Running in the cold?

I;ve gotten some good key running pieces from the local goodwill- was surprised at the amount of 'work out' clothing there!
For my winter runs so far I've always over dressed and ended up stopping to unlayer. My advice would to take one layer off then what you think you'll need. If you are warm the first 10min, chances are you will be really too warm later on! Good luck!

I share your pain, I hate running in the cold, too. I have no issues whatsoever running in 90+, even 100 degree heat, but I suck at tolerating the cold. I lived in Vermont last year, and I had no access to a treadmill, and that was hell. Thank god Maryland is warmer. I learned that even if you have to go bulky, it's not so bad. When in Vermont, and it got colder than negative 10, I would wear a minimum of two pairs of pants, a tank bra, a tshirt, a long sleeved shirt, a long sleeved-long underwear type shirt, sometimes another shirt, all under a hoodie (none of my coats were run-friendly). The hood would be up, and I would have a hat underneath, along with a scarf to wrap around most of my face, leaving only my eyes exposed. On my hands, I chose mittens over gloves, they keep your hands warmer and you don't really need access to your fingers on the run. And I ran just fine, even completely swaddled up. This year, I will most likely be doing my running on a treadmill. I hate them with a fiery passion most of the time, but I hate the extreme cold even more.

I just returned from a 5 mile run in 27 degree weather ("feels like" temp of 5 degrees) with 25-30 mph winds and a few inches of snow on the ground. I wore a long sleeve performance tee and pair of tights from Walmart (paid less than $20 for both items and the quality is on par with Old Navy and other less expensive brands) as my base layer. To this I added a pair of cheap shorts because my butt gets cold, along with a fabulous pair of Smartwool PhD compression socks (good deals on Ebay for those). On top I wore my Nike Element Shield jacket, which I also got on Ebay and LOVE. It's got built-in mittens and a gaiter and is crazy warm. Also a thermal headband and a pair of cheap stretchy gloves with mittens over those. On my feet I wore Brooks Ghost GTX (water resistant for the snow). I actually ended up too warm by about mile 4 and ditched the mittens, gloves, and gaiter for the rest of my run.

I'm still experimenting with the perfect combination of layers to keep warm without getting too hot, but I recommend splurging on good stuff for your extremities and layering cheaper stuff on your body.

preciousportland wrote: »

Does anyone have any tips for Running in the cold?
I just started Couch to 5K, but i've had to take some time off because it's become below freezing outside.
I want to continue, and I can not afford a gym membership... Any suggestions?
Thank you!

I used to live in Montana and never missed a run day due to a cold weather excuse. I drilled screws through the sides of my shoes for more traction (YAK tracks would fall off too easily). Cold was never an issue -footing was. With windchill, I have run well below 60 to 70 degrees below 0, so you can do it if you are determined. Wood screws you could pick up for less than $1.00.

I used a balaclava for head gear and wore a beenie over it and goggles when it was coldest. I also wore underarmer thermals underneath.

Kalikel wrote: »

Last night, it was 51 degrees out. I wore shorts and short sleeves, but I was so very cold on the warm-up walk. Some guy was out walking his dog - he wore a big coat, all zipped up, with hat pulled low.

He looked at me like he thought I was nuts. He may have been right.

A couple weeks ago I overdressed for my long run and ended up stripping down to a tank and capris in 25 degree weather. I got some very funny looks when I ran past the neighbor's bonfire party!

I am in CA and we don't get freezing temps too often where we are. Maybe low 30's occasionally. Mostly in the 40's. I, myself, much prefer the cold weather to exercise in. I hate to be hot when I run, walk, anything. I do wear gloves but mostly they will be gone by the time I get done. I think I am weird!

You can use many alternative if you don't afford to go for Gym. Like you can walk in stairs,it is also a good substitute of running. If you like dancing so you can dance 1 hour daily. Dancing is a complete exercise for our each and every body parts.