Christmas Shopping

Christmas is but a week away. I have had a few comments on twitter and instagram asking about how best to beat the cold and get your runs in as the temperature drops. I thought I'd outline a few of my go-to items for winter running.

As I'm sure you all know, the key to winter running is layering up!

TOP HALF

First and probably most important is a good base-layer. My go to this winter has been the Mizuno Breath Thermo base layer. This material is absolutely crazy. It actually uses the moisture from your sweat to create heat and keep you warm. I have been doing workouts in High Park with just this base-layer and a t-shirt on top in negative degree weather and been perfect. It’s really a great garment.

The next most important is a mid-layer. For that I have been leaning towards my Brooks Utopia Thermal half zip. I find it’s a perfect weight. When I’m going out for a recovery run and want to be just that little bit warmer, this works perfectly. The only downside is when it’s not all that cold, but really windy out, it doesn't have any wind protection. For that, I go for my Running Room RRX Wind Front Half Zip. It just has the added wind protection on the front, which really helps cut the bite on the windy days.

Next layer would be a top-layer or shell. This is when it’s super cold, or rain/wet snow is coming down. I don't often put on a top-layer; I get pretty warm when I run. When I do, I default to my Running Room RRX Extreme Run Jacket or, for added safety, Extreme Reflective Run Jacket when it’s dark outside (which is most of the time).

BOTTOM HALF

My three main layers that I go with are a base of short tights, then a long tight, and if need be, I put a pair of tapered pants on top.

Base-layer is pretty basic, tights are tights. You can get running underwear, or "runderwear", that have a wind protection bit that covers the family jewels. For men, this can be a nice feature on those super cold and windy days and help prevent certain body parts feeling like they are going to fall off.

As far as long tights go, I'm generally fine with just a normal pair of long tights. For the chillier days, I've been going with Brooks Utopia thermal tights. They are fleeced lined and just add a little extra warmth. For the REALLY cold days, or days I just want to pretend I'm somewhere tropical, I run in my Sugoi Sub-Zero tights. These babies are really warm. You can always look for tights with wind protection on them as well, it never hurts to have, but does reduce breathability, making them a bit warmer.

Then when it gets ridiculous outside, or I'm just going for a short recovery run and know I probably won't warm up too much before I'm done, I'll put a pair of looser fitting tapered pants on top. Many of these have the wind protection on them. I hardly get to the point of wearing these, except for when I'm warming up for workouts.

Extremities

Hands, head and feet. A lot of this is just based on personal preference and how cold these parts of your body get. My hands get really cold, so I generally run in a pair of pretty heavy mitts. I always have a toque on. Running Room has a huge selection of mitts, gloves and toques depending on what you need.

Lately I haven't left my house without my new favourite piece of running equipment, my 100% Merino Wool Buff. Merino Wool is an amazing material, it does a fantastic job of keeping you warm, and the best part, you don’t need to wash it. Just rinse it in the sink when you're done and hang dry.

Speaking of Merino Wool, SmartWool socks are a great thing to have if your feet get cold running out there. As I said, it’s an amazing material and really helps keep you warm.

Another great, but less intuitive thing about merino wool, is it actually helps keep you cool in the summer too! Garments made from merino are generally a little more expensive, but due to their diversity, I definitely think it's worth the cost.

Everything I have described in available at any Running Room location. The Breath Thermo top is sometimes hard to track down as it’s an incredibly popular piece.

Happy running, and keep warm out there!

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