I'm in full panic mode with finding a race-day outfit, so I'm ordering a lot of things to try on. Thanks to a suggestion from Shirley, I ordered the new Lululemon Hit Your Stride Skirt. I love it! Here's a quick review and a comparison of it to the Pace Rival Skirt, both of which are currently being released in new colors and prints. I was planning to wear the Hit Your Stride running this morning, but it was 31F and snowing this morning! I'll have to do a separate update with a performance review.
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| Lululemon Hit Your Stride Skirt in White |
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Pace Rival Skirt (original version from 2014) on left
Hit Your Stride Skirt on right |
Overall Fit
I ordered the Hit Your Stride Skirt in a size 8. My Pace Rival Skirt is size 6, but because the Hit Your Stride Skirt doesn't come in a tall length, I hoped that the size 8 would be a longer length. It was a good choice. I tried the size 6 on in the store, and it was much shorter. The shorts in the size 8 fit well, but the skirt itself is just slightly loose. However, if I pull it lower so it rides at my hips instead of higher on my waist, it fits better since I have larger hips. Pulling it lower is very comfortable because it has such a wide waistband. And I can always cinch the drawstring to make it tighter. I've tried on the new Pace Rival Skirt in a size 8 and it is a bit roomy (though I can still wear it), so I'd say that the Hit Your Stride fits a bit smaller than the Pace Rival. If you're between sizes, it might be better to size up.
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| Waistband of the Hit Your Stride on top is much wider than the Pace Rival. |
Length
I'm pretty leg-shy so typically like longer lengths. I won't wear the Pace Rival or Pacesetter in regular lengths. But the Hit Your Stride is long enough that I don't feel uncomfortable. Per Lulu's measurements on the website, the Hit Your Stride is 1.5 inches shorter in the skirt. The Pace Rival has a 4.5" inseam on the shorts, but there are no shorts measurement for the Hit Your Stride. When I measure the shorts, it looks like the Hit Your Stride is 1 inch shorter. However, I didn't notice much difference when I had both on. I really need to run in the Hit Your Stride to see if I can feel a difference.
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| Hit Your Stride on top of the Pace Rival |
Pockets
I ordered the Hit Your Stride for its pockets--four, all unzippered. There are two at the side hips. They are large and a bit loose, so you won't have to shimmy your hands down to get things. There are also two on the sides of the interior shorts, and they're also pretty large but tighter than the ones at the hips. I know some reviewers don't like the lack of zippered pockets. The only thing I use zippered pockets for are my keys, and I'd really have to be doing something crazy (handstands? flips?) to have them fall out. So I'm okay with no zippered pockets.
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| View of the side pocket looking down from the top |
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| Pocket on the side of the interior short |
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| Pocket on the other leg of the interior short has a slit if for winding your cord up the inside of the short. |
For reference, the Pace Rival Skirt has three pockets--two in the front waistband and one zippered pocket in the back waistband. There are no pockets in the interior shorts.
Fabric
The fabric is several pieces of Warpstreme fabric, instead of one solid piece. Warpstreme has a UPF of 50+ and is used in many of Lulu's summer and swim pieces. The edges are raw. There are two hidden reflective strips hidden in the fabric so that they become visible when you're running--a pretty neat idea!
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| Shows the layers of fabric and one of the hidden reflective strips. |
The Pace Rival comes in two-way (stiffer) and four-way (softer) Swift Ultra.
Both have light Luxtreme interior shorts with a rubber grip at the hem.
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| A bit washed out, but tried to show the rubber grip at the hem. |
Style
Overall, I love the style of the Hit Your Stride. It's more interesting than a straight-fitting skirt. It reminds me of last year's version (the original version) of the Pace Rival I have that has some flounce to it. This year Lulu redesigned the Pace Rival so that the front is straight, which I don't like as much.
If you liked last year's Pace Rival, you will likely like the Hit Your Stride.
Color
I ordered it in white and tried the Breezy Regal Plum in a store. The Breezy Regal Plum is a very pretty pattern and, of course, I love purple and black. But the colors of tops to pair with it seem limited--plum, black, white, grey? I don't have a running skirt in white because I didn't want to look like I was playing tennis. But, wow! A white bottom really makes everything pop! I can wear it with every single top I have. Plus, it will be great for hot summer runs. I passed on the Breezy Regal Plum but am keeping the white.
Both the Pace Rival and Hit Your Stride are being released in new prints and colors. There is an Electric Coral Pace Rival coming out next week. I can't wait to see what else is coming!
Race Day Outfit Potential?
While I love this skirt and am keeping it, I've ruled it out for race day. I have larger thighs that touch when I run (the reason I don't wear shorts running), and I haven't tried this skirt out to see if the shorts come below the part of my thighs that touch. It seems like the skirt would be okay for shorter runs, but I don't know how it would be over a long distance. Even if I use Body Glide, I'm worried it might come off over 13.1 miles, and the last thing I want to worry about is chafing.
The weather forecast for race day is up, and it's looking like it will be warm so I'm leaning toward wearing the black Pace Rival. I also ordered a skirt from Skirt Sports that has a 5" short inseam, and I should get that next week to try out.
The hunt for my race day outfit continues! Labels: Lululemon, race day outfit, running skirt