Review: Youth vs Girls' vs Women's - which tights are better for a petite runner? Part 1

Running tights or leggings have always been awkward for me. They are usually about a foot too long and often with zippers at the ankles, not very easy to alter. Luckily, the weather in Southeast England is temperate enough that up until now, I've been able to get by just wearing capris during the winter season.

But a few months ago when it was unusually cold, I randomly ran with capris and knee socks. I was mildly surprised at how much better my calves felt having a little bit of warmth! So I decided to go on a mission:

I was going to find a pair of running leggings that fit! (Or at least ones that I could live with!)

So I went to my local sports shop (Nick Rivett on Church Road--they are great!) and the very helpful salesman took one look at me and suggested the Under Armour ColdGear YOUTH leggings, as the material was really nice and the length would probably work for me. Size large fit surprisingly well and I was so happy when the leggings didn't cover my feet I took them home! But then I got thinking...

Youth and girls sportswear are worth considering because for basics, they are often cheaper and they solve a petite runner's biggest gripe--sleeves and legs that are far too long. But since clothes for women are often cut differently...ie for a woman...they are always worth a try, too. So for part 1 of this review, I'm going to try and highlight the differences between these options by comparing:

• Under Armour Youth ColdGear Action Leggings (Size L, £24.99 at baselayer.co.uk)
• Nike Pro Combat Printed Girls' Thermal Tights (Size L, £30.00 at Nike Store EU online)
• Under Armour Women's Cold Gear Compression Tights (Size XS, £34.99 at baselayer.co.uk)

Under Armour Youth ColdGear Action Leggings, Size L
These leggings have a high spec, very similar to UA adult leggings. They are described as having a close, compressive fit as well as other features like flat reinforced seams and odor control. The waistband is thick, reminding me a little of pull-on trousers that kids wear. The overall fit is good on me, although I feel like the rise is a little too high--my belly button is nearly covered! The length is definitely not too long...but surprisingly almost too short. These youth leggings go down to about 1 inch above my ankle bone and I would actually prefer them a tad longer.

Under Armour Youth

Week 1 Recap - Finding the courage to be slow

My training for the Brighton Half has started! I was looking forward to it after a solid prep week. Plus for the first time since my cold in October, I was really feeling like my old running self!

The week wasn't without its ups and downs, though.

I think my increased mileage during prep week affected me for the first few days. I was a little more tired than expected so took an unplanned rest day on Tuesday. But after that I felt much better and now seem to be adjusting to the new routine. Here's planned vs. actual:

PLANNED
Mon - Easy 5mi + 5 x 8 sec hill sprints
Tues - Unplanned rest day
Wed - Easy 7mi
Thurs - Easy 6mi
Fri - 8mi, last 20 min moderate
Sat - Rest
Sun - 9mi, last 20 min moderate

ACTUAL

Now, I know it all must seem very slow for someone who's trying to run a half under 2 hours. But for this training plan, I've decided not to be scared about being slow. When the plan says easy, I go easy.

I used to worry that my easy pace was just too slow--that I was supposed to go faster. Could a pace that's barely faster than walking be okay?! So I always made sure my easy runs hovered around a 10 min/mile pace.  But now I've accepted that my easy pace is my easy pace, and try to go by feel. I don't panic if I'm running a 12-minute mile if that's how I'm feeling that day. But I make sure I focus on achieving the pace requirements for the hard workouts. That's a MUST....

...and why I was happy with my long run today. I picked up the last two miles as I was supposed to, even though I had to run into the wind!

I've never taken this approach before, and maybe there IS such a thing as being too slow. But for now it feels right, and I'll just have to see what happens over the next few weeks.

On to week 2!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.....

Thanks to everyone's comments about my optimal running volume hysteria. The consensus was that I probably don't need to run 50-60 miles a week just to break 2:00 in the half....but that running more should still help me to improve. So while I still have the goal of increasing how much I run every week, I'm going to do it slowly and responsibly as I move towards the Edinburgh Marathon in May.

BUT...

...the bottom line is I still haven't been able to run under 2 hours yet. So I've decided to do something different and use the Level 2 Half Marathon training plan from the book 'Run Faster' by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald. This program will peak at about 45-50 miles per week which feels achievable. It also focuses on getting used to running half marathon goal pace.

To avoid any copyright issues I'm not reproducing the plan in full here, but sharing the plan for 1 week. Essentially all the weeks are structured the same way:

Monday  - Easy + Hill sprints
Tuesday - Hard run (fartlek, intervals, hill repetitions, threshold, progression)
Wednesday - Easy
Thursday - Easy
Friday - Hard run (fartlek, intervals, hill repetitions, threshold, progression)
Saturday - Rest or Easy
Sunday - Long run (usually progression)

Here is one of the hardest weeks:

My aim is not to overdo it on the easy days even if I'm feeling good, and to really hit goal paces on the hard days. Sounds simple but I've always struggled with this. The hills scare me a bit but I hear they are really good for you!

This plan is meant to be adaptive (ie you make adjustments as you need to along the way--more on this when I review the book) so hopefully it will evolve into a training plan that works really well for me. I can't wait to see how it goes the next few weeks!

Are you trying out a new training plan for your next race?