Run Run Away

Question:

oh man, i’ve run pretty much every day i’ve wanted to this past year, but today has got me thinking. it is minus 15 degrees celcius…. minus 30 with the windchill….. YOUCH! damn this city of Ottawa! i want to fly out to Vancouver to continue running now  :-) any fellow Ottawa runners hitting the roads today? if you are, you may motivate me to get out there too, otherwise i’ll have to start making arrangements for indoor running soon. i’ve got the balaclava, the turtleneck, the windbreaker, tights, running pants….. not sure about the thin (dollar store) gloves….. will i freeze my digits off in those? i have the Thinsulate kind as well, but i’ve found them too hot before (in milder temperatures, mind you). would another layer over my top be a good idea? i guess i just need to feel more confidant about my running apparel before i go out there. any reassurance or suggestions? thanks a mil…. Cam

Response:

Hi Cam, Try a pair of socks over the cheap gloves…they have worked for me so far!  Of course I have only run when it is 25F with no windchill, so I don’t know if it would work in the much much much lower temps that you are running in! Martha – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – oh man, i’ve run pretty much every day i’ve wanted to this past year, but today has got me thinking. it is minus 15 degrees celcius…. minus 30 with the windchill….. YOUCH! damn this city of Ottawa! i want to fly out to Vancouver to continue running now  :-) any fellow Ottawa runners hitting the roads today? if you are, you may motivate me to get out there too, otherwise i’ll have to start making arrangements for indoor running soon. i’ve got the balaclava, the turtleneck, the windbreaker, tights, running pants….. not sure about the thin (dollar store) gloves….. will i freeze my digits off in those? i have the Thinsulate kind as well, but i’ve found them too hot before (in milder temperatures, mind you). would another layer over my top be a good idea? i guess i just need to feel more confidant about my running apparel before i go out there. any reassurance or suggestions? thanks a mil…. Cam

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – oh man, i’ve run pretty much every day i’ve wanted to this past year, but today has got me thinking. it is minus 15 degrees celcius…. minus 30 with the windchill….. YOUCH! damn this city of Ottawa! i want to fly out to Vancouver to continue running now  :-) any fellow Ottawa runners hitting the roads today? if you are, you may motivate me to get out there too, otherwise i’ll have to start making arrangements for indoor running soon. i’ve got the balaclava, the turtleneck, the windbreaker, tights, running pants….. not sure about the thin (dollar store) gloves….. will i freeze my digits off in those? i have the Thinsulate kind as well, but i’ve found them too hot before (in milder temperatures, mind you). would another layer over my top be a good idea? i guess i just need to feel more confidant about my running apparel before i go out there. any reassurance or suggestions? thanks a mil…. Cam

Response:

Hi Cam, Yes, it’s -11 here in Hamilton, which isn’t as cold but we are experiencing high winds, too – last night was horrible…. horizontal snow, the whole deal. Wear the heavier gloves for sure. Use today as a tempo day or something, instead of a slow run.  Also, it’s better to wear a combination of Coolmax-type midweight longjohns with the tights, rather than wearing windbreaker-type non breathing material over the tights. David (in Hamilton, Ont) -I’m still running today, though – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – oh man, i’ve run pretty much every day i’ve wanted to this past year, but today has got me thinking. it is minus 15 degrees celcius…. minus 30 with the windchill….. YOUCH! damn this city of Ottawa! i want to fly out to Vancouver to continue running now  :-) any fellow Ottawa runners hitting the roads today? if you are, you may motivate me to get out there too, otherwise i’ll have to start making arrangements for indoor running soon. i’ve got the balaclava, the turtleneck, the windbreaker, tights, running pants….. not sure about the thin (dollar store) gloves….. will i freeze my digits off in those? i have the Thinsulate kind as well, but i’ve found them too hot before (in milder temperatures, mind you). would another layer over my top be a good idea? i guess i just need to feel more confidant about my running apparel before i go out there. any reassurance or suggestions? thanks a mil…. Cam

Response:

Go with the heavy gloves, skip the extra head layer. I’ve gone with the pants over tights on windy days, two pairs of tights and no running pants on days that are merely cold (merely!). Maybe it’s just me, but in weather like that, my hands never get too warm. Rob in Albany NY Cold and getting colder – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i’ve got the balaclava, the turtleneck, the windbreaker, tights, running pants….. not sure about the thin (dollar store) gloves….. will i freeze my digits off in those? i have the Thinsulate kind as well, but i’ve found them too hot before (in milder temperatures, mind you). would another layer over my top be a good idea? i guess i just need to feel more confidant about my running apparel before i go out there. any reassurance or suggestions? thanks a mil…. Cam

Response:

Well, your messages must have rolled in while I was out running. Yes, I got off my tush and Just Did It! Felt comfy and great. Did a fartlek-type workout…. would have been repeats today, but the icy roads dictated that I would only speed up for the stretches of bare road and slow down for the scary stuff. Martha, I didn’t do the socks on the hands…. my co-workers think I’m nuts enough as it is, running in temp’s like this. The heavier gloves did the trick. But thanks. Also, it’s better to wear a combination of Coolmax-type midweight longjohns with the tights, rather than wearing windbreaker-type non breathing material over the tights.

Hmmm, I wore my tights with lined pants over top. I didn’t detect any heat/moisture problems while running. Think this is OK then? Go with the heavy gloves, skip the extra head layer. I’ve gone with the pants over tights on windy days, two pairs of tights and no running pants on days that are merely cold (merely!).

sorry, I didn’t mean extra layer on the head… i meant the upper body. I put on a loose-fitting sweatshirt over my close-fitting thin turtleneck, then the shell over that. Felt fine…. warm and dry. Wore the balaclava…. it was perfect… i could either wear it with just my eyes exposed (wearing sunglasses), or pull the opening wider to expose my nose, mouth and/or chin. My first time doing this icy/freezing running and I think I’ve struck upon the right clothing combo…. with help from reading this ng, of course. BTW, a winter runner has been born! My only concern now is the icy conditions….. i nearly slowed to a stop a few times, out of concern for flipping and crackin’ me noggin’.   Thanks, all! Cam

Response:

Martha, I didn’t do the socks on the hands…. my co-workers think I’m nuts enough as it is, running in temp’s like this. The heavier gloves did the trick. But thanks.

Then they would think I’m even more nuts…when I ran on Monday, I wore cow-print socks on my hands!  Glad to see you got out there today…I am starting to like winter running too! Martha

Response:

Cam and David, I am so glad to have read your posts. I have been sorta  whining <head hanging down about the cold. Here in Ind. it is about 15 degrees F. and the wind is the problem. No sun either.  <teeth chattering Just knowing there are others out there running in even colder weather makes me realize someone’s got it worse off running than I…. I ran our trail Sunday and not a soul around, and that was in the high 20’s… I am signed up for a 10.8 loop of a 50K Dec 30th. No turning back now. eeeekks. What have I done? David, the comment about your co-workers thinking you are crazy is so funny. I know what some of mine have thought! Pretty funny when I get teased.. Laurie

Response:

oh man, i’ve run pretty much every day i’ve wanted to this past year, but today has got me thinking. it is minus 15 degrees celcius…. minus 30 with the windchill….. YOUCH! damn this city of Ottawa! i want to fly out to Vancouver to continue running now  :-)

Hi Cam. I’m supposed to run tonight (Dec 6th). I just decided to get back into running 2 weeks ago but got sick just as I got started. This will be my 3rd run … I hope. As I’ve never run in the winter before I’m a bit concerned as to whether my cloths I run in will be enough protection. The stuff listed below was plenty good enough for my last run when it was -11