and if they do you won’t notice. If you do notice, you should go faster.

2. Dress warmly throughout the day. If you are cold just doing the day to day stuff, you won’t want to go run outside in the cold.

3. If your shoes are wet from the previous day’s run open them up, pull the liner out a little and stuff some newspaper in there.

4. Remember to drink lots of water throughout the day.

5. Get some nice running underwear. It makes a big difference to be warm on your bum.

Brandon’s Tips

1 Running partner to complain with

2 Smart Wool socks

3 Sport Hill infuzion gloves

4 Sport Hill wind protection underwear

5 Pipeline trail-the snow is packed down and the scenery is pretty darn nice

Scott’s Tips

1. Continue to drink and eat gels. Even though it’s cold outside, you still sweat. Also your body has to work harder in the winter to stay warm, so your energy demands are actually higher during a run, especially during long runs. I like to fill my water bottle up with warm water to start out with. Drinking ice cold water or frozen water isn’t easy.

2. Yaktrax rock. Use them on packed snow for good traction or during a snow storms. Not great on pure ice, or hard surfaces though. Running with them is much easier than not in many situations, and it’s safer.

3. Be aware that if you are running outside for the first time, it will be a shock to the system. The lungs may burn and your face will probably get cold. You will get used to it though, so stick with it. The best thing to do is to continue running outside as the seasons change and you will adapt much easier.

4. It’s ok to run on a treadmill. I don’t like to be outside if it’s below 0 and would rather run inside. Incline the treadmill 1-2% to make up for the effort in comparision to the road. It’s also a good idea to not run outside on red burn days.

5. Find safe roads to run on. Running on State Street during the winter is probably not a good idea. Back roads tend to be the best, much less traffic to deal with. I also like to run on the left side of the road into oncoming traffic, it’s easier for drivers to see you. NEVER assume a driver see’s you at intersections or at driveways, be overly cautious.

6. One more just for kicks. Run with a cell phone if you are running alone. Spraining an ankle or getting some other injury (heaven forbid getting hit by a car) can be deadly and you get stuck in the cold.

Travis’s Tips:

1. It is mental not elemental. Yes it is cold, but life does not stop so why should your running. Kids still go to school. People still have to work. Shopping still gets done. We still go to parties and travel. We should still run.

2. Expect to start a little bit cold. You will heat up very quickly, but once you are hot it is very difficult to not overheat. Start cold and allow your body to warm itself.

3. Combine layers when possible. Clothing that combines layers is much more comfortable than using individual layers. A light base layer with one heavier top works better for me than multiple layers. Same for bottoms. A heavier pant is more comfortable for me than wearing a pair of tights covered by a light pant.

4. Good gloves make a big difference. It is handy to have a couple of different weights available so you can keep your hands the right temp on different days and in different conditions. If your hands get too hot, the rest of you is hot. If your hands get too cold, the rest of you feels cold.

5. Wool socks!!!! Even if your super breathable shoes get wet a good wool sock will help keep your feet comfortable even in the snow or rain. Waterproof shoes only make your feet more susceptible to over-sweating because the waterproof barrier keeps the sweat in just as much as it keeps the elements out. It also takes waterproof shoes much longer to dry after your run. If you do need to wear a waterproof shoe, once again wool socks are key for keeping your feet comfortable.

Rhielle’s Tips

1. On red burn days run at elevation (go to mountaintrails.org for a list of groomed trails in PC or go to Mountain Dell Golf Course) or go to the olympic oval. Although all gyms and indoor running tracks have filtered air, the Olympic Oval has to keep the air climate controlled and is therefore the Gold Standard. Additionally, most indoor tracks are 200 meters, and the oval is 440, fewer turns = fewer injuries.

2. Running in snow is harder, similar to running in sand, so go slower and run for time not distance. The stuff you are running on is uneven and moves when you put weight on it so your muscles fire twice for every step, once to stabilize and once to propel. You work twice as hard in the snow.

3. To stay upright in the snow, instead of on your bum, run like you don’t have shoes on. When you heel strike, you land on the snow with a very small amount of surface area giving the runner very little stability. When you land on top of your foot, you have much more surface area, making you more stable. You can also stay in car tracks where the snow has been moved away a bit. Running on flat surfaces, not hills, will also make it easier.

4. Dressing to stay warm: 1. Use the VIP layering system. 2. No cotton. 3. Wear an extra layer over the core. 4. Buy Smartwool socks and baselayers- they retain heat even when they get wet so you can sweat and sweat and stay warm the whole time.

5. To dry your shoes out after a wet run, take the liner out and stuff the shoe with newspaper. The paper will draw the moisture out of the shoe.

6. Wear reflective gear. Most people don’t know that the yellow is not reflective so it doesn’t do you any good at night. It is only good to help you stand out during dusk and dawn. The silver, silky stuff is the reflect so wearing something that is a combination of both is very important.

Jesus’s Tips

5.- Plan ahead, we all are busy specially in this time of the year so make sure you make some time available for your run.

4.- Dedicate your run to somebody, whether is your mom, your wife or your dog is a great motivation tool, i use it specially in this weather.

3.- Don’t overdress, my biggest mistake when i started to run in the winter was to bundle up to much, keep in mind that you will increase your body temperature by about 20 degrees, so if the temperature is in the 30′s dress for 50′s.

2.- Wear reflective gear, this time of the year when it gets dark by 5 o’clock you should always wear reflective gear when is dark, you never know when a distracted driver could cross your path.

1.-Base layer up! this is a must, it makes a world of difference to have the right base layer when you need it. My favorite are Smartwool and Craft.

Chris’ Tips

1. Smart Wool socks

2. Along with cold weather comes less day light, so I use my Black Diamond Sprinter head lamp a lot.

3. Vest

4. Sport Hill mens cold weather underwear

5. a fairly tight/tapered running pant or tight

Seth’s Tips

1) Afternoon trail runs. (You will see tons of wildlife, no one is up there and it is warmer)

2) Sporthill pants (Great wind resistance and super flexible.)

3) Amphipod Reflective Vest if running on the roads at all any time. (Holds your ID, Phone, Gel and keeps you from being hit.)

4) Trail shoes, Brooks Cascadia. (The snow is giving you plenty of cushion, the traction is what you need.)

5) Warm light weight gloves, Saucony ultimate Run Glove is my current favorite.