By:  Kellen Siems

One thing to consider when preparing for a cold weather run is what clothes you’re going to wear. The temperature should be taken into account, especially in fall and winter. 

To start, it’s highly recommended that you wear a base layer which would include any type of shirt, mainly something that will keep you warm and keep sweat off your skin. Cotton should be avoided because it absorbs moisture.  Next you will need either a mid layer, outer layer, or both. A mid layer would be something like  a vest, hoodie, or even a long sleeve shirt. An outer layer might be a light jacket like a wind breaker that protects you from the wind and keeps you dry.  

When running in the cold, a lot of people forget about their head. By wearing a hat when running you can help your body stay warm. Your body can lose up to 10% of body heat from the head being exposed to the cold. If you wear a hat, you want to make sure it’s not too hot, causing you to overheat.  You can buy a lightweight beanie from any sports store. A neck gaiter that can be pulled up over your face can be useful.

Also, a good thing to have with you are gloves to keep your hands nice and warm. Sometimes runners will forget gloves and their hands will be so cold that it’s hard to move them. Some gloves to consider would be fleece gloves or even mittens. You can find running gloves practically anywhere. Hand warmers can also be slipped into gloves and you can add mittens if needed. Don’t forget your feet, a good pair of warm socks that keep your feet dry are essential.

When running in the summer and spring you wear shorts but in the fall and winter you wear pants. One of the many things you could wear is thermal tights/pants. Along with these, if needed, you could even put on wind resistant pants over your thermal tights to help protect you from the cold windy weather.

When running, make sure you have layers otherwise you could become chilled while running. It takes a while for your body to warm up when running, so having the correct gear on  could protect you from the cold. A good thing about being too warm when running is that you can always take stuff off and put it back on if you get cold again.