Below freezing, a buff pulled over your mouth will trap a lot of the vapor in your exhalation, so your inhalation isn’t super dry.

Personally I pull on gloves any time it’s in the 30s or below. I’m surprised that the graphic doesn’t recommend gloves until 5 degrees.

i think the graphics are great, but i think the recommendations skew toward younger runners. as people get older they get let cold-tolerant. i love the cold, but long sleeves and gloves are no longer optional at 5°C or below.

As a habitual member of hamster workout club. A treadmill day or 2 or 7 a week is with a try.

Be as visible as possible. Its dark and drivers have a hard time seeing in pools of darkness. Just because you can see fine does not mean they can. Be comfortable shedding layers as needed. On long runs i wear two pairs of gloves and cycle on and off the shells as needed. You want to not be cold but getting to hot just gets you really sweaty which will make you colder if you are out there for awhile. This also works for hats, on and off as needed so you never get too cold but also don’t overheat.

Maybe this is obvious to most but was a game changer for me when I finally realized it so maybe it’ll help someone else out:

the threshold where my fingers get cold and I need gloves actually comes before the temps when I feel the need to switch to a long sleeve shirt. I’d end up with comfy hands but desperately trying to push my sleeves up lol. Shorts + t shirt + gloves is an elite mid-fall running outfit, especially on a moderately chilly/windy day.

Keep your brain focused on something and entertain it while you’re out there to help lessen the suckfest that icy sidewalks and rotten wind hills can be.

Run with words! Spell things out with your running route. It helped me focus on something other than how awful the cold was several times last winter. And it’s fun to write “dick” or whatever else on your route. I tend to stick to three or four letter words which end up being 3-5 mile routes, but I know folks who will go out there and spell out “burrito”. I’m only running to maintain fitness in the winter; hats off to thee, you wild winter marathoners.

Tuck in your base layer, all the way around, nothing will send shivers down your spine faster than a sudden gust of cold wind that finds its way under your shirt and directly onto your skin.

I have terrible circulation to my hands and they often turn white when cold. I probably have raynauds syndrome. I use hand warmers on really cold days and they’re very helpful. Not worth dealing with the pain of frozen and then thawing hands.

Quality gloves and hats are more important than pants and jackets. I can run in just about any pants and jacket but I have at least 5 different thicknesses and brands of gloves and hats I use for different temperatures. For the coldest windiest long runs I use Arc’Teryx mittens with glove liners under them.

Lights!

Long runs in the snow with hot chocolate and nice hot stock for picture breaks. Its a very peaceful experience trail running in the winter.

I love my Smartloft Hoodie Vest from Smartwool. I’m a vest person- if my core is warm everything else is good. I wear it running and just in general. The hood is awesome and can be worn as a hat. I even wear the hood under my ski helmet on cold days. I love this vest so much I own 2.

Arc’teryx trino SL for a shell layer, proton for a more insulated but breathable jacket

Defeet woolie boolie. They’re cycling specific but I just wear them for anything.

Smartwool socks are all I’ve needed. Even for winter trail runs where I have multiple stream crossings and get my feet completely wet. If I keep moving, my feet don’t get cold.

Darn Tough element have been a favorite of mine recently.

56% Merino Wool 41% Nylon 3% Lycra Spandex.

Satsify aura-lite tee, Satisfy CloudMerino tee

I don’t think there’s any better base layer in the cold than good merino wool. I’ve got them from LL Bean, Smartwool, and Outdoor Research I don’t find a big difference in the brands as long as it’s from a quality brand. Personally, I prefer ones that are quarter zip with thumbholes. The quarter zip is nice if you start to get hot. The thumbholes are just for convenience so the sleeves don’t ride up.

I go against the grain regarding lights when road running in the dark especially on roads and in neighborhoods.

I don’t think wearing something that lights up is all that safe. I much prefer a reflective vest for the purpose that cars can see you. That’s what really matters.

A headlamp can also blind an oncoming car so I don’t consider that safe.

And a softer, indirect light like the Noxgear stuff or small blinking lights really advertises your presence to people (not vehicles) who maybe you don’t want to notice you that much.

I wear reflective gear for the cars and avoid putting lights on myself. I think that’s safer.

Light AND reflective gear is a must. When car headlights are one you, the lights you’re wearing get washed out. That’s when the reflective gear comes into play. I wear one of those orange and yellow construction vests. Easy to put on and I don’t have to worry about buying specifically reflective clothing.

No one comes close to Noxgear right now. The Tracer light vest is the best. Especially now that you can get a chest lamp that clips right in.

-30C with windchill is where i draw the line. But when its close to that temperature i have the necessary gear AND i stay close to home doing loops.

Minnesota-based runner here. Air temps (no wind) around 0 to -5ish F or windchill -15 to -20ish F are my cutoff.

Also, I take a few weeks off in February, which is a frigid icy hellscape of neighborhood sidewalks. It’s good for my morale.

I use this frostbite x windchill chart from the national weather service. Most of my runs are longer than 30 min, so anything that falls into the “frostbite in 30 minutes” category or colder (frostbite in 10 or 5 minutes) then I stay inside. Otherwise, I still run (and have the proper gear/ layering to do so).

