But I also know I have to be more flexible:

This is a good one that I forgot to mention. Winter for me is about maintaining base. I keep an eye on the forecast, and will adjust my running schedule accordingly. I try to map the week out so that the days that I run the furthest, or have some quality thrown in, are the nicest days weather wise. Flexible.

Blasphemy I tell ya

I had the most "delightful" blizzard run...in full ski gear (not the boots) 12*, wind, snow, people in the lobby looking at me as if I'd lost my mind!....only 2 miles, but not much is too awful after doing something silly like that!!

socks & gaitors

The Smartwool socks I use are actually hiking socks and have a crew sock style top. I usually fold it down over my tights, but could leave it up too I guess.

Huh, I never thought about using hiking socks! I've already got some of those, cool. Cindy, what are gaitors?

http://www.dirtygirlgaiters.com/dirtypictures.html Look at the things down around their ankles/shoes. Mostly their used to keep dirt, rocks, etc., out of your shoes when running trails.

LOL, Leslie, at first I wondered why in the world you were sending me to a porn site! Thanks for the link. I bet they would have those at LL Bean.

Okay, I posted the following on this topic in the Boomer Wiki last year, but it still applies (I had to modify some of the links): Last winter, when I was training for a March marathon, I did a lot of long runs in the coldest part of the winter, including 4 slow 20-milers in temps that ranged from 3 to 17 degrees (F). Since my 20-milers took me about 4 hours, I learned a lot about keeping warm. I tend to be someone who gets cold easily, so what worked for me might be too much for someone else, but I will share with you what allowed me to avoid the dreaded treadmill for these ridiculously long runs, and to run outside all winter in some record-breaking (for here) temps that hovered around zero for weeks. I am not trying to sell any products, just telling you what worked for me. This is primarily advice about running long runs in sub-20 (F) temps. First off, if you have to do really long runs in bitter cold, I think you’re better off doing loops in your neighborhood so that you can swing back by your house if you find you need to add/subtract a layer. I do 5-mile loops, and so stop by my house every 50 minutes to hydrate/potty/adjust clothing. Two points here: #1 Repeating loops may seem boring to you, but I listened to books-on-CD to help with the monotony. #2 Purists might say that taking a 2-3 minute break every 5 miles is not appropriate training for a marathon, but in the cold especially I think it’s necessary and helpful, and, to be honest, I have always taken done this, even in the warm weather, and I did not feel that it hurt me in my Sept. marathon to have never run this distance non-stop before that. HANDS My weakest point in the cold is my hands. They get painfully cold very quickly, no matter how warm the rest of me might be. Here are my solutions. 180S Convertible Running Gloves (CRG) http://www.sockcompany.com/18mecotrgl.html I LOVE THESE! These are my primary gloves. Made of lightweight, wicking material, they have a light mitt that wraps around the fingertips or tucks back away inside a pocket in the top of the glove. I wear this for the first 45-60 minutes, no matter what the temp, because my hands are still warm at first, and my hands overheat if I start out with the warmer stuff. I don't know if you can still get these in this brand, but any convertable glove with the fold-out mitt would work. After the first hour, in temps below 20-22 degrees (F) my fingertips are getting painfully cold. That’s when I switch to this: http://www.holabirdsports.com/cgi-bin/product?product=051074 These are great for the second hour, lightweight, fleece lined, washable, but if I’m going to be out there longer than 2 hours, on my 3rd hour loop I will add these: Hand and glove warmers http://www.industrialsavings.com/hard-hats/warmingpacks.html?gclid=CJuEyKC3wJYCFQNfFQod3Wt1wg (this is just one brand as an example – I actually buy the ones they sell at Wal-Mart) I activate a couple of these buy shaking them up, then drop them into the fingertip portion of my mitten. I curl up my hands slightly as I run, and so don’t actually touch the warmers, but they keep the whole mitten warm. This will keep my fingers warm for the duration of run, no matter how long. HEAD Okay, I have a problem with head wear because I have long bushy hair that defies a hat. When a fleece ear wrap is not enough, I use this: Headgator http://www.maxit-inc.com/products/headgator.html It’s basically a long tube made out of lightweight fabric that can be folded into 6 different types of headwear. Mostly I fold it in 3rds and use it like a stocking cap with a hole in the top for my pony tail. When it is REALLY cold (below 10 degrees) and/or windy, I pull out the big guns: Fleece Hood http://frostyfleece.com/Hood_Hat_Fleece_Balaclava.htm I don’t know what brand I have, but got it at Kohl’s or Target, I think. I usually wear my Headgator underneath the hood as a hat. The hood can be worn 5 different ways, depending on your preference and the weather. BUTT I find that my butt cheeks get really cold after a while (high fat content, I guess), but not my legs as much, so, I wear a pair of stretchy compression shorts underneath a pair of microfleece winter running pants for extra cheek warming. TOP LAYERS I always wear my UA mock turtle as my first layer when it gets below 30 degrees (got it on E-Bay for about $30). http://www.underarmour.com/shop/womens/apparel/pid1001512?sid=bottom_03 Over this I layer a microfleece top like this, down to about 20 degrees: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,26969_SportHill-Infuzion-T op-Long-Sleeve-For-Women.html?cm_mmc=PaidPlacement-_-NexTag-_-WNEXT7B-_-SportHill_Infuzion_Top_-_Long_Sleeve_-_For_Women When the temps get below 20 degrees, I add a lightweight microfleece jacket (I got mine at Kohl’s for about $30). These 3 layers are all very lightweight but they kept me warm and comfy in the coldest temps for as long as 4 hours running. FEET Oddly enough, my feet and toes don’t seem to get cold when I’m running, maybe because my feet don’t seem to sweat much. Even in the summertime, my socks are mostly dry when I take my shoes off. You’ll have to get cold feet advice somewhere else. I hope this is useful to someone. I will admit that I spent a small fortune (to me) on winter running apparel last year, but this year all those items still look almost as fresh as when I bought them. If you always hang your tech fabrics to dry (DON’T put them in the dryer or use fabric softener in the wash), they will last you for years, and to me it is well worth it to be able to continue running outside all winter. Note - my running stuff has gone through another winter since I posted this, and it is still in great condition - great value for the wear and tear.

Tramps, I already look like that. Holly, THANKS! That head thing is unique and interesting. I have never even seen one of those before. Be sure to post a pic of you all dressed up to run this winter head thingy and all. I like the loop tip. Best place to end a winter run is at home where you can get the wet sweaty things off and warm up quick! I have a funny winter porn shopping story....was shopping for a snowboard for my daughter two years ago in the kitchen on the laptop early Sunday morning. First place was sportsauthority.com. Decided to compare prices at Dicks. The website is NOT dicks.com btw (dont try this at home). I learned the hard way when "XXX Must be 18" came up at the top of the web page. At first I thought 'you dont have to be 18 to shop at Dicks.' Then "24/7 Adult Gay Content' came up and I realized what I had done and had to quickly exit out of that window before the kids saw what was happening. Thanks for all the tips! Hopefully a few more runners will benefit from these too. Laurie