Thursday, March 19, 2015

Running Fashion, then and now

When I ran my first race 4 years ago I wore cotton socks, a pair of pricey (or what I thought was pricey) Nike capri's, a Champion t-shirt from Target, a Champion sports bra, a FLEECE North Face 1/4 zip because it was cold and my Nike shocks that I had owned for LOTS of years.  Oh almost forgot a fleece beenie.

Not all bad.  I still wear and swear by the C9 sports bra.  On sale you can get them 2 for $20 at Costco.  I'm not even sure that they still carry them now though.  But I've been wearing the same ones for at least 3 years now.  I've since given away or retired almost all of the other stuff.  With the exception of the the North Face fleece, however I would never wear that running today.

After acquiring my first pair of "real" running shoes (I got lucky and ordered the Brooks Ravenna online without ever being fitted for them), and I still run in the Ravenna today.  I was however almost immediately coveting everything Lululemon.  I had started reading some running blogs and this Lululemon was what all the "cool kids" were wearing.  But I could not even begin to stomach the price tags attached to them.

After my first half marathon my gift to myself was a visit to the Lululemon store in Las Vegas with $200 in my hot hand!  At the time we didn't have stores here in Utah (we do now).  I could feel my BRF's thoughts as we walked through the store.  *Who would pay $119 for a pair of stretchy pants?*

MEEEEE .. I would.

And so it began.  I slowly started building a good collection of Lululemon attire.  But now, 3 years later, I know why so many people wear it.  It's good stuff.  Truly.  But it's not the only thing.  Today I run in only Lulu pretty much all the time for my staples (sports bra continues to be the exception).  I have never had to retire anything due to wear.  So I've got a good collection at this point and primarily shop the "We Made Too Much" section.

Exception:  I will buy a new skirt and tank to wear for a big race.  Totally breaking the don't wear new stuff on race day rule every single time.

So here's my list of what I personally think is worth the investment.  Starting from head to toe:

Warm Weather Tank


Why I love the Cool Racerback:
The length is long.
It's got good compression (holding jiggle to a minimum).
No chafing.
They come in a million adorable prints.

Cooler Weather Top


Why I love the Run Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve:
The length is long and perfect.
The weight is perfect.  Keeps me warm.
It's a snug fit, no flapping.
You have to be careful with the fabric, they can snag easy.
Thumb holes.  I have LONG arms and these are plenty long enough!
I 100% wear a cool racerback tank underneath all the time.
Plus it's light enough to tie around your waist should you get hot and take it off.

The Shorts

Shorts are in the above picture.  I love these in particular because they are the 4" length.  But what I don't love about Lululemon is that they discontinue styles QUICKLY.  They generally replace them with something similar but I've bought some that I DON'T love (Tracker Short).  The Speed Shorts are the only ones I've seen consistently over the years. But I have to be in TIP TOP shape to get away with wearing the shorter 2.5" inseam (currently NOT there).  The other thing worth noting when it comes to their shorts and skirts is 4 way stretch versus 2 way stretch.  The 4 way is the most comfortable but some of the cuter prints come in the 2 way.  

I do love their shorts though.  The waistband is the MOST attractive out there.  Really wide, doesn't dig in giving you muffin top.  I run ALL my training runs in these shorts.

The Capri's

I have no picture of these.  I rarely run in long tights anymore.  I pretty much pair these up with a pair of ProCompression socks and I'm covered.  I love that these are so compression y.  They again keep the jiggle to a minimum.  Somewhat high waisted so that stuff isn't hanging over the top.

The Skirts


Why I love the Pace Setter Skirt:
I feel "pretty" / "girly" in them.
Has the same wide waistband as their shorts (attractive).
The freedom of shorts with a little extra coverage.
Because sometimes my thighs like to eat my shorts.
Great colors.
I almost always race in these.

So there you have it.  But again I only wear this stuff to run in. I don't wear it to the gym really ever.  I want it to last as long as possible and I wear it for it's function more than the fashion.  I don't regret an ounce of my collection at all!

2 comments:

  1. susan@mail.postmanllc.net

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  2. Great blog. Thank you for sharing about sports days wearing dresses ideas.
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