Anonymous wrote:For long runs and races, I really like the Lululemon Fast and Free tights. It is hard to tell from the pics online, so you may want to see them in person. They have 2 deep pockets on the sides that firmly hold my phone, gloves, headlamp if I take it off, etc. The waistband is also pockets - like 3 wide pockets with open tops. Perfect for gels. For a race, I put my car keys, ID and a credit card in the center back pocket and safety pin it shut. My oldest pair of F&F are 6 years old and I wear them a lot - they look almost new. I am a size 14/32 in jeans and I wear a size 12.
My other favorite leggings are Sweaty Betty Power / Higher Power. Power leggings look really good but are also really comfortable. They have a zipper pocket in the back waist for car keys if you drive to your runs. They have a lot of compression and structure - they are are the only leggings I sometimes wear as pants when not working out because they look more polished. They have good pockets on the side. The material is a smidge thicker than the Lulu ones and they are better suited for cooler days. The Higher Power version is the same pants, but the waistband is smooth - no drawstring, no extra pockets. It looks like it would roll, and many things roll on me, but not those. The higher power are a sleeker look and best for when you don’t need to bring a lot of stuff. I wear a size L.
If you go to Lulu in person and try on different styles, you can buy them on the website LuluLikeNew which is part of Lulu itself for returns and other things they didn’t sell. You can usually get them for half price. I “invested” in one pair of Sweaty Betty black tights on a 25% off sale, but the rest of my SB rights are the funky prints I get on clearance.
Lulu will hem the F&F to knee length - you can’t go shorter because of the pocket design.
The SB power come in 7” and 9” shorts, but not the higher power version.