Being on and off runner I started to run in track pants. Then I got a bit more serious I bought long tights for cool weather and then I noticed that when I ran in track pants I was always slower than in tights. The difference is about 10 sec/km (I'm slow, I usually run between 5.30-6.00 min/km).
A week ago I did three runs on the same course and in the same weather, two in tights and one in track pants. Indeed, the pace was 10-12 sec slower in track pants and they feel less comfortable.
Comments
I must be getting old. I presume you mean tracksuit bottoms?
I run quicker in my tights than anything else cos they're black with blue go-faster stripes that make me feel like I'm Batman.
Probably, they are.
Advertised as track pants though (I've got something like this but without zips: http://www.reebok.com/GB/product?modelId=QE739&articleId=W07547).
Heavy? I wouldn't say so. Mine are fairly light, 290g vs 235g for tights and I don't feel restricted. They might flap but the worst thing is that they soak when it's raining and the last negative thing - they don't hold keys in a pocket as snugly as tights.
I'm quite staggered that you asked the question in the 1st place as you must understand the difference in air resistance between a smooth surface (tights) and a baggy surface (track pants)?? 10secs over a km I'm not surprised by
however a data set of 3 is unlikely to be that useful anyway
I'm deeply sorry but there's not a single question mark in my post.My post was just a piece of information to discuss or laugh over.
Air resistance? You serious? I'm a cyclist, I know a little about air resistance. At speed of 10.5 km/h it plays so little role it has no influence to provide 1.8-2% speed difference. I can only guess that flapping somehow restricts movement
I have the same impression from now popular cycling flapping shorts. I've always been a fan of spandex and when I tried shorts, they left me with the same feeling: they somehow restrict my movements. I raced several times in them but later returned to run-of-the-mill lycra.
I'm a regular 5mins/Km runner and this is very interesting, seems long pants are restrictive and slower than tights, and tights are less restrictive but still slower than shorts, this expalins something that had bugged me.
I jumped out of my girlfriend's window the other night when her Husband came home early wearing nothing at all, and I never ran so fast in my life.
I would have jumped too!
@EG Graham - if you'd have shaved off all your body hair you could have broken the 100m world record...
BTW - was it you wearing nothing at all? or did her husband come home wearing nothing at all...?