When the weather gets colder, it is important to know what to wear. I am have tried several different combinations over the years and found a system that is comfortable for me in almost every type of weather. Here is how I think about the temperature in Southern Indiana and what I wear for cold weather running.

• Hot (Over 80° F) fancy running shorts and thin t-shirt
• Normal (80° - 60° F) regular mesh shorts and t-shirt
• Cool Weather (60° - 40° F) wind suit, long sleeve t-shirt, toboggan and sometimes thin gloves
• Cold Weather (40° - 20° F) wind suit, fancy long sleeve, second layer t-shirt, toboggan, ski mask and thin gloves
• Frozen Chicken (20° - 0° F) wind suit, second layer shorts, fancy long sleeve, second layer sweatshirt, toboggan, ski mask and thick gloves
• Stay Inside (Below 0° F) very rare weather so I just stay inside

When I write “fancy” shorts, I mean the ones with the special wicking fabric they sell in running stores. I have one pair like that and two long sleeve shirts like that. My ski mask is some kind of spandex that has an opening for my eyes and a breathing vent.

My running has never been very far. I hope to change that this winter. The longest I’ve ever consistently ran was 5 miles. My cold weather running clothes did fine at that distance, but I suspect I would need to rethink for longer runs.

This morning it was 24 degrees and felt much colder due to the wind chill. This is the lower end of what I consider cold weather. My hands were feeling cold but everything else was fine. A little lower and I would have added the second layer shorts. Definitely no walking this morning - I needed the heat.