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.
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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