What is the first thing came to your mind when you thought to go for running in cold weather?
It’s the dress, right? Well, this how to dress for cold weather running article will be helpful for someone like you. However, more than anything keep your body is most important. Here, we will discuss what dress will be handy for running in the winter day. Furthermore, avoid immediate sweating and being freezing your fingers. So let’s see what to dress for cold weather running.
How To Dress For Cold Weather Running
Running on normal sunny weather and the cold freezing weather is not the same thing. The most important thing of running in the cold weather is to keep your body warm. We divided it into three parts of the body and how to dress well on each of the parts.
Head and Neck
According to report, we lose 10% of heat from head on cold days. So keep your head and neck cover is an important thing. The skin is also essential to prevent chapping and frostbite. So here’s what we will need to keep warm your head and neck.
Thermal hat: a wool or fleece hat is perfect for keeping the head warm while running. If you feel hot, then you can put it down and tuck it in purse or pants.
Bandana or neck gaiter: though we usually see to use it by skiers, it is very effective to cover the neck. It’s extremely valuable in a windy, frigid day to protect your face and neck. On the other hand, you can carry it up on the mouth the air. It is effective when you start your running at the very fast. Meanwhile, some runner uses a plain bandana for the same purpose.
Balaclava: balaclava is a ski mask or kind of headgear which cover up the whole head. But it exposes the face or some part of it. Meanwhile, sometime it only exposes the eyes. But if the temperature is below 10 degrees, you should choose that balaclava that made from wool or fleece.
Vaseline/chapstick: Vaseline is effective to protect the lips from cracking or chapping. Another option is the chapstick. However, apply Vaseline on checks and nose to prevent chapping and windburn.
Upper Body
More than anything, keep your upper body warm is the key. The best way to cover is by layering. Thus, layering traps the heat and allows sweat to transfer through the layer of clothing. This layer will give moisture as well as evaporate. However, here are some tips how you can keep your upper part warm.
Base layer: This base layer will be closer to your body and should be moisture- wicking. So try to avoid cotton and choose a synthetic material like silk or polypropylene. It will wick the sweat and keep your body warm and dry. It could be any sleeve length.
Insulating Layer: This layer is the most important if the temperature is below 10 degrees. In very cold weather, try to put some insulating material like wool or fleece. It will maintain a good balance of trapping the air and release vapor. We recommend trying these fabrics like dryline, Polartec, Microfleece, Thermax, polyester fleece and Akwatek.
Vest: A vest is a kind of transition piece that keep the core warm but the arms free. It’s a type of insulated fabric that keeps warmth without being bulky. Not only in cold winter but is effective in combat for its water-repellent treatment. So you can use it in any season.
Jacket: A good jacket will protect you from moisture (snow, rain, sleet) and wind, at the same time accept moisture and heat to prevent both chilling and overheating. Wear the jacket with a zipper will be the best idea for this layer. On the other hand, choose that jacket which comes with wind and water resistance which can insulate as well as breathable.
Gloves: According to research, we lose about 30% of our body heat through the extremities. So to keep you warm it’s important to cover your hands. Thus, on cold days we suggest gloves, but in extremely cold, mittens is the better choice.
Lower Body
If you think dressed the upper part will be enough to tackle the cold weather, you were wrong. Without Cover up the lower body, the whole effort will not be complete. So let’s see what to dress on upper body.
Running Pants or tights: As legs generate a lot of heat, there is no need to put too much layer on the lower body. So just use a pair of tight or maybe running pants. But make sure those are made from Thinsulate, thermion, Coolmax, silk or polypropylene. If the is a temperature of wind chill or below 10 degrees F, then you may wear two layers of tight. One is for wicking and another one for windproof.
Shoes: Naturally, feet are pretty warm. They are warm as long they are dry and moving. So choose for a running shoe that has little mesh so that the water can seep through the feet. Another option is trail running shoes which are waterproof and create traction on snow.
Socks: To keep you warm in cold weather, try socks with running shoes. But never pick cotton socks because they won’t be able to wick away the moisture. So your feet will be wet. We suggest a pair of wicking socks which made by the fabrics like Coolmax, wool or acrylic.
Additional Tips to Run On Cold Winter
Start your run into the wind and then end it up with the wind at the back. However, if you start the process by running away from the wind, the chances to heat up quickly is more. It will be the reason for the temperature to drop down in the second half.
Final thought
To wrap this how to dress for cold weather running article up, we could say try to keep your body warm is most important in the running in winter, so layer up with the mention dress and enjoy running.
