This was going to be a part of a different post but I believe it needs its own day in the sunshine…
The title poses the question: Do you feel self-conscious in your Lycra get-up?
I don’t. In my full get-up I know I make it look good. This happens when you put in enough miles in to stretch a string from New York to somewhere south of Mexico in a year. I did, however, read a post a couple of days ago from a guy who is putting his miles in… He was at the gym working on an indoor Tri to train for the real deal and check out his new tri suit.
Reading about the awkwardness that this guy felt at being large in his tri-suit in the gym broke my heart. We’re not talking about the overweight person we see at the local shopping center in their spandex pants, shirt and thong leotard (oh yes, I’ve witnessed this one myself – and this person was pushing a full shopping cart, it’s not like she just popped in to pick something up real quick after hitting the gym). We’re talking about someone working out in the gym.
There are a dozen different directions that I could take this post but the important one, I believe is this: For the vast majority of us slim fitties, nothing does our hearts better than to see a guy like this one, in the gym with his tri-suit on, getting fit done. We know exactly how hard it is to get to where you want to be, because eight of ten times, we were there once ourselves. We were sweating the fact that our guts stuck out over our shorts and that our love handles made our shirts do funny things… In fact seeing others trying to battle back helps us by reminding us exactly what we had to go through to get to where we are.
As a final note on this subject, the most important thing one can do for themselves about feeling self-conscious is to battle those negative thoughts on a personal level. All too often we have a tendency to look outwards for validation and acceptance in the hopes that this will stop those negative thoughts from festering… That’s not how it works. I still have negative thoughts creep in about my level of fitness and whether I should be doing more. I still have those doubts about how I look in my cycling shorts. These thoughts originate within my own mind – they are due to my own self-image problems and they must be fought and won on the battlefield of my own mind. If someone were to make a negative crack, this would reinforce the image that already existed… Therefore, to look for the solutions to come from the outside world is a losing battle that ends with me on the couch with potato chip crumbs stuck to my sweatshirt.
Change the tape that plays in your head, fix you, then those outside comments won’t carry any weight. The path you’re on is to be celebrated, don’t ever give another person the opportunity to take that away.
bgddyjim
Here’s my mini-rant from a female perspective: Buying tri gear is a miserable experience. That’s because tri companies seem to tailor their sizing to fit the bodies of prepubescent boys. I have to go up 2-3 sizes just to accommodate my normal, healthy female body. It is just annoying. I’d like to see more tri and cycling gear that is designed for real women, not super elite athletes and young boys.
You make an assumption that this only applies to women – my new $150 cycling shorts are exceptionally tight (even up one size), especially around the legs (?). The difference, just throwing a guess out here, is that healthy women take this to heart. Size means nothing… If you were a double XL but look awesome, what does a stamp on a tag matter? Nada. Of course, it must also be taken into account with my ultra expensive shorts – I got the “Pro” shorts…
The point is, there is something in you that disdains that letter on that tag and it shouldn’t – you’re normal and healthy. You’re great. Enjoy that. I understand your anger and frustration – the purpose of this post was to get people to look beyond the petty outside stuff and concentrate on what matters.
By the way, I was one of those young boys… Skinny, six pack, the whole nine yards. I wouldn’t want that body over the one I’ve got now, evah! Damn chicken legs.
You’re right, women tend to obsess over numbers and sizing which doesn’t make any sense as those things are not what people see. What others DO see is me out on the road, makin’ that spandex look good
Great post!
That’s RIGHT!
About 6 years, 40,000 miles and 80 lbs ago I said I would never wear the stuff but then I learned a lot more about the elements first hand such as cold and wet and wind.
Hot, wet and cold will make one rethink one’s positions in a hurry. So will a century in baggy clothes that act like a sail!
Amen. I don’t think the average person understands aerodynamics until they ride a bike for some time!
I run into a lot of people who don’t believe drafting in a pace line works! Right you are.
I don’t … but for an entirely different reason, and I’m pretty unusual in this.
I don’t wear lycra. I don’t do bibs (Andre the Giant?), bike shorts, or jerseys. I have some really fantastic hiking/rock climbing pants that are stretchy, very water resistant, and comfortable. They’re wonderful on the bike, and they’re made without ankles, so they never get caught in the chain. Also, I already owned them, which saved me a bundle versus buying new clothes. I wear wool base layers, cashmere sweaters from the thrift store, and a hiking wind breaker. The stuff fits me to a T, it’s comfy, works very well out in the elements, etc. Frankly I don’t understand why more cyclists don’t do this? (I ride anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 miles a year, by the way, and have rode over 7 mountain passes as well as to the top of the highest paved road in my state, so it isn’t that more cyclists don’t do this because it doesn’t work.)
Oh, I wear my cycling shorts for the padding on the bum – my saddle has almost none… That and it’s comfortable and aerodynamic. Now, if you’re wearing rock climbing pants, I doubt they have a chamois in the bum so you either have the toughest butt in history OR you have a cushy saddle. I HATE cushy saddles… Tried one, pitched it almost immediately.
I will say this though, that’s a neat way of going about it. Thanks for sharing.
The pants (Mountain Hardware Ridgetop 3/4, which sadly they don’t make anymore) have a chamois but no padding. My favorite bike has a Fizik Alliente, the rain bike has a saddle that feels like a knife after about 40 miles, and needs to go. Maybe I do have a tough bum, though, I like glissading.
The chamois is the big deal – I never would have guessed it!
I ride in the woods so baggy shorts have no real down sides. I’m not a fan of lycra but understand the benefits if you spend much time riding the roads. Still, my waist size is usually a rough indicator of where my fitness level is in the early season – I hate the few pounds I gain over the winter.
You and me both – I do wear the cargo shorts on the single track. On Michigan’s trails ten miles per hour is fast – you don’t have to worry about aerodynamics. Thanks for adding to the discussion.