We are in the midst of the longest deep freeze here since probably the 1990s. I remember in the winter of either 1993 or 1994, we had a very similar weather pattern to the past week’s, with a disruptive snow/ice storm and a long ensuing stretch of below-freezing temperatures. Just like this year, schools were shut down for at least a week (probably longer, actually). I remember going in to UMBC one day while the campus was still closed, just to shake off the cabin fever. Fortunately, as I’ve previously written, I have a couple of low-traffic back roads near me that I can use for running, as most of the sidewalks around here are hopeless at the moment. Last winter, I ran once when the weather was under 20°F, and so far this winter, I’ve been out 3 or 4 times in those conditions. Based on what I wrote last year, I made a few tweaks to what I have been wearing:

• Relaxed fit Kühl running pants over 32°F synthetic leggings (same as last year)
• Injinji Snow calf-height toe socks, Correct Toes, and Xero Mesa Trail WP shoes with Tuli heel cups (same as last year, plus the heel cups)
• Smartwool neck gaiter with The North Face fleece headband
• REI long-sleeve merino wool base layer shirt (vs 32°F synthetic base layer last year)
• REI lightweight liner gloves (vs heavy winter gloves last year)
• Top layer variations:
  • Long-sleeve polyester/rayon/cotton athletic top + Patagonia R1 jacket
  • Long-sleeve lightweight bamboo/polyester/spandex hoodie + R1 jacket
  • R1 jacket + Arc’teryx Norvan Gore-Tex outer shell with hood

Same as last year, I used Vaseline on exposed areas of my face (mainly cheeks and nose) and it worked great as a wind barrier. I’m going to try to remember to do this any time the temperature is below freezing and there’s any wind. I just have to remember to wash my face afterwards.

Overall, I tried to improve on things that I noted were issues last year, and I think I succeeded. The gaiter with headband worked better than a heavy 1-piece balaclava. My feet stayed nice and comfortable, and my hands also were perfectly comfortable with just the thin gloves (I even took them off a couple of times). The wool vs synthetic base layer was a push comfort-wise, but wool is more odor-resistant, and I’m able to wear the wool base layer for more runs before I have to wash it.

I’m finding that I like to run with a hood in below-freezing weather. The one time I ran without one, I was missing it. The lightweight hoodie worked well, as did the Gore-Tex shell. In the future, I wouldn’t mind getting a jacket similar to the R1, but with a hood.

My 2 most recent runs were 10K and 8 miles, respectively. I still work up a pretty good sweat each time, and I’m still having issues with my energy dropping off during the second half of the runs. Could be hydration, could be electrolytes, could be pacing, could be something else. Running with a hydration pack could be an option, but I’d need to figure out how to keep the hose from freezing. An insulated water bottle would be too bulky to carry, and my soft water bottle would be a solid block of ice after 30 minutes.