Dressing for Winter Running

Your mileage may vary.  In fact, it will vary.  But since some of the folks who stop by here are newer runners of Ultrarunners looking for practical, how-to advice, I'll tell you what works for me.

Today's example is a cold weather run from earlier this week when the ambient temp was 10F.  There was a slight wind, say up to 10 MPH, so I'd characterize the conditions as breezy but not windy. As is the norm around here in south-central PA, the prevailing wind was more or less from the west.

My clothes: started with a pair of "wind boxers."  These are boxer shorts with a nylon panel in the front, well, to protect your junk.  Next was a pair of calf length socks, medium weight, much like I'd wear in any season.  I don't use a heavier sock in the winter.

Since my winter tights are not super heavy, I layered up first with a pair women's footless tights from a department store (i.e., not a designed running garment), then my outer men's tights.

On my torso I wore a long sleeve mock turtleneck of polypro or some such fabric, then went with my outer layer: a fairly heavy fleece shell with a hood.  I love this shell for serious cold because the way it is designed, the zipper can come up high enough to cover my chin and in so doing in snugs the hood around my head (there is not hood string to draw it tight).  I wear a baseball cap under the hood, for sun or rain/snow protection for my eyes and glasses.

Thus when I'm totally zipped up, only my nose and eyes show.  But I usually zip the fleece down just a tad to expose my mouth for breathing.

Oh, I do wear heavier gloves when it's this cold, as my hands get chilly easy here in my old age.  Plus from long habit, I always carry a bandana.  That's a year-round staple for blowing noses to wiping sweat to cooling off with water dipped from a stream.

For me the best strategy is to run first into the wind if your geography permits.  That way you get the worst part done first, and can unzip a bit on the return segments. If you do the downwind part first, you risk sweating up a bit, which will be unpleasant when later you do have to turn into the wind.

Dressing in Layers...and Ultrarunning

The following was a short note I once posted to the Ultralist (link here) that got compiled and include on Kevin Sayers' great site of collected Ultra wisdom:

Let me jump in too, some philosophy, some how-to...

Stan's comments are right on the mark about attitude. I definitely am not a masochist, but I do confess to a warm, fuzzy--OK, smug--feeling when I'm out there and the other guys aren't. Some of my greatest runs have occurred, when by any objective standard, the weather stinks. In a certain sense, there's no such thing as bad weather, only weather for which you are unprepared.

Here in PA we get our share of cold weather, though not as severe as the upper Midwest. But regardless of the absolute temperature, we all know the standard advice is that you gotta go in layers. That's correct, but what you don't really hear emphasized much is the flip side--that you also gotta be willing to peel off those layers as you warm up and with temperature/wind changes. For example, in say 0-10 degree weather I wear a long sleeve polypro type turtleneck, another long sleeve T-shirt, and then a short sleeve T-shirt. If I sense that I'm sweating a little too much I'll stop to take off the second long sleeve T-shirt and tie it around my waist before my whole top gets real wet. Also I'm always tinkering with my knit hat, mittens, whether I push my sleeves up, etc. In other words, actively manage your personal microclimate. Sure, it's a minor hassle to peel clothes off/on. You can't avoid getting damp from sweat but you do want to avoid getting wet.

If the winds are strong, or if I'm going to be off the beaten track I'll also begin the run with a windbreaker top on, or around my waist for backup.

My wife worries about me going off into the hinterlands alone, and even though I always tell someone where I'm going and when I expect to be back, let's face it--if you keel over for any reason you're going to be out there hours until help arrives. You could freeze, literally. So in my belt pack I always carry a space blanket (virtually no weight) plus a candle/matches with which to start a fire (assuming I am conscious!).

Your mileage may vary.

 

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

I’m a member of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains the Appalachian Trail and other trails in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and southern Pennsylvania.  The July issue of their monthly newsletter—although they are focused on hiking rather than trail running--contained a couple of gems that are relevant to the Ultrarunning world:

First, an excerpt from a list called the “Ten Essentials” dealing with adequate preparation for backcountry exploration, that deals with the important question of how to dress:

Extra clothing should be selected according to the season.  Ask the question: What is needed to survive the worst conditions that could be realistically encountered on this trip? 

You can’t cover every single contingency, otherwise you’d be burdened with an expedition’s worth of gear and clothing. Be realistic and dress/carry accordingly. If you're way out in the backcountry, better safe than sorry; if nearer to shelter/car/home, obviously your clothing choices are of less significance.

Second, just a brief note from the minutes of the last meeting of the governing council:

Tom Johnson reported on the May 5 event for blind hikers.  45 blind hikers and 12 sighted hikers participated in what turned out to be a 2.2 mile hike.  PATC naturalist Bob Pickett provided descriptions of the surroundings.  The group smelled honeysuckle, felt a box turtle and enjoyed feeling tree bark.

Now, stop complaining.

 

Favorite Ultrarunning Clothing

[photos by Gary]

For me, one of my favorite garments is a baseball cap from the 2002 JFK 50 Mile Run.  This was not swag from the race, but sold by an apparel vendor the night before at an expo at the race packet pickup.

I wear this cap when I run, pretty much year-round (though when it gets much below about 35 F or so, I do don warmer headgear).  Anyway, after 10 years of hard use, the buckle in the sizing band on the back corroded through and I was forced to do some repairs in the form of sewing male and female Velcro strips onto the sizing band.  See below:

If I do say so myself, the repair looks professional and should keep the cap functional for another 10 years.

By the way, I never wash this cap or wear it in the rain or snow.  I keep adding layer after layer of crusty white sweat to it.  I have told the bride that if I predecease her, this cap must be among the memorabilia and photos that should be displayed at my memorial service.  Possibly more than anything else, this cap embodies my identity as an Ultrarunner.