Out of lurkdom...Running a marathon in cold weather...base layer & glove suggestion

[OakLeaf]

I've been going through my logs.

I have better data for half marathons in those temps than full. All my marathons have been in warmer weather. But I don't think the exertion level is so far different as to make a difference in what I'd wear.

This past weekend it was 4C. I wore a microweight Hincapie long sleeve wool base layer (not sure the weight, but it's lighter than my 150 g/m2 Ibex things) under a long sleeved summer weight technical top; convertible gloves; and my CW-X Stabilyx tights. In bright sunshine I was just slightly over-warm, but at that hour of the day the race was mostly in shade, and overall I was dressed just right for me. I also had a hoodie and knit cap that I discarded within the first mile or two.

Had I not wanted to wear my Boston shirt, I'd probably have worn a midweight (~230 g/m2) wool crew as my only top layer. I've worn one of those for other cold weather races, and it's worked really well - wicks sweat, and I can comfortably push the sleeves up above or below the elbows.

And the caveat with all of this is that I have my legs covered. I need it at that temperature, but even in warmer weather I like full leg compression for distance racing. So I'm not sure how that would affect core temperature, but I expect with less on your legs, you'd need more on top.

I think it depends a lot on your exertion level, i.e. how much heat you're generating. My first half it was about the same temperature but I ran it almost 1 m/m slower, wore a LOT more and was comfortable. I've comfortably worn much less for a 5K in those temperatures. You may have noticed the pros wear singlets at freezing temps, with arm warmers sometimes, and I think that's just an indication of how much more heat they're able to generate at world level pace.

I hate zippers too, but I have to say this is the first year I bought a throwaway sweatshirt from Goodwill (actually, they had a booth at the expo, which was cool) rather than digging one out of my own drawers, and I chose one with a full zip. It was much easier to take it off while running, than the ones I had to take off over my head while hanging onto my visor and my sunglasses and my lucky lei.

I really do not think you want a windblocker if it's above or near freezing, unless you expect super strong wind. Unless it's your throwaway. To me it's more important to let the sweat evaporate, because you will need the cooling. For training runs, you could tie it around your waist.

You mentioned a vest - Ibex just brought back their Woolies women's tank after several years, which I was super happy about because the older one is like my favorite thing I own. Sadly, the fit isn't the same - a little looser through the shoulders, with bigger arm holes - but it's still a really nice versatile piece to have in your wardrobe, and still much closer fitting than my SW and JonesWares tanks.