Walking When Only 25 Degrees

It was about 25 degrees Saturday morning when the Buckeye Striders met at Sharon Woods park for our weekly walk. When the temperatures are this low, the major discussion is usually: How many layers are you wearing? (We all had some type of hat or ear muffs, gloves and long pants.)

• I wore two long-sleeved wicking shirts, a water-resistant and wind resistant jacket along with a gator. I hate when my neck gets cold. 
• Barbara wore a long-sleeved T-shirt, a sweatshirt and a jacket.
• Deb had on a long underwear shirt, fleece shirt and fleece jacket.
• Not sure how many layers Elaine had on, but she was wearing her "sleeves".
• Nancy had a much thicker jacket and wore just one shirt.

Some of us ended up being too hot, but none of us under-dressed. Surprisingly, I had on the perfect number of layers. Ever since I was a walking coach for a spring half marathon group and ended up so cold I couldn't get warm for days that February, I have over-dressed. I'm happy to report that I did NOT over-dress.

There are a few things you can do to do a better job of preparing for all types of weather. First, keep a training log and be sure to track the temperatures, what you wore and whether it worked. Wear layers. This is especially important when you aren't sure if you are over-dressed -- it's nice to be able to take off a shirt or jacket if you are too hot. Wicking fabrics will help to keep the layer closest to your skin from being too wet and soggy. Also, try not to get too hot and sweaty -- if your shirts are wet, you'll get cold much faster. (The nice thing about having done so many races, I have TONS of wicking shirts than can be layered.)

My point is, with a little bit of planning, it really is not that hard to keep walking all winter long.