After completing 4 marathons in seven months, Joe made me promise that I would take the spring off from marathon training. Given that our schedules are often completely opposed and Saturdays are sometimes the only day of the week we have together, a 3 hour training run plus recovery time takes a lot out of that time together. Instead, this winter, I’ve been lifting weights three times a week with some running and the occasional spin class thrown in. It’s been nice to not “have” to get miles in on a miserably cold day, to be able to take advantage of a nice day and go on a hike, and to sleep in on Saturday. I did sign up for the Southern Indiana half in early April just to have something to work towards, and Joe and I are tossing around the idea of doing the Derby Festival half in Louisville together. Like in running, it’s been encouraging to see progressions in strength-training. I’m able to lift weights that I couldn’t have touched 6 weeks ago, and I feel strong and healthy.
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Ellie about trying some of their workout clothes. After filling out a style profile, my clothes arrived a few days later in a fun and shiny pink envelope.
They felt like they were made of high-quality fabric, and I was drawn to the ruching details on the top. Fashionable workout clothes aren’t a huge priority for me, as I prefer function over form, but I appreciated the details on the clothes. In preparation for a treadmill interval workout, I slipped the clothes on to see how they would do under pressure.
Getting the clothes on was a bit of a struggle. Let’s just say they have a more figure-conscious cut than I’m used to, and that’s a size medium bottom and a size M/L on the top. I liked the longer cut of the top but considering how tight it was, I thought it might ride up on a run (and – spoiler alert – it did). The top also had a built-in shelf bra, but a sports bra was definitely necessary.
While I wasn’t impressed with the top’s performance on the treadmill run, I was a fan of the capris. They’re just the right amount of thickness to hold everything in without being too warm. When I used the clothes again for a strength-training workout, it was evident that these clothes were designed for the gym and yoga. As much as I like the capris, they don’t have any of the pockets or extras that my running clothes do. Similarly, most of their tops have the shelf bra, meaning they aren’t conducive to high-impact activity. But for weight-lifting and other low-impact activities, they work great.
Every month, Ellie releases a new “collection”. My clothes came from March’s Little Black Collection. You can buy pieces individually or get a membership, where for $49.95 a month, they’ll send you two pieces automatically. And through this link, you can save 20%. So check out this month’s collection if you’re looking for some new workout clothes. You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I’m partial to their inspirational pins on Pinterest myself.
Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
