Wednesday, February 19, 2014

UA and Sochi

Over the weekend a friend, and fellow blogger 52makes.com , sent me a lovely little text asking me if I'd heard about the issues with the Under Armour speed skating suits in this heres Olympics. I'm still getting the hang of collecting information, trying to figure out what to read, trying to stay current, especially since I haven't been ehrm following the Winter Olympics... I appreciated the tip. Thanks Joe!

Here is a little back story: Under Armour has been sponsoring the US speed skating team since 2011 and has since worked on improving the suits' design and performance. Most recently they dressed the team at the US World Cup circuit where team America performed very well. In anticipation for the 2014 Olympics UA teamed up with defense contractor and F-16 developer Lockheed Martin Corp. to create "the world's fastest suit". Yes F-16, as in fighter jets F-16. Just wait because this gets more intense. After two years of top secret research, 300 hours of wind-tunnel testing on fiber glass mannequins, 225 different suit models, (testing the most optimal fabric placement/design variations) out comes... t h e  M a c h  3 9, (queue the fog machine, release the eagle... wave the flag).


First I want to talk about the suit itself because the idea behind it is pretty cool and should be appreciated. Then we can get to the drama bomb of this whole situation.

Picture source: http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-hightech-speedskating-suits-20140116/


 *Note, the Mach 39 was designed for the long track only. When I was doing research I kept coming across a similar suit, especially on the women, that didn't have the dimpled poly, the stretch cross-body zipper, or the back mesh - those are for the short track.*
There are a few key textiles and design features that were supposed to make this suit superior to what's out there right now. The first feature I noticed was the dimpled polyurethane panels at the hood, the forearms, and the lower legs which are supposed to "cut" through and divert the air flow around the body instead of pushing through it. Then you have the "slippery" silver fabric at the inner thighs and armpits which reduces friction. What is this slippery fabric you ask? Slippery fabric. I've been trying to find that out myself, I can only assume it is a coated spandex?? The zipper was also specifically developed for this suit. It is a special stretch zipper that moves with the wearer's natural movement. They have placed it across the wearer's body instead of right down the middle. This is supposed to add comfort to the suit and by keeping the zipper away from the neck it's also supposed to make sure the zipper stays closed. And then the vent... UA designed the suit with a mesh panel at the back, between the shoulder blades for a cooling effect, to allow heat to escape so the wearer doesn't get too hot. THIS is the feature that is making everyone throw some side eye. Apparently the back mesh panel was causing drag in the suits and costing the athletes' precious seconds in their race times - especially since the two Gold Medal favorites failed to place in their first races. Not to mention that some of the women speed skaters had the UA technical team remove that same back panel after their initial races, (UA sent a team over to Sochi in case of emergency alterations). It's been a few days since this has happened and in the meantime the team has been allowed to wear their alternate suits which they wore at the World Cup, also made by UA, fun-stuff not included. Apparently the team was 50-50 about switching the suits; some wanted to continue wearing the Mach 39 and the other half wanted to switch. But since the Olympic rules state that a team must all wear the same uniforms, they decided with the old suits....out with the new, in with the old eh? I have to say, they are pretty lucky that the U.S. Olympic Committee, (USOC) approved the switch, 'cause that would have really sucked.
Alternate US Speed Skating suits, also by Under Armour
 Mmm-kay, this what I think about all of thissssss. Well first, the initial speculation that the suit was costing medals doesn't really apply anymore. Since the switch was approved the US Speed Skating team still has yet to medal - there are still a few races left though. I'm just going to say it... isn't it entirely possible that the US is just being out-skated?
There are a few things that bother me though. From what I've read, UA only recently gave the suits to the team back in January. In fact, it sounds like the athletes didn't get to test out the suits prior to arriving in Sochi. Thankfully though, UA sent a technical team there to take care of any unforeseen alterations - I hope you pay your oracle well UA. I'm also curious about the testing process. It was stated that they put fiber glass mannequins under vigorous 300 hour wind tunnel testing, but the mannequins were stationary? Would it have made a difference had the mannequins actually simulated a speed skaters motions? Would they have been able to see the issue with the back mesh panel? I don't even know if that would be possible but I'm just gonna put it out there.

I don't think UA deserves all the blame and so far everyone agrees. I don't think people are that, uh, silly, to not consider everything that goes into winning an event: suits, training, conditions, competition. In one of the articles I read they pointed out that in an effort to stand out and really make space for themselves in the active performance industry, between Nike and Adidas, UA strives to challenge what we think of "performance wear". I think teaming up with Lockheed is a perfect example; taking the concept of defense, machinery, engineering and incorporating it, funneling it down to something simple like clothing. The brand image speaks to making your body preform as the best machine it can be. I get it. UA is new, Nike and Adidas are very, very seasoned. I can appreciate UAs efforts to establish themselves but with that comes risk. Do I think this is going to hurt them. Absolutely not. If anything this will, and already has, generated more awareness about the brand. They gonna be just fine. 

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Music I'm Running To: February Edition

I listen to music while I run. It helps distract my mind from focusing on how tired I am, instead I day dream about how bad-ass I *think* I look like....huffing and puffing up that hill.

