As the temperatures are getting cooler, I’m slowly pulling warmer clothing out of storage. I’m not ready to pack away all the summer gear yet, but I’m going to have to face it. We broke down and turned on the heat today — it was 59* in the house this morning!

Since I’ve been running through several winters now, I have just about everything I need. I did pick up a couple new items recently that I think will be quite useful.

I am a chronic over-dresser once the temperatures drop. I hate being cold! I’m often left tying a jacket around my waist once I warm up in a mile or so. Not too bad for a short run, but can be annoying for the long ones!

I think my first purchase will be one of my favorites:

Arm warmers — perfect for those in-between temperatures! They will keep me toasty when I’m getting started on a run, and I can push them down or stow them in a pocket or waist pack once I warm up. I got a chance to test them out earlier this week. I think it was in the low 50s when I set out for my run.

The arm warmers were warmer than a long-sleeve tech shirt would have been, yet I never felt the need to push them down during my run.  I love them!

Now once it starts getting really cold, I start to bundle up even more.

OK, it was actually 22* with a 12* wind chill that day, so I wasn’t overreacting. But I do tend to pull out that hat a little sooner than I need to!

So when I saw this in the $5 bin at my running club’s merchandise table, I knew I had to have it.

It’s really lightweight, and will be easy to modify once I warm up.

Of course I had to have a little modeling session with my new gear.

I also had an assistant. He agreed that it is quite lightweight and comfortable.

Joey didn’t mind helping me out. He almost went to sleep in his head scarf!

Are you ready for winter?

What’s your favorite cold-weather gear?