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Moving back to cotton running shirts. (Read 501 times)


Half Fanatic #846

     

    (...you can find them cheaper at http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s~icebreaker/?perPage=24

     

    OK, I ordered a wool running shirt to try out - never tried one and looking forward to it. And because I've got to throw out a couple of my shirts that are getting noticeably "stinky", too.

    "I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk.         "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt".                  I ran half my last race on my left foot!                                  

    xhristopher


      Singlet for the worst of the summer.

      npaden


        The "soft" tech shirts will usually have a spandex blend with them.  Somewhere around 8% spandex seems to be the magic formula.

         

        There are lots of good wool stuff for running too.  I buy wool for hunting and you want to get the merino wool as it is the softest and least scratchy.  The trick is getting as light of weave as you can that will still be durable.  A company named Kuiu makes some real nice merino wool shirts with a 125 weave wich are really lightweight.

         

        http://store.kuiu.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=20016

         

        You I can get them in solid colors but nothing bright, just browns and grays.

         

        That's my 2 cents.

        Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

        Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

        stadjak


        Interval Junkie --Nobby

          Toughest thing I find with wool (and really all shirts these days) is getting the fit right.  Icebreaker has some incomprehensible codex of fits in their catalog.  Bodyfit, Anatomic, Sprint, Relay, T-tech.  Some larges are HUGE on me.  Some mediums tiny.  But at least when I found my one winter shirt (Sprint - large), the arms were long enough for a 6'3" guy to use the girly thumb-holes -- which make an incredible difference in the colder months.

          2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

          Julia1971


            There are synthetic running shirt materials thinner and less abrasive than "tech" shirts.  When I actually have to wear a shirt in the summer I have an Adidas ClimaCool shirt that does not cause the problems you note.

             

            +1.  Not all tech shirts are the same.  I don't know what material it is, but I feel like the short-sleeve tech shirts they give out at most races actually traps heat in.

             

            I pretty much wear Nike DriFit Touch Breeze tanks all summer.  I think I have 5 or 6 of them at this point.  It's feels like nothing but provides some coverage.  (Huh.  It doesn't look like they have clothing for men in this fabric)  I like their regular DriFit, too, but find once it gets soaked with sweat, it gets a little heavy.

              The only tech shirts that are good are the super soft material.  They same goes for cotton - super soft and lightweight  The rest go in the throw-away pile or don't get worn for running.

               

              Andy

               

              This week I've upped my mileage to previously unprecidented levels and due to the warm summer weather conditions, I've been wearing "Tech" running shirts of various compositions.  I figured out a long time ago that when I wear a Tech shirt I need to wear bandaids over my nipples to prevent bleeding, however, last weekend I started noticing several rash marks along the edge of my rib cage and shoulder blades, and each run made them worse.

               

              Wednesday, a day which featured a heat index in the upper 90s, I opted to wear a cotton shirt, and in spite of the sweat ladened cotton, when I finished my run I noticed my rash marks weren't as red and angry looking.  I repeated the experiment last night on a cool(ish) run where the heat index was only in the mid 80s, and once again, my rash marks looked like they were diminishing.

               

              Yes, wearing cotton is less comfortable than wearing a Tech shirt, but geez, the resulting rash isn't comfortable during the rest of the day, so I'm just going to suck it up and go back to cotton shirts, at least until Sunday.  Maybe when I drop my mileage back down to my normal levels next week the Tech shirts won't be such a problem.

               

              Anybody else had this issue?

              "Any idiot can run a marathon. It takes a special kind of idiot to run an ultramarathon." - Alan Cabelly

                Nothing beats a soft buttery old cotton shirt.  I havent ran in a "tech" shirt for years.

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                Mysecondnewname


                  There are synthetic running shirt materials thinner and less abrasive than "tech" shirts.  When I actually have to wear a shirt in the summer I have an Adidas ClimaCool shirt that does not cause the problems you note.

