Temperature for bundling up

I dress for comfort, not to see what I can withstand. So I'll be in long sleeves below 60F, an active/highly breathable insulated jacket below about 50F (with short sleeve T), and tights or lightweight pants below about 55F for normal runs. I run easy most of the time, so I generally run cold. If I were running harder, drop those temps by 10 degrees (and 20 degrees for the jacket).

I consider how cross country skiers dress to be much more reasonable than runners for the same temperatures. Runners have more of a macho culture in regards to trying to dress as little as possible in the cold.

runner69 wrote:

So I'll be in long sleeves below 60F

Ha! On this rule I'd only be in short sleeves 4 months of the year.

There's no set rule - is it windy? is it humid? is it raining? is it high up and exposed or down in the valley? if I fell and needed to call for help would I get hypothermia?

I have loads of different combinations depending on the weather - short sleeves/ short sleeves with base layer under; gloves; windproof top/ waterproof top; buff/ hat/ windproof hat. and on and on...

Below 50-55 I would consider a long sleeve and shorts. 35-50 I'd wear light gloves, long sleeve, shorts. Below 35 tights, base layer, thin long sleeve, light gloves, head band. Below 25, base layer, tights, light gloves, mittens on top, and thicker hat. Some runs end up colder but not many in which case I add another layer to the long sleeve and may consider chap stick. Very few runs require the face mask where I live.

Depends on what the temperature has been recently and how acclimatized I am.

I’ll be shirtless in the spring in the same temperature I’ll be wearing tights and long sleeve in the fall.

I use dressmyrun.com to guide my cold weather clothing choices. Works really well, rarely too far off.

busybusy wrote:

There's no set rule

Agreed, my personal 60F for long sleeve is not set in stone for me either, just throwing it out there as approximate for easy runs in dry, calm weather, since the OP was asking.

Thinking about the ultrarunners that had to be rescued/turned around at the recent DC Peaks 50 ultra in Utah, of the 87, reports suggested that two probably would have died without help, and a lot more were miserable. I'm sure everyone was looking at the forecast, but many were underdressed and didn't carry enough extra clothing anyway.

I live in a warm climate and rarely have to run in temps below freezing, but among my friends I'm known to be fairly cold-tolerant. My rules of thumb:

Above 58 degrees, shorts and sports bra

48-58, shorts and short sleeves

40-48, shorts, long sleeves and thin gloves

32-40, shorts, long sleeves, gloves, headband

24-32, tights, long sleeves, double gloves, headband

Below 24: work out indoors

I get very cold easily (underweight BMI) but don’t mind some sweat, so below 60F is usually not shorts/t weather for me, especially since these days I’m recovering from injury and run-walking, so I just don’t heat up much. If it’s sunny and little wind and I plan to be running the whole time, I suppose I could go down to 55F. Below that, I wear full length light compression tights and a light full-sleeve.

I prefer thin liner gloves around ~45. My circulatory system seems to think of fingers as disposable ends, so below 30, it’s usually two glove layers, the top one with a pull-back mitten style for adjusting as needed. Again sun and wind makes a big difference, so I usually go by the feels-like temperature, not the actual temperature.

Ear protection comes last and is needed only below 40.

Layering: Two top layers (base wool half sleeve T + full-sleeve poly running shirt) in the 40s down to high 30s. Below high 30s, it’s three layers with an outer wind blocker. That three-layer serves me fine down to even 20F below which I make the base layer full sleeve and thicker as needed.

I run alone, so I err on the side of warmth in high winter because I’m paranoid of having to come to a grinding stop in my tracks because of an unexpected injury and freezing in pain on my hobble back.

Also, I love a lot of On’s apparel, especially tops. I have their Weather Shirt, Vest, and the Weather Jacket that is actually a water-resistant wind blocker but always seems perfect, not too cold or warm. They are not cheap, but really well designed and engineered. I also like that they fit skinny and tall unlike other brands that are too flabby and/or without enough sleeve length for my body type.

If I went by a Google search "what to wear running in each temperature", I would overheat like crazy. I generate a lot of heat when I exercise and sweat like a pig. Here is my crazy threshold for what I where running at each temperature. I am curious as to if anyone actually has a lower threshold

>38°F and dry or >45°F and precipitation- sports and a sports bra

38-35°F dry or 45-40°F and precipitation- sports and a t-shirt

34-32°F dry or 39-37°F and precipitation- sports and a t-shirt, lightweight gloves

32-27°F dry or 36-27°F and precipitation- lightweight long sleeve t-shirt, compression capris, lightweight gloves

27-15°F- full length athetic tights, heavier long sleeve top, fleece gloves

<15°F- full length athetic tights with fleece lining, fleece athletic jacket/pullover, ski gloves, ski socks(add more layers as the temperature decreases)

I forgot

27°F-15°F- lightweight headband

<15°F- fleece headband

I live in the southeast so I'm used to heat and humidity. When cool weather comes, it feels colder than it did when I lived up north.

Below 60, I'll go from short sleeves to long. Closer to 50, I'll add some thin gloves. Below 50, I'll either add a light vest, go to a heavier weight long sleeve shirt. Also, in the 40's, I'll add a lightweight hat, that covers my ears, and either put some running tights under my shorts, or wear pants. In the 30's, or below, it's full hat, winter gloves, jacket, running pants. 20's and below, I add a gaiter or balaclava.

Below 40s I'll start wearing gloves and long sleeves. Below 30s will put on tights. How do u guys not overheat wearing long sleeves in 50s?

50+, shorts

40-50, shorts, short sleeve T (sometimes just shorts)

35-40, shorts, short sleeves, gloves

25-35, shorts, short sleeves, gloves, light jacket

18-25, shorts, long sleeve, gloves, light jacket

Below 18 - Tights, long sleeve, gloves, light jacket

Way Below 18 - pants, tights, short+long sleeve, gloves, light jacket

rarely have to run under 18F, if its real windy and under 25 I throw on pants

Wow, you appear to be a rather superhuman pig! I’d be frozen solid even at 38 with bare shoulders and legs.

<55 = long sleeve, shorts

<45 = long sleeve, pants

<30 = two layers up top, pants or tights, hat

<20 = two layeres up top, tights and pants, hat and gloves

The older I get the colder I get. I still use the old rule add 10° to the current temperature and dress to that.

to me, wind and sun are more important than air temperature.

To me, the right amount of clothes for winter running is the amount you have where you feel a bit uncomfortable when you start. If you're nice and warm when you start, then you're gonna be miserably hot in a few minutes. Probably stating the obvious here.

If you are comfortable when you get out of your car (or step out the door) then you need to remove a layer or two- or plan on dropping a layer about 3M into the run.