Cold Weather Running

We just enjoyed a nice week of weather for mid November. Temps were in the high 50's to low 60's and was basically perfect for running. However, the weather is bound to turn cold here over the next week or so, and I think we are in for a long winter. Some of the shorter days of running, I may just turn to my treadmill at home or at work.

If I want to get outside like I did this past Monday for one of my longer runs, I'm going to need to start picking up some cold weather gear. Last year, I stuck to the treadmill and the indoor track. Only 2 or 3 times did I even bother to venture outside, and those were unseasonably warm days anyways.

I depend on Runners World for a lot of my initial advice before I hit their forums and figure things out for myself. One problem I have with a lot of the advice for any gear is Runners World and the more seasoned runners almost spare no expense when it comes to the items they choose. Cold Weather gear guide from Runners World.

If you follow through the content of that link, there are not a lot of options to start shopping for, but they cover the bases as to what type of clothing to look for.
The key to the winter clothes is choosing the right options to layer.

They start with a Long sleeve tech fabric shirt from Asics, retailed at 65 bucks.
Next, they mention a pair of light wool boxers for $45 bucks.
A waterproof lightweight zip jacket at 140 bucks from New Balance.
RW offers two hat options from Nike, a baseball style cap or a thermal beanie. each around $30.

They do suggest another, cheaper windbreaker option around 85 bucks from Brooks as well as a North Face Vest option.

I prefer a looser fitting pant since I don't think people want to see me sporting the spandex leggings, but there are a loose and a tight option for around 65 bucks.

Saucony's UltiMitt is recommended as a running glove that has a flip Mitten part to it. These actually look reasonable for 30 bucks.


So, now I need to look at what it is I need. I have one of those goofy looking fleece headbands for covering your ears. I also have a knitted, fleece lined hat that I've felt comfortable wearing on cold runs. This hat was meant for skiing but is a nice comfortable running hat.

At the end of last winter/early Spring, I picked up a long sleeve tech fabric shirt similar to the Asics one mentioned above. It is a Reebok Option that I picked up at Marshall's for 8 bucks. I also have a couple tech fabric long sleeve shirts that aren't as tight that I got for each marathon I ran. I figure those two shirts or my regular short sleeved shirt are good to layer over that Reebok shirt.

I see at Target, for less than 20 bucks I can get a pair or two of running pants from Champion's C9 brand. I love the C9 stuff, so I'll check those out this week. I'd still like to pick out a wind breaker/running jacket, but for now, if i need another layer, I do have a fleece jacket that I got real cheap last winter.

I tend to avoid running in the real wet stuff. So, I think I can stay clear of the rain gear. Mostly, I think I'll play it by ear as I need stuff. Aside from a pair of pants, I think I'm set for the early weeks of winter ahead.