Friday, June 6, 2014

Skirt Bliss

Though I've always considered myself more of a tomboy than a girly girl, I have fully embraced running in a skirt.  My 14-year-old self is groaning at that statement and rolling her eyes.  And for good reason: my teenage self had a complete aversion to skirts and dresses.  For nearly 6 years, these legs never saw the inside of a skirt or dress, unless it was the plaid variety required by my Catholic schools.

When I first heard of running skirts, I reverted to my teenage attitude and scoffed at the idea.  A skirt for running?  Give me a break.  Though I no longer rebel against the skirt as a clothing option, I usually save skirts for church or important meetings at work.  To wear one for fun seemed completely out of the question.  Until it didn't...  I saw a woman running in a skirt, and the advantages of the skirt started to add up in my brain:

  1. Bicycle shorts underneath to prevent chafing.
  2. The skirt over said bicycle shorts provides some modesty for the runner who doesn't want the whole world to see every curve of her lower half.
  3. They look good, which makes me feel good and perform better.
The last point is really the biggest selling point for me.  I have no concrete evidence to prove my theory, but my runs feel faster and more effortless when I wear my running skirt.  Something about feeling it swish around my powerful glutes and quads makes the effort seem more manageable.  I'm sure it's all in my head, but since 90% of running is also in my head, I'll take whatever advantage I can get.


Sunshine + running skirt.  Does it get any better?