8 years of accumulated stink....

When I first got into triathlon, I went HAYWIRE buying all kinds of shorts, tops, sports bras, etc. I mean you sort of have to though, right? You can't just have one pair of bike shorts...if you have say 5 of everything (at least), that means you don't have to stress about laundery all the time.

And about the laundery....

I've always taken good care of my workout stuff. Hang it to dry so it lasts longer, etc. But over the years, I have come to realize that every wash only removes around 99% percent of stank. And you don't notice it, until one day, say about 8 years hence, all those little 1%'s add up and YOU ARE THE STINKY ONE IN THE GYM!!!!!

OMG!!!!

It was a few Saturdays ago, I was doing a treadmill test -- had on my favourite black sports bra top and was sweating away. There was a certain point when the top got sweaty enough that it suddenly released all that cumulative B.O. I was horrified at myself!

Now, to be honest, I've been noticing this gradual degradation of my clothing for some time now. I smelled stank when I would ride on my trainer -- my favourite biking jacket had stinky armpits that no matter how much I would scrub with Shout! and baking soda only took the edge off. My favourite running top suffered the same issues.

The piece de resistance however, came a few weeks ago when I walked into the bathroom and was overpowered by the aroma of BO. I immediately yelled at Mike, saying, "GEEZ! You need to have a shower or something -- it STINKS in here!!" Poor guy, instantly smells his armpits looking worried/anxious/confused. It was at that moment I realized that the stink was coming from all my facecloths/bike shorts/bra top that was hanging over the shower rod to dry after my workout!!!!!!

Cue my sister.... Like an angel, she told me to add a cup of vinegar to the wash and it would remove all stink. I was so excited to try this, I took all my workout clothes out of my closet and washed them again -- this time adding a cup of vinegar along with the detergent.

I thought I had nailed the stink problem, until that tready session. It turns out that the proportion of 1 cup vinegar to 8 years of sweat is slightly off....



Thank goodness there were only two other people there that morning I went to the gym. Now, I was doing a treadmill run test, where I was running progressively faster and faster with 1 minute rest between sets. It was during one of these breaks that I felt OBLIGATED to explain to both men the reason why I stunk and that it wasn't ME, but it was my bra top.

Oh man -- the one guy was so nice and said - "I don't care! I don't even notice!" LIAR!

The other man was friendly but you could tell he was thinking "What in the heck is WRONG with this chick?!?!" LMAO!!!!!! I can talk pretty fast in one minute!!!!!

I went to Wal-Mart later that day on a mission: Buy the biggest jug of vinegar I could find. These past few weeks, I've cycled through all my workout clothes...when I would finish a session, I'd strip down, dump LOADS of vinegar on them and fill up the sink with hot water and let them soak all day. I did this every day. THEN, I threw all the clothes into the washing machine and poured more vinegar over everything and then added detergent. And you know what?

IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am now stink-free -- odor-free, not even a scent of vinegar lingers. YES! :) :)

Here is a quickie update of what I've been doing (as I have been getting over the loss of Toby):

1. One week after IMC I went for a run. A RUN. A real run and I felt incredible. I felt so incredible that I emailed Coach Sara and said, I feel like I haven't "peaked" yet. She wanted to wait 3 weeks to see if this feeling persisted...it did and I've been back at training like a pit bull with a bone -- a big meaty bone with lots of fat and tendrils and ligaments hanging from it.

2. In a last minute change of mind, I've entered the Beach 2 Battleship iron distance race in North Carolina-- Nov. 13. Me and my Dad are going to drive there and back --- EPIC ROAD TRIP!!! YAHOOOO!!! :) :)

3. I've joined a Masters swim group and I can't believe how much of a difference it is making to my swimming. Having a coach on deck toss out simple reminders and give you instant feedback is invaluable!

4. I HAVE MY FIRST ATHLETE!!!!!! '

That's it for now....