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Product Review: North Face Stow-n-Go Sports Bra

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8 miles easy / 1:15 / 9:22 avg pace (done on Wednesday night)

I saw this North Face sports bra on Tina’s blog a few months ago and had to have it. This is exactly what I was looking for; the solution to my RaceReady shorts. I wrote about my love (not really love, but practicality) for RaceReady shorts a few months ago and I got some flack about it. Yes, they are ugly but they hold everything!

I tested out this bra last Friday (on a 20-miler) and buh bye RaceReady shorts! It held 4 Shot Bloks perfectly and easily could have held 2 more (the exact amount that I carry for a marathon). The pouch (not sure what else to call it) is huge and even has a separate compartment for your key.

  • The Shot Bloks didn’t move an inch; I hardly knew they were there.
  • You can’t beat the accessibility…I mean they are right there!
  • Did I look like I had a 3rd boob with all those Shot Bloks stuffed down my bra? Yes. Did I care? No. I do wear RaceReady shorts in public so you know I don’t care!
  • Stuff gets pretty warm in that region so if you’re a fan of freezing your GUs, this may not be the best plan for you.
  • The bra runs small. It’s intended for A/B cups (according to the description). If I ordered online I would have gotten a small (I’m not so well-endowed). Luckily I was near a North Face store and tried on the medium and it fit perfectly; a small would have been too small.
  • I guess I should mention that it also does everything a sports bra should:  supports, wicks, doesn’t chafe, etc.

I’m so, so happy with this bra! I can finally wear normal shorts for a marathon (Lululemon Willpower shorts, of course)!

Front view:

I cut my Shot Bloks in half so I can eat 3 of them at a time (every 4 miles).   It makes them easier to carry too.

Deep pouch:

I bought this bra myself and was not asked by North Face to do a review. However, I am willing and able to accept any products in exchange for a review 🙂

How To Run 20 Miles And Survive A Bachelorette Party

by 20 Comments

6/24/11
20 miles / 2:57 / 8:51 avg pace
*This was a tough one.  It was so humid you could cut the air with a knife.  My average pace felt hard and there wasn’t an inch of me that was dry.  Check out my shorts post-run (I can’t believe I’m posting this awful close-up).  I wore my Lululemon Willpower shorts and they are absolutely fantastic.  Nike tempo what?!

This weekend is my friend Amanda’s bachelorette party so I’m heading down the shore today for some drinking and dancing with the Mains. So what am I doing to ensure I can still dance (and stay awake) after 20 miles?

1. Drink chocolate milk immediately post-run. I literally put the chocolate milk in a thermos and wrap it in an ice pack so I can drink it right away. I don’t mess around!

2. Foam roll. I spent a good 10 minutes foam rolling when I got home.

3. Ice bath. I generally don’t ice bath but I’ll take all the help I can get today.

4. Coffee/carbs/water. After a 5:00AM wake-up call, I desperately need coffee in order to hang tonight. And then I’ll need lots of water to counteract the dehydration from the 20-miler, coffee, and (eventually) beer. I’ll also be eating a mini-meal of carbs every 3-4 hours. Empty stomach + beer = bad news.

5. If all else fails, drink beer. It’ll numb the soreness in your legs!  Yes, that is asparagus on the side there.  You need to balance out the beer with some healthy eats.

Have a great weekend everyone!