cardio-related matters

As you might have inferred from my exercise-playlist-making, I've recently started to push myself again on working out. By which I mean, more frequently, more consistently, and harder. I've been particularly inspired to push myself on the cardio, and it's been working: I get about forty minutes into the hour and instead of wanting to die, I'm pretty fucking flooded with endorphins. I used to joke about being endorphin-challenged in relation to other, um, activities that people claimed would kick them in, but either my body has learned to make them better or it's only torture by recumbent bike that they respond to. In any case, score! I've been ending my hour workout sweaty, panting, and grinning all week. It's a nice little high.

I was wondering why, for one thing, after slacking on the workouts all fall and early winter (I blame my ankle sprain, but "laziness" works, too), it's been so relatively easy and painless to ramp the cardio up. And I realized that, with the hormonal mess I've been in for the last six or eight months, and consequently the much less frequent than normal periods I've been having, when I went for my physical last month, it was the first time in lots of years that I haven't been borderline, or actually, anemic. (I had a ferritin level of *4* at one point. And yet no one wanted to investigate why my periods were so heavy. Bastards.) I guess cardio is a lot easier when your body actually has the right amount of hemoglobin. Huh. Go figure.

So, anyway, and this is really weird to me too, several times over the past month when I've just been out walking, weather-permitting, I've had this strange urge to run. (Well, okay, jog. Slowly.) Now, I have never been a runner. I like to say I'm not built for it: big boobs make it uncomfortable physically and, frankly, psychologically. I'm pretty scarred by the crap I had to listen to every time I *tried* to jog when I was a teenager. But, fuck it, sports bra technology has come a long way, they invented the iPod so you don't really need to hear what gets yelled at you from cars anymore, plus I'm old, which cuts down on, if not eliminates, the harrassment. So I'm thinking maybe I *do* want to give into the urge and start running a bit, just as an occasional alternate endorphin-releasing activity. But I need the heavy-duty sports bra and it can't be one of those ones that pull on, because if there is anything more frustrating than trying to get one of those off when you're sweaty, I can't imagine what it might be.

I started perusing them online this evening and it's pissing me off already. Champion, which is probably the biggest maker, apparently doesn't even manufacture them in my size. I cannot understand why the concept of a small woman with large breasts is so hard to fathom. We're not like leprachauns or yeti. We do exist. Then, on Athleta, there are a few bras that actually do come in my size. Some of them have molded cups. WTF? Why would anyone want molded cups in a sports bra? That's bad design right there. The ones that do come in my size, do hook in the back, do have normal underwire, and don't have molded cups range hugely in price. Will the $70 one support me 40% better than the $40 one? Who knows?

I think I'll go look at more and confuse myself further.

xoxo