I was pretty excited when I found out that my lottery win from Running Free was for a dollar amount to CWX. A few people in my running group raved about their tights, but the desire to actually purchase a pair for myself was just never there. So, I was pretty amped to have the chance to try a pair! After reading a few gear reviews myself, and talking to a few running enthusiasts, I decided to go with the CWX Women’s ¾ Length Pro Tights (in black).
I had to special order these, as I got them pretty late in the season and most of the ¾ crops had previously sold. I was skeptical when looking at the sizing chart because I had no idea if I would be ordering the proper size or not. However, I went with a small anyway, thinking – “how many people order these tights based off of their height/weight and I am sure they had the same concerns as I do.” – I got the tights in, pretty quickly (thanks to Doug and Elicia at the Milton store!), and they fit perfectly!
Aside from some of the other CWX tights, the Black Pro Tights are pretty classic looking. No funky colours, just plain black threading and fabric. This was pretty important to me, as the other CWX tights had sort of put me off the brand all together.
I am fortunate to admit that I have experienced zero injuries in my running journey (knock on wood), aside from normal – yet very minor – aches and pains. So, I obviously can’t say that these have helped with any muscle or joint pain. However, I can say that when I first put on the CWX tights I felt very supported in them. They have a VERY snug fit.
My first run in them was a short one, followed by a few longer ones as my training increased in preparation for the Hamilton Marathon. I didn’t have any issues when wearing the tights, so I ended up wearing them at the Hamilton Marathon, and paired them with a pair of CEP sleeves (my own creation of compression full tights –haha). Previously, I’d always just worn compression post run. However, about 2 weeks out from the Hamilton Marathon, I was experiencing fairly tight calves and decided that since I was comfortable in the CWX and comfortable in my CEP sleeves, these would be a good match.
During the race, I felt extremely comfortable in the tights and sleeves. I PB’d by 7 minutes, but can’t entirely grant the compression 100% triumph of that. I do owe it to the tights/sleeve combo to say that I did not experience any discomfort in my calves during the race, I felt very supported and had no muscle or joint issues during the entire race.
To the right is a photo of me about 2km out from the finish at the Hamilton Marathon. I was fortunate to have Scott Smiciklas (in the Running Free jacket) meet me at the 25km mark to help keep me on track for a PB and BQ. If anything, I owe a big part of my personal win to Scott for keeping my mind clear during the last half of the race, keeping me motivated to keep putting one foot in front of the other and, really, to get my mind off of any fatigue I was experiencing. My main motive to insert this picture is so you could all gawk at my beautiful CWX and CEP pairing! (haha – kidding)
All that said, the only downfall I find with these is that they sit rather high on the waist. This is absolutely a personal preference and I gather that the reason for this is to assist in the support of the lower back. However, I find elastic waists sitting above my belly button uncomfortable (especially when the tights are tight to begin with). It’d be very cool to get a pair of compression that had all the same characteristics of these CWX tights, but with a looser jaw string to have flexibility in the tension you prefer around the waist.
