Running in winter

[Littletreefrog]

My 15 year old DS has started running regularly 2 x in the week and parkrun in Saturday. He is the kind of kid who never asks for anything and wears clothes until they are falling apart or I get sick if them being too small for him and get rid of them.

Therefore at parkrun this weekend he ran in essentially a monsoon in just shorts and t shirt. I have asked him what he would like me to get so he can continue running through winter but he said he's fine and doesn't need anything.

So Mumsnet runners please tell me what he needs. I looked at jackets but the other parkrun era in jackets also looked stacked to the skin so I'm guessing unless fully waterproof and therefore sweaty they won't really help.

What do you all wear to keep warm and dryish during the winter? I suggested running in tracksuit bottoms rather than shorts and he looked at me like I had two heads so I'm obviously out of my depth here.

Definitely not track suit bottoms, they'll flap about and be heavy in the rain and chafe if it doesn't! lots of men wearing leggings with shorts over the top when it's really cold but plenty of folk run all year round in shorts.
Higher State are sportsshoes own brand of kit and their long-sleeved t-shirts are excellent value. They used to do a pack of 3 but i can't see them online at the moment. Their waterproof jackets are also decent and often on offer.
Contra (the parkrun brand) do some excellent merino wool base layers.
If we goes out in the dark then make sure he's got something reflective and a headtorch.
A pair of gloves would probably be a good shout too.

Track suit bottoms don't flap about, @MiddleAgedDread , and they don't really absorb water.
Joggers would be awful, as would yoga pants, because they absorb the rain.

I love it too. Better than wind. Snow is good, but not ice. I prefer the cold for running though, one good thing about winter.

Re outfit op I’d see how he reacts to cold. I just use a zip up fleece I often take off as I get really hot still.

Gloves are a must for me in anything below about 10 degrees C. I’ve got some from decathlon that have a flap you can pull over to make them into mittens which you can tuck into a pouch in the wristbands if you don’t want them.
Some seam free socks are worth having. I get MoreMiles ones from Start Fitness. They’re reasonably cheap compared to more mainstream brands.
Hi viz and lights are essential for dark evenings.

On very cold days I wear a vest top, wickable t-shirt and a wickable long sleeve running top, with gym leggings.

My ds(17) wears a wickable Tshirt and shorts. If it's below freezing he wears a longsleeve t-shirt under his short sleeve tshirt. Still wears shorts.

Getting wet doesn't seem to bother him

They're the same thing in my book!!

They're not. Joggers are usually polyester cotton with cuffs, and not worn for jogging. Tracksuit bottoms are narrow -legged and made from nylon or polyester.

New Balance | Balance Fleece Jogger Mens | Closed Hem Fleece Jogging Bottoms | SportsDirect.com

adidas | Entrada 22 Training Tracksuit Bottoms Mens | Performance Tracksuit Bottoms | SportsDirect.com

Anything above 5 degree C means shorts and vest for me. Jackets make you sweaty and are rarely actually waterproof so you end up wet and clammy.

Just make sure his clothes are wicking.

Has to be below 6 degrees for me to switch to leggings and below 3 for me to switch to long sleeves. If I am racing it will be vest and shorts unless it’s below zero when I might put some arm warmers on. Gloves are on under about 10 degrees. If he says he’s fine he most
likely is! Just get some long sleeved tops for really cold weather and possibly leggings he can put under his shorts.

Male in my family wears leggings and long sleeve running top, hat and gloves.
If he's like my 14yo he won't give in until he has hypothermia, frost bite and foot rot. And even then if he thinks he looks stupid in leggings etc, he'd rather suffer or just stop running.