I have been a little slow going with running this “year” because I took some time off and as much as I would love to jump in and pile up the numbers, I know that’s not the safest thing to do. I did however get my butt out the door this morning for a 4 mile run in about 10 degree temperatures and snow and slush all over the road. This run was by far one of my most difficult runs in recent memory and not because of the time off but more so because of the elements. The cold doesn’t usually bother me, but the consistent feeling of running in sand with sneakers on is not something I am used to and it showed.
My plan for this blog post isn’t to dwell on the elements, but to share with you the layers I wear to stay warm during the cold temps. I am an outdoor runner. I have not ran on a treadmill in at least 2 years, if not longer, so I have to be prepared to brave the winter months on the road.
I took the picture below shortly after I was done with my run. This is all of the layers I removed. It took me almost 30minutes just to get ready to run, and get dressed as well. So here is a breakdown of what all of those piece of clothing are:
Upper Body:
Mizuno Breath Thermo® Dynamotion® Crew – I just purchased this at my local running store (Thank You Fleet Feet Syracuse!) and I am in love with this. It actually takes your sweat and turns it into body heat, keeping you warm.
Long Sleeve t-shirt – this particular one is from my half marathon I ran in 2010
Hooded Sweatshirt – I actually couldn’t decide if I should wear this or one of my Adidas Long Sleeve ClimaWarm Fleece style shirts. I chose the sweatshirt so that I could pull the hood up, but looking back I wish I had gone with the fleece style shirt. I made the mistake of dressing for about 5 degrees colder than it was, either that or the Mizuno shirt kept me warmer than I expected and I didn’t need the heavier layer in the end.
Lower Body:
Thermal style pants (C9/Champion brand) as a base layer. This isn’t your typical thermal pant in terms of the waffle/cotton mix, but more of a moisture wicking type material. (these are the black pants you see in the top right of the photo on top of the blue pants)
Lined wind pants – These are actually the pants to my set of warm ups from my senior year of softball in College. They are 11 years old, but I absolutely LOVE them for winter running as they are not too bulky or restrictive.
Saucony Razor Sneakers are just absolutely fantastic because they are completely waterproof. I use them at all times of the year depending on the weather, but for the snow and slush I guarantee I come home with dry feet.
Misc.:
Winter Hat from the Super Couch Potato 5k race I ran last year. The best part about this hat is that the back cut of the hat is much lower that most winter hats and covers more of your head to keep you warm running this time of year.
Running Gloves, purchased from Target a couple of years ago
Vinyl Medical Gloves (not pictured). I learned this a few years ago from a postal worker, that the best way to keep your hands warm in frigid temps is to wear a pair of vinyl gloves under another pair of regular gloves because it will make your heads sweat some and be natural heaters. Well I had to take them off around 1.5 miles because my hands were too warm and it was just distracting. Definitely a lifesaver though before that point!
All I can say is that although my run this morning was difficult, at least I wasn’t cold!