Wool

Woolen running shirts.  Who would have ever thought that running shirts made of wool would become my favorite running apparel?

At Christmas, Sara gave me a short sleeved 100% wool T-shirt.  I was skeptical about her claims of "no smell after wearing 30 consecutive days" and "it won't rub you when you sweat" and "it's the most comfortable shirt that you'll ever wear".  Wool? From sheep?  The only wool that I can really remember are the sweaters that Mom used to knit for us.  While warm, they were always kind of itchy. I could never think about wearing one while I was running.

The shirt that Sara gave me, however, didn't feel anything like wool - at least not what I think about when I think "wool". It is soft, like well worn cotton, and has kind of an earthy smell.  Not like a wet dog.  More like a walk in the woods after a rain.  Shortly after Christmas, I wore it while working indoors on the elliptical.  It was comfortable, like one of the more ubiquitous "wicking" shirts from Under Armour or Nike, but there was something different about it too.  When I wore it outside after the workout, I didn't feel as cold as I did with the wicking shirt.  I wore it a few times after that, all without washing it, to test the "30-days-without-washing-and-still-smells-fresh" claims.  I know, disgusting.  Sara was right - no smell. Just the "earthy" smell.  And I stayed a lot warmer, regardless of how wet I got.  And amazingly enough, no nipple rub when I didn't use Body Glide.  I was hooked.  I bought 2 more short sleeve and 2 long sleeve shirts.  Yes, they are expensive (about $60 for the short sleeve and $80 for the long sleeve) but if I smell better after a workout, it's worth it.

Today was about 50 and threatening rain when I went out and 6 miles and a downpour later, it was still 50.  Ordinarily, I would have been shivering but I wasn't.  The wool held my body heat and kept me comfortable.  Buy one - and you'll buy more.

If you're interested, http://us.icebreaker.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-IB-US-Site/default/Home-Show