Poll of the week = unpopular. Boo.

I know there are people out there reading this blog! Few people, but still, I can see y'all on Google Analytics, so don't be shy.

I left the last "Question of the week" up quite a bit longer than 1 week. Here are the results:
Do you buy the Compression tights hype?
Yes, I love them - 1 vote - myself
Maybe, still not sure - 2 votes
Nope, it's a big joke - 1 vote

There has been a lot of mumbling about compression tights lately. Last year at Kona, Norman Stadler was wrapping his hard calves in them. Yvonne van Vlerken, second place female was sporting a pair of socks as well.

Normann: Last year I said I will never ever use those socks because they look PAUSE stupid. I like to look good. But you know they work and I used them. (From Slowtwitch interview, Dec. 17th, 2008)

Now every triathlon brand and sportswear company is offering compression products of some kind. Some brands even focus on compression alone: Skins, Zensah.

So then, everyone starts talking about compression. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research even published a study on it this January.

I jumped on the band wagon last fall and bought a pair of Skins tights. Verdict? Yes, I like them. Do they help me recover faster? Not entirely sure, but they are very comfortable and I do think my legs feel a little fresher after wearing them for a few hours. But as Normann says, maybe it's in my head. Last month I bought a pair of compression socks from Zoot. These are even tighter than the tights. I really like these. Why? Well, Peter Sagal of Runner's World says it so well:

"Because squeezy is good. That's why some runners enjoy wearing tights and a few even put them on in early September. Compression technology may just give us an easy excuse to enjoy the pleasing massage of what are, in fact, support hose, while shielding us from the uncomfortable connotations of being infirm or elderly by a few paragraphs of scientific-sounding performance claims. In the end, who cares what these socks are called—they're cozy and they make you feel happier to have legs. "

PS - New poll, what do you ride? I will dedicate the next few posts to my love Scott. So pipe up on your ride.

View Original Post at seelararun.blogspot.com

• Filed Under:  
• Marathon, Running, Triathlon, Sports, SportsPLUS, Gear & Equipment, Multisport, Ironman

• Tags:
• Running
• Marathon
• triathlon
• ironman
• kona
• compression
• normann stadler