Author Topic: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather  (Read 3241 times)

Sevenup

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Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« on: 12:10:07, 06/11/20 »
I’m just back from a couple of days walking from Spean Bridge to Corrour. Weather really good, sunny, mild breeze but below zero at night. I took merino underpants and tops, haglofs walking trousers, Patagonia lightweight nano puff top and a lightweight Mammut rain jacket and a pair of Compression tights. As a back up I had an Alpkit Morphosis jacket.


I am happy with my walking trousers and paired them on the first day with merino underpants and on the second with compression tights. I fell in a bog a couple of times but they dried really quickly in the breeze.


More of a concern are my tops. I sweat. I sweat buckets. No hiding it. Weather was mild enough when walking for that to make no difference. I didn’t need a jacket during the day at all except for the first 5 minutes when I used the Morphosis. Unfortunately, merino doesn’t dry well in sub zero temperatures and therefore is the wrong material for me to wear on multi day hikes unless it’s as PJs.


I would be interested to hear what any other ‘hot runners’ wear. I need light weight, quick drying multipurpose tops that allow me to layer up but keep bulk and weight low. I would appreciate any input.


On another but linked matter, my Vizsla spent a miserable night in sub zero temperature despite an alpkit downie, a fleece pad and a tight fitting top. I am thinking of buying a couple of decathlon lightweight down style belay jackets and making a bedtime jacket for him. He is quite a slender dog with no fat to speak of, but doesn't seem to be able to retain as much body heat as I do. Has anyone out there found a solution to keeping their companion warm. I abandoned 2 days early because it was due to be -5c at rannoch and he didn’t sleep the first night.

ninthace

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #1 on: 12:17:51, 06/11/20 »
I don't have a solution but I can sympathise.  Last winter the moisture wicked through to my outer layer and then froze on the surface as a layer of frost.
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gunwharfman

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #2 on: 14:47:38, 06/11/20 »
I've noticed inside sweat most when I wear my Paramo Alta 2, so I don't wear it these days. For me, it's all about 'thin' layers, and I always try to start off cool and wear as little as possible to start. After I short while I'll know if I need to add another layer or not, usually not in my experience.

Today on my run, for example, I wore my bamboo baselayer and my thin wind jacket, (it was sunny but I felt cold) but within a half kilometre, I took my wind jacket off and it stayed off.

jimbob

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #3 on: 15:13:29, 06/11/20 »
Fir the dog my friend who always walks with her dog and she carries a silver blanket thing and puts a opened up microfibre bag liner on top of that and has a cheapo quilt for the dog to snuggle under, which it dies. However her most important addition fir the dog is a cloth covered hot water bottle for the very cold nights. The dog seems to love it. She has managed a summer PW, a winter PW an autumn C2C and various popular Scottish walks with her collie.
Too little, too late, too bad......

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #4 on: 18:38:34, 06/11/20 »
I don't have a solution but I can sympathise.  Last winter the moisture wicked through to my outer layer and then froze on the surface as a layer of frost.
I had ice forming on the outside of my gloves, my shirt sleeves, shoulders and hat when ascending Ben Wyvis on a clear, still, very cold winter day. For the ascent I had only a base layer and shirt on my torso, but still ran quite warm. Once the climbing had stopped, my temperature quickly dropped and a couple more layers were needed pronto.

Sevenup

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #5 on: 18:39:09, 06/11/20 »
I've noticed inside sweat most when I wear my Paramo Alta 2, so I don't wear it these days. For me, it's all about 'thin' layers, and I always try to start off cool and wear as little as possible to start. After I short while I'll know if I need to add another layer or not, usually not in my experience.

Today on my run, for example, I wore my bamboo baselayer and my thin wind jacket, (it was sunny but I felt cold) but within a half kilometre, I took my wind jacket off and it stayed off.
I have tops from paramo and highlander but both of them have the drawback that they don’t dry easily when wet. Paramo is fine for a day up a Munro when I can take it off back at the car and replace it with dry kit. The Highlander smock has a fleece liner and is ideal for very cold dry days. It too doesn’t dry well. Neither are great once wet and needing to dry when it’s cold. The Alpkit Morphosis jacket has a grid fleece front and back but nothing under the arms or down the side seams. If the Morphosis had pit zips and front zips for ventilation it would be closer to ideal. I could probably wear it next to my skin. It’s windproof, the fleece, thin as it is, would absorb sweat and it packs up very small and is light. It’s not waterproof and doesn’t breathe very well. I’m also not too sure how warm it would turn out once it was saturated inside.


Jim Bob, I’ll give these ideas a whirl. I had a survival foil sleeping bag with me but didn’t think to use it! I’ve got plenty of foil blankets unused that will do.

Dread

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #6 on: 09:40:20, 07/11/20 »
I also walk hot and sympathise. Like GWM I start very light, often just a t shirt even at this time of year. I aim to feel a bit chilly because I know that I will warm up when I get going. If I don't warm sufficiently I add a thin fleece and/or occasionally a lightweight puffy. I don't  wear thick coats because I know I'll sweat. It's far more pleasant to throw something on because you're chilly than have to take stuff off as the sweat is cooling on your skin.

