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Pumped Up and Ready to Run!

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Different workouts demand different music tempos and flavors. Here's what we're listening to this season to get us moving during each of our workouts:

Warm Up:
1) New York Groove - KISS
2) Express Yourself - NWA
3) Party Time - Damian Marley
4) Bonified Lovin' (Tough Guys) - Chromeo

Intervals:
1) Loca - Shakira
2) Good Feeling - Flo Rida
3) Flashback - Calvin Harris
4) Please Don't Go - Mike Posner

Tempo:
1) Fire Burning - Sean Kingston
2) Dynamite - Taio Cruz
3) Bonita - Pimps of Joytime
4) I Like It (featuring Pitbull) - Enrique Iglesias

Long Hills:
1) Rolling in the Deep - Adele
2) Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
3) Burn Rubber - Gap Band
4) OMG - Usher

Cool Down:
1) Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun
2) Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City - Bobby "Blue" Bland
3)  Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Machine
4) Silver Words - Ken Boothe

Holiday Workouts:
1) All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey
2) Last Christmas - Wham!
3) Miracle - Matisyahu

Gingerbread Cookies

After an intense "Abcember" workout at Cadman Plaza on Saturday morning, we spent the afternoon making gingerbread cookies.

Here's our workout - 3x per set, 30-60 seconds each:
1) Plank to left side plank to right side plank to plank  (3o seconds each)
2) Tricep dips (30 seconds)
3) Bridge leg extensions (30 seconds each leg)
4) Superman (60 seconds)
5) Pushups (30 seconds)
6) Walk outs (60 seconds)
7) Toe touch crunches (60 seconds)
8 ) Russian Twists (30 seconds)
9) Crazy Ivans (30 seconds each side)
10) Leg Raises (30 seconds)
11) Opposite Arm/Leg Extensions (30 seconds each side)
12) Spiderman - holding plank & bringing knee to outside of arm (30 seconds)

Here are our cookies!
[slideshow]

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Bathing Suit for Running - Part 2 - Class Recommendation

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Last Thursday I took the plunge into deep water running.  I highly recommend for everyone else to do the same.  Check out Robert Valentin's Blue Ocean Swimming classes on Wednesday and Thursday nights  in midtown Manhattan at the pool in St. Bartholomew's Church located at 109 East 50th Street (between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue).  Robert is an excellent instructor who keeps you entertained and your workout honest the entire time.

Classes are an amazing cross training option for anyone interested in an intense cardio workout that requires you to "run" in the deep end of the pool for an entire hour engaging your core while you try not to drown.  It's a perfect workout for injured and non-injured runners, expecting moms, and fitness gurus.   I'll be there every Thursday or Wednesday this month! Come join me!

A special thanks to Nike and Vip.Zappos for the overnight express shipment of my new pool workout bathing suit top and bottom!

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Attitude

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We've all dealt with injuries and setbacks in our training. How we adjust and move forward determines our success. We have the ability to change our attitude towards our day, our family, our training, our injury. The attitude we adopt is our choice.

My dad loves to tell me "Champions adjust". And he's right. What I like to forget is that the adjustment is 90% about your attitude towards the endeavor. So, next time he tells me that "champions adjust", I'm going to smile and add, "champions adjust their attitude". I know that my ability and motivation will skyrocket once I change my attitude towards my training.

These words propel us everyday, despite injuries, setbacks, or problems:
Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.

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Bathing Suit for Running?

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Tomorrow I take on deep water running for the first time ever and I'm on the hunt for a sport appropriate bathing suit.  In the meantime, congrats to a friend, Danielle Quatrochi, on showing us what it means to set goals and then ACCOMPLISH them!

Remember, this holiday season, to commit to helping others achieve their goals too.  Support, cheer and ask for updates.

Happy swimming/running?!

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ABCEMBER is Here!

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Why wait for 2012 to start working on your six pack abs resolution? Instead, make December all about the core - or, rather, Abcember! You can always fit in 20 minutes of exercise a day somewhere in your busy holiday schedule and core exercises require nothing more than a little bit of floor space in your own home. So, get crunching this December and begin training for your next in 2012 with a core that's built for speed with the following workout:

WORKOUT GOAL: 20-30 minutes of core work at least three times a week during the entire month of December.

Plank (1 minute)


  1. Begin lying face down, resting on your forearms. Push off the floor, raising up on to toes and forearms so your body is parallel to the floor.

  2. Focus on pulling your abdominal in, keeping your tailbone tucked under and your back flat.

  3. Prevent your bottom from sticking in the air or sagging in the middle, making a straight line from your head to your heels. Make sure you are looking slight forward so a not to put strain on the neck.

  4. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, lower and repeat for 2-3 sets.


Side Plank (30 seconds each side)


  1. Lie on your right side. Keep your right forearm flat on the floor (at a right angle from your body), and your feet stacked.

