The Running Thread--2024

[Herding_Cats]

QOTD for the women in the group: What's your favorite sports bra?

I've had several of mine for a couple of years now, and for whatever reason they're starting to chafe. I wasn't that enamored of them even before this, so I might want to try something new and would love any recs. Preferably ones with actual bra sizes, as the S/M/L sizing does not work for me (though it might help someone else!).

Under Armour High Crossback. I find them once or twice a year on sierra for about $16 (MRSP from UA is like $50) and then buy 3 or 4 at a time. They have some right now.

 

[prncssjas]

I find them once or twice a year on sierra

I LOVE Sierra!!! That is hands down one of my favorite stores to shop at for running gear. We only have two locations close to us but it's the best!!! Yes, I know they have an online store but sometimes, I just want to see it in person and try it on.

 

[Marebear_runs]

I have a couple of Brooks bras that have a cell phone pocket in the back - I sometimes use them for race days because of that, but I find that they don't fit me very well because they combine cup sizes.

I’m really curious about the sports bras with the pocket in the back—not just Brooks, specifically, but the general design. I tried running with my phone in the back of a flip belt and I felt sore the next day where the phone was sitting. So now I always either use a side pocket or put it in the front of a flip belt. Does it feel heavy or uncomfortable in between your shoulder blades when you’re running?

 

[pluto377]

I got a few of these just before MW and really like them. I don’t like racerback. I’m fascinated by people that can wear a sports bra with a back pocket. I don’t have enough shoulder flexibility to get anything in or out.

Champion womens Sport Comfort Full... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GXA8YK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Under Armour High Crossback. I find them once or twice a year on sierra for about $16 (MRSP from UA is like $50) and then buy 3 or 4 at a time. They have some right now.

Oh man, I wish these came in my size

I’m really curious about the sports bras with the pocket in the back—not just Brooks, specifically, but the general design. I tried running with my phone in the back of a flip belt and I felt sore the next day where the phone was sitting. So now I always either use a side pocket or put it in the front of a flip belt. Does it feel heavy or uncomfortable in between your shoulder blades when you’re running?

I find that I don't really notice it, but also when I put my phone in my flipbelt, I put it in the back because it bounces too much in the front. So...I guess YMMV?

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: UA High Crossback Zip Front. They’re functional, but I don’t love them. Lately, I’ve been wearing some cheaper All In Motion pullover sports bras from Target for short runs on the treadmill, and it’s been going well, so I might try one on an outdoor run. I always figured I’d get too much bounce in a medium impact (vs high impact) bra, but not so far.

 

[JulieODC]

I swear by Handful and their Y back bra!

https://handful.com/collections/y-back-bra-sports-bra

 

[azrivest]

I’m really curious about the sports bras with the pocket in the back—not just Brooks, specifically, but the general design. I tried running with my phone in the back of a flip belt and I felt sore the next day where the phone was sitting. So now I always either use a side pocket or put it in the front of a flip belt. Does it feel heavy or uncomfortable in between your shoulder blades when you’re running?

I have one of the Brooks model, the Brooks 3 pocket. I've never been bothered by the phone, I don't even feel it. I don't wear it much because it's a model I do chafe with. But based on previous posts, it's probably because it's stretched out and I should replace it.

I personally love the phone pocket when I want to go out without a belt. Getting the phone out is easy, but putting it back in the pocket when running can be tricky.

 

[prncssjas]

I’m really curious about the sports bras with the pocket in the back—not just Brooks, specifically, but the general design. I tried running with my phone in the back of a flip belt and I felt sore the next day where the phone was sitting. So now I always either use a side pocket or put it in the front of a flip belt. Does it feel heavy or uncomfortable in between your shoulder blades when you’re running?

So I think you ask a legit question and until I tried the Brooks bra with the pocket, I would have thought the same thing. But it's pretty comfortable for me and I forget the phone is even there. It stays in place, does not move or cause chafing. The only negative is that the bra is a pull over and not open back. But if I am running with a pair of shorts that has no zipper and I am not in the mood to use a flip belt, I will wear this bra. It's pretty nifty. There was a Dick's Outlet close to me that was closing in December and I picked up several of these brooks bras for $13.

 

[PrincessV]

QOTD for the women in the group: What's your favorite sports bra?

I've had several of mine for a couple of years now, and for whatever reason they're starting to chafe. I wasn't that enamored of them even before this, so I might want to try something new and would love any recs. Preferably ones with actual bra sizes, as the S/M/L sizing does not work for me (though it might help someone else!).

I know I’m a major outlier on this topic, but in case it helps someone out there on the Interwebz… running/exercise bras are the item I spend the least on because I need very, very little from them. My priorities are: stretch, softness, adjustable straps, no padding/underwires/seams/anything other than stretchy fabric, and low price. I’ve been using whatever house brand Target stocks at the time and only buy them when on clearance - on average, I’ve been paying $8/bra. But don’t worry, I more than make up for that in shoes because I have finicky, expensive feet.

Also we are told all the time that "sports bras shouldn't celebrate a birthday"... Yours might be a fine style for you, just stretched out.

I *just* tossed one that’s a decade old lol! Mine take forever to reach the point of stretched out.

 

[steph0808]

I like the Senita Sarah Sports Bra - it has a pocket in the back for my phone, and I like that because unless I'm doing a run over 7-8 miles, I don't wear my belt for water and nutrition.

I don't find it uncomfortable or that it bounces around a lot. However, it does get sweaty sometimes. If I put my screen to my back, sometimes I'll take the phone out and find that it has unlocked itself.

