will and will not do

I never wear a tri-top to train. On the bike I want a jersey so I have some decent pockets. On the run I'd rather wear a runner's tech shirt. It's more comfortable. Besides, all my tri tops are that tunic style that's short in the front and I always think it's weird for a guy to be covered up except for the belly button. I don't want to scare the neighborhood children.

I'm around 5'10 / 5'11, 216lbs but I don't have much belly.  Still, I don't like the one piece or tri tanks.  My wife found short sleeve underarmour type shirts really cheap at a TJ Maxx and I wear those.  Perhaps you can find something like that?  They don't hold all the water like a cotton t-shirt, they look great and they are very comfortable.  When I'm on the bike I lose as much as 4lbs in sweat despite drinking a lot and the shirt is nearly dry when I get home. 

Hello

I did a swim & bike ride this morning.  I did wear my Tri top with UA heat gear pants.  Yes I have the belly roll and all of that but I like the idea of swimming & then riding with out changing. 

When I do a complete practice race at home I will run in my tri top.

If am just running I wear an UA heat gear top under a loose fitting UA type shirt.

Note:  During my ride this morning   Two sets of Pace Booty!.    The first one I had to really crank to catch her and as I was getting close I thought it may be Dude Booty  YUK!  No   Nice pace booty.

Kevin 

You probably didn't want to wear it for the same reason I won't wear a speedo at the beach.  My fat azz looks rediculous in it.  At the events, no one cares what you look like, and I know no one there is thinking about what I am wearing or even concerned about it.  When I'm at the pool I wear a drag suit.  No one cares there either because we're not there to play, we're there to work out.

I did wear my speedo at the beach this week though.  7am swims everyday and at most, there were 2 other people there doing the same thing.  Working out.  I still won't wear it if I'm there during the day when there is a crowd though. 

I dont wear alot of my "stuff" because i feel that being over weight I cant be legitimate. People will look and go "look at that fat guy with all the toys" not look at that guy he is working hard/hauling . I know being overweight doesnt mean I'm not fast, I just feel I havent earned it I guess.

People are always shocked that I do what I do. No one looks at me and sees a marathon runner and triathlete.
One of the races this year i had some guy walk up to me before the race and say " I just wanted to shake your hand, it's great you are doing this."... yeah, thanks.
Should have seen his face when he seen me after the race and found out I beat him by over 10 minutes.

Well I did it. kind of.... I put the tri top on and went for a ride. Still did not run in it but people I know and don't know seen me in it. I'm feeling better now.

Well, for the self conscious:

I'm in good shape, I'm fit and I'm still self-conscious.  I don't even like wearing BIKE shorts, much less a speedo (I prefer jammers).

It's so easy let fear at what other people are thinking take away from you.

When I'm at the gym, or running, or whatever and I see someone whose overweight and clearly out of shape, I don't think it's funny or amusing.  I'm impressed and it inspires me.  It takes a lot to go outside of your comfort zone.  People that actually do stand back and scoff probably haven't done much of anything outside of their comfort zone and they're poorer for it.  The real irony is where you're free to pursue your goals and your ambitions, those people are probably caged in by their fears and insecurities.

Everyone is insecure.  I don't think there is such a thing as a completely secure person.  The real difference lies in that some people allow their insecurity to rule them and others do not.

That said, I don't think there's anything noble about training while be uncomfortable if you'd be happier to avoid the discomfort.  You could always do your dry run in another neighborhood .  I usually do my road biking in a neighborhood fairly far from my own (mostly because I'd prefer not to get mugged).

I mean this is the nicest possible way.

MAN UP!

In our tri club, this has replaced HTFU.  It is NOT gender specific!

Congratulations.  If your BF > 7%, you will look like hell in your tri top.

I feel like I should be singing the "I'm a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper?" song with the word Pepper replaced with "Chubber".

It actually turned out to be a good thing I did not run it that top that day. I'm sure it would have been fine and I then would have worn it this weekend for the 70.3. That would not have been good.
The day before the race the wife and I did a short 1/2 mile swim and I wore that top. It rubbed the under side of my arms raw. Made for a not so nice swim at 8 am the next day but if only a 1/2 mile did that I would not want to see what the 1.2 would have done.

I'll save that top for the bike rides.

On a good note. This 265 pounder finished the half Ironman in 7:20:33
Under estimated the run and was shooting for under 6:30 but by the 3rd mile I knew that it was not going to happen. The sun was beating down on me the whole time. Could only run about 100 feet and the heart rate would sky rocket and I would get dizzy. So I would run a 100 feet, walk a 100 feet and repeat. My slowest half marathon ever but it felt great crossing the finish line.