Question:I find it interesting Joseph that you chose to use the Irish word "Garda"
for police and yet your tagline uses the American "Math" for mathematics. I
think they shorten mathematics to "maths" in Ireland don't they? If so, this
makes "It's Irish Math" a bit of an oxymoron unless you read it as an Irish
American slogan.
Answer:
I have just gotten back into running after spending a long time
away from the sport. Since it is starting to get cold out I am looking
for some clothes to keep me warm.
I get the road runner sports catalog and noticed the tights and
undershirts that they sell, unfortunately I can't really afford it.
I'm in the middle of college and you know how that goes. I just can't
afford $45 + on a shirt for running, and the same goes for the tights.
As for bottoms I usually wear my wind-breaker type pants which
helps but on those really cold morning they don't get the job done. I
was wondering if pantyhose made of non-cotton material would do a good
job of keeping me warm.
As for tops I have a wind breaker jacket but only have cotton shirts
and i know that isn't good. I do have an old long sleeve leotard that
is 100% nylon. would that help?
My budget doesn't allow for many "extras" either. In my experience, my legs
were less of a problem than my upper body. I have used long underwear and
sweat pants. If it is windy, I throw on a wind shell. My lower body
doesn't seem to sweat nearly as much as my upper body, so tights are
optional. I now have some tights and they are better in that they are less
baggy and lighter than the sweats.
I usually only notice my lower body being cold *after* I finish running.
The upper body, for me, is a different story. I sweat a lot when running,
even at -25 C. If my upper body isn't properly clothed, I get cold, either
through convective heat loss or from clothing that is too wet.
The nylon materials you propose *will* probably reduce the convective heat
loss to the air, but I suspect that it would get wet pretty quick. The
materials in the coolmax (and other running store fabrics) are designed to
wick away moisture.
I have used long sleeve cotton shirts over my coolmax. This does keep you
warm, but I would often come home dripping wet. Not very comfortable and a
risk of hypothermia if you get stranded in the cold for an extended period.
If you have these things already, then try them. If you are
comfortable, or reasonably so, then it worked. If no, then you need
something else.
In general clothing is for comfort. You also don't want it too
restrictive, and you don't want it so revealing that the local Garda will
stop you in mid run.
Try running in just the leotard and wind breaker jacket. As long as
it's not so cold as to cause numbness of the extremities and bare
legs, that would seem like the cheapest solution.
Winter running gear is a highly personal thing. I know a guy who wears
his long sleeves when the temperatures get below 50 and another who
has his shorts on in the 30's. What works for me probably works for me
and me alone.
A few ideas to keep in mind.
Insulation comes from trapping a thin layer of air beween your skin
and outer garment.
The insulating layer should do a good job of keeping you warm when it
gets wet with sweat (yes you sweat in winter too). If you sweat alot
wear lots of synthetic clothing if you don't you can get away with
cotton (I can :-).
A synthetic top can be worth its weight in gold, but it needent cost
as much. Army surplus stores sell cheap polypropylene as does Walmart.
As for your panty hose idea. Joe Namath kept his legs warm with them!
In my opinion spend money on the upper. Keep your core warm and you'll
stay warm. Go cheap on the leg coverings.
Southern New England's winters aren't too bad but it can get down to single
digits when I run at noon with a wind chill below zero. I find the type of
clothing is less important than the number of layers. Plus a good warm hat
and gloves are essential.
I was going to suggest leg warmers in the initial post, but then I
realized they would probably fall down while running, thus be rendered
worthless. But I highly advise against the pantyhose if you're
planning to wear the leotard - you will get a very annoying (or very
distracting to passing construction workers) "wedgie" effect. Bear in
mind, I am not speaking from personal experience, but from watching
aerobics instructors - I've never seen one get a "wedge" unless they
had on pantyhose.
I run year round in Winnipeg (it's 4 hours NORTH of Fargo ND). When running
in the winter, my outer gear consists of a lightly lined wind suit, a
balaclava, ski mitts, and normal running shoes. Under that, a normal pair
of socks (on really cold days I wear Thorlos as they have thicker soles), a
turtleneck shirt, and on cold days (-10C or worse) a sweatshirt. I find
that I'm cold for the first half mile (maybe the first mile if the wind is
bad) until the work warms me up. A three mile run, or longer, will leave my
clothes sweatsoaked.
I try to run in sheltered areas. The wind is far and away the biggest
factor in how it feels. -40 with no wind is not nearly as bad as -20 with a
20K wind in your face. The park I run in has cleared (we already have snow
on the ground, likely to be there until March) paths that wind through the
woods (for the most part).
I suggest you experiment on yourself. Lay out a short loop that passes your
home so that if you are just too cold, you can bail out very quickly.
Everyone is unique, so don't expect your experience to be identical to any
you see posted here.
They're prices (even if you are in their club) are nothing special.
Go to one of the larger sporting goods store (or check out the National
Running Center at a race expo if you have one soon) and dig through
their clearance racks. You can get decent winter gear if you aren't
overly picky of what brand or color is on it for not much money.
