Pam, or ‘Pinky13’ wrote this week about how hard it is to get motivated running in the cold, especially the rain, cold, wind and dark . I couldn’t agree more. Its not that I don’t enjoy the run once I’ve got going, its just the thought of getting out there when in here with a hot chocolate sounds so much more appealing. It is harder to get going in the winter. Also, cold weather throws up the big question, what do I wear?
Gloves are an obvious one. Hat, maybe, depending how cold. Thermal, yes definitely. Top layer…. How thick? Leggings, or tracksuit bottoms? And that’s not even touching on footwear.
I was recently discussing the winter running kit with my cousin who said she always finds it hard. She sets off freezing, with several layers on and hat and gloves, then after half an hour she’s sweltering under the layers and has to start stripping down mid-run. Obviously that’s not ideal, especially when you have to carry the extra clothing home. Now my mum, on the other hand, is of the belief you should set out cold and shivering and then run to get warm until you are at the optimum temperature. I can see this might work. But what if you get injured or have to slow down or stop? Or, if you are racing and have to wait at the start line for a while? Should we risk hypothermia like this?
So, that leaves us somewhere in the middle. Preferably we want to be cool enough so that when we get running and generate heat we don’t need to start taking off layers, but warm enough so that if we fall over and have to stop we won’t get hypothermia.
Tricky, I think the answer is, light weight, breathable thermals. The breathable bit will stop you from overheating, and the thermal bit will keep you at a good temp. You can decide how many thermal layers to use depending on how cold it is, but with this type of material, if you get a bit hot it’s not a problem. Just stay away from wool and cotton, these might keep you nice and toasty at first but they could leave you too hot, and if they get damp they aren’t exactly wick-away, they’ll stop keeping you warm and start keeping you cold and soggy.
This new thermal material is fantastic (I’m not earning commission, I promise). You can now get gloves, hats, headbands, legging, vests, jackets and much more made out of it. So, lay out your fantastic lightweight, wick-away, temperature moderating clothes, alongside your fluorescents, and you’re all set!
One more tip: Snowing? Cross country shoes are amazing on snow! It brings them up nice and shiny too.
Happy Winter Running!
What's the best option? Should toughgirl wear lots of layers and remove them while running? Or, start off cold and warm up as she goes? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
I live in the north of scotland and have been running in some pretty cold temps. Like you I start off freezing with loads of layers and then just want to take them all off again. My winter fleece lined nike dri-fit leggings have been awesome and I have been running in a base layer and north face breathable lightweight fleece which seems to be enough even for the scottish weather. The leggins are so good I have even worn them mountain hiking in winter with temps well below freezing. The fleece is hooded which is great instead of a hat as you can put it down when you get hot but it also helps keep my ear phones in place :-)
Running on ice? Now thats a different problem I'm struggling with just now - i think I'm going to have to invest in a good pair of trail running shoes?
I do the start cold run to keep warm technique, baselayer and a water\wind proof running jacket. If is really cold, two base layers, hat and gloves. Running on ice, i try to avoid if I can. I tend to get knee problems because I change my running style when icy. Not worth it in the long run especially because cold snaps rarely last more than a few days.
I ran on Sunday night in a lightweight jacket with inner mesh lining. I became too hot after about 15 mins. Fortunately I was running past my In-Laws house so I threw it into a corner of their garden as I was passing! The next morning I rang them up to ask them to bring it into the house and it had frozen! I've done this before - taken my jacket off and thrown it into a corner of someone's garden and picked it up at the end of my run. If I can I will always try to go out without a jacket though because I know no matter how cold it is to begin with I will get too warm.