"She get it from her mamma" - Juvenile

It has always been hard for me to find a good pair of running shorts. Thanks to my mom, I have what some would call “junk in the trunk”. This makes it hard in the running shorts department. Even in high school, when I was in the best shape of my life…I have never found shorts that fit me right, are comfortable, or even semi-cute …until now.

Over the years, running short trends have gone through some ups and downs. Before I reveal my new favorite find, I would like to recap the trials and tribulations I’ve gone through wearing each of these trends.

In elementary school, everyone wore "plastic shorts" or "wind shorts". They were cheap so that you could buy all sorts of bright colors to match every puff painted shirt you owned. I loved these shorts until the day I wore them in my school play. I was the “sun” in the solar system…probably because I had a big round butt, but that’s besides the point. My mom and I bought these bright yellow plastic shorts to go with my costume (a cardboard sun cut-out around my head). When I got home from my big performance, we all gathered around the TV to watch the recording my dad made. Well…sure enough…with the bright lights in the cafeteria/auditorium, you could see straight though to my undies. I was mortified. I threw away every pair of plastic shorts I owned.

In middle/high school, everyone wore soffe cotton shorts…especially at summer camp or if you were a cheerleader. These shorts were NOT cute on me. #1 - They are too short. #2 – No matter how big I get them, my butt looks HUGE. #3 – They bunch up when I walk. Your thighs basically can’t touch at all for them to really hang right. To the girls that can pull these off, I envy you. The “cool kids” even rolled these shorts up. Today, there are so many variations of soffe shorts at Academy that you can find ones that are a bit longer that have an overall better fit. Still not ideal for a girl that’s got a “badunkadunk”.

In high school, I didn’t really have a choice. I was always playing a sport that had a signature short that matched our practice uniform. Addidas/Diadora for soccer, and some form of long mesh shorts for softball. These shorts were comfortable, but were no means cute or feminine. Because I am so short, the size that fit my booty ended up going all the way down to my knees. It was a very sporty/butch look. When I was at camp, I would roll them up…but after a few hours, my butt would eventually take over and they would un-roll in the back…to give a diaper looking effect. I was in a lose/lose situation.

I stuck with the mesh shorts for a while until I got married to James and he accidentally put on a pair of my infamous mesh shorts and they FIT him…PERFECTLY. Sad, but true..he now wears them all the time.

We recently joined a softball league so I figured it was the perfect time to try a new style. I went to Academy and they had a HUGE selection. I literally took every single type of short…in my size…and the size bigger (just to see). I probably had 25 pairs of shorts in the dressing room….luckily there wasn’t a limit. After many unsuccessful fits, I tried on the Nike Running Shorts. I’ve seen these on girls on the town lake running trail in Austin…or when I drive down the drag and see all the UT sorority girls walking to class wearing these shorts with their Louis Vuitton purses. They are super cute, but again…I thought there was no way I would ever look good in those. I even laughed when I picked them out to try on.
Well…my friends….THEY FIT PERFECTLY! They are super feminine with the fun colors down the side, they fit in the booty, they aren’t too short, and they have a flattering curve design that minimizes the thigh area. I’m a big fan!!! I got my pair for $20 bucks on sale…a steep price, but worth it!

Too bad they didn’t come out with these durning my teen years, when you were actually self-conscious about work-out shorts. I’m in my mid-late 20’s and I’m just now fitting in with the latest work-out style. Maybe I’ll go put on my new shorts and hang out at the Starbucks by campus this weekend and show them off!