Hot Weather Running Shirt
ATT949
Posts: 1,245 Member
I read this article a few days ago (http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Under_Armor_Heat_Gear_Top) and decided to give the shirt a try.
It doesn't get hot here (I think it hit 83º one day this summer) so the worst conditions I have to deal with are in the 70's for both temperature and humidity. Despite that, I believe that every little bit helps so I decided to take the plunge and try out the Under Armor shirt.
I ran with it yesterday (70º +/- and 70% +/-). My run was 4 miles slow and 3 @ HMP.
As fellrnr states, I felt a little warm for the first part of the first mile. I didn't feel particularly chilled while running in the sun but from experience, training, and knowledge in desert conditions I know that the covering the torso is effective in keeping body temp down. What was a little shocking was when I did part of the run into a slight breeze and was running in shade - as soon as that happened, I felt a chill across my chest and arms!
When I finished my run, my shirt was wet but not dripping which tells me that the fabric is holding enough water to cool me put the fibers do not appear to be absorbing water themselves.
The only drawback is that this is "compression clothing" and it's designed to be worn under an outer layer. The material is very thin and it's very tight so every little curve shows. Folks, there's nothing left to the imagination.
When I tried the shirt on, I could see my ribs through the shirt (both front and back) and, when I flex my pects, I could see the muscles flex under my skin. "diaphanous" is the best way to describe the fabric
I will definitely wear this shirt for racing or when the temps rise during training. It's an excellent wicking layer if you're into winter sports and, if you're running in serious heat, it could be an excellent way to stay cool.
It doesn't get hot here (I think it hit 83º one day this summer) so the worst conditions I have to deal with are in the 70's for both temperature and humidity. Despite that, I believe that every little bit helps so I decided to take the plunge and try out the Under Armor shirt.
I ran with it yesterday (70º +/- and 70% +/-). My run was 4 miles slow and 3 @ HMP.
As fellrnr states, I felt a little warm for the first part of the first mile. I didn't feel particularly chilled while running in the sun but from experience, training, and knowledge in desert conditions I know that the covering the torso is effective in keeping body temp down. What was a little shocking was when I did part of the run into a slight breeze and was running in shade - as soon as that happened, I felt a chill across my chest and arms!
When I finished my run, my shirt was wet but not dripping which tells me that the fabric is holding enough water to cool me put the fibers do not appear to be absorbing water themselves.
The only drawback is that this is "compression clothing" and it's designed to be worn under an outer layer. The material is very thin and it's very tight so every little curve shows. Folks, there's nothing left to the imagination.
When I tried the shirt on, I could see my ribs through the shirt (both front and back) and, when I flex my pects, I could see the muscles flex under my skin. "diaphanous" is the best way to describe the fabric
I will definitely wear this shirt for racing or when the temps rise during training. It's an excellent wicking layer if you're into winter sports and, if you're running in serious heat, it could be an excellent way to stay cool.
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Replies
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Great report
I like compression tops for runs greater than about a half marathon so I will keep this on my radar for the next time I'm buying shirts. 0 -
This is interesting to me. Thanks for sharing!0
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I live in Houston. Our speed work days can be pretty brutal here. We start at 6:30 pm, and temps range from 98 to 94 degrees when we start and usually about 91 when I leave the track. I always wear the Tek gear, moisture wicking stuff here and get white or some bright color to reflect the sun. It is much better than a cotton gym shirt. I see people running in those and think "my god how can they stand that". One of our seminars in my club they talked about running gear. The said a cotton shirt will hold up to 2 lbs of sweat in it....ewwwww. My wicking material I wear, the sweat just runs off of it and it dries pretty quickly when I am cooled down. I definitely recommend the tek material, no matter what brand. GB is probably the cheapest and just as effective as the more expensive brands.0
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Thanks for sharing - heat is my kryptonite. Living in CA,, I'm no stranger to warm weather so I may have to check this out!0
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I might have to give one of these a try. Even in the morning (5am), it is already 80 degrees with pretty high humidity. I have found that on my long runs the humidity has me drenched after an hour and the rest of my run is miserable drippy mess.
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