Does anyone jog or walk extensively in the colder months?
There are a couple of trails near my house and I've been wanting to start a walking regimen, but I don't really want to wear bulky coats or anything. I'm new to Nebraska, and from what I understand it gets really cold and extremely windy here, so I'm thinking for comfort and warmth, it might not be a bad idea to grab some sort of specialty cold weather clothing for extended periods out doors.
I took a quick look online at various retailers and it all looks pretty much the same, I can't if any one brand is better than another. I also can't tell if there's an advantage to one kind of clothing over another, like compression-wear versus looser fitting things. I just want to stay warm and comfortable without having to wear three pairs of jeans and a thick coat just to go for a 90 min walk. Should I just buy some UnderArmour and be done with it?
So if anyone has bought this type of clothing for a similar purpose, please share.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I jog on weekdays, even if it's below zero. Compression socks for runners have definitely helped me in cold-weather running.
I don't know about just for walking (for which any sort of decent cold-weather gear will do) but for running the only important thing to me is layers that can be adjusted based on the temperature, wind, and if you're starting to heat up past the point of comfort now that you're exercising.
Those layers can be just about anything, as long as you don't care about looking fashionable (which is often important to runners). shirts, sweaters, windbreakers, jackets, it hardly matters to me.
The two most important things would be probably having pants you don't really have to layer until it gets to the zeroes, and footwear that won't soak your feet if you're running/walking in snow.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
L.L. Bean usually has good stuff for both under and over clothes.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've never tried exercising in sub-freezing temperatures. Usually so long as it's above 35-40F I don't mind just walking around in jeans and a hoodie, and sometimes even the hoodie comes off in the middle of a walk. I fast walk, what I guess some people call power walking (I hate that term), but my asthma isn't a big fan of jogging (and neither are my knees), and I tend to heat up quite a bit when doing sustained exercise of any sort.
That's why I was trying to find something not too bulky that's warm but can adjust, to a degree, to my own rising body temperature.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
I did some cold-weather exercising last winter, which is unusual for me. I dislike cold weather, immensely. But, I was under the mistaken impression that I needed to run a lot of miles to prepare for something. No good deed goes unpunished, though, so I traded in all that exercise for a knee problem.
I wore layers, but not too many. If my hands were sweating, I took off the gloves briefly. A simple stocking cap worked fine for near-freezing temperatures. When I felt too hot, I would simply remove the hat, briefly. It doesn't take long to cool down outside, without a hat.
When it went down to 20 or lower, I would use the hood of a jacket on top of the hat.
As far as feet go, well, two layers of socks worked fine. But, I was running, so my feet were getting a lot of action.
For my body, I used a tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, then one or two layers on top of that. So, either a long-sleeve shirt or a t-shirt, depending on the temperature. When it got below freezing, I added a wind-breaker to the mix.
Enjoy those lovely, flat, paved trails. That's one of the parts of that city that I like. You can keep the colder weather, though. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
This September has been quite delightful. If anything, it's been a little too warm. Judging from the Facebook posts back home, it was in the low 40s today in Michigan while it was 70 and sunny here today. I know it'll be here soon enough, but I miss the crisp bite of a September morning, with the dew on the ground, mist in the air, and the soft flutter of leaves blowing by.
Maybe it just comes one month later in Nebraska?
I might just try layering up then for a few months until the sub-zero stuff kicks in (it gets that cold in Nebraska, right?) and see how that goes. If I don't have to spend $100 on extra clothes, I have no intention of doing so.
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