Winter running essentials, to me

So I know that I am not the most knowledgeable on the subject of running or even the things that one would need to be running in winter weather, but it's almost been a year since I started running regularly and it has definitely been a total of four seasons. When I started running this past March in Colorado I had no idea I would have kept it up as long as I have, or that it would be as big a part of my life as it has become. That being said here are a few things that I have collected over the last couple weeks since the start of this winter season that I wish I had picked up in March...

1. A warm jacket. I am personally still kind of partial to this sweatshirt I bought when I worked at JCC Ranch Camp out in Elbert, CO a few years ago,

but with the odd looks I have been getting and my parents unwillingness to send gift cards instead of product when prompted I picked out this bad boy from road runner sports

(It's called the night watch) it has LED lights on one shoulder and is pretty warm. My Mother ordered it in an XL and my chest is still slightly too big for it.

2. Warm running clothes. In march I had to cut several runs short because of the cold. One day it had snowed the night before and I decided to go out anyway in my only workout pants that fit at the time, a pair of loose fitting Capri pants. Needless to say I was jogging back up to my house within 5 minutes of being out in the 13 degree weather. Now I have a couple pairs of sweatpants that fit, but my father wanted to get me "nice" "cold -weather" gear so when they got me the jacket they also picked up these lovely running tights (Called the fly in color, black and teal)

 they're thick and comfy, and I would wear them today if I wasn't afraid of the ice under and over the snow.

3. Good running shoes. Yea I can't say enough about why this is a good thing. You need a decent amount of tread on your shoes if you are going to be running outside in the winter, the chance of slipping on a random patch of ice is too great. My favorites at the moment are my Nike lunarfly+4, unfortunately they're discontinued and I do not think that I will be able to find another pair after these get too many miles on them. So I will probably get a second pair of the sauconey cohesion 6. They have great support and are a bit heavier than the Nike's but they make up for that in the amount of miles I was able to put on them in one shot without feeling pain.

4. A treadmill. For those days when it is just not safe to run outdoors, it does not need to be one owned by you, if you have a friend who has one or can join a gym more power to you. We have two in the gym at our apartment. Now I will be the first to admit when I see a treadmill I think of those old cartoons where the character slips and gets stuck on it. I know this is not really possible now with all of the safety features built into one of these bad boys but it is always in the back of my mind when I am on it, which is why I prefer the elliptical trainer whenever I have the opportunity to use it over the treadmill.

5. Phone/iPod. 

Or pretty much any MP3 player/ something to entertain yourself when on the treadmill or when outside and logging extra miles. When I'm on the treadmill I have been catching up on blog reading and posting. As well as listening to music/ audiobooks. Which reminds me I need to see if the library here has an audio book section. I might do a whole post on the music I am liking at the moment if you guys want, or if I get the urge to.

6. Wicking tops/(sports bras). Yep while I would suggest a long sleeve quick drying sports tee, I only have short sleeve and tanks since I tend to layer a lot when I run and over-heat quickly as well. The tee shirts I do have I picked up on clearance from Old Navy out in Colorado back in March and April for $10 a piece and I love them.

The two tanks I own I have gotten here in PA at the Walmart, money has been a wee bit tight and they work really well, and at just under $5 each it was hard to pass up. Old Navy does have the same style tees now just not the colors I have them in and Walmart stopped carrying the tanks, they may be seasonal items because they have a long sleeve wicking top for a similar price point. 

The sports bras I use I picked up at Burlington coat factory in the chapel hills mall out in colorado, and seriously should probably be replaced at this point. Got em in March as well, but they are holding up very well considering. I do try to not out them in he dryer, but then there are the days where the boyfriend tries to be helpful and tosses everything in. One is nike, the inner tag wore off so I can't tell you the style or anything, and the other is Bally's fitness brand. The nike bra has much more support left in it than the Bally's but it was a high impact bra to begin with.I have no idea where one would be able to get these online.

7. GPS. I use two, my hand-me-down Garmin

and my Nike+ running app for my phone when I am running outside. On the treadmill I just use my Nike+iPod. Yep pretty simple.

8. Earmuffs/ head covering. Now I have a single cartilage piercing in my ear, it is a 16 gauge and I wish I was smart enough when I had it done to know that when the number is smaller the gauge is bigger... But I wasn't so here we are with an earring that freezes in my ear when it is too cold outside. Before running I hated hats/earmuffs/ headbands and the like, they always looked stupid on me. But I cannot tell you how much I love this one,

it keeps my earring from freezing and I have even taken to wearing it to work as well on super cold days. You might even see it in a picture of me at one of the bf's hockey games. That is how much I love this thing. It was another item from the same order as the jacket and tights from my parents, and probably the thing I get the most use out of. Before getting this I would just use the hood of my sweatshirts and scarves to keep my special earring from freezing in my ear. But now this makes things much easier. 

Now I cannot really think of too much else that I cannot live or run without this season, I am sure by the end of it I will think of a couple more. I'm actually kind of shocked I didn't work it out to ten items but hey I haven't bought a whole lot recently. But now it is time to add the links and pictures and get this post up and running. So excited. And as always

Luv you all!