Here is a list of some of the recent songs I've added to my running play list. Pull it up selector!

1. FITZPLEASURE by Alt-J, (side note, I absolutely LOVE this band. I lurve it).

2. CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Iggy Azalea

3. REVOLUTION by Diplo (feat. Faustix & Imanos and Kai)

4. RIOT RHYTHM by Sleigh Bells

5. TIK TIK BOOM by Britney Spears

Enjoy!!!

Weekend Update: CW-X PreformX Tights

After my post on Nike's recovery hypertight it kinda got me thinking about compression and recovery and the validity of what's out there in the market right now. Now that I know a little more about what actually happens to my muscles after a work out, (edema... lactic acid build up) I have a different curiosity for what those products are trying to achieve. I hesitate to call this a "trend" in performance wear because it isn't. The idea and science behind compression-wear has been around and those who focus on it do it well. Perhaps it's more fitting to say that the market is expanding into more categories...ish...socks, calf sleeves, sport bras? (mmm That feels like kind of a stretch) but I can say that more and more brands are tag-lining their products as "compression" which I feel is watering down the actual meaning of it.

I just started running again after a few months hiatus... yes I know its cold and yes I did have to walk through icy snow to actually GET to the park, much to the amusement of some sanitation workers, but I'm feeling it right now so I'm going to go for it. I also play soccer most Sundays and that adds up to a lot of running pour le gambes. It doesn't help that I am terrible at stretching properly. Come Monday my muscles are super tight and achy. So I said, you know what... imma treat myself. I didn't want to break the bank and I'm also not planning on training for a marathon anytime soon so I wanted something reasonable but still legit. I did a little research, mostly price driven, stumbled upon CW-X's Preform-X Tights, did a little reading, live the aesthetic, $74.95, SOLD. I bought my tights at Paragon, my favorite sports mecca, but they are widely available online and you can shop around for a more competitive price. I'm impatient and I want it now. When I spoke with the girl at Paragon she kept stressing that the compression tape actually helps to align your body while you run and keep it that way so that your muscles preform how they should, ideally giving you a more powerful and balanced stride while simultaneously reducing muscle fatigue for a faster recovery.

Very simply put, CW-X, (Conditioning Performance Wear) is part of the Wacoal Cooperation. Wacoal Corp., based in Japan, has been one of the leading and most reputable intimate apparel brands in the market for almost 40 years, creating designs based on a throughout understanding of the human body and access to an impressive library of textiles. In 1991 they decided to break into the performance apparel industry using the same dedication and introduced CW-X to the Japanese market. The research team in Kyoto spent many years studying, analyzing, and understanding what happens to muscles and joints during injuries. They then decided to introduce it to the US market and created the Wacoal Sport Science Cooperation based right here in NYC, (yey!). SO, CW-X is a brand under the Wacoal Corp. subsidiary Wacoal Sports Science Cooperation. Yes? Yes. CW-X boasts to be the world's "first truly anatomically-engineered high performance sports apparel" with 50 patents worldwide and serving a wide-range of activities, from running to skiing. Sounds pretty legit to me.
The science behind CW-X is based on kinesiology a.k.a the science of human movement. Remember the kinesio tape that was all over the 2012 Summer Olympics? Well CW-X developed their now patented CW-X Support Web Technology based around kinesiology-taping. So the placement of the compression tape is specifically placed to be most effective on specific muscle groups, problematic joints, and overall provides a supportive exo-skeletal to make sure your body preforms at its best.


So I took them out for a spin last weekend, semi skeptical, semi excited. They have met my expectations and I haven't stopped talking about them since - ask my friends.  Yes, I felt a difference in the overall alignment of my stride. Yes, my muscles felt different. Yes, my muscles recovered and felt fresher faster, (I also wore them for 1 hour after my run). I ran more evenly and even longer...like almost 1/2 a mile longer. I am very curious to see how I continue to preform the more I wear them. Fit-wise, I liked that they are high-waisted. Mine went all the way up to my natural waist and they stayed put without my having to tie the drawstring too tight. I bought a size medium. I usually wear a small in running tights but since these are compression tights I assumed to go up a size and boy was I lucky... not only did I NOT try them on, but I also didn't consult the very handy size chart, (height + weight) they provide with their hangtag. Please review the size chart they provide to make sure you buy the correct size. I happen to fit right in the grey area between a small and a medium but I'm happy I went with the medium. 
Dare I ask, why would you wear anything else? I like to people-watch while I run. I like to see what and how people are wearing and all I kept thinking was "these are helping my body preform better not only during my immediate movement but hypothetically also protect the longevity of my muscles - why isn't everyone wearing these?" At this moment I kinda don't want to wear anything else. This weekend I picked up the thermal version of the tights, the Insulator Perfx Tight but I decided not to run due to the weather because I have my limits, but I can't wait! I should mention that post-run, when I was heading home I did get a little chilly so I would advise not to wear them in 30F weather - get the thermal ones. But what I really have my eyes on is their Revolution Tights. Although they don't list them under "recovery" on their site that is what I would wear them for since the compression construction is lighter and covers more area, and they have starts all over them. It's on my xmas list Santa.
Behold the beauty of this graphic.