Dressing for Success — and Comfort

Your comfort — and even your performance — during running is often directly related to your choice of clothing. There are many technical fibers in today’s workout clothes that can reduce friction, keep you warm in the winter and release the extra heat as the temperature rises. As the temperature cools, you can add layers until you’re warm and then peel them off before you overheat.  

Because there are many individual comfort and fitting issues, it helps to visit a sports store in your area — especially a technical running store. Bring in the garments that have worked best for you in the past and then experienced staff members can direct you to the brands and models that may solve your fitting and comfort issues. 

You want the first layer, next to your skin, to be comfortable and not too thick. There are a number of fabrics today, mostly man-made, that hold a comfortable amount of body heat close to the skin to keep you warm but don’t let you overheat. Most of these same fibers allow for moisture, such as perspiration and rain, to be moved away from the skin during exercise. Not only does this add to your comfort in winter, but it almost eliminates a chill due to having wet skin underneath. 

General Rules

1. Wear a hat during cold weather (but not usually when it’s hot, unless for sun protection). Over 70 percent of the heat you lose is lossed through the top of your head. 

2. Light clothing is best as a first layer — but not cotton. Many of the new, technical fibers (such as polypro, COOLMAX®, Nike Dri FIT®, and Mizuno Dryscience®) will move moisture away from your skin, maintain a comfortable body temperature and release the extra heat buildup. Cotton soaks up the sweat, making the garment heavier and increases the chance of chaffing. 

3. During the winter, add layers as needed (see “Clothing Thermometer”) and avoid thick layers. Long-sleeved outer layers can be tied around your waist after you remove them.

4. Wear sunscreen for protection. Some products, however, produce a coating on the skin, slowing down the removal of perspiration and causing an increase in body temperature buildup. If you are only in the sun for 30-60 minutes at a time, you may not need sunscreen for cancer protection. Consult a dermatologist for your specific needs — or find a product that doesn’t block pores.

5. To maximize the removal of perspiration, texture in the fabric can be helpful. The small grooves can reduce the chance that your clothes will stick to your skin when wet. 

Clothing Thermometer

The general rule is to choose your garments by function first. And remember that the most important layer for comfort is the one next to your skin. Garments made out of technical fabrics like I previously mentioned hold enough body heat close to you in winter, while releasing extra heat. In summer and winter, they move moisture away from the skin — cooling you in hot weather and avoiding a chill in the winter.

As always, wear what works best for you. However, after years of working with people in various climates, here are my recommendations for the appropriate clothing based upon the temperature:

• 60ºF and above - Tank top or singlet and shorts (or compression shorts to avoid chaffing).

• 50ºF to 59ºF - T-shirt and shorts (or compression shorts to avoid chaffing). 

• 40ºF to 49ºF - Long-sleeve light-weight shirt, shorts or tights (or nylon long pants), and mittens or gloves.

• 30ºF to 39ºF - Long-sleeve medium-weight shirt along with another T-shirt, tights and shorts, warmer socks, mittens or gloves, and a hat over your ears.

• 20ºF to 29ºF - Long-sleeve medium-weight shirt, another T-shirt, tights and shorts, warm socks, mittens or gloves, and a hat over your ears.

• 10ºF to 19ºF - Long-sleeve medium-weight shirt along with a medium- or heavy-weight shirt, tights and shorts, nylon wind suit (top and pants), warm socks, thick mittens, and a hat over your ears.

• 0ºF to 9ºF - Two long-sleeve medium- or heavy-weight tops, thick tights, thick underwear (especially for men), medium- to heavy-weight warm-up suit, mittens over gloves, ski mask, a hat over your ears, and Vaseline covering any exposed skin.

• Below 0ºF to -15ºF - Two long-sleeve heavy-weight tops, thick tights, thick underwear (and supporter for men), thick warm-up suit (top and pants), thick mittens over gloves, thick ski mask, a hat over your ears, thicker socks and other foot protection as needed, and Vasoline covering any exposed skin.

• Below -15ºF - Add layers as needed.

Olympian Jeff Galloway has coached over 700,000 through his fitness schools, Tahoe retreats, training programs, consultations and books (Women’s Guide to Running, Women’s Guide to Walking, Running — Getting Started, Galloway Training Programs, Marathon, Half-Marathon, Running — A Year Round Plan, 5K/10K and Running — Testing Yourself). Copies of these are available, autographed, from www.RunInjuryFree.com.