What to wear on a cold wet day
Recently, I noticed some of you out running and you looked very cold. There is no need to risk hypothermia, or even be uncomfortable when you run. If you have the money, go to South Sound Running and they will get you suited up for winter running. If you don't have the cash, or are afraid you would just lose expensive articles of clothing, then here are some options. There was a time when one could not go to a running store and buy running apparel, there weren't any, so we created our own gear. A good example of this was white woven cotton long underwear. Put on the long underwear, top and bottoms, pull on some shorts and a tee shirt or sweat shirt and you were good to go. When I was a grad student at the University of Oregon, the track team would dye the white long underwear green. There was a phase of polypro long johns, which were navy blue. I believe this was the evolution of running tights. Running tights vary in cost from very reasonable to - "Hey look at me", and are water resistant which the cotton wasn't. I would skip the long johns and buy some tights or wear sweats. The polypro lj's are also still an option, and you might already own a pair.
Cold hands? Well duh! Wear gloves. Again these can range in price and are definitely easy to lose. I suggest you go to a hardware store and find some white polypro gloves. They usually cost less than a dollar fifty.
If it is not raining wear a sweat top. For rainy and windy conditions you have some options. Again you could go to a running store and fork out some big bucks. Another alternative is to get an inexpensive nylon moisture resistant jacket with a hood. It won't breathe and you'll be soaked when you finish running, but it will be a warm soaking from your sweat. Think of it as a mobile sauna. And again, if you lose it, you're not out big bucks.
Hat? Wear one, but a better use of your money would be for some decent tights. A baseball cap is nice because the bill protects your face.
The most important part of staying warm is organization. All the cold weather gear in the world will not help if you are at school and your gear is at home, or visa versa. Be prepared!
If you have some more ideas please share - this is an open forum.
Coach Miller
Cold hands? Well duh! Wear gloves. Again these can range in price and are definitely easy to lose. I suggest you go to a hardware store and find some white polypro gloves. They usually cost less than a dollar fifty.
If it is not raining wear a sweat top. For rainy and windy conditions you have some options. Again you could go to a running store and fork out some big bucks. Another alternative is to get an inexpensive nylon moisture resistant jacket with a hood. It won't breathe and you'll be soaked when you finish running, but it will be a warm soaking from your sweat. Think of it as a mobile sauna. And again, if you lose it, you're not out big bucks.
Hat? Wear one, but a better use of your money would be for some decent tights. A baseball cap is nice because the bill protects your face.
The most important part of staying warm is organization. All the cold weather gear in the world will not help if you are at school and your gear is at home, or visa versa. Be prepared!
If you have some more ideas please share - this is an open forum.
Coach Miller
posted by Milldog at 10:15 AM
