Ann's Running Commentary

Two things you should know about me before I start this post. First, I have never in my life written a product review. And second, I hate the color lavender. I mean hate with a passion. Yet, here I sit, in front of my laptop, writing a product review about my new lavender top from Thriv 1st.

When Jonathan first emailed me about trying out the new top I thought I loved the idea. Then he said it was eco-friendly and made from Bamboo and I thought, oh no. I was not at all sure what I was getting myself into but I imagined running in a burlap sack. This did not sound appealing. I double checked with Jonathan to make that I would not be obligated to write about it and once I was clear on that I agreed. “Go ahead send it. I will give it a try.”

Everybody loves getting something new in the mail and for me new running gear is just the ticket. So, the day it arrived I was so excited I opened it before I even made it back into the house. Now here comes the moment of honesty. I looked at this lavender shirt, sat it on the dining room table and didn’t pick it up again for over a week. Lavender? Yuck. I definitely was not going to wear that.

Eventually though the dining room table needed to be dusted. In the process of clearing the table of built up piles of mail, school books and other miscellaneous items, I came across the top again. Picking it up and taking just a minute to examine it, I was surprised by how soft it was. Then I noticed how light it was. I began to have doubts about a sports top that was so soft and light. Could it really perform?

Oh, there is one more thing I should have told you about myself. I am from Maryland, the home of Under Armour and quite honestly I love their gear. I was not at all convinced that this super soft and lightweight top was going to be able to compete with my hometown team.

Maybe I was trying to stack the field against it but I decided to try the new top out on my hardest workout, my 5×7. This workout calls for running as fast as I can for five minutes then running downstairs to the free-weight room doing three sets of weights, then repeating this seven times. This means I keep my heart rate elevated for over an hour and a half. When I finish this workout I am pouring sweat. This is a tough test for even the toughest of sportswear.

In all respects, the Thriv top performed above all expectations. The most important thing for me was that I didn’t chafe. I have had an issue with chafing with every sports bra I have ever owned and I didn’t chafe even a little bit. I would have been sold on this product on this point alone but to top it off, it wicks better than any shirt I have worn and it dries in record time.

I still hate lavender, but I find myself rushing this top to the washer as soon as I get home from the gym in order to make sure it is ready for the next workout. Considering my distinct lack of domestic goddess genes,this, more than anything, proves how quickly this top has won a top spot in my sportswear drawer.

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