Ladies' Night

...but not the kind at a bar on Thursday nights during college.

On Tuesday night, a running store in the City of Brotherly love hosted a "Ladies' Night" sponsored by Nike.  There was a Nike fall fashion show, snacks, and drinks. The event included $20 store credit, 10% off Nike purchases, Nike grab bag items for all that came, and some prizes being raffled off.  Also, I had a gift card for this store that I've been sitting on since back in May.

This trip also gave me the pleasure of driving through the "Occupy Philly" demonstration across from City Hall at rush hour.  So people with ridiculous signs like this were crossing the road each time the light changed.

 

 [source]

Since we cancelled cable this summer and I only look at the newspaper every other day or so, I didn't realize what it was until after I got home and thought about it that night (I also didn't realize these protests were sprouting up in places other than Wall Street).  What pained me the most is that the maker of this sign -- which I did see in person -- did not know how to make a proper %.

Back to running.

For the "grab bag" item, we could pick between a headband/earwarmer, a white hat, and a drawstring backpack- I chose the headband because I have plenty of hats and a couple of those backpacks and only one thermal headband.  Sadly my name was not called for any of the raffles (including a head-to-toe outfit including shoes!), but I did use up my store credit and gift card. 

I came home with this:

•  Nike Miler Short Sleeve Tee
• Nike Thema-fit Reversible Headband
• Feetures! Light No Show with Tab socks
• (Not Pictured) Moving Comfort Fiona bra

It's my first time trying the Miler tee, but I really like it! It fits well and is very soft to the touch. I want a long sleeve one too! Luckily it's not cold enough for the ear warmer yet. The socks are the same kind I got from RRS last year, and I still like them, so I thought it was worth getting more.  I have the Fiona bra already in a different color. It's not the "sexiest" sports bra, if such a thing exists, but it's very supportive.

Wednesday after work I decided to try out my new shirt on a run.

I am SO serious about speed work.

My plan was to run 1 mile warm up, 3 x [1600m@8:45, 400m rest interval], 1 mile cool down.  

It was almost dark out by the time I got outside (hence my white shorts and reflective headband).  It was about 60 out, and there was a light mist which was actually refreshing toward the end of my run. 

Check it out:

Success!  And I have the sweat to prove it.  Molly also looked on.

Verdict: I really like this shirt!  It's female-shaped, but not too thin or clingy.  There are mesh panels along the side for ventilation.  Reflective logo on the front left chest, each sleeve, and back.  Actually that back tab at the collar is for "cord management," but I don't really see myself using it to wire headphones through.

Most importantly, the miler tee was clearly what made my mile repeats successful!

Oh and tonight I went to spinning, but didn't stay for the abs class.  Work kicked my butt today/this week and an hour of spinning was good enough for me.

What I'm wearing to the Treadmill

My in-laws were here this weekend through this morning, so I wasn't able to get outside early enough for a run today. Now that they have left, I will head to the gym and run 4 miles on the treadmill. It's 84 and 55% humidity and I haven't even left yet, (and I am stalling by writing this post) so I'm sure it will be more like mid to upper 80s by the time I get out the door.

Here's what I'm wearing:
The black tank is from Target's C9 active wear line. I bought it last summer or maybe even the summer before that. It's 92% Polyester, 8% Spandex. Made in Jordan. I think it was called the Long & Lean Tank, though the current version of this tank online has different percentages for the fabric. I have it in black, a dark purple, and a light pink. It's a lightweight, moisture-wicking racer back tank. I believe the price is $14.99 though I know I bought 2 of my 3 on sale for $9.99. I'm wearing an XS.

My shorts are Lululemon's Speed Short in sidewalk/white foxy plaid, style # LW7558S. The shorts are 100% Polyester, the Liner is a blend of Polyester, Coolmax Polyester, and Lycra Spandex. The plaid is a little crazy for me, but not too wild in gray. I got them while marked down to $39 at my local Lululemon. As you can see, this style of short flares out a bit around the leg opening, which is different from the original version of the short (I talked about that a little bit here). They are still a good moisture-wicking lightweight run short with the zip pocket in back that I really appreciate and the nice wide waist band that doesn't cut in. I'm wearing my usual lululemon size 6 in these. I tried on the 4 as I read online reviews stating these run bit, but the 4 was too snug in the waist. For me, these are true to size, but with a looser fit through the leg.

3:30pm - Edited to Add:
The Sports Bra I'm wearing is a newer style by Moving Comfort, called Juno. See it [here].

This color is Guava. I actually ordered this exact style but in Black a little over a month ago and loved it so much I ordered one in a second color. So far I've worn this puppy on runs of up to 8.5 miles and feel that it is very supportive, without smooshing me flat like a pancake. It's rated for high impact activities and uses both encapsulation (cups) and compression (some smoosh).

It's a pullover racerback style with a row of hook and eye closures at the bottom for a better fit. So you leave the hooks open, pull it over your head and then hook it closed. I love this!! (I have Moving Comfort's Fiona bra which offers great support, but it is not racerback. So I cannot wear it (attractively) with any of my racerback tanks. It has been a good fall and winter running bra anyway).

Also, the straps are adjustable from the front. You can see where the straps disappear into the body of the bra. The straps double back, coming up on the inside where you can adjust the length. It comes in actual bra sizes, not S/M/L and I find it fits true to size. For this style I wear the same size as my normal bra size. I can even fit my heart rate monitor strap under the band of this bra.

Moving Comfort's special fabrics are: S.Cafe Polyester - made with coffee grounds! Its properties include: fast-drying, odor control, UV-protection, and it's environmentally friendly. And aerosilver: anti-microbial, odor-preventing, quick dry, UV protection.

Most importantly, it's supportive for bigger cup sizes and can be worn under racer back tanks. $52 sounds like a lot for a sports bra, but it is worth the money. You can check places like roadrunnersports.com or onlineshoes.com and usually find a promotional code to knock that price down even more.