It seems that the cold weather has hit many parts of the country even earlier than usual this year. I can handle it being cold December through February but anything before or after that bothers me. I think 2014 was cold for more than half of the year. Today I am thinking out loud about why I don’t like the cold weather.
1. It’s so much more complicated to figure out what to wear when I go running. I check the weather before I go out but I also need to take into account the wind. Usually I put my running clothes out the night before so sometimes I wake up and realize its colder than expected and then I need to go digging through my clothes to find extra layers.
2. I don’t like running tights. Even the most comfortable ones I have found (Brooks Infiniti Tights) I still don’t really like. I would much rather run in shorts every single day. I also don’t want to get frostbite, so I opt for tights when it gets below freezing.
3. The wind. Oh man, when that wind gust blows directly into your face on a cold run it is just painful.
4. I need to blow-dry my hair all the time. It’s just too cold to let it air dry, even when I’m not going anywhere and don’t care how it looks. When its hot out I am fine just tossing it up and it saves me so much time. Sometimes when I get out of the shower I am so cold that I need to immediately blow dry my hair to warm myself up.
5. Its too cold for smoothies. I still make them, because I am crazy. But after I drink it I end up shivering and need to put on like 5 layers and crawl under a blanket.
6. That drastic feeling between being freezing cold and super hot, after you put on sweaters and coats and go somewhere where the heat is blasting. I can’t figure out how to dress for work, so I’ve just been opting for layers.
7. I miss flip flops. Boots are cute, but I will always prefer my rainbows to anything else. Plus, wearing socks every day makes extra laundry.
8. When you wear gloves and then you can’t use your iPhone. If you take off your gloves, your fingers go numb. #firstworldproblems
9. All you want to do is lay in bed or on the couch under a blanket. I am so much less motivated to do anything when its cold out. Luckily I go running first thing in the morning before my brain figures out what I am doing.
10. When you want to wear shorts to the gym, and you need to decide if you will just suck it up and freeze while you run from your house to your car and into the gym,or wear sweatpants over your shorts, which usually isn’t the best look for most of us.
And finally, I shared this picture in this post, but I had to bring it back because it really sums up how I feel about running clothes in the cold:
Remember when I wrote this post about how summer running isn’t so bad? Yep, I definitely miss those hot and humid runs already!
Thanks, Amanda, for hosting! Be sure to head over to Running With Spoons to see what everyone else is thinking about!
How do you feel about the cold weather?
Do you still run outside when it gets cold out? What is your limit?
Hah – totally feel like Randy from Christmas Story!
I was so excited that on our first sub-zero wind chill morning I figured out how to keep my hands warm …
I don’t mind running tights – at least my lighter ones. But I realize how much I prefer shorts and t-shirt when in the spring you get days where you switch between heavy gear and light gear. And this year having the same week a morning where it was nearly 60 and 2 days later it is sub-20F? Yeah, that makes you appreciate the freedom of shorts and t-shirt.
This week reminded me that I am TOTALLY not mentally prepared for another deep-freeze winter!
This cold weather really snuck up on us! I do think it was tough going fem 60 degrees to 20 degrees- and we are supposed to go back to close to 70 on Monday here!
I agree with ALL of these. I can’t even pick which one the most. It is funny I am always cold, even when it is 60 out. But both the marathons I have trained for have been through the winter (polar vortex). I will go for a run outside in super cold weather, not because I necessarily want too but because I need to and my limit for treadmill running is 15 miles (which is awful in itself).
I am always cold also, but will run outside in almost any temperature too! I really hate the treadmill for any amount of time but I think last winter there were about 5 times that I ran indoors due to ice or negative wind chills.
Agree about the winter running gear. It’s never “perfect” and hard to figure out how to layer even though I’ve done it a million times. Plus, I hate the warmup miles when you’re freezing and life sucks. Then after that it can be really amazing, but the warmup is brutal! I also hate when public places or other people’s houses are really hot and you go from freezing to overheated. I find myself getting nauseous being in too-hot places all bundled up.
I feel like I only have a few items that work really well to layer together and if I wear them on Monday then I am out of luck until its laundry day. In the summer i have a million pairs of shorts and tank tops to choose from!
