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Winter Running Apparel For Your Hands

Running in the winter can be a challenge because you need need to stay warm, dry and visible. Your hands are often the first part of your body to feel the cold as your body cuts off blood flow to your extremities in order to make sure your core temperature doesn't dip too far.

Author: Blaine Moore
Date: Jan 27, 2011 - 10:35:19 AM

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Running in the winter can be a challenge because you need need to stay warm, dry and visible. Your hands are often the first part of your body to feel the cold as your body cuts off blood flow to your extremities in order to make sure your core temperature doesn't dip too far.

The easiest way to keep your hands warm is with a pair of gloves. As with all other winter running apparel, you can't go too far wrong with gloves that wick moisture away from your skin to help keep them dry if you do start to sweat.

In cooler temperatures, a simple pair of polyester gloves will be fine and will allow you to operate your watch without taking them off. As it gets colder, you might want to consider wearing mittens or hybrid style gloves that allow your fingers to stay in contact with one another so that they can stay warmer. Just be sure that the fabric you choose is breathable.

When it really starts to get cold out, you may want to consider multiple pairs of gloves. I often wear a thin pair of polyester gloves with a larger pair or mittens over them. Once my hands warm up, I will take off the outer layer of gloves and put them in my pocket for later use.

In extremely cold conditions, you can use a hand warmer under a large pair of gloves to try to stay warm, but when it is that cold you have to ask yourself if it is worth being outside in the first place. Most hand warmers will last for around 2 hours and may or may not be reusable.

When racing in cool conditions, especially for a long race such as a marathon, you may need a pair of gloves while standing around on the starting line but won't while you are running, especially after the first mile or two. If you have pockets in your racing uniform then it is an easy matter of taking the gloves off and stashing them once you warm up, but if you don't have pockets and don't want to try putting them in your waistband or under a hat, then you'll be force to throw them to the side of the course or to a spectator during the race.

That's fine if you don't care about your gloves or think you can find them again, but a better solution in those circumstances are to just use an old pair of socks to keep your hands warm. You can wear the socks on the starting line and until your hands warm up during the race before discarding them. In large races, most discarded clothing items are collected from near the starting line and donated to a local shelter; if not, it is probably better to toss your old socks or gloves until you reach an aid station with a trash can.

If you wear loose jewelry such as a wedding band, you may want to consider leaving it behind when running in the cold, especially if you expect that you may have to remove your gloves at all during a run. If your hands are cold they'll restrict, and already loose rings are apt to fall of your fingers. If you are lucky, you'll notice it falling off and will be able to find it or catch it, but it's easier to just not take the risk.

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Blaine Moore is a running coach in Southern Maine with 20 years of training and racing   experience that he shares on his blog at Run To   Win.com.

View all articles by Blaine Moore

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