Today is March 3rd so I thought that I would write a few words about finally being able to de-layer a bit. But not only can we not de-layer at the moment, we can’t even run outdoors because of the very unseasonable snow that has taken over Ireland.
So while my running shoes are putting their feet up for a few days, I have been thinking about winter running and what is the best thing to do in terms of layering. I have come to a few conclusions, most of which are dependent on so many variables that there really is no one conclusion for all.
The amount of layers of breathable clothing that you wear is a function of so many things. The temperature outside, the wind speed, the wind direction, the speed that you are running, the length of time/distance that you are running for and the inclination that you are running in. With so many factors to consider, it can really be a mind boggling thing to decide what the right running clothes are on any given day. What if you get too hot? What if you get too cold? For me my concern is never if I get too cold as I find that once you are running, you will heat up no matter what the elements. My concern lies with whether I will overheat or not.
On a recent Coast Road Runners 0-5km running course session, I worked out that I was wearing 11 running layers. From the top down: 1 running hat, 6 upper layers (running vest top, running short sleeved top, running long sleeved top, running short sleeved under armour top, running zipped jacket, running high vis jacket), 1 pair of long running tights, 1 pair of long decompression socks (to cover the open lower part of the tights which had no place on this particular evening) and 2 pairs of gloves (1 pair of running gloves, 1 pair of my 8 year old daughter’s hockey gloves). During the session we were doing intermittent walking and running intervals, covering about 4km. I didn’t overheat. I wasn’t too hot or too cold.
Earlier that day I went for one of my own training runs. I ran for 8 miles. I wore 6 layers. From the top down: 1 running hat, 2 upper layers (1 running vest, 1 long sleeved running top), 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of short running socks, I pair of gloves. On the outward run, the wind was behind me. After about 2 miles I had worked up a good sweat and felt like I was overheating. So I took off my hat and gloves. When I turned to run back in the opposite direction, I was running in to a strong freezing cold wind. Soon my sweat began to dissipate and my hands started to feel cold. I put my gloves back on. I also put my hat back on, mostly because it was kind of annoying me as I had stuck it in the back of my shorts so I didn’t have to carry it. Carrying things while running is one of my pet hates, a story for another day. For the entire return leg of my run, I didn’t overheat or sweat too much.
My two very different running experiences (and running layers) that day brought me to a new conclusion about running layers. Namely that your choice of clothing is largely a function of how fast you run. Not rocket science really. On my personal training run, I ran approx. 7.5 min miles. On the running course session, I was walking/running approx. 12 min miles.
A few weeks later, this revelation was challenged at the Operation Transformation 5km Run in the Phoenix Park, February 2018. I did the OT run with a few Coast Road Runners. I ran with them at their speed rather than running my own race. We came in at around 33 minutes. I was wearing 9 layers that day: 1 hat, 5 upper layers (1 running vest, 1 short sleeved top, 2 long sleeved tops, 1 long sleeved running top) 1 pair of long running tights, 1 pair of short running socks, 1 pair of gloves. The other Coast Road Runners were wearing 2-3 layers that day. None of them wore a hat or gloves.
At the end of the run, they hadn’t overheated but were feeling much warmer than when they started the 5km race. I wasn’t. I couldn’t understand how this was the case as we were all running in the same temperature, wind speed, wind direction, speed, time and inclination. Clearly I had missed a very important factor in my original thinking on the matter. The individual runner. As the saying goes, no size fits all and the same goes for running. To wear or not to wear is an individual choice. There is no right or wrong in the amount of layers that you wear, as long as they are breathable.