Pretty sure I shared that picture of Randy from Christmas Story once before when talking winter running lol. I hate the bitter cold and wearing the layers mostly because I lose complete touch with temperature reality. I wont be cold but then spend the rest of the day with an inner chill because I can’t figure out how to dress for real life if that makes sense. Running warms me up so I am totally thrown off..And, I wear the tech gloves to use my phone but sometimes that doesn’t work either.
Maybe its the inner chill that makes me cold the rest of the day after running outside! I am always so much colder than everyone else it seems like. I have one pair of gloves that are supposed to work with the iPhone but I usually can’t get it to work anyway!
I am NOT a fan of the cold. I still drink smoothies…they’re so tasty. A few extra layers of clothes inside never hurts!!
Yes! The smoothies are worth being cold for a bit I think:)
I am with you on all of these! The wind makes it 10 times worse though…its going to be a long winter!
I know, I am so not excited for the winter!! And the wind is my least favorite weather element to run in!
I currently live in Denver but grew up in Minnesota, and people always give me a hard time here when I complain about the cold. “Oh come on! You’re from Minnesota!”…..ok people, COLD IS COLD! Ha! Like you, I still am obsessed with my morning smoothies even though I am fa-reezing after having them. The things you do for love ; )
Im glad to hear you think like that! Some people from really cold places will laugh when we complain in places like Maryland about the cold. But come on, I think that a real feel of 10 degrees is pretty cold!! And Im glad Im not the only crazy one who drinks smoothies in the winter!
I agree with all of these! I hate hate hate the cold. I don’t mind the snow so much, just the cold. However, I still down smoothies and iced coffee in the summer like it’s my job!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a little snow and it be 50 or 60 degrees out? Then it would never turn to ice and it would look pretty but still be good running weather.
I feel about the same way. Sometimes I”ll keep the shower going as I dry off, otherwise the bathroom’s just too cold. I will let my hair air dry a little bit but I’ll blow dry it the rest of the way. In between I wrap up in blankets and get hot chocolate.
Me too!! I hate leaving the bathroom because as soon as I open to the door I feel like I get hit with the cold air. I usually just start blowdrying my hair immediately.
Ugh. YOU SAID IT. And when your fingers are frozen even though they are IN gloves!
Yea that’s no good! I always thought I had warm gloves but last winter taught me that they weren’t really that warm after all!
I’m going to side with the unpopular opinion and say that I really don’t mind winter. I don’t LOVE the cold, but it’s kind of unavoidable so I try to make the most of it. That and I’m a snowboarder so I kind of need the snow. I will say that I couldn’t see myself ever running in the cold, though — you runners are just crazy 😛
Wow I think you are the only person who stuck up for the cold weather! I used to snowboard occasionally and I still complained about the cold:) I think running just warms you up a lot and eventually you don’t really notice that its so cold. Or maybe we just go numb:)
I loved your list! After living in San Diego for five years, I now live in Denver, and I have to say that arctic chill that swept the country last week? Oh. My. God. A whole week of highs that didn’t exceed 34. I’m so happy it’s going to get in the 50s today.
It has been a challenge figuring out what to wear to run in sub 40-degree weather but I got some of it figured out.
You should get a pair of the gloves with the special fingertips for your smartphone. They often sell them in different thicknesses… I have two pairs.
It must have been quite an adjustment to go from San Diego to Denver!
I have a pair of gloves that are supposed to work with the iPhone but I haven’t had much luck with them. Maybe I just need to invest in a better pair.
Confession…I still wear my flip flops in the winter with socks. BUT, just in the house!! LOL. Everyone makes fun of me — do I care? The wind makes all the difference this time of year. I don’t see how you can drink a smoothie. I must have coffee afterwards.
Oh I have coffee afterwards too! But I think I am just really addicted to smoothies:) And no judgement for wearing flip flops with socks around the house!
I think the worst part of this cold snap is we just weren’t ready for it. Every year my runner’s amnesia flares and I no longer remember how to dress for it.
Haha yes absolutely! I convinced myself that I could wear shorts until December…but this week I had to make the transition to my warmest running clothes and lots of layers!
I like running in 60-40 degree weather with no snow, once the black ice and slush hits I am miserable and I have a hard time committing to running outside, but I have an even harder time running on the treadmill for hours!
There really is no winning when the weather gets bad! I usually suck it up and run outside but I won’t run in ice or negative temps so when it gets really bad Ill either not run or use the treadmill.