                   

                  As an FYI for those who might want to try these out:  Within the last week, I was at Adidas outlet stores in 2 different states.  On the clearance racks, both had lots of Adidas ClimaCool running singlets in all sizes on sale for $10 each (retail was around $30).

                  PDoe


                    I have no problem running in a cotton tank top in the summer. It keeps my Senior runner mid-section covered and is still cool enough. Added weight?? C'mon people .....where do you think that perspiration came form?

                    Julia1971


                      Added weight?? C'mon people .....where do you think that perspiration came form?

                       

                      I know where it comes from.  That doesn't mean I want to carry it with me for 20 miles or whatever.  Smile  I find loose fitting, soaked, drippy singlets annoying on longer runs, that's all.

                        Shirts off, baby!

                         

                        Cute...but fairly certain that's illegal for the curvier gender.  I'll stick with tanks and extra laundry.

                           

                          Cute...but fairly certain that's illegal for the curvier gender.  I'll stick with tanks and extra laundry.

                           

                          He didn't say sportsbras, he said shirts.

                           

                          Anyway, I'm pretty sure that elites run in cashmere.  Very soft on their skin.

                          There was a point in my life when I ran. Now, I just run.

                           

                          We are always running for the thrill of it

                          Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it

                          stadjak


                          Interval Junkie --Nobby

                             Cute...but fairly certain that's illegal for the curvier gender.  I'll stick with tanks and extra laundry.

                             

                            Not in New York since at least 1992.

                             

                            Personally, I support gender equality -- especially of this sort.

                             

                            MTA(map): In fact: [green = good.  red = bad]

                             

                            2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                               

                              Not in New York since at least 1992.

                               

                              Personally, I support gender equality -- especially of this sort.

                               

                              MTA(map): In fact: [green = good.  red = bad]

                               

                               

                              Good to know.

                               

                              Love this quote from the article:

                              "...should a crowd form around a topless woman, the officer should instruct the crowd to disperse ..."

                               

                              Maybe for a leisurely stroll, but somehow I can't envision this catching on for female runners.

                               

                              Now the cashmere jog bra, that sounds luxurious.

                              jpozo


                                I created an account just to post on this issue fyi.

                                 

                                I'm also moving back to cotton shirts.

                                 

                                I live in South Florida, possibly the most brutal place for running and sweating in the United States, so I have to say I've tried my fair share of things.

                                 

                                The best to me is to get a *thin* and a bit more expensive soft cotton shirt, sometimes they are a bit more pricy, but won't soak you like a normal one, or worse, one of those beefy t's.

                                 

                                I have tried several tech shirts, they end up drenched anyway, plus they not only make my nipples bleed, they also give me skin rash and abrasions on my chest making it slightly more expensive. This could also be part because I also shave my chest, though I'm not going to stop doing that, it helps for other things (I bike and swim also).

                                 

                                I have ones different ones i've tried from puma, adidas, and new balance, plus several free ones from races, they all suck to me. I'll save them for the gym only I guess, or maybe a bike ride. Maybe they work better if you live in an arid climate. Definitely do not work for running for me. Out of those, adidas climacool is by far the worst material and left me a nice rash on both sides of my chest that hurt even the next day.

                                 

                                Never mind that they smell terrible after a run, better change before you go in a grocery store or get a drink afterwards...

                                 

                                Band aid and normal tape doesn't work on my nip, it's too sweaty and just comes off. Instead try 3m transpore surgical grade tape. you can order it on amazon. It stays on and lets your pores breath.

                                 

                                Wool? Hmm... sounds nice, doubt would work for Florida.

                                 

                                Shirt off? Yeah...not really an option either, asking for a sunburn.

                                 

                                Sure they feel better, maybe for the first 2-3 miles, but after that? forget about it...

                                 

                                South Florida is a beast for training...yeah it sucks a lot of the year, but when the weather cools down, or if I go do a run somewhere else in the 50s or 60s? I feel like I can run at blazing speeds.

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