Contrary to popular belief, running is a year-round sport. We shouldn’t shy away from getting in our miles just because the temperature outside is less than ideal. Running provides us tons of health benefits both physically and mentally—it builds our cardiovascular strength, strengthens our immune system, and lowers our levels of stress.
Is Running in Cold Weather Dangerous?
No, as long as you’re wearing the proper gear. This includes underdressing and overdressing. If you overdress for a run in cold weather, you could potentially overheat.
And if you underdress, you run the risk of hypothermia. You also want to make sure you’re able to get warm directly after your run, as you’ll cool down fast.
A Rule of Thumb When Running in Cold Weather
While there are going to be temperatures where you want to wear sweatpants and a hoodie, the truth is you’ll find it more comfortable by starting with less.
A general rule of thumb for cold weather running is you want want to wear one less layer than you typically would. This is because of the fact our body heats up 15-20 degrees when we start running.
So if you’re running in 50 degree weather, you’re body will warm up and make it feel as if it’s up to 70 degrees out.
Fourlaps Gives You the Ability to Run and Train Anywhere
Athleticwear brand Fourlaps prides itself on its running gear. Their clothes are reminiscent of classic collegiate running garments, with simple color patterns, clean designs, and a streamlined fit.
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Fourlaps combines the best aspects of timeless running style with modern features like hidden zipper pockets and built-in compression liners. Their motto #TrainAnywhere is seen in each and every piece of apparel they produce. From their Bolt Shorts all the way to their Venture Half-Zip.
And perhaps the best aspect about Fourlaps is they make it a priority to be a sustainable company. 88% of the products they create are built with recyclable or biodegradable materials, with a goal of 100% nearly in reach.
Running Outfits for Every Cold Weather Temperature
We’ve curated some of our favorite cold weather running outfits directly from Fourlaps. These garments are all made with performance fabrics and void of cotton. Why? Because even though cotton may be enjoyable to wear weightlifting or jogging in the warmer weather months, the fabric will hold in moisture, and that moisture can be harmful to your skin in cold weather.
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Before we reveal each outfit, we’re going to post our guide below for you to continually refer to. It includes what we’d wear at every temperature as we take into account how our body warms up while we run:
- 50-59 degrees: tank/short sleeve shirt and shorts.
- 40-49: short sleeve shirt/long sleeve shirt and shorts/tights/light pant.
- 30-39: long sleeve shirt/zip-up/light hoodie and shorts/tights/light pants, as well as gloves and a headband.
- 20-29: long sleeve shirt layered with a zip-up/hoodie/jacket and tights/pants, as well as gloves and a headband.
- 10-19: two shirts layered with a thicker outer layer with an optional windbreaker, pants, gloves/mittens, and a headband.
Fourlaps Outfits for Cold Weather Running
50-59 Degrees
Pictured left to right: The Dash Tank in Army Green, and the Command Training Short 7″ in Army Green.
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40-49 Degrees
From left to right: Smash Tee Deep Sea/Green, Bolt Short 7″ Deep Sea/Green, and the Venture Half-zip in Deep Sea.
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30-39 Degrees
Pictured left to right: Level Tech Long Sleeve Black, Relay Track Pant Black, and the Venture Half-zip Burgundy.
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20-29 Degrees
From left to right: Level Tech Long Sleeve Black, Defender Shell Jacket in Flame, and the Flex Jogger in Black.
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10-19 Degrees
From left to right: Venture Half-zip Black, Flex Jogger Army Green, Propel Windbreaker Black, and Radius Tee Grey Heather.
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How to Tell if Your Cold Weather Running Outfits Work for You
Like mentioned earlier, your cold-weather running outfit should be one layer less than what you’d normally wear for that day. Our body temperature will rise anywhere from 15-20 degrees higher on a run, and so you’ll know you’ve chosen a good outfit if you’re not feeling too hot or too cold about 10 minutes into your run.
Keep in mind the outfits and the guide above is only a suggestion, if it’s 45 degrees out and you want to wear a long sleeve tee and a half-zip, wear it! As long as you don’t feel like you’re overheating in your run, you will be good.
The same goes for if it’s 37 degrees out and your ears and hands are cold. Throw on a beanie and some gloves! Don’t try and tough it out.
The entire objective of dressing for cold weather running is all about staying comfortable and keeping safe from the elements. Hypothermia and over exhaustion are serious, but we can easily eliminate the odds of either occurring if we have the proper apparel on.
John is the Style & Gear Editor for BroBible. You can contact him on Twitter @johnthompsoniv or via email John@brobible.com
The BroBible team writes about gear that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we will get a percentage of the revenue from sales.