product review: sugoi verve shorts

not long ago i was contacted by the good people at outside pr in regards to a sugoi shorts review. prior to this i had not heard much about sugoi, but they looked like they knew a thing or two about athletic clothing on their website. luckily i have an open relationship with my current running shorts and i knew they wouldn't mind if i started wearing sugoi around them. it was an offer i couldn't refuse.

sugoi produces award-winning cycling shorts, r+r socks (race + recovery), running shorts, sports jerseys, bibs, vests, swim suits, jackets, and other clothing specifically designed for racing, training, layering, and casual wear (from their website). browsing their site alone made me want to get up and workout!

as i browsed, i wandered from running into the cycling gear section. looking and reading about the cycling gear makes me want to seriously take up biking instead of solely my piddly commutes to work. don't even let me click on "accessories" - recovery socks, arm warmers, ooh la la! entranced by all the high-tech gear i staggered into the "custom" area, where you can design your own workout/racing gear! super sweet. i just may have to experiment with that some more.

so anyway, back to the shorts.

the front/side

i received a coral pair of sugoi's "verve" shorts. they were amazing. they are a cute cut/fit and i love loud (bright) running clothes. the fabric is very light and airy, and the sizing is normal - none of that "it's a size small but would really only fit one of my legs" business. the underpants/lining inside the shorts was a different material than i'm used to, but still comfortable. it stayed dry and did not cause chafage along the elastic bands like some of my other shorts (ahem nike) do. there are convenient reflective strips on both legs, which will certainly come in handy for those pre-/post-daylight runs. inside the shorts is a pocket the size of a credit card. there are also two pockets on the side/side-butt that velcro shut. at first i thought they were pockets for someone else to put their hands in if they were facing you and hugging you/going for a butt-grab. of course this is not quite how they are advertised on-line, but maybe they can still be used in that way, i didn't check. officially they are "quick draw" pockets to store running fuel. how cool! sugoi must've known my addiction to gu roctane.

the back
man you can't even tell how enormous my butt is.
i love these shorts even more now.

i wore the shorts for my 9.2 miles of intervals tuesday. they were pretty much awesome (the shorts, not the intervals). normally i get distracted during a run by the (not-so) fabulous bunching-up of shorts between my legs and i am constantly adjusting them/pulling the shorts back down. not sugoi! not once did i have to adjust or un-bunch them, and my avg pace was 6-seconds/mile faster than the last time i did the same workout. conclusion: sugoi shorts make you faster. (and don't annoyingly bunch)

i sweated like a beast during that run. my tank top was soaked and sweat dripped from my hat as i stretched and did a few abs after the run. the shorts, however, were not drenched or suctioned to my skin, which happens occasionally on long or hard runs in warmer temperatures. sugoi's shorts are quite effective at wicking away moisture and keeping you cool and dry.

things i hate about most of the other shorts i usually run in:

• bunching action of the fabric between my thighs, occasionally resulting in chafage.
• no reflective-ness (i think i own one pair with reflective-something-or-others on them)
• inadequate pocket, or no pocket at all (seriously, at least put a pocket in there for my key)
• getting sweaty and sticking to me in weird ways

somehow sugoi invented shorts that satisfy my needs in all of the above issues. i was pleasantly suprised with these shorts being a notch (or 4) above my others. the sugoi shorts whooped all my other shorts butt's, hands down. no bunching, no chafage, reflective strips for safety, handy pockets, and moisture-wicking. looks like i need to go shopping! ('course, if i happened to find recovery socks or something on the front porch one day though, i would not object)

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nothing like new running gear to help keep me motivated in the day-to-day grind:

wednesday (4/15) late pm run: 4 miles, 34:48 (avg pace 8:42), avg hr (163)
went out for pizza and beer (i had water) with some of the guys from work even though i really wanted to get in my full run. figured i should at least go with them once since i shafted them the past two weeks. i was still a little full when i hopped on the treadmill but thankfully there were no stomach cramps or digestive problems. i cut the run short (/swapped with thursday) because i didn't want to be on the 'mill all night long.

thursday (4/16) pm run: 8 miles, 1:08:32 (avg pace 8:34), avg hr (160)
after wednesday's run (and the numerous treadmill runs before it) i needed a break from the ol' rubber strip. i braved the wilderness and ran outside in this small, small town. it wasn't so bad, the people weren't too rednecky and some even seemed normal. a few too many loud muffler-thingys on cars that have no need to emit such a noise, but surprisingly, no honks. (i'm ok with that though, thanks.) the weather has been rainy and chilly lately but today was gorgeous - 66*, sunny, and breezy. it was a good run in a decent area, but i still can't wait to get back home to my old routes!