The bras are a bit padded, which I don't really care for or need, but otherwise, they fit my requirements!

 

[jmasgat]

I know I’m a major outlier on this topic, but in case it helps someone out there on the Interwebz… running/exercise bras are the item I spend the least on because I need very, very little from them.

Not an outlier at all...or else an outlier with company! I own 5 running bras--all from Target. All are from when they had the partnership with Champion. They are very basic S/M/L sized racerbacks with no cups. I don't know how old they are, but they serve my 38A body very well. At least one advantage of being small breasted is a minimum of bounce--saves on wear and tear of the sport bras!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I’ve used the Oiselle Lesko bra for years, and I don’t know if they’re phasing it out but all sizes and colors are sold out. It has a little bit of padding but not too much.

I have sensitive skin where my bras hit under my arm pits which makes it hard to find a sports bra that doesn’t chafe. I’ve tried Under Armour which was OK, but they were super tight on my torso. I tried Zensah which was fine, but I find I like the padding in sports bras.

 

[michigandergirl]

Following along, I'm forever on a hunt for the perfect sports bra. Ugh...

My absolute favorite has been discontinued, the Brooks Juno, but I totally scored on Ebay recently and found 3 of them in my size that were like brand new!!

 

[GollyGadget]

I have a few of the Brooks bras with pockets and was really in love with them until I wasn't. I don't notice my phone at all. My problem is that they stretched out in just a couple of months and caused massive chafing around the band. I'll still buy them if I find them cheap enough because I like the pockets and can get some use out of them.

Just before Christmas, I bought some Nike bras because they were like 80% off. I can't recommend them because the shoulder straps are adjustable but won't stay put. I actually find it doesn't impact the wear that much but still annoying. What I do like is that they're both adjustable bands so I'm hoping that as they stretch out, I can keep wearing them with the adjustment. Time will tell....

 

[avondale]

QOTD for the women in the group: What's your favorite sports bra?

I've had several of mine for a couple of years now, and for whatever reason they're starting to chafe. I wasn't that enamored of them even before this, so I might want to try something new and would love any recs. Preferably ones with actual bra sizes, as the S/M/L sizing does not work for me (though it might help someone else!).

ShockAbsorber Ultimate Run Bra: https://www.shockabsorber.ca/sports-bras/ultimate-run-bra.html These absolutely do not chafe for me, even years old. As they age, I find the band starts getting tight, so I eventually rotate them out. The band size runs small, so get one band size larger than you do with a regular bra. They are expensive and often out of stock, but they last forever and I think they are well worth it.

Second place is the ShockAbsorber Ultimate Run Bra padded: https://www.shockabsorber.ca/sports-bras/ultimate-run-bra-padded.html Very similar to the above - also definitely do not chafe. The band sizes on these are normal.

I've tried some of the other models from ShockAbsorber and haven't been nearly as impressed with them.

For running, I pretty much won't wear anything except the bras I listed above because why risks uncomfortable chafing?

However, since they are expensive, I generally save them for running and use other sports bras for tennis, hiking, walking, etc.

 

[Naomeri]

If I put my screen to my back, sometimes I'll take the phone out and find that it has unlocked itself.

If you have an iPhone, I’ve found the solution to this: go into the accessibility settings menu, and under “Touch” turn off “Tap to Wake” Other phones probably have a similar option.

I started having problems in the DL half around mile 11 with my music controls popping up and my sweaty thigh jumping the songs around, so I had to flip the phone around in my pocket, but that’s not comfortable for very long, so I’m glad I found a solution for future runs.

 

[RunWI1265]

Following along, I'm forever on a hunt for the perfect sports bra. Ugh...

My absolute favorite has been discontinued, the Brooks Juno, but I totally scored on Ebay recently and found 3 of them in my size that were like brand new!!

I looooved the Brooks Juno. Especially when I was still breastfeeding my kids. I don't know why they discontinued them. Seems like a lot of women liked the Junos.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

If you have an iPhone, I’ve found the solution to this: go into the accessibility settings menu, and under “Touch” turn off “Tap to Wake” Other phones probably have a similar option.

I started having problems in the DL half around mile 11 with my music controls popping up and my sweaty thigh jumping the songs around, so I had to flip the phone around in my pocket, but that’s not comfortable for very long, so I’m glad I found a solution for future runs.

Thank you. That is an irritant I can do without, especially when it skips a song I was into

 

[avondale]

If you have an iPhone, I’ve found the solution to this: go into the accessibility settings menu, and under “Touch” turn off “Tap to Wake” Other phones probably have a similar option.

I started having problems in the DL half around mile 11 with my music controls popping up and my sweaty thigh jumping the songs around, so I had to flip the phone around in my pocket, but that’s not comfortable for very long, so I’m glad I found a solution for future runs.

Several years ago, I kept having the problem that my Galaxy phone (don't remember the version #) kept accidentally activating things when I got really sweaty on summer runs and it bounced around in my hydration vest pocket. The worst thing was TWO different times when it turned my screen brightness down to minimum - on a sunny summer day, even in the shade, it's nearly impossible to see the near-black screen to turn the brightness back up! LOL

After this happened the first time, I looked into deactivating the touch activation, but even if my screen was locked, there was no way to disable being able to pull open those settings and change the screen brightness. (As I said, this was a few versions ago for the phone, so this may have changed.)

The second time it happened was during the Space Coast marathon - for the last maybe 10k, I couldn't see my phone screen at all! When I got done, I was able to go inside where it was dark enough to be able to barely see the screen and change it. Sooooo frustrating!