A while ago JamieLin and I had a short discussion on crossdressing and running, and that made me think of women's running clothes and perhaps why I haven't started wearing them. Crossdressing or not, there are several advantages and disadvantages of men wearing women's running clothes.



Advantages:

1. The tops and bottoms are much more form fitting then men's. Not baggy and loose. I like feel of the trimmer fit.
2. Trimmer fit may be less be less chaffing than looser clothes.
3. Form-fitting clothes usually have some Lycra that provides more support for the jiggly parts, e.g., belly, thighs, and the twig & berries.
4. Trimmer fit does a better job at wicking away sweat.
5. More stylish - colors, patterns, and cuts - and more thought is put into the details.
6. And reviewing men's options for underwear, I couldn't find anything smaller that a boxer brief. Women have available to them bikini styles that are great to wear under running tights or compression briefs.
7. Bun huggers! They fit like a second skin and feel fab!
8. Running tights feel wonderful! Even men's tights feel like heavy pantyhose. And you can wear pantyhose under them for another layer of insulation in the winter (I have many times). And support hose provide some massaging of the legs during and after running.

A few examples of bun huggers. Very short and form-fitting. I like the piping detail on this one.

Another, plain. Front:

Back:

One more. I like the swoosh of color:

Disadvantages:

1. Form fit shows off the bad jiggly parts, e.g., the 10-pack abs.
2. The shoes - since men are usually heavier than women, a woman's shoe may not provide the same support as a men's shoe in the same overall dimension.
3. I can't imagine wearing a wig while running would be comfortable. The body looses a lot of heat through the head, and a wig would just trap it and all of the sweat. Better let your hair grow out if you want to be passable.
4. And better find some sweat-proof make-up if you're so inclined to wear it.

There's the issue of discretion. Looser shorts & tops and generic colors may not draw much attention to the fact that the clothes are women's, but:

1. If you're running a local race in full female mode, its best to be very passable, otherwise you will get a lot of strange looks. And you might hear "Mommy, why's that man wearing a dress?" a lot. By in large the running community is very friendly and supportive, but there's no reason to purposely stick way way out. Keep to places where CDing is much more acceptable (group meetings and other CD-friendly events) (I wonder if there are enough CD runners that there could be an all CD race?). However, there is a guy that does wear a pink leotard, tu-tu and wand to major races every year (there was a short article about him in Runner's World some time ago); and I've seen a guy in a red dress with shoes spray-painted red, too (neither trying to pass). There are some races where many people show up in costumes.
2. Better be in top shape if you're brave enough to wear only a sports bra for a top.
3. Although I very much adore running skirts/skorts, use good judgement to pull it off in public.

Here's some women's shorts that I like. I like them because they are shorter than most men's shorts. And they are better looking than similar length men's shorts. They could be worn without too much notice.

These last ones are generic enough for either men or women:

Here are a few tops. I like them better than men's as they are more form-fitting. Front:

Andit has a really cool design on the back:

This is nice too. Large arm openings without being baggy. The interior bra may be tough to hide though.

And these long and short sleeved shirts are too cool!

Shoes. Other than the pink ones there's really nothing that makes them stand out as women's.