The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet containing the Trigirl Swift Trisuit was that a little black crop top popped out too, an added bonus! Worn under the suit, it is of matching design and whilst I’ve never considered female specific suits previously, it made for very comfy wearing and I experienced no rubbing or chafing. The suit is a lovely deep pink perfectly complimenting the main body in black.
I’ve only just returned to the sport of triathlon after four years and so with no particular races planned until July, I decided to wear it for a mini brick session. A brick session, for those who are unsure, is where you combine a run and bike together for example either a repeated set of ten minutes cycling, five minutes running or even just a short run following a bike ride or turbo session. This gets your legs used to the concept of a triathlon and perfecting running off the bike. I decided to try forty minutes on the turbo followed by a twenty minute run.
Four lots of five minute race pace efforts with three minutes steady pedalling in between made me get a bit of a sweat on, but the suit’s material felt so breathable and seemed to wick moisture away from my skin. I wish my pink turbo towel would do the same for my head!
The fabric is a mixture of 71% Polyamide Micro, 29% Xtra Life Lycra. In normal terms this basically means that the suit fits around your body for ultimate comfort and giving you an aerodynamic feel on the bike and streamline position in the swim. The bottom of the legs are also elasticated to fit snugly around your legs which is a great benefit for me in particular. After stopping sport, I lost a lot of muscle through health problems and so I often struggle to get a good fit in cycling or tri shorts. This elastic means that whether you have ‘Victoria Pendleton’ quads or tiny less powerful legs like me, the suit fits to your build. I am a Size 8 so opted for Size Small (the crop top coming with it being 6/8) and it fit beautifully.
The back of the suit embodies a Swim Suit cut-out style and half way down, there are also two small pockets should you want to tuck a gel in one of them for energy during training or racing. I usually avoid suits with pockets at the back as I used to worry that they would create drag in the water, however these have been ingeniously hidden under a covering flap that keeps the suit streamline whilst maintaining functionality.
Turbo sessions are never the nicest sessions to do, especially if you’ve just had your hair done or actually made an effort to put on some eyeliner (which I like to do if I’m off for a run out on the streets of Manchester afterwards!), however the breathability of suit is further enhanced by the zip being at the front. During a training session, it is of great help to zip this down a little seeing as you are wearing the crop top underneath and this again lets a little more air reach your body..and gets you a slight tan if you manage to venture out into the sunshine. The high neck zip makes for a secure, comfortable fit and I felt as if I was ‘at one’ with the suit. Usually when you have such a close fitting suit you can experience chafing or rubbing either under the arms or at the bottom of the legs but there were no exposed seams that allowed this to happen.
Forty minutes later and I realised that for once I didn’t have a ‘numb bum’ as often happens when you’re in the saddle for a long time in anything less than ultra padded cycling shorts. The chamois is made by Cytech and so once again this higher quality component means you can perform at your best, in comfort, for longer.
Off onto the run and despite the padding being present, it felt as if I was in my usual running kit. I swept through the Manchester streets to complete the twenty minute loop feeling great as I knew I was comfortable, looking stylish and would only have one piece of kit to wash when I got back!
If you have a read of my blog (www.sinkorswimnina.blogspot.com), this documents my return to the sport of triathlon after racing for nine years progressing to Junior Elite Level, before having a four year break due to health problems. The first thing you might notice is that style is key to me. For this session, I wore black compression socks that I thought complimented the trisuit very well, however I am renowned for my colour co-ordinated kit (usually pink) and always try to look stylish during training! The Trigirl suit gave me a great confidence boosting session, I love the colour and look of it and whilst I had never considered female specific kit previously I definitely will in the future. I can’t wait to use this suit for my first race this year, and this will be even more special as it will be my first race for four years after overcoming many struggles detailed in my blog. Trigirl.co.uk will certainly be making it special with their superb, speedy, specialised kit.
And I’m still of the opinion that any kit in the colour pink makes you go faster!
Happy training!
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