OK, so I think I'm officially a runner. I'm trying to work up to ten miles. Did eight on Monday and it wasn't that bad so the four months I had alloted to go from five miles at a time to ten miles at a time has been shrunk down to three weeks! I feel pretty good about myself.

But I'd really like to keep running outside. It's just so much more interesting that staring at the treadmill readout every three seconds. With fall upon us, and winter coming fast, though, I don't really know what's appropriate to wear to run long distances in the colder weather. I pretty much run in gym shorts and old T-shirts now. Do you still wear shorts in the winter or do you want to keep those legs warm? Do you wear short or long sleeves? Do you invest in high quality exercise clothes or wear old sweats?

Just curious. Thanks for any input!

Kara

I invest in proper wicking stuff. I wear baggy shorts sometimes in summer, but the rest of the time it's lycra tights all the way. I have various lengths (capris, shorts, full length) and different thicknesses, and I wear whatever the weather requires. Top wise I have a range of vests, long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts, base layers, rain jackets and I layer if necessary so i can take stuff off if I overheat. One of my jackets has zip off sleeves which is useful. Some of the tops are fleecy too for when it's at its coldest.

Did I hear someone say I buy too much running kit?

Thanks, Helen! I hadn't even thought about layering but that makes a lot of sense.

Kara

I'm worried about the same thing. So far I'm just adding a few extra layers, though I don't have much moisture wicking clothing so I'll have to start buying that kind of stuff.

What happens when you start getting really hot in all those layers? I guess when the weather is cold enough you don't get hot enough to want to start stripping off?

One thing to make sure is that your hands and ears are covered in cold weather. Forgetting gloves or hat is just awful.

Anne

I love running outside in the winter! I much prefer being outdoors to a treadmill, and it's much more enjoyable than hot and humid weather as far as I'm concerned. (To a point mind you - I am not totally nuts - but until it gets to about 15 degrees or under, I'm happy as a clam). Layers are definitely the key - I use a combination of wicking long sleeve shirts, fleece vest, windproof jacket, etc. depending on the conditions of the day - and some form of tights (with long underwear for those really cold days) on the bottom.

I would definitely recommend staying away from cotton - it's bad in the summer too, but nothing will make you colder in the winter than a wet cotton shirt that isn't pulling the sweat away from you.

A good rule of thumb is that if you're not a little cold when you first walk out the door, you've probably overdressed. Your body provides a lot of heat when you run, so you will find with trial and error where the right balance is. Just make sure to cover the head and hands as wndranne pointed out - these areas will get cold otherwise.

I go from shorts to tights somewhere in the 40s, short sleeves to (very lightweight) long at high 40s-50ish. (If it's sunny and/or humid I dress for warmer weather; darkness or rain or heavy wind, the sleeves come on at the higher end of the range.) Gloves at around 50, knowing they'll come off early in the run. (This means that like many runners I start out in shorts and gloves. Regardless of what it looks like, it works.)

All of this is wicking fabrics, which don't have to be expensive. (Try Target, including the mens and boys departments for tees.) As Rachel said, as it gets colder it gets even more unpleasant to be wearing wet, sweaty cottons.

Check out Runnersworld's "what to wear" app at http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/what...-0-0-0,00.html to see what conventional wisdom suggests for various temperatures and preferences.

Winter is my very favourite time of year to run... I barely run in the summer because the heat gets to me and I feel sick... I have a lot of running gear too, eventhough I don't do long distances like Helen, I spend more $$ on running and gym clothes than I do on work clothes... Anyways, I digress, I layer a lot too with wick away clothing... I NEVER wear cotton anymore... I used to run with a girl who was petrified of being cold when she ran, she was sooo over dressed with cotton, t-shirts, sweatshirt, thick jacket that she was exhausted because of the pure weight of the clothing and it sticking to her during her run... A very good rule of thumb is to feel a bit coolish when you first start, because your body temp goes up approximately 20 degrees C once you are running...

Just my 2 cents