Skirting celebs...

It was a moment of weakness. There I was, standing in the “activewear” section of TJ Maxx, perusing through their measly selection that they call activewear, I mean if it has "spandex" in the material, they automatically throw it in that section. Anyway, I was hoping to score a pair of leggings for cheap, when there it was… a running skirt.

Now, I know… you’re thinking I’ve gone soft on you. I have always been adamantly against the running skirt. My thought process was always… I’m out here to push myself, not to look cute. I even admit to some prejudicial thoughts towards chicks in skirts at races. It’s always an extra incentive for me to school the chicks wearing running skirts.

So, imagine my surprise when not only did I pick up the running skirt… I looked at it, checked out the price ($6.99) and checked the size… Hmmm… “well, I guess I could try it out… especially for 7.00.” I told myself.

Yes, I’ve gone soft. I admit it. But, you see… Chic Runner looks so cute in hers and it doesn’t take away from her hardcore-ness at all! She would kick my ass in a half marathon. And she mentioned how comfortable they were.

So… yes, I bought it. And immediately, I regretted it. Like, seriously… I was in my car thinking to myself.. a skirt??? I’m going to run in a skirt now?? Who am I? But when I got home and tried it on, I thought it looked OK. And it seemed to cover the necessary areas properly.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to yesterday… it was a gorgeous 60+ degrees out and I was just going to do a little recovery jaunt of 3 miles. I thought… hmmm.. perfect opportunity to give the skirt a try. After snapping some pics for the blog… I opted to put on my 26.2 cap, just to make me feel a little more hardcore.

Ready for a night out on the town? Nope, going out for a run... This is when not having roommates is a bad thing... surely to god someone would have said to me.. "ummm..yeah, don't run in that."

From the moment I stepped out of the stairwell and into the garage, I knew I was not a “running skirt” girl. But, despite the urge to run back upstairs and change into regular running shorts, I thought… 3 miles?? I can run in anything for 3 miles. (maybe even a gorilla suit).

What I forgot to mention, dear readers, is that this wasn’t at my usual time of 8am on Sunday morning. Nooooo sir. This was at 4:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. A brilliant Sunday afternoon, where everyone and their brothers were out for a run, a stroll, a burrito, whatever…. So, in my estimation, approximately 782 people saw me in this hideous getup.

I get started and ya know.. the skirt’s fine. I keep expecting it to flop up and expose the little biker shorts that are attached underneath, but it stays down surprisingly well. But, I can honestly tell you… I’ve never felt more ridiculous on a run. Like, seriously.. I’ve ran in some serious fashion disasters… (Orange and red outfits, purple and pink… like, I could seriously care less if I match on runs, etc), but this… this little feminine skirt made me feel like the biggest jackass. I was actually embarrassed while I ran. (Which, in itself is ridiculous, I realize… but I was just so aware of looking like such a lame-o).

I don’t know what the deal is… like, other girls look really cute and hardcore in them, but I don’t know… I don’t think I’m hot enough to carry off the look. The whole thing was a total ego-buster. I was tired and hot and suffocating from exhaust fumes (I’m the biggest baby about that) and plus I looked like an idiot and felt like one, too.

To make matters worse… I had a celebrity sighting on my run. I had to run past Ben Folds and his entourage...

Here's my inner dialogue:

Oh great, a huge group of dudes that I have to run past in this ridiculous skirt.
They better make room for me on the sidewalk… if they don’t, maybe I’ll say something this time.
No, I won’t, I’m just a pansy ass girl in a skirt. I can’t say anything.
Oh good, they’re making room for me…
Oh shit, that’s Ben Folds.
Ughh… I just ran past Ben Folds in a running skirt.

Soo.. yeah, my review is that it’s just as comfortable as a pair of running shorts… but, I just don’t have the moxie to pull it off. So, my $7.00 skirt will be reserved to lounging around the house (it is pretty dang comfy and stretchy).

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Random Nerdy Tid-bit: So, the only redeeming thing about this god-awful run, was that I ALMOST had a “certification” moment. My favorite book of all time… The Moviegoer by Walker Percy is full of lots of awesomeness and I highly recommend you read it, if you haven’t already. (I’ve seriously read it at least 10 times… it’s THAT good.) Anyway… there is this whole thing in the book about certifying your existence in this world… here’s a snippet from the book that kind of explains the notion:

“…nowadays when a person lives somewhere, in a neighborhood, the place is not certified for him. More than likely he will lie there sadly and the emptiness which is inside him will expand until it evacuates the entire neighborhood. But if he sees a movie which shows his very neighborhood, it becomes possible for him to live, for a time at least, as a person who is Somewhere and not Anywhere.” – Walker Percy The Moviegoer.

So, yes… it’s kind of a stretch, I realize… but I felt like.. if the ONE Ben Folds (Five) song that I have on my running playlist had been playing the moment I passed by him… that would have been a certification moment. And that would have been a big enough deal to have forgotten about the damn skirt all together. And if you don't buy into the whole Walker Percy business, ya gotta admit... that would have been pretty damn FREAKY.