Training for a half-marathon can be painful, time-consuming, tiring, cold (when you train in Wisconsin in the winter), and a bit stressful.

But, at least I look good while I’m doing it.

Okay, I’m not a conceited brat, but recently I was given several pieces of our new women’s Jockey Sport activewear collection to try out. I have been given samples of Jockey apparel before, but these shiny new pants and bright, colorful tops are different. These are REAL athletic gear, and our customers and other employees who have tried them have been raving about them since they’ve hit the stores. I couldn’t wait to put them through my own rigorous half-marathon training test.

I know, I know—I work for Jockey, so of course you’d think I have to love the activewear. But, I am going to be 100% honest with you. (As I always have been—remember that I even told you when a bird pooped on me during a run? How embarrassing.)

And, keep reading, because there’s a special deal for YOU to try out our new activewear, too. (And gosh, do I love a good deal!)

I’ll start out by telling you about my highly exciting Friday night. Usually, when I get home from work, I drop my bags, change, and head back out the door to workout. But not this past Friday. Instead, I plopped on the couch and fell asleep for an hour. When I woke up, I thought there was no chance I would go workout; but, an hour later, I found myself at the gym. I got home later and changed into the Jockey Sport relaxed pant and active tee and headed back out the door. I’d heard people talk about how they could wear this pant out and about running errands and not feel at all frumpy, but as I am not a wear-workout-gear-to-the-store kinda gal, I thought I would be the ultimate say in this test.

And, I’ll admit…my grocery shopping just got a whole lot comfier. The relaxed pant is a wide-leg pant so it’s roomy and comfy, but the fabric blend it’s made of makes it smooth and sleek, not faded and cottony-looking like the other lounge pants I own. I wore the pants with cute flats, and it literally looked like I just had nice dressy black pants on! I could not believe it—I’m a convert. Also, one of the best things about the relaxed pant is that it comes in short, regular, and tall lengths, so I ordered the short length. I am definitely glad there is an option on length, because these pants are the perfect size for me; the regular length would be too long (I am about 5’5” tall).

Also, I love, love, love the active tee. It has seams that come down the front that flatter, and also pockets! It’s super comfortable, a good length, wide enough that I don’t feel self-conscious, and I like the bright colors (I got blue).

Final point: I thought the relaxed pant and the active tee were the ultimate relaxing comfy clothes, but I don’t think I’d necessarily wear them to go work out in.

Shifting gears here, I’ll tell you about my long run of the week, which I did on Sunday. The temperature here in Wisconsin is finally above -20, so I decided it was a perfect day to try out the modern pant from the Jockey Sport collection while I ran 5.5 miles outside. The wind may have held me back a bit, but the pants felt awesome as I jogged my way along the lakefront. The best part about the pants is that they come in short, regular, and long lengths, and up to sizes 2XL; so once again, I ordered the short version. For once, I didn’t worry about my nice pants dragging along the pavement or getting wet. I also like that there’s a zipper pocket in the back, which I could put my house key in, and the seams along the side of the pant curve down the front of your leg, making them look slimmer. Of course, these things didn’t help me run any faster, but I still finished my run and felt good in the process.

Another little-known perk that isn’t advertised about these pants: They hold up to dog bites! Yes, indeed, a little yippy dog bit me during my run, but rest assured that my pants remained fully intact…as did my leg.

Yesterday was my toughest workout of the week. Tuesday workouts always are… They are my “sprint” days. I decided it was time to up my performance at the indoor track. Before a few weeks ago, I hadn’t done a speed workout in MONTHS, so I am always kind of nervous to see how these workouts go. Plus, it doesn’t help that the college boys’ track team always seems to be on the track at the same time, and I imagine them snickering at my slowness. This week, I decided to channel a speedy workout via the Jockey Sport performance crop pant. I hit the track running, feeling kinda like a pro in my new crops, and before I knew it, I was knocking out 400 meter sprint repeats faster than I could scarf down a cupcake. (Well, maybe not that fast.) I felt awesome when I finished—tired, but strong, which I can’t say is always the case.

Usually, I don’t like crop pants because I have bigger [very muscular] calf muscles, which makes crop pants ride up and bunch under my knees. I was very skeptical of these pants, but decided to try them because of this small detail: The knees of the crop pants have ruching on them, so that when I bent my knees, the leg of the pant stayed in place but the ruching allows only the extra fabric to move. Thus, I didn’t get any bunching! My one complaint was that I usually wear a size medium, but these were a bit snug when getting them on, until I got moving around in them. Because they are a “performance” style, they are very form-fitting, which helps while running but also made me a bit self-conscious when just walking around. Bonus: I can’t wait until it’s warmer out, because these will be fabulous for biking! (They even have a mini key pocket—perfect.)

Another part of my workouts, besides running, is getting in some strength training. This can involve simply doing crunches and ab work, push-ups, lifting weights, or doing Pilates. I found that the seamless tank top rode up on me while I was running, which most workout tanks do, so I wasn’t surprised. But, for the strength sessions, it lets my upper body feel free since it’s free of sleeves and form-fitting; it stays in place, the material is soft and moisture-wicking, and it is PINK so it makes me smile. It also had a built-in bra, so for lighter workouts like Pilates, yoga, or strength training where you aren’t bouncing up and down, it does the trick.

And now, for reading my entire post, you deserve a treat! For those of you who read this fabulous blog, you can get any women’s activewear for 25% OFF on Jockey.com! All you need to do is use the coupon code AMANDA when you check-out online, and the discount will be applied. (Go see the selection HERE.)

And hurry, because my boss said she has to cut the code off on Friday at midnight. I would use the discount to try a pair of the pants that I talked about, because they are (in my opinion) by far the best workout gear we have, and 25% off will save you $15 on them!

Fat Stats:
Starting weight: 166 pounds
Last week: 148 pounds
This week: 148 pounds
Goal weight: 145 pounds

Happy shopping,
Amanda
@jockey_amanda