What to Wear for Cold Weather Running…and Some Tips on Race Day Dress

I went on a run this morning at 5:00AM like I normally do it was 13°F, the real feel of 9°F , and it had snowed that night...so not only was it dark out it was also pretty darn cold and slippery. Normally I would either go back to sleep or run on a treadmill at Gold's Gym but I was already up and the snow didn't seem too deep and I usually get sooo bored running on a treadmill that I decided to venture out.

My running route this morning

So how does one dress for these conditions? Layers, layers, layers…and reflective gear. The number of layers is up to you and how you tolerate the cold.

I discovered that for me if the weather is below freezing like today 3 good layers with a tech fleece long sleeve shirt and tech fleece tights is best. Also ear/head protection, gloves, and a scarf/face protection can help you keep from "freezing." When the weather is warmer I won't use fleece and I begin to shed the layers and the accessories as the temperature rises…I prefer to be slightly underdressed than overdressed…I hate overheating…at first it may feel like your fingers are about to freeze off but once you get going and your blood starts pumping you'll be fine.

At least year's Marine Corps Marathon I wore shorts, a short sleeved tech shirt, and a long sleeved tech shirt…no gloves or ear protection…I don't remember the exact temperature but it was pretty darn cold and a lot of people had on tights, jackets, gloves, hats, pullovers, etc… Even though I was freezing at first once I started running I acclimated and after about 7 miles I ditched the long sleeve shirt and was great the rest of the race. Now, you can always wear more layers and a jacket but keep in mind that as you begin to heat up and need to ditch the layers you don't have too many options and will most likely end up losing that article of clothing. Most people just throw the extra clothes on the side of the road or leave it in a Porta Potty (that's where I left my long sleeve shirt) and the chances of getting it back are slim to none…are you really going to wait until the very end of the races or walk back several miles to find it? Some races actually collect the abandoned clothes and donate them to charity. Others coordinate with loved ones on wear to meet them to pass off extra clothes…usually at the race start. I recommend just toughing out the cold or wearing old clothes you don't mind losing.

 

Here is a list of what I wore today with pictures:

Base Layer Shirt: Marine Corps Marathon Tech Fleece

Second Layer: Lululemon Pullover 

Outer Layer: Lululemon Running Jacket

Accessories: Gloves, thick socks, headband, scarf

Lululemon Tech Fleece Tights

Since it was dark out I wore some reflective gear. Sometimes if there are no or too few street lamps I'll wear a clip-on LED strobe light and use a headlamp but the road I ran today had pretty decent lighting so good reflective gear was all I really needed.

Nathan Reflective Vest

Saucony ViZiPro Kinvara 4 (They're reflective)

Soooo many races and sooo little money

So  I decided to start a blog since everyone and their mother seems to have one plus I love telling people all about my running even though most of the time they really don't want to hear it :)

This year I'm already signed up for 1 full marathon, 4 half marathons, 2 ten milers, and 5 other races of various distances...and I also have a long list of other races I want to do this year that I haven't signed up for yet because registration hasn't opened or I'm short on funds...racing isn't cheap lol

What is my goal for this blog? Well my goal is to review all the different races I'll be participating in so if anyone where to come across my blog they could be like "Hey, that race sounds fun maybe I'll try it next year...". I love when friends and family ask me about running like if I'm some expert...I'm totally not so please! if I post about my training plans or diets don't think that I am a dietary expert or professional athletic trainer and you should do what I do...sometimes I can be a bit crazy and not do the healthiest things...like eating Nancy's Deli Spiral appetizers everyday for dinner for two weeks because I don't have time to eat between work and CrossFit...yeah I do CrossFit too or at least I try to...I just started at the beginning of the month and it's been a blast! I did it once before for a few months but it got expensive so I had to say goodbye but now I'm back and loving it!

So now I'm running out of stuff to say...I kind of just decided to do my first post today randomly with no preparation...

Over the next month I plan on really getting into a half marathon training plan so I can get an awesome PR at the Nike Women's Half Marathon DC...this will be my second time running it and I'm super excited!!! I have two other half marathons before then but I'm just going to try and get under 2:00:00 for those since I haven't been properly training because of the cold these last few months and I've really been lazy...

My Nike Women's Half DC 2013 Tiffany's Finisher Necklace

 

My half PR is 1:53:35 and I'm hoping to finish under 1:45:00 at the Nike Women's Half this year....training starts Monday February 3rd :) :)
Ok I'm done...for now...


2014 1st Quarter Race Schedule

2/23/2014 Gasparilla Distance Classic-Tampa Bay Run Half Marathon
3/02/2014 Reston 10 Miler
3/09/2014 St. Patrick’s Day 8K
3/15/2014 DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
3/29/2014 The Runway 5 Miler