Illinois Running
What To Wear Running In The Winter
It's never too cold to run in the winter! You usually warm up in the first few miles so you are only cold when you first start out running. No matter how cold it is you will always sweat and if you wear to little to sweat you are probably not wearing enough.
The key is layers, usually two or three, one or two of cotton and one of nylon. Yes there is a specific use for those nylon-jogging outfits some people seem wear inside all day long and that is not exactly it. Some seasoned runners can go all winter with a nylon running suit and a few T-shirts. Although at any winter your running event you can always see at several people in shorts and T-shirts or even with out tops. I prefer more than that. The ideal and most versatile winter running outfit is:
- Stocking hat
- Heavy socks
- Long underwear
- T-shirt
- Hooded sweatshirt
- Two pair cotton work gloves
- Scarf
- Nylon running suit
- Cloth handkerchief
Stocking hat this is the most important piece of clothing to wear running in winter as 90 percent of your heat goes out your head. Get a thin one so that you can put the hood over it. The wind always seems to go though them no matter how thick they are, putting the hood over them will prevent this.
Heavy socks get these in the sporting goods department. You almost have to get bigger shoes for this but it seems your feet always get cold first.
Long underwear; get these in the sporting goods department also. I have a friend who always put insulated long underway underneath his running tights. I don’t do this but I wear nylon running suits while he wears running-tights and nylon jackets.
T-shirt; long sleeved ones are nice to start off with after a few winter running events you will have plenty of these.
Hooded sweatshirt; those gray or green insulted cotton hooded work sweatshirts are great for running in the winter, just put them underneath your nylon jacket. Fleece pullovers sometimes called hoodies are great for this. Put the hood up over your stocking cap. If any snow and wind go down the back of your neck just tie the string.
Two pair cotton work gloves; I like the black cotton ones and the big yellow fuzzy ones. Put the black ones inside the big yellow ones. A lot of my friends swear by mittens. A doctor I know who lives out in the country where there is a great deal of wind wears cotton gloves with rubber mittens over them.
Scarf; this is only for the coldest days. You can tie it around your neck to keep the wind out. I hate that feeling of freezing wind blowing down your inside your wet clothes. I was very glad I had one of these, one day when I was about 5 miles from home, and a blizzard came up suddenly, blowing stinging hard crystals of snow, ice or something.
Nylon running suit; the purpose of the nylon is to keep the wind out, while the cotton insulates. A lot of people call them wind suits, but what ever you call them they are great for keeping the cold wind off of wet, sweaty skin. After a while if cotton gets wet from sweat, the reason to keep the wind out becomes abundantly clear.
Cloth handkerchief; Get the large blue and red ones. These are not necessary if you are one of those lucky people who do not have sinus drainage while running in cold weather. If so it is very easy to take in and out of your pocket while running. My wife carries one in her hand year around while running. I have seen people place one in the back of their running shorts in summer. Whatever they are very handy for running year around but you can only buy them the larger stores in winter.
The above clothes will keep you warm at any temperature and you can adjust them as the temperature fluctuates. Also everything above can be thrown in the wash when you finish running.
