Taking Recommendations!

Last Wednesday evening as I finished my run, I had my first summer reality check. I was dehydrated from being sick all day, but I decided to try to run anyway. By the end, I was so dehydrated I decided to just stop my watch and walk it in.

As I walked, I lifted my tank top. It's one of my favorites, with a built-in bra, so I couldn't take it off completely. I folded it up and let my stomach breathe. In that moment, I remembered what a difference one less layer makes.

So, I am officially renewing my summer membership of the Sports Bra Squad. I have two bras I really like to run in shirtless, and the rest are just meh. Both of my favorites were given to me and I can't seem to find them on the company websites, so I think they're discontinued. They are from Victoria's Secret and North Face.

Favorite bra #1, from VS.

I've realized I feel most comfortable running shirtless in slightly "longer" bras - the kind that come down a bit on your ribs, instead of stopping right at the bra-band. I also tend to chafe where the band sits if it's too high.

Favorite bra #2, from North Face.

So, I am looking for recommendations! I don't mind paying a little bit more for a comfortable, supportive, breathable option, but I'm not a snob; inexpensive options are always welcome. I don't need anything extremely compressive, but I like something with thicker straps that cross in the back. Those bras with thinner straps are super cute but just don't work for me.

What is your favorite sports bra to run in?

ABK

Dealing with Depression

A few weeks ago, Nicole Deboom (the founder of Skirt Sports) reached out to our ambassador group to see if any of us had ever struggled with depression and wanted to share how we coped. I answered the call and sent in my story.

Her article in Women's Running magazine was published last week, just as we heard news of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

Something I told Nicole was that I don't believe exercise alone is ever enough to treat real, clinical depression. The idea that you can exercise your depression away is actually something that feeds into the stigma that depression and mental illness aren't "real" medical conditions that need real treatment. The movement against "big pharma" and medicinal intervention is dangerous and shames people, making seeking treatment even more difficult.

I am grateful that she included that insight in her article. You can read it here.

When Nicole posted the article on Facebook, she said: "My biggest takeaway is that the healing can't start until you can safely talk about your depression and anxiety. That is #1. I actually thought that through my research process I would find that exercise was the key to healing and health. What I found is that while exercise plays a part, it is not the primary key to healing. Many factors come into play."

I've written about my depression here before, but never so explicitly. I am trying to be better about speaking out, so that others who suffer can feel empowered to do so, too.

Healing, recovery, coping, and remission look different for everyone. If you're still looking for what works for you, maybe you'll find something useful in this article.

ABK

Announcement!

Elizabeth isn't big into social media, so when her brother asked how she planned to announce her pregnancy, she asked me if I'd let her hijack one of our post-run Instagram photos for the announcement.

I said of course, as long as we made it crystal clear that she's the one expecting, not me!

Three miles to celebrate our 3rd running buddy...Officially introducing @mselizabethbenitez’s Pudge 👶🏻!! Making their appearance in December 2018! #running #ilovetorun #babyannouncement #itsnotminelol #floridarunner #runnersofinstagram #runner #run #runningbuddies #runningwhilepregnant

A post shared by Ali (@abk_runs) on Jun 6, 2018 at 5:44pm PDT

She has also asked me to continue to help her keep running as long as she can so she can have an active, fit pregnancy.

Consider this her official announcement, across all social-media platforms!

ABK