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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Walmart running leggings

A few years ago I bought a pair of running tights from, of all places, Wal--mart online.
They were perfect.
They were thick, but not too hot. They were long enough. They had a key pocket. They fit like leggings, but were the material and feel of pants. They were $12.00.

I should have stocked up, but I didn't, and now Wal-mart doesn't make these tights anymore. But they do make running leggings.
Also available in gray.

They're also a steal at $12, but there are a couple of changes from the tights.

1. These are actually leggings, so the material is thinner. And they look like leggings. I wear mine without shorts or skirt over them, but then, I have no shame. I can see some people thinking they need a little more coverage, but you can't actually see through the fabric, so I think it's ok.
(The good thing about the fabric is that it is fake polyester stuff - no cotton-y feel like fashion leggings. I have a pair of running leggings with more cotton, and that does NOT work: the leggings get sweaty and stick to you and bunch up. Terrible. These don't do that.)
2. They aren't quite as warm (which is good for me, since I don't have that many freezing days here). If you get too hot in running tights you might try these.
3. No key pocket. Worst thing ever. But they have a doubled waist band, so I will sew a key pocket into mine.
4. Not flattering. What I mean by this is, these aren't "suck-your-rolls-in" tights like Lululemon or something. The fabric's thin, so they aren't sucking anything in. When you wear them, it looks like you wearing leggings. Period. Not you after lipo and 4 years of Body Pump and spin class daily wearing leggings.

So, there are a few drawbacks to these guys compared to true running tights. But I still really like them, and it's nice to have a lighter weight option. And for that price, it's hard to go wrong!
(PS - For sizing purposes: a few reviews say to size up on these leggings. I would not do that. They fit true to size on me. I have a super pear-shape so if I say they fit true to size, they fit true to size!)

7 comments:

  1. These sound a lot like my Old Navy leggings in terms of thickness and quality. (I think mine have a key pocket though.) The issue for me is that they are fine at first but I don't get more than a year's wear out of them.
    Gap Fit leggings and tights, on the other hand, are totally my poor-woman's Lululemon. They are nice and thick (which is fine because I wear Nike shorts in the summer) and while they are initially expensive, Gap has a zillion sales so I have stocked up when they were super cheap. I prefer to size up for yoga and gym exercise so the waist is a little looser, but I like to wear my true size when I run because I think the looser pairs can shift a bit at the waist when running. (I'm a total apple, for what it's worth.) They last forever but I will say that I never put work out clothes that I like in the dryer because it dramatically shortens their life for me.

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  2. I frankly love your "thrifty" posts like this one!!!! I love that you are not buying all of the expensive stuff, yet you run some amazing times. Sometimes I see runners all decked out in all of the fancy stuff but not focusing enough on--well--running!!! You know your priorities. One of the first entries I read on your blog was about how you made your own fuel out of rice and oatmeal in baggies. I just went on and on about you to my husband after that. Good ideas for saving money. Thanks so much for sharing and keep them coming!

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  3. For that price I might have to try them out. Right now I have only an underarmour pair of tights that I LOVE (and bought 2 years ago, so being my only pair that does double duty riding/falling on a mountain bike they're definitely showing some wear) and a pair of Target compression capris that are a little too thin to wear alone (but I still do with a longer shirt because I just don't care that much).

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  4. Love this post! Good info about a thrifty idea. I've never liked the pricier tights so I may give these a try.

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  5. You make me laugh:) I am one of those vain people that pays the $$ for flattering leggings, ha! But then, I am no longer 27:) so I need all the help I can get:)

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  6. i must admit, i wear my running/workout tights out in public as leggings. they're shiny polyster-y. not sure if that's stylish, probably not.

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  7. After reading you post I went out and got them myself. What a steal!

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