Race Shirts

Before I got into racing I used to buy tech shirts for casual wear.  Now I don't need to buy them anymore and just use my race shirts that are tech fabric.  The cotton race shirts that I get go to the back of the closet.

It's not so much that I want to show anything off rather than it's a useful shirt for me and how I prefer to dress.  One of my favorite shirts is from a marathon where I bonked and almost DNF'd.  It was the worst race of my life and every time I wear it I hope nobody asks about the race.  But it's in a nice color and fits well.  And from my experience, nobody really gives a crap about my race shirt and rarely does anyone ask about it.  Mostly my training friends that already knew what happened to me during that race and rib me about it.  But as far as non training friends...maybe 1 or 2 comments about it in 3 years.

Wear what you want...most people couldn't care less as long as you don't stink.

I think I had a rash of responses/questions to my IMAZ shirt which got me self conscious.  I just put it on to go to the pool party then it opened up a conversation.  But I wasn't trying to start a conversation with it, just avoid sunburn. 

Maybe the difference is wearing it and letting someone bring it up and wearing it AND bringing it up yourself.  I have no desire to talk about my "hobby/passtime", but I won't shy from questions.

I try not to be a showoff, but if you ask, I'll answer.

I wear race shirts exclusively for training. But I'm kind of a girly girl, and like to look what I consider "nice" when doing things in public or with other people. I don't consider race shirts part of my "nice" wardrobe, so they're for training only.

I don't think twice when other people wear them though, for any occasion... whatever floats your boat!

I wear my race shirts quite often.  As one of the people who lost lots of weight getting into triathlons / running / cycling events I am happy to have them.  It helped me save a bunch of money buying new clothes (well shirts anyways).  I bet probably 3/4 of my t-shirts are race shirts of some sort.  When winter comes though I switch to sweaters / "nicer wardrobe".

I have the luck of working on a college campus.  I can wear pretty much anything, except when I have meetings with clients, or deans.  Even then sometimes it does not matter.

Pretty much every race shirt I own I swim in, even the smalls.  So they're pajamas.  They look like I'm wearing something that doesn't fit me and are not the least bit functional for working out.  I prefer something fitted for workouts.

The exceptions are two shirts from races that offered a specific women's cut shirt (also know as a babydoll shirt) for the women.  Those two fit really nicely like a T-shirt I would buy for myself to go with jeans, shorts, workout pants, etc. so I wear them when I'm very casually dressed.

It doesn't occur to me that anyone cares what it says on my shirt and I don't recall a time anyone asked me about the race because I was wearing a race shirt.

I'm getting overwhelmed with race shirts.  I purged all of my non-tech shirts a year or so ago, but still have so many tech shirts that my wife is starting to politely complain about it.

I've separated them into favorites that I like to run in, and others for around the house and casual wear. 

I've also got a few that I'll never wear again (for various reasons) that will likely be headed to Goodwill or the Salvation Army in the near future.

Mark 

Note to RD's.  Tech shirts.

I purged a lot of old cotton ones as well.

OHH.......I reread my post and can see how what I said could be confusing.  No, I'm not literally swimming in them, just figuratively! 

This. I only wear race shirts to training/ hanging around the house.

Waaaay too much effort for me!   

I only wear mine while running or on the trainer.  Although I do have a couple that are already stained/ripped/whatever that I keep around to work outside when its hot.

As Amy said, though, I find that most of my shirts are ginormous.  You'd think that a size small shirt from a marathon or triathlon wouldn't be sized to fit someone 5'10" and 185 lbs.  Honestly I'd say that I end up keeping 2 out of every 5 I get because they are simply too big.

I have a pretty side selection of race shirt types.  While most races now give the standard tech T some are getting a little more creative and I've got some great long sleeve techs for those Fall runs.  I've also received a few polo type shirts, singlets, and even a pair of shorts.

I keep about a dozen of my favorite shirts in the drawer and the rest go to storage.  I have several garbage bags full of old T's in the basement.  It is kind of fun to go back and see some of really old ones from the 70's and 80's.