Lycra - where have you been all my life?

Confession time...despite all silent protests, I have, I’m afraid to say, succumbed to the panic-inducing wonder that is Lycra.  

Striking fear into the hearts of novice exercise enthusiasts everywhere, it has to be one of the few things on my “never to be worn” list.  Or at least, it had been.  Until the prospect of a warm June Bank Holiday Monday became a reality and I was faced with a tough choice. 

Three hours traipsing through the streets of Dublin in my usual run-of-the-mill track bottoms, only to be carried over the 10km mark to the nearest physio.

Unless, that is, I could bring myself to feel the Lycra fear and wear it anyway.  And feel it I did.  So much so, that my new Lycra sports trousers lingered in their bag for several days, lest they should feel like making a sudden sprint back to the shop from whence they came. 

Bizarrely, they didn’t, and having tried them on for the umpteenth time, I plucked up the courage in true brave- little-soldier style, to face the mirror. 

I’m not sure there are enough words in the English language, or indeed any other, to describe the horror that stood before me.  Back in the bag they went.  No sport is worth that torture. 

It’ll probably rain anyway, right?

Wrong.

With the forecast remaining positive, there was only one thing for it.  So, with some reassurance from Lycra-loving friends and a bit of positive(ish) self talk, off I went with 30-something thousand other women in my breathable, go-faster, Lycra sports trousers.  
And my exxxtra long t-shirt.  That oughta hide them.

 "Sure who’s gonna care anyway... its not a fashion show.. comfort before style..all in the name of charity..."

Three hours later, much to my own relief, over the finish line I sauntered in the blazing sunshine. Fresh as a daisy.  Full of the joys of Spring.  Not a bother on me. 

Okay okay, I exaggerate... but to my relief (or disgust??) the discomfort levels were noticeably lowered a few notches thanks to my trusty new friends.  

Actually friendship may be too strong a word, lets not get too hasty here.  But whether I like it or not, this pre-marathon marathon served to prove me wrong in my long-held anti-Lycra beliefs.  

Sometimes, (in exceptional circumstances such as these) it IS okay, if not wise, to put comfort first.   

 
Image credit www.dunnestores.com