I’ve come to realize that when the snow hits the ground and
the temperatures plummet, there are a few things I add to my running routine,
things I now can’t live without. Winter
in the Twin Cities was all fine and good up to a few weeks ago – no snow and
temps in the 30s. However, we got
whacked with 12 inches of snow on the second weekend of December and the
temperature has seldom risen above 20F. Since
then I’ve had to dig through my running gear to get out some winter gear, but I
also had to treat myself differently too.
My writing ended up getting a bit lengthy (probably because I haven’t
posted in so long) so I’ve separated my entry into three posts based on the
subjects of clothing, gear, and health. Here
then is the first segment on winter running clothing –
Clothing – Of
course the rule for outdoor winter activities is to dress in layers. That is indeed key, but there is extra
importance on the first innermost layers and the outer layer as well. In the winter I always start with a base
layer or long underwear. I personally
wear a long sleeve Craft base layer shirt (that I’ve had for years) and
typically a C9 by Champion long underwear bottom. I’ll sometimes add a C9 long sleeve top over
the Craft base layer as well. As far as
long underwear go, there are the old fashioned kind and many new more techy
ones out on the market as well. They all
work from my experience. Simply buy want
you fancy and use it.
For the outermost layer, it’s a good idea to have a
windproof shell of some sort. Once the
temperature gets below 20F, any wind provides a pretty harsh wind chill. While on warmer days you might drop the
shell, you will always want your outer layer to be a bright color. It seems like cars and people in general don’t
expect other people to be out running in the winter. Thus you want to stand out with some neon or something
else obnoxiously bright. Also, while
this is more of a rule, it’s also good to run against traffic if there isn’t a
path/sidewalk and you need to run on the street. That way if a driver doesn’t see you running,
you are able to see so and get out of the way.
I couldn’t tell you how often I’ve seen runners in my area running with
traffic, putting all their trust in drivers seeing them.
Layers, layers, layers.
Lastly for clothing, the little things are also
important. By that I mean hat, gloves,
and, when it’s really cold, face protection.
For gloves, I actually use two pair.
I have a pair of thin wool knit gloves (that are my primary autumn
gloves) that I often wear underneath a pair of minimally lined nylon/fake
leather gloves. This combination always
seems to work for me as I can take off a layer of gloves if my hands get too
warm. As far as my hat goes, I have a
trusty Asics hat that I picked up at some running event expo and have had for
years now. I love it as it has a thicker
fleece lined headband area – perfect for the ears – but the upper part of the
hat is similar to a long underwear knit.
It keeps my upper head warm but lets the extra warmth vent out. I’ve also used fleece hats before with
success. (Know thinking about it these
also always had thicker headbands for the ears and thinner uppers. For face protection (which I use under 20F), I have two options.
I have a fleece/neoprene mask that I used to always use for cold weather
bicycling. It’s vented in the front for
your nose and mouth which is great, but it also causes you to look like
Hannibal Lector. My other option is a
fleece neck buff that my wife made for me a few years ago. This is my go-to of the two for running. It does a very good job of keeping my neck
and chin warm, as well as my face and nose on those really cold days I wear it
higher up. On those really cold days
though, I have to make sure I have it adjusted right for covering my
mouth. Otherwise, I get a mouthful of
fleece when I inhale.
Peek a boo!
That’s it for now.
Check back soon for parts two and three.
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