Where I live, in the south eastern US we have had pretty mild winters the last few years, finally this year winter has decided to show up again! Its a far cry from my youth, running in MA, north of Boston, but I am thankful for those days and learning how to layer up for the cold!
This year, we have had several mornings below freezing and have managed to get two snow events. I hesitate to call them snowstorms, one turned to rain after the first few hours of pretty-fluffy snow, and this most recent one we received less than an inch…but I’ll take it!
With cold and snowy mornings, that means I have to remember to dig out my winter running gear. If you need a reminder of how to dress, that’s what this post is for. Most folks are perfectly fine running in temps below freezing, once you get around 5 degrees F, it can be a little irritating to our lungs. For some runners with asthma or other lung considerations, you may want to pay attention to how different temperatures feel for your breathing and opt to stay inside if you find cold running to be a lung irritant.
For those of you ready to get out into the cold, first, layers! If its sunny, running in the sun can get quite warm, while shaded places will still be cold. To combat this I try to wear wicking layers that zip up and down so I don’t need to constantly take off and put back on layers. When you get warmer, unzip your layers, take off your hat. When it gets colder, zip them back up!
The past few mornings its been below 20 degrees. Everyone is different, some people like to dress a tad cold, because they run hot, and others have chronically cold toes and fingers and like to dress more warmly. For myself, I decide what is the purpose of my run? If its a workout, I will dress with fewer heavy layers because I know I will get hot, but if I am out for a fun snow run with no real goal, I will dress with heavier layers so if I decide to stop and take pictures or meet friends and dogs, I will have warmer things to wear.
For example yesterday’s run was 16 degrees at a casual pace for 90 min with a friend and one of my dogs. This meant we were going to go conversational pace, and would probably pause for doggie pee breaks. I would need my hands to be out and warm so I could hold onto the leash so in this instance I choose some warmer options: A hat with a buff for my face, a wool blend half-zip shirt, winter running jacket, fleece lined running pants and ski mittens.
Last week I ran a workout in similar conditions, but I ran it alone; no dog, no conversational friend. Instead of the really warm layers I ran for the 90 min conversational run, I wore regular running tights (no fleece) a running windbreaker, a buff on my head for my ears, a wool blend half zip and gloves. I knew I was going to get warm pretty quickly with the harder effort, so I dressed much lighter.
I know plenty of people who will wear shorts no matter the temperature out, if that is you…I commend your bravery! As for me, I find that if my legs are cold, I am more prone to muscular injury so I always make sure my legs are warm. If I get hot I’d rather run in running pants and just a sports bra than shorts and a jacket to minimize pulled leg muscles.
A note; if you are someone whose hands and feet are chronically cold, keeping your core warmer than you think you need it to be can help, (on top of mittens and warmer socks or even putting duct tape over your shoes so they are less breathable, while leaving some area open so your feet don’t sweat.)
Shoes are another consideration, if you are running on ice or need traction there are several different options for different use cases. While I am lucky to only have a few snow days a year, and usually turn them into easy runs so I can enjoy a little bit of the beauty of snow, there are many folks who have snow for several months out of the year. For those of you, investing in good gear for your shoes will go a long way.
First there are shoes specifically designed for running on snow and ice. These are shoes that come with little ice spikes already built into the shoes. These are good for when you know you are going to be running in unplowed snow and ice and you won’t come across any dry areas. I have a pair from Icebug. They are great in snowy conditions, but not so great if I need to do sections where the snow has melted. They can be pricy, but they are really good at keeping me upright on all sorts of cold weather terrain and I have owned these for 7 years without much breakdown. Of course it only snows here a handful of times each year so I only use them 5-10 times a year.
Second there are several companies that make traction devices that go over your shoes. These are good for when you know you are going to be traversing lots of different landscapes, some with snow or ice and some without. They were great for me at Hardrock for the few sections that were still covered in snow and ice even in July. Easy to put on and take off. The brand I have used is Kahtoola, and shown below are their microspikes.
Finally, if it rarely snows and you need something in a pinch, you can make your own “ice spikes’ by putting screws into the bottom of your shoes. Make sure they are very short screws, sheet metal screws with the hex head tend to be the best. Try to stick to 3/8″ or even 1/4” and make sure to test them out before you run, so you aren’t poking little screw holes into the bottoms of your feet. These are also best when used with shoes that have more stack height!
I want to keep this post short, but this is also an important snow read for more adventurous runs in snow, written by ultrarunner John Andersen. It highlights the need to be more prepared than usual on some of your backyard trails in the winter when frostbite and other issues may arise!
In short, dress for who you are and the run you are about to go on and enjoy the winter!
