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| Pearl iZumi Infinity LD Short |
A few months ago I was in the second half of a 15-mile run on a well-populated trail when it started raining. I'm a fan of running in the rain, so I was happy to feel the clouds opening up. After a few minutes, my shorts started to feel...slippery, I guess is the word. I looked down, and my shorts were foaming like a rabid dog. Suds were everywhere - on my shorts, sliding down my legs, leaving soapy footprints behind me. Apparently, I put too much detergent in the washer the last time I washed the shorts. The rain, combined with the agitation that my running provided, had started washing the shorts all over again. It was a mortifying, but very clean, run back to the car.
There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you're running long, and a surprising amount of those things can come from your running shorts. Besides the random trail suds, there are a lot of chafing, riding up, and other awkward issues that can happen if you don't have the right pair of shorts in your running roster. So far, Pearl iZumi's Infinity LD ($50, pearlizumi.com) shorts are on the top of my rotation.
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| Testing the Infinity LD shorts on Stage 2 of the TransRockies Run. |
I picked up these shorts right before the TransRockies Run last August, and over the next 60 miles of mountain running, they performed well. The Minerale polyester liner was snug and supportive, and the polyester exterior was soft and stretchy. Elastic side panels allowed for a wide range of movement, and the elastic drawstring was a nice touch - it kept the shorts on my waist where they belonged, obviously, but its elasticity allowed me to cinch the waist without feeling like I was cutting off circulation to my legs. Two zippered rear pockets can hold some cash, keys, and a few gel packets, while hook-and-loop hip pockets keep you from dropping your empty Gu packets on the trail.
They were wearable for consecutive days without a crippling accumulation of odor thanks in part to the Minerale liner, and also thanks to how quickly the shorts dried after to occasional makeshift ice bath. By the next morning, they were dry and ready to rock.
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| Doing laundry (and soothing cramping quads) after Stage One of the TransRockies Run |
Fast-drying, soft to the touch, the Infinity LD shorts performed well on short training days and multi-day events, on road runs and scrambling up trails. No suds or anything.
Give them a closer look at pearlizumi.com.
