patagonia gear review

I was gonna write this great review on the awesome bra I ran in today...Maybe I will.

I was composing the review in my head as I ran, and forgot it all when I got home. It was a fairly cool bra, I had such high hopes for it.

Before any male readers start with the TMI stuff, you should know that this is vital data for those of us who have bosoms who like to run. Many of you have wives or other women in your lives, and perhaps they have chesticles? Please understand that it HURTS when they bounce too much. It's a bit tricky when you have boobs and you want to run and you want keep the bounce/pain to a minimum.

Most of the cute activewear I have found seems to be made for chicks with little or no stuff up top - mostly B cups. This is because most active persons don't have this issue - low body fat usually means no boobs, because boobs are the first thing to go when you lose fat. You may think I am blessed. I think they are just boobs.

Hey when you've breastfed twins, all the magic goes away, OK?

Anyway. Because I am vain, I end up running in the cute clothes made for chicks with no boobs and then put a sports bra or two on underneath or on top. This is a good, inexpensive strategy - good running bras are not cheap, but uni-boob smasher bras are.

I learned this strategy, in fact, from a running store when I tried to buy a "serious" running bra. The young thing behind the counter said, "You don't want a running bra, they are expensive. Go to Target and buy two boob smashers - works just as well for less money". I figured she knew what she was talking about (she looked to be about a C cup), and she was right.

If you're like me and run 3 or 4 times a week, it means you might need 3 or 4 good running bras. So I'm constantly shopping for good bras, or cheap smashers.

Title 9 has the best bets for running bras which they will happily sell me - for a price. They have this great "barbell" rating system - the higher the barbell the more support you get. I love their bras. Alas, they are quite pricey.

About a week ago, I picked up a Patagonia Capilene Active Sports Top (bra) on sale. I was suspicious when I paid for it, I even asked the clerk "why is this still here?" after all, it was my size (34 C/D), and it was capilene, and Patagonia (or "patagucci" as I usually call it). And allegedly "high impact." And not a stupid color (it's Black). She said if it's defective I can bring it back. "No," I said, "you don't understand my question. Why is this still here? I mean, why hasn't someone else bought it? Is it a crappy bra?"

She didn't know.

Patagucci's stuff is legendary in my closet. My very favourite jacket from them is my R4 windproof fleece that refuses to die. I've had it for at least 5 years now. The seams gave out on me once near the waist. I sent it to them and they returned it to me re-stitched, good as new.

Well, I test ran their bra today on a 12 mile run.

I loved it when I tried it on, it's 1000 times easier to put on than my Danskin cross-back underwire Boob-Smasher. And what's not to love about Capilene? I hoped the wicking would translate to reduced chafing. It is stretchy enough not to mess with Monsieur Garmin's chest strap, I can wear the two without feeling those funny pinchy spots I get with my other 'serious' running bras.

Lately, for whatever reason, I've been getting the chub rub. Maybe it's because I'm wearing less now when I go out running (because it's warming up), or maybe it's because I'm a lard butt, I don't know. It's early in the season. I'm in serious need of anti-chafe devices. Me and body glide are starting to be friends.

It was a truly glorious day for a run. I had a good dinner last night and some breakfast with the girls, so I felt way more energetic than the last time I went out for a long run. After 2 days of rain we got lovely sunshine and just a touch of cool air this morning.

It was at about a third of the way through my run I decided it was a pretty decent bra - and it doesn't chafe. And it wicks like a sponge. Capilene really is the business!

I started out the morning wearing long sleeves, and at the turnaround, I decided to show off my new bra and took off my top, chub be damned!

Yes, I'm a little pink now.

About halfway home, I took a potty stop and started again with a decidedly more energetic bounce. It was at that time I realized that this new brassiere was less supportive than the boob smashers, I just hadn't realized it because my gait had gotten progressively flatter through the miles. Or perhaps the material, as it got wetter, got less supportive. Or maybe my longsleeve top was providing more support than I realized. I'm not sure.

Hrm. Note to self: No chafe, but doesn't keep the girls under control.

When I finished, I picked up the people and we all went for some food. At some point I caught sight of myself in the mirror and realized that the patagucci had made my front parts look like the front parts of someone considerably saggier than I am used to. Maybe it was the high neckline, or maybe it did smoosh them down - around my waist. Not a flattering profile.

I give it 2-3 barbells - awesomely wicking, and pretty cool looking until I saw my profile. Maybe if it were a cup size smaller it would give the support I need. Or maybe if I were a cup size smaller it would work better. For now, I'm afraid I'll have to put another uni-boob cheapie sports bra over the top of it to make it work.

Sigh. At least it was on sale.


(oh, and it was a really great run today by the way)

(and did I mention I swam 3000 yards yesterday? Three. Thousand.

Glug)