I’ll start by saying this: if you’re running in the extreme cold make sure someone knows where you are, when you’re getting back, wear something obnoxiously visible, and stay close to a warm/dry location even if it means running smaller loops. A million freak things can happen that can stop you from being able to get home, and if you’re already damp with sweat a few miles can be a very dangerous distance. Don’t assume you’ll be making the best decisions when going hypothermic, and don’t rely on your phone with numb hands and batteries that don’t work well in extreme cold.

With that out the way: I ran down to -10F temps/-35F windchill last year, which I likely won’t do again. I never felt in serious danger with the right gear but it was really difficult to get a meaningful workout at that level. 0F/-10F windchill is reasonably comfortable if you’re smart and wearing clothing appropriate for the task. Notable that when it’s really cold I tend to only do aerobic/easy running - anything else is too tough on footing and easily leads to pulled/strained muscles for me.

It’s probably “possible” to run in just about anything, but I personally just don’t enjoy it when I have to wear so many layers that I’m weighted down. For me that’s about 0F or -18C. Below that I usually run inside. Not because I physically can’t dress for that cold but because I just kind of don’t enjoy running outside in it anymore because I’m wearing so much crap.

I need a neck warmer to go under my jackets. Neither of my winter running jackets keep my neck or chin warm enough. I live in the south but mornings can be 30 degrees so I need it warm but not New England winter warm.

Anyone have buff recommendations?

Not sure if this counts, but are there any favorite / preferred methods for covering ears?

I like the Smartwool Merino Sport Fleece Wind Tights. They are so cozy for cold running and the windproof panels really worked well. I ran all last winter in them in Minnesota down to about 0F. Above 20F, I’d overheat, but a cold-natured runner might be able to take them up to 30-35ish. They’re really best for people who live in places with a properly cold winter, not just a hovers-around-freezing-and-snows-maybe-twice kind of winter.

Lululemon’s “Keep the Heat” leggings are fantastic!

I also recommend any of the SportHill running/xc skiing pants. I’ve had the same pair since 2002 and they’re still going strong!

I like running in half-tights. Also, I like merino wool.

Who makes a good merino wool half-tight?

They are almost too expensive, but the Tracksmith NDO tights are warm/wind resistant and also have really good reflective visibility. In my part of the world I have a lot of cold and windy days running in the dark, so they were worth it to me.

Anybody have a replacement for the now-discontinued Janji Groundwork?

NONE! Freeze out, knees out, baby!

I’m pretty partial to the Head gloves from Costco - have a few of the light thickness ones and one pair of the medium thickness gloves.

they are generally pretty inexpensive and sometimes go on sale too. I want to say they retail around the $18-20 mark but sometimes go down to $12 or so. the price/quality ratio is good enough for me.

I love the janji vortex wind block gloves.

Not Under Armor. I have a pair of their gloves and my fingers freeze when it’s below 40.

My fingers and hands turn white and go completely numb when it dips below 60 degrees. I’m not even kidding. It’s ridiculous. After a while it even hurts and it makes winter running miserable. I’ve tried several different kinds that feel warm for a minute, and were advertised to keep you protected in sub-freezing temperatures, but all have failed after about 20-30 minutes of my run.

What are some recommendations for the absolute thickest, heaviest, toasty-warm gloves/mittens existing? I’m at the point where I’m willing to shell out a good bit of money for a good set.

Any tips for faster workouts in the cold? My legs seem to fatigue so quickly when its cold out and just don’t seem to want to move fast at all. Its like a different type of tired too, like more so from the actual cold than the running itself. I also don’t have the best circulation so I think that may be apart of it

What do people in the frozen tundra environments do for face and neck coverage? I wear buffs but I hate feeling like I’m being strangled, and I’m kind of a spitty runner (well hydrated?) which makes them even more of a pain. I’ve got two merino wool balaclavas that I hate too. They don’t keep a damn thing warm.

Also, what kind of eyewear do folks use when it’s megacold? Old ski goggles? Are there running specific ones? Sometimes you get out there and it’s so cold your eyeballs hurt but you’ve spent ten minutes gearing up and you’ve committed so you keep going.

Men. What are your recommended long sleeve compression shirts. I am looking for something that will be compressive(?) on my whole body, including my arms. The problem I sometimes run into (no pun intended), is that the compression shirts I have tried will be tight on my whole body expect my arms, forearms especially. For reference, I am around 5’10" / 179 cm, weighing ~145 pounds / ~66kg, lean/skinny build. Also, my go-to shirt size is a US M.

I am brand new to running and trying to do a run/walk plan to ease myself into it. I’m just wondering if the walking is supposed to be included in mileage or just the running? Say I’m running 1 minute walking 1 minute for a mile, would the mile only count when I’m running? What’s the general consensus on this?

Sorry if this has been asked a bunch I was having trouble finding!

Any recommendations for face masks that filter pollution?

Winter in my location comes with a temperature inversion that traps pollution. Seriously our air gets as bad or worse than Beijing. I’d still prefer to run outside instead or on a treadmill if I can.