What to Wear Running: 60 degrees & Sunny

Temp: 60 degrees and sunny
Wind: 10 mph
Humidity: 70% (moderately high)
Terrain: Rolling to flat
Distance: 3 miles (plus 3 mile bike ride)

What I Wore: T-shirt (off-brand from a race) and shorts (Brooks), plus a visor and one leg sleeve.

Did It Work: It feels like cheating to say yes because this is pretty much perfect running weather but, yes, it did. My hands were cold during the ride, but were fine on the run.

Why: 60 to 65 degrees is not too hot - as long as you're well hydrated, your body's internal thermostat can keep up (data shows that temps above 65 degrees slow a runner down). It's not too cold - you don't have to wear heavy layers and your muscles warm up fairly easily. It's just right for a T and shorts.

Sun Alert: If you were slacking over the winter, it's time to pick back up on the sunscreen habit. Brace yourself; I'm about to get a little preachy/informative.

Real sunblock will block UVA and UVB rays. It will probably be white, not clear and smelling of coconut. It should be at least spf 30 and, to get the full sun protection factor, you need to use a lot. According to my dermatologist (also known as my freckle monitor), sunscreen manufacturers say that you need to use FOUR shot glasses worth of block if you want to get the full spf rating on your entire body. She also recommends against spray-on sunblock because it takes more than most people want to apply for it to work. I like Neutrogena with helioplex (no, I don't know what that is but I like how it sounds). For my 30 minute run, plus 15 minute bike ride, I wore spf 60. Better safe than prematurely aging with an increased chance of skin cancer! Backup for all this scary stuff from the NYTimes here.

On that peppy note, signing off. Enjoy that perfect weather. Happy running!

What to Wear Running: San Francisco Summer

Temp: 60 degrees (yes, that's summer in SF)
Wind: Mild
Humidity/Precip.: Moderate (~70%)/None
Terrain: Flat

What I Wore Running: Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt, Under Armour heavy-weight shorts, hat.

Did It Work: Yes. 60 is right on the edge of t-shirt weather for me. Today's run was slow and short, so it would have been easy to never warm up. The deciding factor was the sun - on a sunny day, it's easier to warm up and having exposed skin that allows sweat to evaporate is good.

Good luck to everyone running the SF Half and Full Marathon tomorrow!

What to wear running in 60 degrees

Temp: about 60 (15 C) and sunny
Humidity/Precip: Moderately high/none
Wind: 10 mph
Terrain: Rolling hills
Distance: 3.5 miles

What I Wore: Today was an homage to my alma mater, Northwestern University. I was sporting purple Puma running shorts and a white Nike dri-fit t-shirt.

Did it Work: Yes! I was so happy in this run. My outfit was comfortable from beginning to end (I stayed in the shade on the outbound, so I wouldn't heat up too quickly). 
If it's 55-65 outside and you're debating going for a run, do it! These are perfect running temps, especially if it's sunny and a little breezy. For more info on 60-degree runs and springtime precautions, check out this post.

Why the iPod is Featured: I'm showing off my old-school nano (which is a maxo compared to the new nanos) to show that you don't have to buy a bunch of new stuff to run. Old gear that works is good! My nano is dying - it stopped letting me add new songs after my last half marathon, but the old music still gets me through my workouts and, until it dies, I won't be buying a new one. (Update, the nano finally died. I took it to Apple and got a credit toward buying a new shuffle. I plan on running that into the ground, too!)

Happy running!