Lululemon is synonymous with quality athletic wear; primarily athletic wear for women. The athletic activity of choice … of course any proper downward dog doer is often seen wearing the “lulu” logo on their pant leg.
But Lululemon is expanding their product line … it’s not just for the ladies anymore, and it’s certainly not just for yoga either.
For the past couple of months I’ve been joining the Lululemon Run Club, which meets every Monday in and around La Jolla, CA. My association with the group has led me to some new running friends, new techniques and an appreciation for being able to run along the Pacific Ocean every Monday evening.
It has also hooked me up with some cool people at the Lululemon Girard Street store in La Jolla (just north of San Diego). With the expanding mens line, the store was seeking product testers for their new product. It made sense to take some of that product for a test spin during the during the 2014 La Jolla Half Marathon – which essentially ends just a few blocks from the stores door front.
I decided to try out the 7-inch Surge Short with the Luxtreme Liner.
Working my way through the La Jolla Half Marathon .. oh the hills.
I generally do wear a compression base layer when I run in cold weather – races or training runs that are 55 degrees or less. I like the extra warmth they give me on my thighs and it does help keep me warmer overall. This type of base layer also helps reduce any inner thigh chafing. When I do wear compression layers, I of course also slip on a pair of running shorts over them.
The Surge Short combines both a compression layer and 7-inch short in one … pretty cool. The temperature for this years La Jolla Half was just right, and ordinarily I would not have worn a long base layer. But for testing purposes I went ahead and wore these.
The Luxtreme Liner was amazingly comfortable during my 13.1 miles. Remarkably, they stayed in place the entire time, not riding up even a tiny millimeter. This is important because having to constantly reach to pull down shorts wastes energy and time.
As for the shorts themselves I really did not notice them. In fact, it was almost as though I wasn’t wearing shorts at all. In a way, I had the sensation of running around in Spandex while sparing the people running behind me the actual vision of me running in Spandex.
Lululemon Surge Shorts with Luxtreme Liner combines a compression base layer and running short into one happy family.
The shorts also did not bunch up in the crotch area, which is another issue I’ve had with other running shorts. It seems every couple of miles I find myself pulling my shorts down, and with the Lululemon model this was not the case.
As far as other features …. There is a zippered pocket on the left side in addition to a stuff pocket on the inside back part of the waistband. I appreciated the side pocket because it’s much easier to access on the side vs. the back. The pocket is fairly small. At most you could fit a few keys and some gels, blocks, jelly beans etc. Unless you have a real tiny mobile phone, it’s not getting in there.
One of the most interesting features is the waistband loop that is set on the right hip. For those that shed a shirt during a run, you’ve got a convenient place to hang that garment.
Take off your shirt and tuck it in the specially-designed waistband loop.
Lululemon clothing does not come cheap. These bad boys retail for $74. But as they say, pay for quality and it will last. While I cannot speak for the longevity of these shorts, I can tell you they were probably the most comfortable duds I’ve ever taken on a run. I needed something to keep me comfortable during that arduous two hour and seven minutes of running, and these did just the trick.