9 replies to this topic

[cairnsman]

Hi everyone, long time lurker ... finally making his first post here.

I'm a beginner runner who currently runs about 25km's a week but as the year progresses im looking to up this dramatically !~  and when i go overseas to Korea in October with the wife I'm looking to be able running each day or at night when the streets and city are nice and quiet.

problem is ... the weather there is going to be between 5 and 20 degrees.

I live in the tropics here its hot and i also dont own alot of running gear 2x running shorts 2 x singlets 1x cap 1x shoes. (i can make use of the gear on yearly visits)

I would like suggestions as to what i need to buy before hand. I would like to pre-buy as getting anything in my size there can be difficult. As I'm 184cm's and it's hard finding tall sizes.

So what do i need for cold weather ? lightweight rain jacket ? running gloves ? do men wear running tights ?

what would you wear if you are running in 10 degree weather ?

[Bluey69]

I'm currently running in the chilly Victorian mornings. Last few have been 6-8 degrees when I have headed out. I love the full length skins for my legs. On top I vary between a long sleeved dry fit top, or a dry fit t shirt with light weight jacket over the top. Half way through the run the jacket is usually around my waist. I find I get quite hot when I run so haven't found I need gloves or a beanie, but I do have a polar fleece jacket in the car I throw on as soon as I have finished running. Hope this helps.

[GreenConsort]

I live in Sydney, and we do get frosts in winter. On the very cold days I wear a long sleeved top, running tights, hat  and gloves. I have different weights in long sleeve tops to accommodate cold versus very cold days. If it is just a bit cold then I wear a light long sleeve top, shorts and gloves. For some reason my hands gets really cold so the gloves are on all winter. I tried a jacket once but as Bluey69 says it gets too hot. BTW I run first thing in morning so cold is more of an issue for me. Usually out the door before 5am.

[toolittletoolate]

For running in 10 degrees I would wear what you already have, shorts a vest/tshirt, a cap, socks and runners.  The only thing I would change if it got much colder than 10 would be to wear a long sleeve running shirt rather than a short one (you could add a short one over your long one if it was freezing!).  You might feel a little chilly for the first 1km but once you are warmed up you wont need anything else (IMOA).

[vat]

Toolittletoolate's about nailed it - I'd suggest investing in some light gloves for those colder mornings, if your hands and feet are warm it can do quite a lot for temperature perception.

[MountainMan]

I have a rule that  I dress for 10 degrees warmer when going for a run. So, if it is 5 degrees outside, I dress for 15 degrees if running. 5 degrees is not cold, you will adjust.

A beenie is also a good call, you lose a lot of heat from your head.

Edited by MountainMan, 07 May 2012 - 10:42 AM.

[adr1an]

Whereabouts in korea? Have you been before?

Han River has km's of paths to run on. You like mountain running? There are trails all over the place, however, I found them to be pretty steep, but still a some runnable sections.

20 degrees is t-shirt and shorts for me. 5 degrees is probably tights and a light jacket. Gloves to start with that you can put in your pockets.

Great country.

[alowflyingpig]

^{When the weather gets a bit chilly, I usually pull out my thermal tights and a light thermal long sleeve. When it gets really cold, around mid winter, I wear a full thermal long sleeve and thermal gloves.}

Edited by alowflyingpig, 07 May 2012 - 01:06 PM.

[tcornall]

Hi Cairnsman.
It might seem like overkill, but I have had a lot of success when running/XC-skiing in very cold weather (i.e. around 5 degrees Celsius) with polypropylene thermals. Maybe just the long-sleeved top with runner's shorts although the long legged bottoms are really good too if it is cold enough. They are light, warm when dry, breathe well, protect OK-ish from light-ish wind when dry, fairly warm even when wet with sweat even in a slight breeze though can get chilly if the wind picks up and you aren't running. Costs about $20 for a top and similarly for the bottoms if you need them. Take a light jacket to cover-up when you are stopped running, and maybe also light windproof/waterproof trousers similarly.

Note: Whatever you do, DO NOT USE HAYNES UNDER ARMOUR. It gets horribly cold when damp and it doesn't even need a breeze. Must just be the cold from evaporation. At least, this is what I found for the tight-fitting top I bought for a ridiculous amount because it promised warmth and good breathability. Looks great, feels great, will kill you from hypothermia if you are unlucky. mybe a looser fit would have been better, but I have since read in various forums of others who have had a nasty experience with sudden and unexpected chilling from them.

For gloves, there are lots of options. Polypropylene, wool, lycra netballers' gloves and so on. Also, if you can get them and if you can put up with damp hands from sweating there are even specialist goretex or eVent breathable overgloves available, designed for cross-country skiers. They cut the wind beautifully and depending on how light your inner gloves are they won't necessarily get too hot, but they will get damp when doing heavy exercise, no matter what the manufacturers say... Along the same lines, there are goretex, paklight, eVent etc jackets available from the bushwalking and XC skiing fields-of-endeavour, usually for lots of moola, that are supposed to cope with sweat when exercising heavily. Nope, they won't cope with running. They will keep you warm by cutting the wind, but they will get wet on the inside.

Enjoy!

[beezee]

As a female from Brisbane I can only offer what I see the male runners wearing around here on Winter mornings (gets down to around 5 degrees in Winter predawn/sunrise on a colder day).

Lots of guys do wear tights under their usual shorts in the mornings but just as many go without.  IMHO the long sleeve running top is a must usually over the top of whatever else you would usually wear - I wear a NIKE Dri Fit long sleeve for the first km or two and then tie it around my waist for the rest of the run (guess guys would do the same thing but I've never taken much notice).

Gloves are a nice extra but I've never had them (definitely debated the purchase on colder mornings though).  If I was in Canberra or Melbourne for Winter I think gloves would be a must but they're probably not a necessity in the temps you're talking about unless you really feel the cold in your hands.

So what you have should be fine but I would grab a lightweight long sleeve top of some description.  It just makes those first few km more bearable.   Even on the coldest Winters day here I've ripped the long sleeve off by 2km though.  You really do warm up pretty quickly and whatever you get just make sure it's light and easy for you to carry for the rest of your run.

Enjoy your trip!