Forums >Gears and Wears>Proper clothing for 30~45 degree runners
I continue to sweat during my daily runs after about 5 minutes in and I am looking for the proper upper body clothing to help. I currently use a wicking long sleeve T shirt along with one or two loose fleeces and start to feel like a furnace after a few minutes. Any suggestions on clothing to help me keep my cool?
For that temperature range, you shouldn't need anything other than the wicking long sleeve t-shirt by itself. Towards the bottom of that range, maybe two layers of tech shirts. Everyone's different in how cold they get & like to be, and you'll figure it out as you go. But in general you should feel pretty cold at the start of the run, in order to avoid overheating later.
Dave
Yeah, what DavePNW said. I have a couple wicking shirts that are too warm for 45, so one or two fleeces is overkill.
A long sleeve and a fleece would be what I'm going with in 15-20 F degree weather and that's probably too warm.
runktrun
I would layer either one wicking T shirt under a long sleeve, or two wicking long sleeves. The fleece is probably to blame for you feeling like a furnace. It will hold in more heat and be more insulative. Shorts or half tights depending on how cold I feel. Sometimes I like to bundle up and overheat
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
Prince of Fatness
But in general you should feel pretty cold at the start of the run, in order to avoid overheating later.
This is the key for me. If I feel comfortable outside before starting my run, I will almost always overheat.
Not at it at all.
an amazing likeness
Wear what you would put on for a walk in 20F warmer temps...so run at 40F = walk at 60F.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Cant wait for the dick hurt in the cold morning discussions! Its the time of the year!
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Interval Junkie --Nobby
This.
30F-45F for me is one thin technical wool long-sleeve, thin gloves and thin beanie for my ears. And shorts.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
I hate the cold. I like being wrapped up like a furnace. The legs though, they have hair and air is fair...shorts it is.
Runs in the rain
The weather involves more than just the temperature. I've gone for a run with just shorts and a short sleeve tee shirt on a sunny day with no wind and felt nice and warm in 35 degrees. Another day it was 45 degrees overcast and very windy and I felt very cold during the whole 8 mile run wearing the same thing. Generally what DavePNW said: you should feel very cold at the start and warm up after a mile or so. For me I usually wear a long sleeve cotton tee shirt for temps under 40. If I get hot I roll up the sleeves. Shorts are still good for those temperatures on a nice sunny day. I add layers when it gets colder than that. A hat or ear covering is good if you can roll it up and place in a pocket if you start to feel too warm. I don't wear gloves until it gets below freezing.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
The weather involves more than just the temperature.
Excellent point. It also matters what type of workout you are doing. An easy run will generate less body heat than a hard tempo run. For races I'll usually warm up in extra layers and then strip down to my racing outfit for the race itself. For workouts you could return to your house or car and drop off an extra layer if you need to.
30-45 is pretty wide range. What works at 45 might not work at 30. Also, what works for someone might not work for you. The best thing to do is experiment with different things and find out what works. None of this is rocket science. If you are hot wear less, if you are cold wear more.
I like a long sleeve wicking tee and then will wear a cotton short sleeve tee over that at the lower end of your range.. Some folks will say the cotton will get wet an make you cold, but I find if it is not the layer next to my skin and I'm not overdressed it works just fine.
One other tip - if it is windy, run into the wind on the outbound and with the wind on the return if you can. That will prevent overheating and soaking your clothes and then getting chilled on the way back.
I've got a fever...
A good rule of thumb is to add 20 degrees (F) to the current temperature and dress as though you were just going to be hanging around outside in that warmer +20 temp. And the reality is in cooler weather, if you start out the run feeling warm, you're gonna overheat. Better to start out a little too cold knowing that you're gonna warm up. Learn to suck it up and be cold for the first few minutes of running and you will thank yourself later. Long sleeves + fleeces make sense if you're going out for a walk in cool/cold weather, but they're overkill for a run.
I'd also submit that the real culprit to guard against in cold weather is cold ears and cold hands. If your ears and hands are warm enough, you'll probably be fine wearing less on the rest of your body than you think you need.
MTA: I see that Milktruck covered my 20-degree rule
On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.
Shedding some threads seems to be the cure, I will give it a go!
Shedding some threads seems to be the cure, i'll give it a go!
Thanks
I keep notes on what I wear under different conditions and how well it works. At this point I just look at my sheet and don't have to think about it, but it has taken a lot of trial and error to get it mostly right. As stated above, wind and clouds or sun can make a huge difference. I note the temperature, the feels like temp, the wind speed, sun, what I wore and how it worked out. I also have noticed that what I wear early in winter is likely to be more than I'd wear at the same temperature in early spring. You get used to cold. And what I wear on a long run would be different from what I'd wear on a tempo run or a race.