When good clothes go bad

[LdyStormy76]

What do you do when an item of clothing that caused no issues in training causes an issue during a race?
A) Give it another try in training before making a decision and if it causes no issues try it in race conditions again.
B) Get rid of it.
C) Demote it to the wear around the house drawer.
D) Something else?

 

[mrsg00fy]

What do you do when an item of clothing that caused no issues in training causes an issue during a race?
A) Give it another try in training before making a decision and if it causes no issues try it in race conditions again.
B) Get rid of it.
C) Demote it to the wear around the house drawer.
D) Something else?

I had a favorite pair of running shorts that got me through many training runs. About three weeks ago I wore them for a training run and wound up with bizarre chafing all along my lower back. They didn't even make it to the washer. I threw them out so that I wouldn't forget the issue they caused as I didn't want to feel that discomfort ever again.

 

[NYIrunDisney]

I demote them strictly to shorter training runs.

 

[jmasgat]

I would try and figure out what the difference was between training conditions and racing conditions to see if there was a specific reason that might have contributed to the problem, e.g. temperature, humidity, wearing other items adjacent or on top of the offending item (like a hydration belt or costume). If you can ascertain a difference (or differences), then I would give the item another try--either mitigate the factors causing issues, or don't use it in those conditions. Example: I have sports bras that I will use for cycling or yoga, but not running. They are still useful--just not for running due to a band that just always seems to cause run-chafing.

But I also know when to throw in the towel. Somewhere along the way, the style of running shorts that had served me so well failed dramatically at Disney one race. I ended up with such bad chafing, it was awful. I realized that even with copious amounts of BodyGlide, maybe my legs were just not right for them anymore. They got trashed.

Hope you solve your problem (without necessarily having to pitch otherwise good, and sometimes pricey, clothing)