Zoot CompressRx Tights First Impressions... I'm a believer.

So I've been reading some of the hype about compression garments for athletes and I started wondering if they'd work for me. A couple things are true--I have a very strong family history of varicose veins and have one or two small ones brewing in my calves, so it's pretty clear that I have some degree of venous insufficiency. I also get the tired, achy legs from prolonged standing, etc. I started wearing some compression stockings at work for when I'm operating, and a lot of that soreness subsided. So I was kinda drawn to the idea of "real" compression garments for running, i.e. ones that offer the same level of compression as the medical-grade stuff.

After a little searching, I found Zoot's CompressRx line, which advertises a pretty high level of compression. I ordered a pair of the "Active" tights in a size 5--I was a size 4 by the calf and thigh measurements but a 5 by waist. More on that later.

On first try-on, I was immediately worried that I had bought a size too big. The thigh/hip/waist compression was great, but they were just snug on my skinny calves. After much deliberation I decided to hang on to them because I felt the smaller size, while it would squeeze the calf a bit better, would be too small everywhere else.

I took them out on their maiden voyage today, a mostly flat 12-mile run. The only mild annoyance I had was some slight bunching behind the knee, but otherwise they were incredibly comfy.

Immediately when I started I felt different. Many companies claim that the tights decrease muscle vibration, which I guess is what I was (or wasn't) feeling. It felt quite nice, actually.

Around the 3 mile mark is when I usually get the heavy/achy leg thing going on, and today there was no such aching. In fact, other than some soreness that kicked in around mile 10 in my hamstrings, my legs felt better than on any long run I'd done previously.

12 miles later I finished, and my legs felt great. My long-run pace, while not great, dropped from 10:56 to 10:15. Whether that's improved fitness or the compression, I have no idea--probably mostly due to lots of run-specific training, but with how good my legs felt throughout I can't help but think the tights deserve some bit of credit.

Now I'm home and it's a couple hours later, and my legs feel tired, but none of the usual aching/heaviness. 

I don't know one way or the other about the data regarding lactate clearance, etc. etc. while wearing the CompressRx goodies, but I can tell you that my legs feel subjectively MUCH better both during and after a long run, and I'm hooked. I'd especially recommend the CompressRx stuff to anyone who has varicose veins or suffers from the same tired/achy legs feeling when standing/walking for prolonged periods--this stuff really seemed to help me, and I'm hooked. I may try that smaller size once I lose a few pounds, but for now, these ROCK.