Agloves help trap 30% of your body’s heat in your hands.
By Jean Spencer
According to running blogger Christine Luff, you can lose as much as 30% of your body heat through your hands.
me, Jean Spencer, taking a picture of me on a bike ride Oct. 2010
As an active runner I know this is true. Even if I’m wearing shorts for a morning jog, I’m constantly tucking my hands up my sleeves to keep them warm.
But as the winter months get colder – folks are looking for gloves. We, obviously, love Agloves.
Nearly every runner these days is plugged into some music-playing device, and most frequently an iPod.
Personally, though it’s bulky, I run with my entire iPhone. I like to listen to Pandora Radio and take pictures on some of the beautiful trails here in Boulder, Colorado. With my Agloves on, I can change my Pandora station and take pictures without having to stop running. I don’t have to take off my gloves. I don’t have to tuck my gloves into my sports bra. I just keep running.
I mean, I guess you could go inside and run on a treadmill. But seriously, who thinks that’s fun?
So if you are hoping to stay outside this winter, here are a few more of Christine Luff’s tricks to stay warm as seen on her blog, How to Dress for Cold Weather Running:
Head and Neck
On cold days, you’ll lose a reported 40% of your heat from your head, so it’s important to keep it covered. You also want to protect your skin from the cold and wind, and also prevent frostbite and chapping. Here’s what you’ll need for your head and neck:
An image from Google images of a winter runner
Thermal hat: A fleece or wool hat is perfect for keeping your head warm during winter runs. You can easily tuck it into your pants if you feel like you’re starting to overheat.
Neck Gaiter: Often worn by skiers, a neck gaiter can be extremely valuable on a frigid, windy day to protect your neck and face. You can pull it up over your mouth to warm the air you’re breathing in, which is especially helpful when you first start your run.
Balaclava: Also known as a ski mask, a balaclava is a type of headgear that covers your whole head, exposing only your face or part of it, and sometimes only your eyes. They’re usually made of fleece or wool and are only necessary if the temperature or wind chill is below 10 degrees F.
Chapstick/Vaseline: Protect your lips from chapping with some Chapstick or Vaseline. You can also use the Vaseline on your nose and cheeks (or anywhere else on your face) to prevent windburn and chapping.
Upper Body
The key to winter running dressing, especially with your upper body, is layering. Not only do layers trap body heat, they allow sweat to move through the layers of clothing. The moisture is wicked away from your first layer to your outer layers, and then evaporates. Here’s a guide to how you should layer on your
upper body:
Wicking Base Layer: The layer closest to your body should be made from a synthetic wicking material, such as DryFit, Thinsulate, Thermax, CoolMax, polypropolene, or silk. This will wick the sweat away from your body, keeping you dry and warm. It’s very important to make sure you don’t wear cotton for this layer because once it gets wet, you’ll stay wet. When it’s above 40 degrees F, you can usually wear just a long-sleeve base layer.
Insulating Layer: Your second or middle layer, which is needed for very cold weather (below 10 degrees F), should be an insulating material, such as fleece. This layer must continue wicking moisture away from the skin. It should have the perfect balance of trapping some air to keep your warm, yet release enough vapor or heat to avoid overheating. Some fabrics suggested for your second layer: Akwatek, Dryline, Polartec, polyester fleece, Microfleece, Thermafleece and Thermax.
Wind- and Water-proof Outer Layer: This layer should protect you against wind and moisture (rain, sleet, snow), but at the same time allow both heat and moisture to escape to prevent both overheating and chilling. It’s a good idea to wear a jacket with a zipper for this layer, so that you can regulate your temperature by zipping it up and down. Suggested outer layers: ClimaFit, Gore-Tex, Microsuplex, nylon, Supplex, and Windstopper. If it’s between 10 and 40 degrees F, you can usually get away with a wicking base layer and an outer layer.
