2XU Thermal Hyoptik Tights Review

Disclaimer: I received 2XU Thermal Hyoptik tights to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you have been reading my blog for a while or follow me on social media, you already know I am a HUGE fan of any and all things 2Xu.  (P.S. if you don't follow me on social media you should probably go ahead and check out my Twitter and Instagram!)
I am so happy to tell you that the 2XU Thermal Hyoptik tights delivered to just as high a standard as all their other products I have tried.

To start with, there is the compression.  While I think it is a little less than in the 2XU Elite MCS Tights, it still provided a great amount of support for running and recovery!  I was also a big fan of the mid rise and the wider waist band which prevented the compression from squeezing everything "up and over." I think we can all agree that it is not a good look ;)

The next awesome thing about these pants is the reflectivity.  Hyoptik (pronounced High-Optic) products are made to keep you visible and the highly reflective marks on the pants do the trick.  Since winter means not only cold weather but also shorter daylight hours, this is a great safety feature for all the after dark runs.  Also: have you ever tried to take a picture of your own leg being reflective? Not. Easy. But I think you get the idea ;)

Finally, we get to the actual point of the pants: warmth.  Now I know living in central Florida I am the last person you would think about taking winter wear advice from....but believe me when I tell you I am a total wimp when it comes to cold.  If it is under 60 I am convinced the world is ending!  Today I went for a run and I think it was maybe 40 degrees out (dear FL, please get your act together asap!) and I didn't get cold! It was amazing!  Whatever these pants are made from is what I want my entire wardrobe to be made of.  Perhaps the best part is that they did not get hot either.  You know when it's cold outside and you workout so you sweat then get warm/hot then you stop and you are sweaty so you get cold?  That is what happened on the upper half of my body today in my long sleeve athletic shirt from another brand that will remain nameless.  By the powers of magic and science I never once flet like my lower half was getting cold or hot.  The 2XU Thermal Hyoptik pants are just phenomenal at regulating your body temperature!  Ok and they look fun and sassy in gym mirror selfies!

Overall I cannot recommend the 2XU Thermal Hyoptik tights enough! They are comfortable, warm, and make running in the cold bearable!
If you have questions about my experience with these pants please feel free to let me know!
Or give me a shout if you are a 2XU lover too!

Friday Five: Cold Weather Running Essentials

Good morning! I hope you are staying warm wherever you are!  Florida has felt awfully cold for a couple weeks now....then the roof of my mom's porch caved in from the weight of the snow and the northeast is under blizzard watch...so I am starting to feel a lot warmer and luckier!

That said, I wanted to share five things I think are essential to running in the colder months. And I am linking up with Friday Five hosted by Mar on the Run, You Signed Up for What?, and Eat Pray Run DC.  If you haven't checked out this weekly link up I highly recommend doing so!

I know just a second ago I was talking about how the "cold" down here isn't really all that cold in the big picture, but I am going to go ahead and tell you I am a big weenie when it comes to not being warm/hot so I am totally qualified to tell you what to wear on a wintery run ;) Oh and I grew up in central Washington State...so there is that haha

SO: My five winter running essentials:

1) Warm pants. 

I am currently loving the 2XU Thermal Hyoptik tights.  They are fabulously insulated without being bulky.  Obviously running in bulky heavy things is not fun...but neither is having your booty feel frozen the whole time (a HUGE peeve of mine) so these are a great balance of both. (Spoiler alert I have a full review of the pants coming soon.) I have also heard about down shorts that can be layered over your running tights and I am on a mission to find some of those!

2) Warm ears.

Cold ears might be worse than a cold booty, just saying.  I live in the Buff Thermal Hoodie because it is easy to flip down if you get too warm, but you can also add a headband underneath if you need two layers of warm.  I have not had to do that yet and I hope to never again live somewhere that such a thing would be necessary!!

3) Warm fingers. I have been slacking on this this winter and really regretting it. Have I mentioned I hate being cold?  With milder winters I prefer to just get those cheapo stretch gloves that tend to go on clearance for 50 cents or so after Christmas...mostly because I am not a responsible adult and lose one of the gloves within the first few days. Or the very first day.  In worse winter weather I like to either wear good quality gloves or mittens.  I have some wool mittens I made years ago that are fantastic! Mittens actually keep your fingers warmer because they can hang out and share their heat with each other.  I am all about that.

4) Warm sorta dry toes. While we don't get the snow like the rest of you, there is some cold rain and resultant cold puddles which can lead to all sorts of foot discomfort including really bad blisters.  I suppose that is the case when you fun with wet feet any time of the year, but cold wet feet just feel worse.  I am a SmartWool sock lover.  They regulate your body heat well and they don't chafe even when you get them really really soggy.

5) Warm thoughts.

By that I mean start the pot of coffee before you go out for your run so you can think about how delicious and warm it is going to be by the time you get back! It works for me ;)

Did I miss anything?  What can you not run in the cold without?
Thanks for stopping by!!

Buff Thermal Hoodie Product Review

Disclaimer: I received Buff Hoodie to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Running in the cold sucks. Ok doing anything in the cold sucks. I love things that keep me warm and I love anything made by Buff so the Buff thermal hoodie was pretty much made for me!

To start out with, the hoodie is majorly cute. 

While it is made with fabric for athletic pursuits, it's also great for pulling on with any outfit. 

That said it is an awesome piece of equipment for running. 

The best part is that the neck warmer is keeps it snug so if your head gets too warm while you run you can flip it back. I loved it because the fabric is snuggly  and warm but isn't heavy. This means that when you flip it down it isn't heavy but also doesn't flip around annoyingly. If you read my reviews you know I don't like anything that wiggles while I run!

Florida weather is so unpredictable that I really appreciate the ability to wear it up or down comfortably. I've run in stocking caps and thermal ear warmers before and it's so hard because if you no longer need it you have to suck it up or figure out how to carry things. 

Overall, if you also hate a cold noggin and ears I HIGHLY recommend the Buff Thermal Hoodie!

Have questions I didn't answer? Let me know!!