I agree with you–I especially miss smoothies–and I think my body misses all the fruits and veggies from them! I DO like that most of my winter running clothes can pass for “real” clothes… 🙂
That is one of the reasons why I won’t give up smoothies in the winter. I know my body is used to all the good stuff that I put in them!
I really don’t like how most of my winter running clothes look, so maybe thats another sign I need to invest in some better winter running clothes!
Winter hasn’t even hit yet and I’m over it. I keep joking that I’m moving to Florida… pretty soon it’s not going to be a joke!
I often question why I live in Maryland when I spent 90% of the year complaining about the weather…
Love this! I can relate to all of them, especially 3,4, and 9. I hate wasting time blow drying my hair but I have to shower in the morning or my hair is greasy all day!
Me too! I don’t know how people can not wash their hair in the morning. I feel like blowdrying my hair so much really damages it, and like you said its so time consuming!
Couldn’t agree with you more. I hate running in the cold. I’m so glad to have purchased a treadmill earlier this year for this brutal winter that is to come.
That was a smart decision! I would like to own a treadmill someday although I will probably only use it when the weather is REALLY bad!
I totally agree! Running in the cold also requires a lot more thought. I miss the days of grabbing a tank and shorts and getting out the door.
Exactly! And most of the time I end up wishing I wore either more or less layers.
Get OUT of my brain! I feel like i wrote this post, and its just like my post for tomorrow. Man i hate wintertime. I am dreading the windy runs…it’s just so hard to force myself out there!!
I hate when I check the weather on my phone and it says 25 degrees, feels like 10, and 20+ mph winds. Makes me just want to stay in bed!
OMG, I hate really cold weather because I am very thin and always cold. I use my seat warmer in the car in the fall and spring. I have trouble judging how to dress for my early morning runs. I can’t be dressed to warm because I get overheated and it s&ucks to be freezing and under dressed. Plenty of times I don’t judge right even though I check the weather for the next day before I go to sleep and again when I wake up. Worst is the snow because it makes exercise difficult. Moving to Malibu right now seems like a good idea. Temperate weather where you can be outside all the time is more my speed. I second all your points and was laughing as I was reading this because I would have said the exact same things.
I think I would also love to live in a place where the weather was always perfect!
Ohhhh yes, I hate the transition from being outside in the freezing cold to burning up when you go inside. It’s my least favorite thing about visiting friends and family up north during the winter. Even with layers, I still feel like my face just cannot adjust quickly enough to the temp changes.
Its so annoying! I always notice it if Im walking outside and then go into a store where they have the heat blasting!
I can’t really say much about cold weather being being born, raised and still living in AZ haha. I’m cold on my runs now and it’s like 50 degrees for them. I do wish we had more of a change in seasons, but I don’t think I would like running in the snow for more than like a day! At least you will have a little break from running in the cold after your marathon!:)
Winter running is the worst but I guess we all need to do it. I end up running once on the treadmill hating it and getting back outside. I rarely enjoy winter runs my feet are usually frozen and my face too. I guess it makes us appreciate the summer runs!
Yep it definitely makes me miss the summer runs! Each time I give up and run on the treadmill I quickly give that up too and end up running outside again the next day.
For a good week or so I worked out in the morning – lately, not so much. Whenever I see your early morning IG shots they are motivating! Maybe next week 😉
I do not like the cold. I feel like it takes forever to get the feeling in my fingers! But the worst is the icy/snowy sidewalks – I can never trust what I’m running on. But bonus points for a being a badass I guess?
You need iPhone gloves!! Best invention ever. But I hear you on most of these especially the blow drying my hair thing. It takes like three times as long to get ready in the morning now!
I have a pair of running gloves that are supposed to work with the iPhone but I still have problems getting it to work. Maybe I need to find a better pair! I also need some regular gloves that work with the iPhone.
Not being able to access your iphone while wearing gloves is one of the most annoying things about running in the cold. I hate it! I guess I should invest in a pair of gloves that can access your iphone but until then it will realllly bug me!
Im thinking the same thing! I have a pair that is supposed to work with the iPhone but I can’t seem to get it to work.
I definitely have a cold threshold. Anything under 35 degrees and I’m miserable. And that goes for running, I won’t run under 35…I’d rather hit the treadmill!
I can handle the cold for running outside, its just the wind that really gets me!
can’t wear shorts to the gym is the wort thing :/