Runs and Places

Disclaimer: I received a free pair of 2XU Compression Tights to review as a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and also to find and write race reviews!

Usually when I write a gear review post, I try to start it off with some kind of story about how I never knew what the benefits of using whatever I’m reviewing were until I actually tried it and did some research to find out how it works and why it’s important.  I don’t have a story like that for this post.  I already know compression benefits runners.  In fact, I wrote about the benefits in another post earlier this year.

If you don’t want to go back and re-read that post, the short version is that wearing compression gear while you run helps to:

• Push de-oxygenated blood from your muscles through your veins and back to your heart more quickly.
• Dilate your arteries so that oxygen rich blood can flow from your heart to your muscles more efficiently.
• Stabilize your muscles and decrease the vibrations that occur when your feet hit the ground while you’re running, which decreases fatigue and muscle soreness.

So overall, compression helps your leg muscles to perform better for longer periods of time without feeling as sore afterwards.

Any compression gear will do this.  So what makes the 2XU MCS Compression Tights that I’m reviewing in this post stand out?

The main thing is the Muscle Containment Stamping (MCS) technology that 2XU uses to create their tights.  Plain ol’ compression sleeves, socks, etc., are pretty much just designed squeeze your legs tighter towards the bottom and a little looser at the top to direct the blood flow the right way.  There’s no intelligence built into them besides that.  MCS, on the other hand, is specially designed to provide compression in exactly the right places to target specific muscle groups (glutes, abductors, quads and calf muscles).  So in short:

2XU’s MCS technology is Intelligent Compression

The areas of your legs where your muscles need the most protection are the areas that have the most compression in 2XU’s MCS compression tights.  This results in even more power, better recovery times and decreased muscle stiffness compared to regular compression gear.

MCS is designed using PWX Flex Fabric.  If you’re interested in hearing more from 2XU about how everything works, take a look at this video:

More power and better recovery times are particularly important to me right now.  I’m training for the Honolulu Marathon and my long runs are starting to get up into the high double digits.  So to test my 2XU MCS Compression tights out, I decided to wear them on some of my longer runs.  I did a 15 miler one Sunday morning followed by a 17 miler the following Sunday.

The results?

The tights fit great and I definitely noticed a difference in both power and recovery time.  I’m able to run longer without feeling fatigued when I wear the tights compared to when I don’t.  And my legs don’t feel as sore the day after a long run.  As an added bonus, the tights provide UV protection and they also keep my legs warm now that temperatures are starting to drop.

So if you’re in the market for some new compression gear, you should definitely give 2XU’s MCS Compression Tights a look.  If you’ve never worn compression gear before and you’re interested in seeing the benefits for yourself, the MCS technology and targeted compression makes them the perfect pair to start with. As an added bonus, if you buy a pair now, you can use discount code BIBRAVE20 to get 20% off of your order on 2XU.com