I would like to continue to bike/walk/jog outdoors for as long as I can before snow/sleet/ice sets in. For those of you who live in colder climates - what do you wear to exercise in cold weather? Obviously the clothing has to be warm - but it also has to allow for flexibility and movement, which a lot of cold weather clothing doesn't provide. Any suggestions on the type of clothes and where they can be bought? I am also interested in the kind of shoes people wear - are there any running shoes that work well on snow or icy surfaces? Maybe a combination of boot/athletic shoe?
I run all winter and I wear only my regular running shoes, I get specialty socks for running and that's all I wear. In the summer a I wear thinner type of running sock... At first your feet may feel cold but as you warm-up and progress in your workout it goes away... Even at -20C I wear the same thing...
As for upper body clothing I wear a Under Armour type long sleeve sweater, they are nice and thin, then on top I wear another light jacket, then on top of that I wear a wind breaker... Everything I wear is the dry wicking type of clothing NEVER wear cotton because as you sweat it gets wet and you will be cold...
Then I wear a tuque or ear muffs depending on the coldness... In the fall I wear gloves that cut the wind. In the winter I wear a pair of mitt on top of the gloves...
I have run in -20c weather and love it the best ... On those extreme cold days as long as it's sunny with no wind I am out there... I love winter running...
Ear muffs. The kind that wrap around the back of your head work pretty well. Running with cold ears is no bueno. Also, under armour type clothing works very well, but the off brand stuff works just as well without the killer price tag. (I know my profile says I am in FL, but I just moved back here from upstate NY.) Make sure not to dress too warm. I hate shedding a layer and then trying to carry it with me. You get much warmer once you get going.
I'm trying to figure this out, too. So far I've switched from tank tops to a wicking tshirt from EMS - their brand is Techwick. I'll go with the tshirt til I need long sleeves. I just ordered a wicking jacket that has the long cuffs with thumb holes and a foldover flap to turn into mittens.
So far my plan is to buy stuff as I need it, because I'm not sure how long I want to keep running outside.
Once it got too cold, I would run at the gym - but I'm not a shower there kind of girl. So I would come in all bundled up, change in the locker room and then go run. After my workout I would be hot and sweaty, so I wouldn't always bundle up as much as when I came in, but on occasion my body temp would cool down before I got home and then I was outside and freezing. Plus I hated putting things on while I was sweaty. The moral of that story is I am SUPER glad that I don't have to deal with that anymore :P
I was at Target and looking at some of their exercise outdoor clothing. I couldn't decide what to get, so I didn't get anything yet. I am trying to figure out my winter exercise plan right now, so I'm not sure if I need anything or not at this point. They did have a thinsulate-type jacket that was very lightweight, but the tag claimed it was still very warm. My only issue was that the zipper was kind of wonky and seemed like it would break easily.
Thanks for all of your suggestions. I think I will stick to my regular running shoes, a long sleeve t-shirt, something to cover my head/ears, gloves, and a sweatshirt for now. When the temps drop more, I'll think about buying an Under Armourish sweatshirt/jacket.
I def. have to third Under Armour - I know it's pricy, BUT they have an outlet link on their website so you can usually get a bunch of stuff 25-50% off which is what I do...their compression mocks are awesome for running and the coldgear pants. I highly recommend you check them out.
Do you have Eastern Mountain Sports where you are? If not, they're on the web. I just bought some of their brand stuff (20% off!) and it worked great. I got a pair of wicking tights to wear under some Champion brand pants I got at Target. I also got a shell, a headband (better than ear muffs, I think - I got the one that has slightly bigger bits to cover your ears), and some gloves. I went jogging on Saturday, 50ish and windy, and was quite toasty. I need to get a better jacket, though, since the one I had on was fleece and got soaked. So: no cotton, no fleece. You want stuff that will keep you dry.
Workout Clothing for Cold Weather
... On those extreme cold days as long as it's sunny with no wind I am out there... I love winter running...
