11/13/2019 0 Comments How I Dress to Run in -20°C (-4°F)This weekend, Edmonton received about 15 cm (6 inches) of snow, and the temperatures plummeted into the minus 20’s (down to -27C with the windchill). Knowing how to dress on days like these is essential to winter running in Canada and other northern climes.
PANTS: HEAVY WEIGHT, THERMAL, WIND RESISTANT RUNNING TIGHTS I love these RonHill RunEveryDay Winter Tights. They cover all 3 W’s of cold-weather layering: Wicking, Warmth, and Wind Resistance. They’re warm enough to wear on their own from about -15C (5F) to -25C (-13F). If it were below -25C or very windy, I’d layer an additional pair of windproof shell pants over them. 2 SHIRTS: LONG-SLEEVED, LIGHTWEIGHT BASE LAYER & MID-WEIGHT MIDDLE LAYER At -20C, it’s time to bring out all the layers. I chose a thin, long sleeved, wicking shirt as my base layer, and added a slightly heavier, wicking, long sleeved shirt over it as my middle layer. Both are Running Room brand gear. JACKET: MID-WEIGHT, WIND-RESISTANT I bought this CRAFT Warm Train jacket last spring to wear during a trip to England, during which I walked, hiked, ran, and braved the chilly sea air. I’m finding I’m loving it for Canadian winters as well! It’s windproof, water resistant, and has a brushed inside, two zippered side pockets, and reflective details. Those who run a little colder might choose to wear a heavier jacket, but this was enough for me as a third layer. SOCKS: THICK, SINGLE-LAYER, CREW LENGTH I usually wear double-layer socks for protection against blisters, but these single-layer, heavy Wigwam Ultimax socks do well for shorter runs in cold weather. If I was running longer than 10K I’d likely choose a double-layer sock to make sure I didn’t blister, but this pair was fine today. SHOES: MY TRUSTY NEW BALANCE 880’s The sidewalks and roads today were snow-covered ice, with many of them unshoveled and unplowed. Whenever there’s more than a little skiff of snow on the ground, I add ice grippers onto my trusty New Balance 880 GTX. The GTX stands for GORETEX, which keep my Raynaud’s Syndrome frostbite-prone toes dry and also keep out the wind. ACCESSORIES: MOISTURE WICKING HAT. BUFF. THICK, MOISTURE-WICKING MITTENS. 20 OZ INSULATED WATER BOTTLE. IPHONE UNDER JACKET IN THERMAL CASE. WIRELESS HEADPHONES. POLAR M430 GPS WATCH/HEART RATE MONITOR. PETZEL HEADLAMP. REFLECTIVE ARMBAND. Running at -20ºC, having my electronics and water freeze is a common occurrence unless I take precautions. I slipped my iPhone into a Lei Li Zoomhill thermal phone case bag, and wore this around my waist under my jacket in a Nathan Hipster Waist Belt. For hydration I used a Polar Zipstream Insulated Water Bottle. It’s meant to keep drinks cold, but if I fill it with hot (not boiling!) water and blow air back into the nozzle after taking a drink, my water doesn’t freeze on runs less than an hour long. For long runs, adding some Gatorade or other electrolyte replacement to the water and carrying it on a belt under a shell jacket helps keep it from turning into a popsicle. My Polar M430 watch worked fine today, but since I’ve only had it since the summer, I’m still testing its temperature limits. And I’ve had problems with wired earbuds freezing up on me in the past, so this year I’m trying out a set of AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Mini wireless Bluetooth bone-conduction headphones. I wore them close to my head under my hat and Buff, and so, far so good: no freezing. I’ll keep you posted about how they work during longer cold runs. My moisture-wicking hat & Buff were enough to keep my head and neck warm. If it had been windy, I’d have considered applying some Vaseline to any exposed skin, or wearing a Balaclava, but I didn’t need to use either of those options today. It was definitely time to pull out my heavy mittens; in fact, I’ve been wearing them on any runs below -10C (14F). And because the night is dark and full of terrors, I wore a Petzel headlamp, and added a reflective armband. Choosing running apparel is like choosing underwear: highly personal. What works for me won’t work for everybody. But until you’ve got a handle on what works for you, you can use this as a starting point for your truly cold, cold-weather running gear. See you out there!
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AuthorKathy Istace runs and races in one of the coldest cities on earth. Archives
December 2020
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