It's COLD

Okay, I'll admit, I am always cold.  Hubby says I have a broken heater.  So when I woke up on Sunday morning to walk a half marathon and it was 19 degrees, I had serious doubts.  Had it not been for Abby needing to go for a walk, it is entirely likely that I would never have gotten out of bed.  Thankfully, I had invested in cold weather walking gear.  For my head, I had an Under Armor hat combined with a neck gator.  These combined nicely to cover my ears and keep them warm.  For my Core, I wore a Nike Compression top designed to wick moisture but still keep you warm (yes, you do need to wick moisture in the winter, you really do create it). 

On top of that, a wind/rain layer of a TekGear jacket.  This jacket is almost neoprene in feel and keeps you warm and dry. 

My pants were Sport Hill Winter Running pants with Zensah compression running cuffs on my calves.  Finally, I had a pair of Under Armour winter running gloves.

So, all in all, I was warm.  The only part that could have used another layer was the top half of my legs.  The pants I wore were not rated for as cold of a day.  If I have to do it over again, I would invest in winter running tights and layer them with a wind/rain layer, similar to the top.  I did not have frost bite, but I was chilled enough that it took several hours and a roaring fire until I could shake the cold.

If you are looking for cold weather gear, I like to shop with REI due to their policy of stewardship (REI.com or in stores).  Their return/exchange policy is quick and easy.  However, If you don't live near a store and prefer to shop where you can try things on as opposed to online, I shop at Dick's Sporting Goods.  The only thing that was not purchased at either of these stores was the TekGear jacket - that was purchased at Kohl's.

No matter what you choose to buy or where you buy it, make sure you trust your gear.  The hardest thing I had to get used to was that I should NOT BE WARM when I start.  If I dressed to be warm, I was overheated and shedding layers by the end of the event.  This is the case with any brisk walk - if you are going more than about a mile, don't over dress.

Now get out there and get moving!