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| Faded Zap Pace Breaker Shorts |
After receiving a pair of Frond Pace Breaker Shorts for
Valentine’s Day, I was invited to write a commentary on them – took a while to
get to it, but here are my thoughts -
It was many years ago that I got my first pair of
Run:Response Shorts – a size XL that I absolutely loved – with the exception of
the price. There really wasn’t a thing I thought was bad about them – the outer
material was lightweight, it had pockets (two side plus a zippered pocket along
the lower thigh) and inner liner, wasn’t 15” long like basketball shorts – I
loved them. At $30, I would have bought dozens of pairs. Of course, they only
really came in black.
Soon after I got that pair, I got diagnosed with diabetes,
decided (and succeeded) in losing a bunch of weight, and moved down the
Lululemon size chart a few sizes – I went from an XL to a true S – roughly a
30” waist.
No problem – I collected a bunch of size S Run:Responses (or
later Response) shorts similar to the XL version that I had – with one
exception (other than color) they were basically all the same – some had a
drawstring that tied and had two ends available, others had a single loop that
was a little more difficult to tie securely. Though I liked the discrete ends
better, neither was a dealbreaker. I think I got up to seven pairs – a few blues,
many blacks, pink [senorita], white, and even a few pairs that someone had decided to hem
to a 7” inseam – A good collection which I figured would expand more over the
years.
Then, LLL decided to mess with the formula a little bit. The
lower zippered pocket moved up to the hip (a positive move, I thought) but more
importantly – they decided to mess with the sizing. For whatever reason, the
size chart changed from small being a 30” waist to small being a 32” waist. And
when you read the online reviews, that was not only a real change, there were
complaints of quality issues as well, especially as related to the inner liner.
The inner liner problems I find to be quite shocking. In
2012 through January of 2013, I ran four half marathons and two full marathons, and
nearly every one of those miles, including all the training for those events
(nearly 1,000 miles) was done in Run:Responses. In fact, nearly all the Sunday long runs were done in the SAME PAIR of
Run:Responses. Ironically, a pair with a pattern down the side that I didn’t
like but got a clearance deal on, and I figured I’d ruin by using them a lot –
but they have proven to be bulletproof. Both the liner and the shorts
themselves are basically in perfect condition. Hydration belts have ruined the
shirts I’ve run in, but these shorts have been indestructible.
One further caveat on the inner liner – in the interest of
full disclosure, I will have to say that, with the exception of a couple of gym
bag mispackings where I forgot to bring compression shorts – I ALWAYS wear
another pair of compression shorts underneath these. The inner liner is great,
but it isn’t a true compression fit, so I prefer something a little tighter.
That may explain why my inner liners have held up well, it may have nothing to
do with it. Your mileage may vary.
Half believing the reviews once the pocket was moved and the
sizes were allegedly changed, I visited a store one day to try on the later
version in the middle of 2012, and sure enough, it was impossible for me to tie
the waist tight enough to wear. A shocking had happened – I had grown too
small for my favorite shorts!
Fast forward to early 2013, and the announcement that LLL
had tweaked the sizing of their S clothing – and the 30” waist was apparently
back in play. At the same time, the name of the shorts had changed – and was
now the Pace Breaker. Apparently the Response term was owned/trademarked by
someone else (a quick Google Search seems to turn up a German Sporting Goods
company with a 3 stripe logo starting with Adidas) so the name was changed.
Having worn the new pair of Pace Breakers, I have to say I
think these could be perfect shorts – they have the two-ended waist tie, appear
to have the same sizing as the Response shorts of old, and the hip zippered
pocket as opposed to the thigh one – a change that does help a little bit when
I put keys in there – they didn’t bounce around all that much even on the
thigh, but they bounce even less on the hip – so a positive change.
Could they be improved? Perhaps a 7” inseam might be better
than a 9”, but that’s a minor complaint – and they can be hemmed if so desired
– and the Light as Air offers another option (down to 4” even) if that is the
direction you are looking to go – those are almost as high on my favorites
list, but these Pace Breakers win out by a nose!
Next – how about some red ones? Red versions (I
believe) have popped up a couple of times over the
years but then seemed to sell out instantly, and then disappear – what gives?
It’s hard for me to justify buying more black pairs (and nice try with the
polka dots, I’ll pass on that one – I don’t want people thinking I’m running in
pajamas!), so expanding the color pallete in that direction would be nice. In
the meantime, I’ll probably order a pair of the Kayak Blue ones. [He just bought them tonight, making them his 11th pair of Run Responses/Pace Breakers.]
