Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Product Review: The Moving Comfort Lila C/D Bra.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

The two products I'm going to review today are idea for big-chested athletes: an athletic bra and a full-length wetsuit.

Moving Comfort Bra: Lila C/D, in color "Ocean"
I got an email nearly a month ago from this guy at Moving Comfort asking me if I'd like to review one of their products. I mentioned this earlier.

I wore this bra at the "Run the Caldera" mountain marathon in May, and at Ironman Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 in June. I was allowed to pick whichever one I wanted, and I picked this one because I'd been seriously jonesing for a bra that was a racerback pullover, with no underwire. If you're a little shier than I, they also make a Lila C/D support tank.

So, now this bra has swam, biked, and ran, hiked up and down a mountain or two. It's been cold. It's been hot. It's been rained on. It's been sweated on. Probably some spit and tears and snot found its way on there, too.

And it has PASSED the most important test of all: I didn't notice it. No chafing, it wasn't too tight, it held the girls without making them all squeezy. I had room in my cleavage for a generous handful of ice. It wasn't too hot.

When I wear a bra that is not supportive enough, or too restricting, the result is often the same: I wake up the next day with a sore chest. I didn't have that at the mountain marathon or the 70.3 triathlon. And, it was pretty.

See? Pretty! Right to the finish line. Moving Comfort Lila C/D Bra Link.


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XTerra Vendetta Wetsuit

This was not free. It was on sale for about half off, though, and I have DP to thank for notifying me of that. I think she subscribes to about a million email alerts for sales and such.

I ordered a women's XTERRA XL Vector Pro2 Fullsuit, and here's some good news: THEY RENT. So, you can try it before you buy it. We paid extra to overnight it. They were out after the order was placed, upgraded me for free to the Vendetta, and slipped a little note in the box to let me know what they did. The wetsuit arrived Friday, the day before we were to leave for Buffalo Springs 70.3.

I've had a horrible time with wetsuits. They are, on the whole, not something you want so spent a LOT of time in. There are some parts of me that compress more easily than others and, well, let's just say that I think they like to assume that athletic women have no chest at all. So there's that. And then there's the neck - I always had to cut little notches in it so I don't choke to death. It's nice to be able to breathe, and that I can't do. I've always trimmed the ankles and wrists out, so that they come off easier, too

Not with this one. It reviews as one of the most boyant wetsuits out there, but it was super flexible, too, and it fit my 5'6" 175-pound frame right out of the box. When I held it up, I was looking at a wetsuit that actually had thighs and a chest, like me. It went on, and came off easily, and it's super flexible. I could do squats and windmills in this thing.

I only wished I had it at Ironman Couer D'Alene last year; I think I would have had a much better swim than the one I had in my teenage son's too-big wetsuit. I was able to extend my stroke fully, and in truth in the 74 degree water it kept me a bit TOO warm. I'm going to keep an eye on these guys and pick up a sleeveless as soon as one comes on sale.

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(PS: I have 2 old wetsuits for sale, if anyone is interested: #1) Blue seventy women's fullsuit with ankles and wrists trimmed and the neck notched. Otherwise in great shape, no holes. #2) Men's large QR wetsuit, in good shape, used 3-4 times. No holes. Make me an offer; we'll work out something through PayPal. )

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for being so open about fitting issues. Since we're the same size, and similar build, it's great to have your reviews on the toughest articles of clothing to buy online - the bra and wetsuit. It would be nice not to swim in a man's suit, and to know that a standard XL might do the trick.

    I've been wanting to buy this bra for ages, and I'm so glad it made the cut! I've been hoping it would since you first mentioned it. :)

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  2. I'm so glad you like the bra. I really wanted to try one but I was afraid it would be a silly bra that is only meant for yoga. I've been wearing a different moving comfort bra that resembles armor, but it has too much fabric - I'm still soaking wet when I get to a run in a sprint tri. Pretty please share - what size did you get? I'm guessing from photos that we are probably similar in size right now and mailorder is a bit scary.

    ps. even if you feel slow right now, you're still my hero. I've started using some of your tricks in my races (even though I'm only a sprint to oly girl.)

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  3. If I ever do another open water swim event, I may have to look into this brand. My blue-seventy chokes me too and I'm not entirely sure it will fit anymore!

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Moved.

 I'm no longer involved in multisport or endurance sports. I've started my own business, a psychotherapist specializing in anxiety d...