Thank you, Nike (I think)
Have you been in Old Navy lately? I think they changed their sizes. Everything is now, uh, bigger, it seems. No really, they are. I used to be an XS or size 1 there. Then the size 1’s were too big, so I stopped buying pants and stuff. Well, I went in the other day because ON has cheap running shorts and I needed some more for camp, and let’s just say that the XS running shorts fit more like a medium. I thought it was me, but you know, now that I think about it, I was a size 4 in high school, a size 2 in college, a size 1 post college, a size 0 at age 29, and now at age 31 and 11/12ths, I am below size 0. The only clothing manufacturers that remain true to size are the competition swimsuit people. For both Speedo and TYR, I am a size 30 suit, which they claim is equivalent to a size 4. AHA! I was right! I am not shrinking - I really am a size 4. I just have to either exclusively wear competition swimwear or time travel back to 1991 to find clothes that fit.
After leaving Old Navy defeated in my quest for cheap running shorts, I trotted over to the Nike outlet. I do have one pair of the Nike tempo track shorts, which are probably the best running shorts on the planet, even if they are sewn by some 4 year old in a sweat shop in Cambodia, but I have to admit, XS Nike women’s stuff is mostly too big as well. I have a few pairs of warmup pants from Nike that are kids size medium, and they fit perfectly.
My biggest dilemma here is that finding technical shorts in kids’ sizes that are actually designed for running is a challenge. Sure, I can find kids size shorts, but rarely do I find kids size running shorts, with the liner built in. I think in my entire running career I have never had a pair of running shorts that truly fit.
Then I discovered that Nike is now doing girls size running shorts - in not one, but two different styles. They even have them in different colors, too, with matching tops and sports bras. I guess this works out well for me, since the kids stuff is about half the cost of the same styles in adult sizes. So although I disagree with Nike’s sizing (c’mon…am I really a girls size 10-12? That is what I wore in like, 8th grade) - I am not going to complain about the money I just saved.
$80 and 5 pairs of shorts, 2 sports bras, and 2 running tops later and I finally have running clothes that fit:
(funny thing is that when I look at the girls size medium in the store, they look tiny. Then I put them on…and they look completely normal.)