NeilC

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #7 on: 09:47:47, 10/11/20 »
I get hot and sweaty.


AFAIK there is no technical solution. Obviously use wicking clothing and breathable outer shells etc but it mostly comes down to getting too warm, and so reducing insulation and maximising ventilation is the key. I prefer to stay on the chilly side of things when going uphill rather than get soaked in sweat. Experimenting with baselayers and combination of them with windproofs of softshells etc can help somewhat. From now until spring I generally go with light baselayer under a Paramo with all vents open but everyone is different.


By far the biggest improvement for me has been losing weight.

Sevenup

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #8 on: 09:59:10, 10/11/20 »
I get hot and sweaty.


AFAIK there is no technical solution.....

By far the biggest improvement for me has been losing weight.


There’s no doubt that’s my main target. 9lbs down since end of lockdown. Goodness knows how many to go. I invested in the Rab Alpine VR jacket to help manage my heat and I’m thinking of trying out a couple of running tops instead of my normal base layers. There’s no doubt that I need to wear less and WEIGH less

gunwharfman

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #9 on: 10:58:41, 10/11/20 »
I agree with NeilC, experimentation is the key, the problem and the solution is unique to each individual.

NeilC

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #10 on: 17:41:19, 11/11/20 »

There’s no doubt that’s my main target. 9lbs down since end of lockdown. Goodness knows how many to go. I invested in the Rab Alpine VR jacket to help manage my heat and I’m thinking of trying out a couple of running tops instead of my normal base layers. There’s no doubt that I need to wear less and WEIGH less


Ha ha - join the club. I've lost a stone that I put on. Getting to a healthy weight make a huge difference to sweating IME and it's cheaper than new kit.


You're carrying around a load of insulation that you cannot take off, so it reduces the flexibility of any clothing system you put on top of it.
« Last Edit: 17:45:26, 11/11/20 by NeilC »

Booga

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #11 on: 14:50:47, 17/11/20 »
I get really hot when exercising then feel the cold when I'm not. I have an outer jacket with armpit vents which I find helps with airflow through the upper body clothing. And as a lot of heat is lost through the head I have experimented with wearing a headband to keep my ears warm instead of a full on wooly hat. Obviously the rest of your head feels colder but it's worth experimenting with.
I had a couple of merino base layers but I also found they just don't dry in cold temperatures and I'm left with cold wet material once I've stopped walking. I've had them hanging up in a bothy overnight and they were still soggy in the morning!  :'(

ninthace

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #12 on: 15:05:07, 17/11/20 »
I get really hot when exercising then feel the cold when I'm not. I have an outer jacket with armpit vents which I find helps with airflow through the upper body clothing. And as a lot of heat is lost through the head I have experimented with wearing a headband to keep my ears warm instead of a full on wooly hat. Obviously the rest of your head feels colder but it's worth experimenting with.
I had a couple of merino base layers but I also found they just don't dry in cold temperatures and I'm left with cold wet material once I've stopped walking. I've had them hanging up in a bothy overnight and they were still soggy in the morning!  :'(
I'm afraid the heat loss through the head thing is actually a bit of a myth.  About 7% of heat is lost through the head which is roughly equivalent to its surface area in repect to the rest of the body.
https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/02/head-cover-cold
https://www.livescience.com/34411-body-heat-loss-head.html
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jimbob

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #13 on: 15:24:42, 17/11/20 »
Mmm. There are many more up to date studies on this matter than that document from 2008.

It appears that in most recent studies the head does in fact lose more heat than the rest of the body, put down to the simple fact that it is not insulated either by the same amount of subcutaneous fat or clothing, or in old gits like me, by baldness. However wearing a hat, or even having a decently full head of hair adds hugely to lack of heat loss.
Faces are rarely covered at all.

When my wife was undergoing chemo she was given an NHS leaflet in which she was warned to keep her head wrapped up outside, not for looks but because she could suffer from the cold. She now understands why I have so many beanies all over the place.
Too little, too late, too bad......

ninthace

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Re: Running ‘hot’ in cool weather
« Reply #14 on: 15:48:29, 17/11/20 »
Mmm. There are many more up to date studies on this matter than that document from 2008.

It appears that in most recent studies the head does in fact lose more heat than the rest of the body, put down to the simple fact that it is not insulated either by the same amount of subcutaneous fat or clothing, or in old gits like me, by baldness. However wearing a hat, or even having a decently full head of hair adds hugely to lack of heat loss.
Faces are rarely covered at all.

When my wife was undergoing chemo she was given an NHS leaflet in which she was warned to keep her head wrapped up outside, not for looks but because she could suffer from the cold. She now understands why I have so many beanies all over the place.
  A cursory search did not turn up the studies you refer to but I did not dig deep.
It might be better to say that the head loses more heat in proportion rather than you lose more heat from your head than the rest of the body and obviously if it is uninsulated.......... 
Any part of the body loses more heat when it is not insulated.

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/do-we-really-lose-most-of-our-heat-through-our-heads
http://factmyth.com/factoids/you-lose-most-of-your-body-heat-through-your-head/
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