Running outside

[JAlvy]

Hello all,

I'm in the midst of a 13 week walk/run program. My "long run" for training this week is run 30, walk 1, run 30.

I'm thinking about testing my mettle and signing up for a 10K on Friday. I live in Michigan, so daytime temps hover around the teens and below. I've done all my training inside, so I need tips for outdoor running. What would be ideal to wear? How do you get warmed up best in cold outdoor weather?

[Josh Wesalo]

First, put on sweatpants, a short-sleeve t-shirt, ski socks (I like Fox River Merino Wool socks) and a sweatshirt, if the temperature is above, say, 15 Farenheit. Then put on a hat that covers your ears and a pair of light gloves. If it's lower, or if it's really windy, don the long johns (PolarMax, Patagonia, Hot Chilis, and Under Armour make decent ones), and consider wearing a thin, windproof jacket. If it's really bad, put on a facemask too, and, if it's snowing, sunglasses.
Keep in mind that these outfits are supposed to be comfortable about 5 or 10 minutes into running—you'll probably be freezing when you first get outside. Therefore, I recommend that you warm up inside for a few minutes first.

[Dimitry]

One thing I'd suggest is for the inner layers, don't wear cotton. It doesn't hold heat well, takes longer to dry and does not keep you warm even when wet.

The best is a wool or polypropelene which is man made but basically like wool but is missing some of the other properties of it. Think what bikers and other people wear. That kind of stuff. If you want more help on the layers, let me know and I'll post some links.

[Radek Pilich]

Hi folks, can you please give my any advice regarding running while raining?
The thing is, I am one of these guys which prefere to do running in the morning immidiately after getting up to kick off their day. But living in England, the weather here is pretty rainy quite often, especially in the mornings. I have just recovered from the cold and I have done my first running after several days yesterday and it was great. But this morning, the weather was rainy and I stayed at home and wasn`t really sure what to do to kick off my day. So basically I have two questions:

1. Any advices regarding running while raining?
2. What do morning runners do in the morning to start their day if running is impossible?