Let's start from the ground up.
Shoes:
I spent most of the last year running in On running shoes. Specifically the Cloud Flow and the Cloud Surfer. I much prefer the Cloud Flow, it's a very sleek, light and responsive low profile shoe and it was my go to racing and training shoe this year. The Cloud Surfer is also quite responsive but I found it to be much bulkier. I put over 500km on the Cloud Flows and I think I could probably squeeze out another 100km or so before I have to say goodbye to them.
 |
Socks:
I am SO picky about socks. My go to for training runs or running races especially longer races, are Ijinji's. Yup, the toe socks. They keep my feet blister free. For triathlon racing, I have been loving Swiftwick socks. The longer ones offer a little bit of compression which is great over a longer distance ride and run. Why do I wear two different kinds of socks for similar events? Simple. It's all about the ease of getting them on. Injinji's are not pull on and go type socks, because you have to make sure the sock is pulled up over each toe. So I have a back up in the Swiftwick.
Bottoms:
My go to gear for tri shorts for years has been Zoot. Specifically the Zoot Ultra series. The design of the chamois is perfect for me. There is no seam underneath the chamois which means there is no chance of any sort of rubbing on your girly bits unless your shorts are too big and they start bunching. Many other brands place the chamois ON TOP of a seam, which for me, is a recipe for major angry kitty and some kind of chafing. Coeur is another company that makes their tri shorts the same way (they coined the slogan "no angry kitty", ha ha). This year I finally embraced the one piece tri suit and I loved it. It's not the easiest thing when you have to go to the washroom but for racing, it's extremely comfortable. It doesn't ride up, you're never pulling your top down, nothing.
For running, I actually run in my older Zoot tri shorts a lot because I like the functionality of them. They have built in, easy to access pockets so it's easy for me to stash a couple of gels and my keys. I'm also a fan of the Oiselle "Roga" shorts. They fit well, don't ride up too much and the waistband is fantastic. For tights, I'm a big fan of Oiselle. I have two pairs of their tights, the Portman tight and the KC tights, which they no longer make. They are comfortable, functional and stylish. In fact, I've worn both as leggings with tunics and boots! That's a win / win for me!
 |
| Oiselle KC tights |
Sports Bras / Tops:
Most of the time when I'm working out, I prefer to wear tank tops with built in bras so over the years I've worn a lot of Zoot tanks. Now that I've put on some weight and my breasts have come back with a vengeance, I only wear tanks with built in bras when I'm on the trainer or working out in the gym so I don't have to worry about any bounce. Even when I was leaner, I still wasn't that small. More like I was a small in the back, big in the front kinda gal. That's why I was thrilled when Moving Comfort started making bras that were based on bra sizing vs. just small, medium, large. I review one here. The range of bras available now is amazing. Manufacturers like Brooks and Lole are taking into account band and cup sizes and are making sports bras that are functional, supportive AND cute. No need to hide them under a tank top any more! I'm currently in the market for some new sports bras so when find something I like, I'll either update this post or do a separate review.
So, there you have it. Most of my go to gear from the bottom up.
What are your favourite go to pieces? Any new companies you're really loving?
~ Coach PK
No comments:
Post a Comment