I cannot be alone in having a difficult time saying goodbye to my “long past their prime” brassieres. The signs were there for some time, maybe years. First, I could no longer read the manufacturer’s tag that told me what size it was (not always a bad thing.) The band was puckered and stretched and the color was faded from years of washing. But the straps. Oh the straps. Those workhorses had done the best they could over the years, but now they’ve simply given up and let their load just…sag.

Why do we hang on to our undergarments for years? Wouldn’t it be nice to change our wardrobe with every season?

I know MY answer to this. I don’t change because it’s SO difficult to find something that I like, and when I do, I’m NEVER giving it up. 😤 Bra shopping is AWFUL. A professional fitting is probably the best way to determine your size, but be prepared to find out that you’ve been doing it wrong for YEARS. Once you find out what you SHOULD be wearing, you find that your options have now been reduced to nothing available in the store. Ordering online or from a catalog is certainly more private, but without trying something on, the chances of you hating it have exponentially increased.

Perhaps the biggest reason we don’t replace our bras (despite the fact that they have long been crying to be retired) is that they are COMFORTABLE. They are the friend that is there every day for us, putting up with the load with only modest complaints (think the safety pins we’ve resorted to from time to time to safe a strap from destruction.) We don’t like change, and a replacement is a threat to the friendship.

So here I am at a crossroad. I have had the same sports bras for 11 years. They have gotten me through countless 5Ks, Half Marathons, Full Marathons, Sprint Triathlons, and even a 50K and my first 70.3 Ironman. I love them. They are the girls who hug MY girls. Sure, we’ve had some chafing over the years, but that’s expected. But lately, they’ve been looking faded, tired, unenthusiastic.

I recently found myself in a horrific undergarment situation. Brian and I were on a weekend trip to Greenville SC, and I realized that I FORGOT to pack a sports bra 😱. As if the workout gods were looking out for me, there was a Lululemon store JUST AROUND THE CORNER from our hotel. It was Black Friday, the store was mobbed, but I braved the crowds just to purchase a serviceable bra for the weekend. So much pressure! I settled on the Air Support bra (wireless-something I rarely purchase) and dropped $98 on a damn replacement bra which I figured I’d wear just once.

Oh, I was SO wrong.

I loved her.

She hugged me and held me tight. No chafing. No constant adjustments. And no underwire! She made my older bras look like Baby Boomers. I loved her so much that I went on line and ordered another (this one was only $79!)

So now I’m going through my lingerie drawer and removing my inventory. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, at least until I got to my Marvel bra. She and I go waaaay back.

5 minutes after tossing her I rescued her from the trash can. What can I say? She will always be my bestest girl ❤️