Be like Frog, not like Toad

One of my favorite books as a little kid was "Frog and Toad All Year."

Of course I've forced my kids to make it one of their favorites too. One of the stories is about Frog forcing Toad to go sledding with him and enjoy winter.

I'm one to side with Frog here- for the most part, I love living where we get snowy winters. Even winter running- it's not all bad! Sure it requires more planning when it comes to what you wear, but snow-covered-everything is beautiful.

In that spirit I thought I'd put together a few tips for what to wear on winter runs. Now I have been a fairly serious runner in the past, but now it's way more casual. I don't have a GPS, I don't track my mileage or time, and I definitely take walk breaks. Walking, jogging, running, sprinting- whatever you like to do, keep on doing it.

Awkwardly smiling so you don't see my morning retainer is still in. 

First up, I recently bought this Lululemon jacket thingy secondhand off of Poshmark. The middle portion- front and back- are filled with super lightweight down. Today was my first time wearing it and it was awesome. If anything it was a little too warm for the 20-degree weather. Typically I wear a thrifted Under Armour zip up hoodie as my outer layer.

Underneath my hoodie, or today's outerwear, I love this fleece turtleneck top. If it's windy, I pull the turtleneck all the way up. It's lightweight but warm and makes a great base layer.

For bottoms, I prefer tights rather than sweatpants. I haaaaate feeling bulky when I'm running. The problem with tights though is that it's hard to find warm and windproof ones. I've had my Nike Pro Warm running tights for over ten years and while they've been excellent, they're starting to wear out. I recently purchased these fleece lined tights from JC Penney's for only $17 and they've been SO GOOD. I'm impressed, and glad I didn't spend the $90 on the Athleta version I was considering.

Nowwwwww- for me, the most important part of winter running is not biffing it on the ice. I want to be as sure-footed as possible. I SWEAR by Yak Trax running cleats. At first they seem a bit tricky to get on, but you will get the hang of it. Don't be scared by mine, which are several years old, and honestly, are probably a total tetanus trap with the rust that's starting to form.

Yikes! I hadn't used these since before I got pregnant with the twins. Spiderwebs and rust yet I used them anyway. 

I hope that sheds some light on a few helpful items for winter running. Of course I'm pro-exercise in all forms, so if the treadmill or elliptical or stationary bike is more your jam, have at it.

Hope you all are enjoying the post-Christmas week and are looking forward to celebrating the close of 2018!