What to wear running, 55 and WINDY!

Temp: 55 degrees (~12 C)
Humidity/Precip.: Low
Wind: 20 - 30 mph
Terrain: Rolling hills
Distance: 3 miles

What I Wore: Light-weight tights, tank sports bra, light-weight, breathable running jacket and wick-away skull cap.

Did It Work: Mostly. The wind was cold, so I was glad to have my arms, legs and ears covered. However, gusting wind makes it harder to predict what will be comfortable, so sometimes I was warmer than I like.

Wind Alert! Although a headwind can make a run a little harder, it's usually fine to run on a windy day. I suggest wearing glasses. This will help keep flying grit out of your eyes. Also, run with your mouth closed unless you want bugs, twigs and dust to end up in it.
Lastly, if you notice that garbage cans, branches or small animals are being blown around, it's probably better to stay indoors.

Happy trails!

Running gear for rain - tech fabric

When running or walking for exercise, please wear gear made of technical fabric! Wick-away fabric or, as Nike calls it, Dri-Fit:

• Keeps you cool when it's hot and dry (and therefore warm) when it's cold
• Removes sweat from your skin, preventing rash
• Is gentle against your skin, so you won't get chafed nipples, underarms or thighs (should I have put that reason first?!)

Today, I'm appreciating how quickly wick-away gear dries. It has been raining for a week in the San Francisco Bay Area, which means I've been running in the rain. When wet, cotton is oppressive - either hot or cold, heavy and baggy. Tech fabric, on the other hand, often looks and feels pretty much the same wet as when it's dry. Yes, eventually, it will get soaked through but, as soon as you get under cover, it will start to dry. My shirt from today's run was almost completely dry by the time I got upstairs, set up the camera and took this photo. Just the dark patch below the collar was damp. Simply amazing.

My favorite brands for wick-away tops:
Nike
Road Runner Sports
Asics
Puma and Lululemon also make some nice tanks, but I haven't found shirts that work.

Temp: 49 degrees (~9C)
Wind: 10 mph
Humidity/Precip.: High/Steady rain
Terrain: Rolling hills
Distance: 3.75 miles

What I Wore: Road Runner Sport long sleeve t, Nike shorts and hat (with brim to keep rain off face), Amphipod LED arm band (running at dusk in the rain = hard to see).

Did It Work: No. Thanks to the headwind on the way home, my hands and behind my ears were really cold. Outbound was perfect, homebound was uncomfortable. Next time, a thin skull cap and I'll carry light gloves.

What to wear running in wind

Temp.: 50 degrees (9C)
Wind: 15 mph and cold!
Humidity/Precip.: None
Terrain: Rolling hills
Distance: 4.5 miles

What I wore: Nike full-body sports bra (guys, substitute with a singlet), New Balance wick-away t-shirt, Under Armour shorts.

Did It Work: Yes. I was worried that I might have gone overboard with the under layer, but the strong, cold wind kept me perfectly balanced between cool and warm.

Note to self (and maybe you?): As long as key parts of me are warm enough, I am comfortable. Specifically, I hate having cold ears, hands and torso. When dressing for temps on the edge of cold, I always make sure I protect these parts first.

Happy running!

Running & the Wind

When contemplating what to wear for a run on a windy day, keep this in mind: not all wind is created equal.

Fall and winter tend to have cold winds, while spring and summer lean toward neutral and warm wind. The best way to figure out what you need when it's windy is to check the 'Feels like' temperature.

If the feels like temp is below the actual, the wind is cooling, which means it will be harder to work up a sweat and, once you do, you'll cool down more quickly if you stop running. Add a wind resistant running jacket to keep your core warm in these conditions.

If it feels the same as the actual temperature, you know you don't need to modify your gear much. If the feels like is above the actual, it's probably not caused by the wind - it's more likely very humid, which is a whole other topic!

Temp: 52 (actual and feels like), cloudy
Wind: 30 mph gusts
Precip./Humidity: None, low
Terrain: Rolling to flat
Distance: 2.5 miles

What I Wore: Because the strong wind wasn't affecting the temps, I stuck to normal mid-50s gear: hat, long-sleeve tech top, capri pants (for guys, this means shorts or tights - it's up to you).

Did It Work: Yes, but I wouldn't have minded a VERY light pair of gloves. The wind wasn't cold, but it was strong enough to give me a wind burn feeling on my hands. The rest of me was comfy and I  worked up a nice sweat punching through the headwind.

New info: I just read in Runner's World that running into the wind can require 7% more effort. Keep that in mind when you're tempted to layer up - you'll be working harder for part of the run, so you'll need less coverage.

Sorry no photo with this post - today's outfit, while it worked, was so mismatched, I looked like a fit hobo. No one needs to see that!