Hate running in the cold?
It’s definitely more challenging to get out of your warm bed when it’s so cold outside.
But there’s no excuse to not get out there and get it done if you dress properly.
Scroll through the graphics below to get some ideas for what to wear as it gets progressively colder!
Some other things to keep in mind:
- Dress similarly to how you would if you were going for a walk in weather that’s 10-15 degrees* warmer. If you overdress, you may be comfortable for 5 or 10 minutes, but then you’ll be sweating and overheating and will need to shed many layers.
It’s better to be chilly for those first few minutes and then comfortable for the remainder.
*If you live in Colorado, add 7000 degrees due to the Sun of Ten Suns. (But seriously, I overdressed for pretty much every single run during my first couple months here last winter.)
- Clothing with pockets is very helpful, especially if you find you no longer need your gloves or other accessories halfway through the run.
- Fellow Raynaud’s sufferers: last year I finally invested in a pair of fleece-lined mittens (not sponsored, just love them). Using them instead of fingered gloves was a game changer. Your fingers will stay warmer if they’re in contact with each other.
As a bonus, you can stuff a couple of hand warmers in each mitten (they ALSO stay warmer when they’re in contact with each other).
This has been much more effective than my previous method of holding the hand warmers with closed fists inside gloves, so the glove fingers splayed out all weirdly and people probably thought all of my fingers were broken.
- Related: if I – a person whose fingers turn white and go numb when getting something out of the refrigerator – can run when it’s 15 degrees out, so can you.
- It’s only cold if you’re standing still.
Happy cold weather running!
-Dina
Dina Grimaldi is a triathlon & nutrition coach who helps athletes reach their goals while finding the balance they need to fit training comfortably into their lives, and who guides and supports those with nutrition or health goals to cultivate a lifestyle of sustainable habits and a healthy relationship with food.
