It’s February, and that means one thing… ok, it means several things (Reading Week, 4th years dressed in crazy costumes, midterms, etc), but in terms of weather it usually means a cold snap. When you check the weather forecast and see the temperature dipping down to -30 °C with the wind chill, the first thing most people want to do is make a hot chocolate, curl up with a blanket and wait for spring.
Temperatures like these make it really hard to stick to your workout or training schedule if your exercise takes you outside. Running in this kind of weather can be tough – tough on the lungs, legs, and mind. If you’re dedicated to your run and don’t want to let Old Man Winter keep you inside, hopefully you’ll find some helpful tips on staying warm inside this article.
In general, there are a few things you should always try to do:
1. Dress in layers. Multiple layers help trap heat better than one big layer, so try to put on a base layer, a mid layer, and a shell. More on that later, though.
2. Material matters. Cotton is convenient, but when you sweat cotton will just soak it all up and keep it next to your skin. In frigid temperatures, your cotton sweat sponge can freeze, or at the least get incredibly heavy and cold, and can make your run a miserable one. If you have the option, a tech fabric is always better. These garments wick the sweat away from your skin but won’t get soggy, keeping you from getting chilled.
3. Protect your skin. Frostbite is no fun – avoid it by putting Vaseline or lip balm on your cheeks or other exposed areas. Frostbite, if you’ve never had it, makes your skin look waxy and white. If you do get frostbite, don’t rub it! Hold your warm hand over it until the area returns to a normal colour. Make sure you protect it the next time you go out in the cold with warm clothing or lip balm, since the area will be more susceptible to frostbite once it’s already been damaged.
4. Help your lungs out a little. After a cold run, it’s normal for people to have a deep ache in their chest from breathing in the cold air. To prevent this, try to wear a scarf, neck tube, or high-necked jacket on your run. Breathing into this layer will help warm the air before you breathe it in, making your run less harsh on your throat and lungs.
Now that those are out of the way, let’s move into a head-to-toe on how to dress for running through a cold snap:
• Head: about 1/5 to 1/3 of total body heat loss is through your head. To stay warm, make sure you wear a hat! Lots of running caps are available. A regular knit toque works just fine if you won’t be sweating much, but if you’re going for a long or tough run you don’t want a knit fabric to soak up your sweat and freeze on your head. Choose a cap that is wicking and windproof to keep your noggin warm. Ear warmers are also great to wear under or over your hat, for an extra layer of protection.
• Torso: this is where we get into the base layer, mid-layer, and shell. On really cold days these three layers will keep you warm, and if you start to overheat it’s easy to pull off a layer. For a base layer, try thermal underwear. A long-sleeved microfiber shirt is perfect for keeping warm air trapped close to your skin and wicking away sweat to keep you shiver-free. A mid-layer can be anything from a short-sleeved shirt layered over your base layer, a long sleeved cotton or tech shirt, or a heavier sweater or jacket. For a shell, a windbreaker works great for keeping the wind out and your inside toasty. As it’s easy to overheat in a windbreaker, since they don’t breathe very well, pick one with zippers under the sleeves you can open when you start to heat up.
• Hands: Gloves or mittens? The choice is yours. Two layers are usually a good choice: an inner warm layer, and an outer wind-stopping layer. Cheap, thin, cotton gloves from Canadian tire work surprisingly well as an inner layer. Running stores offer plenty of the windproof variety to layer over top.
• Legs: two words: thermal underwear. There is nothing better for keeping your butt warm on a really cold day. As mentioned above, tech underwear won’t soak up your sweat and make you freeze your junk off… literally. There are lots of options to wear on your bottom half, but again, layers are key. Try wearing fleece-lined running tights if you have the cash, or if you’re on a budget, long underwear under track pants work great as well.
• Feet: proper socks are a must. SmartWool socks are a personal favourite – they manage temperature, are breathable, and odour-free. Proper running or athletic shoes are a must. If you’re going off-road and are worried about slipping, running stores sell YakTrax and similar products that wrap over the bottom of your shoe and provide great traction on icy surfaces.
There you have it: a basic head-to-toe guide on how to dress for the frigid February runs that are headed our way this month. Everyone is different, so you might need to alter this guide a little bit to suit your needs, but hopefully this points you in the right direction.
On the topic of February runs, the 14th Annual “Re-Fridgee-Eighter” Run is coming up on Sunday February 20th. The run is either 8k or 8 miles, so if you’re looking to get into road races this spring or just want to challenge yourself, this run is a favourite in Waterloo every year. Details on the run, and registration information, can be found at www.runwaterloo.com/r8.html. As always, if you’re looking for running buddies to get you motivated or just want some company, all are welcome at the Engineering running group on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00. Meet up at the POETS patio.
Stay Warm!
Photo Caption:
SmartWool socks
Windproof gloves
Shoes with YakTrax
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