One Piece Wonders

Holy heck is it hot outside. The temps topped 97 on this side of the Hudson today, and all I wanted to do is float in an ice cold pool. But instead, I worked and ran a 5K. You can guess how that went (or you can read my previous post...).

Anyway, thinking about swimming gets me thinking about bathing suits. I'm still on a mission to find the perfect suit...the same mission I've been on ever since I had E back in August 2008. Despite gaining 60 pounds with him (yes, 60. Over 9 pounds of that was baby, but that still doesn't make it right. Copious amounts of ice cream were involved...), my body eventually morphed back to its original shape and managed to do so again after NC popped out in November 2010 (I was smarter with her, only gaining 25 pounds. Thank God). Yep, back to normal everywhere, except for one major area: My stomach. While 8 years of competitive running in high school and college earned me some decently-defined abs, pregnancy introduced me to that ugly thing called a diastasis recti. And a pretty bad one at that. Post-pregnancy, my six pack went wayward—to either side of my body, to be exact. My rectus abdominals completely separated, leaving a fugly gap in the center of my stomach, disfiguring my belly button, and, well, I'll spare you the rest of the details.

The abs have slowly knitted themselves back to the point where I don't feel like a circus freak without my shirt on. But I'm too traumatized from the nastiness that was my stomach for so long to rock a bikini on the regular. Not to mention I have four little hands grabbing me at all times in the pool just ready to rip off a skimpy top. So, point is, I've become pals with the one piece. I've found some decent suits over the past couple of summers, but nothing I'm absolutely in love with. It doesn't help that I spend way too much money on E and NC's wardrobe (baby needs a new pair of shoes...or four), so I'm usually left shopping the clearance rack at Old Navy for myself. Not that there's anything wrong with Old Navy, but, as my sister likes to say, those racks are usually a bit to' up.

So...in an effort to locate The. Perfect. Suit., I've gathered together some of my faves. Who knows how these will actually look like on me, but they look pretty hot on these models. Now to decide which one to actually order...

It's technically not a one piece, but this Ralph Lauren Ikat Multi Stripe tankini will do the trick. I'm currently into all things ikat. And the bold blues would look great with a bright yellow beach tote. 

J. Crew Seersucker Underwire Tank. Gotta love anything in seersucker. And the underwire offers a much needed, uh, boost. 

Anthropologie Natalie One-Piece. Loving the retro vibe, the halter style, the boy-cut shorts, and the polka dots. The $148 price tag, however? Not so much.  

Kenneth Cole Reaction Bandeau Ruffle Swimdress. So girly and sweet--and a perk that the color is called pinkberry. Besides, who wouldn't want to wear something called a swimDRESS?

I'm all for a plunging neckline like this Pucci Isfahan Twist  One-Piece. Especially because the bold Pucci print transports me right into Capri. Bellissimo!   

And to toss on after the pool or beach, how cute are these OndadeMar Eyelet Shorts? 

J. Crew off-the-shoulder tank. I've been a fan of this style ever since my Aunt Jeanie made me an asymmetrical Prom dress senior year of high school (we were so ahead of the trend!). Plus, the draping and pleating is super-flattering.

Feeling HOT

Racing to the finish line. I use the term "racing" loosely because I was actually STRUGGLING. 

What do you get when you mix a 90-degree night with a 5K race and toss in a too-fast first mile?

You get heat exhaustion, that's what. At least that's what happened to me.

I was really excited to run the Partywith a Purpose 5K in Hoboken tonight. It's a local race that I've done a few times, they have a post-finish beer garden, and it's on a Tuesday evening, so it's a fun way to break up the week. Going into the race, I told myself to just take it easy and see how I feel. If I could push the last half, I would. No expectations. When the gun went off, I went out in what felt like a solid but relaxed pace. I left my Garmin at home and wanted to just run on instinct, a la Ryan Hall (except I don't have the voice of God telling me what to do). So that's just what I did.

Turns out I should have tuned those instincts out. Because I ran a 6:20 first mile. Ugh. A few months ago, this would have been the perfect pace. That was when I was cranking out speed work and intervals three times a week in preparation for a half-marathon...one that didn't go so well because it was HOT. (Sensing a pattern here?). Since I just started incorporating intervals and tempo runs into my workouts again, I've kept my expectations realistic. A 6:45 pace would have been ideal tonight.

Which is what I ran my second mile in, and as for the third, who knows, but I'm sure it was way over 7. I could hardly get my legs to move towards the end. My total time was way off any recent 5K finishes, which is super frustrating, especially considering what happened next. After dousing myself with one bottle of water and chugging another, I could not shake this feeling that I was going to pass out. My heart raced, my eyes were heavy, and I could not concentrate. Then, my arms started to go numb and I could hardly stand. All this after a mere 3.1 miles of racing. I sat down, ate some pretzels, drank more water, and willed myself to stand and shake off this feeling. It worked, sorta. Now, almost four hours after finishing, I'm still a little woozy. (Yes, I should be sleeping, but I'm a night owl with or without heat stroke).

Maybe I should have stopped after that first mile. But I had M, E, NC, and my good friend R all waiting for me at the finish line. Maybe I should have gone to the medic tent after finishing. But I thought I would be OK on my own. Maybe I shouldn't have even attempted to run given that I basically melt down in any race over 80 degrees. Who knows. One thing's for sure: I should not have gone out so fast. It's a lesson I reminded of over and over yet never seem to full grasp...even after over 15 years of racing.When will I ever learn?