  2. Lift your body up on to your forearm and the side of your right foot so your body is parallel to the floor

  3. Aim for a straight line between your head and feet.

  4. Rest your left arm by your side or lift it straight up towards the sky.

  5. Hold for 30 seconds. Turn around and repeat on your left side. Repeat for 2-3 sets. Progress to holding position for up to a full minute.


Plank Walks (30 seconds)


  1. Start in the push up plank position with abs tight and arms straight and hands shoulder-width arm under your shoulders and neck slight up so you are looking out in front of you.

  2. Bend one arm to bring the elbow and forearm to the floor.

  3. Bring the other arm down so you are in regular plank position with your forearms on the floor (elbows on the ground directly under your shoulders.

  4. Push back up to the start position and repeat lowering the other side first.

  5. Alternate lowering and raising your arms for 30 seconds working up to 1 minute. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Leg Raises (1 minute)


  1. Lie on your back with legs straight up in the air, 90-degrees from your body. Place arms straight down along the side of your body or tuck hands under the small of your back. Head flat against the floor.

  2. Keeping your legs straight and feet together with toes point out, slowly lower legs as far as you can towards the floor without touching the floor or bringing your head off the ground.

  3. Hold for 2 seconds and then return to start position keeping your belly button drawn in the entire time.

  4. Repeat for 30 seconds up to 1 minute. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Mountain Climbers (1 minute)


  1. Start in the push up position with your back flat, hips low and weight over your shoulders.

  2. Keeping your hands on the ground and head looking out in front of your, push off/jump one foot up towards your hands, keeping your knee between your arm and back and hips low.

  3. Swap your feet back and forward as fast as you can, without losing form, so you are alternating foot placement as you are running in place. Be sure to keep your back straight.

  4. Continue for 30 seconds working up to 1 minute. Repeat 2-3 times. Start on your hands and knees and get into in a sprinter’s start position.


Opposite Arm/Leg Extension (1 min/30 sec each side)


  1. Kneel on all fours with back flat and palms flat on the ground.

  2. Extend the left arm and right leg out.

  3. Squeeze your abs as you bring left elbow and right knee together under your torso curling your back up as you bring them in towards each other.

  4. Hold for 3 seconds in both extended out and crunched in positions. Repeat one side for 30 seconds and then switch sides. Repeat 2-3 sets.


Russian Twists (1 minute)


  1. Sit with your knees bent and feet crossed.

  2. Lean back until your abs burn (back straight).

  3. Hold arms out in front of you with hands clasped together.

  4. Twist your upper body to move both arms to touch the ground to the outside of one hip. Repeat moving arms from side of the hip to the other side for 30 seconds working up to 1 minute. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Crazy Ivans (1 minute)


  1. Sit with your knees bent and feet crossed a few inches off the floor (modified: leave your feet on the floor)

  2. Lean back until your abs burn. Make sure to keep your back straight.

  3. Clasp your hands together and bring your arms straight out touching the ground outside of your right hip.

  4. Rotate through the upper body to bring your hands up over the opposite shoulder, then down to the same hip, and repeat. Keep head facing forward during the entire time.

  5. Switch to the other side after 30 seconds and repeat for another 30 seconds. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Toe Touches (30 seconds)


  1. Lie on your back with arms and legs straight up in the air.

  2. Using your abs, reach towards your toes with your arms.

  3. Return to start position and repeat for 30 seconds. Try to keep your shoulders from touching the ground on your way back to the start position so your abs remain engaged the entire time.

  4. Continue for 30 seconds working up to 1 minute. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Bridge Lift (30 seconds)


  1. Lie on y on your back with your hands at your sides and palms facing down. Bend your legs so that your feet are flat on the ground and directly below your knees.

  2. Fire your glutes by driving your heels into the ground to raise your hips. Your hips should create a straight line from the knee through the hip and shoulder. Again, maintain this position by firing the glutes (driving the heels into the ground) and not flexing the lumbar spine. You should feel it mainly in your glutes and hamstrings, not your back.

  3. At the top point, draw in the abdominals (pull your belly button toward your spine) and hold.

  4. Hold for 30 seconds for 3 sets. If your legs fatigue and your hips drop before the 30 seconds, reduce each set to 15 seconds.


Bicycle Crunches (1 minute)


  1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles. With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.

  2. Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.

  3. Continue for 30 seconds working up to a minute. Repeat for 2-3 sets.


Supermans (20 reps)


  1. Lie on your stomach with legs straight and feet together and arms straight up by your head.

  2. Lift both arms and legs a few inches off the floor and hold for 3 seconds. Keep feet pressed together and arms straight out passed your head.

  3. Lower and repeat 20 times. Repeat for 2-3 sets.

Listening to your body

As the days become shorter and nature moves into hibernation mode, us humans do the exact opposite. We are at a million holiday parties, eating & drinking more, and running around trying to get everything done. We are moving in opposition to nature and thus, more likely to become sick or feel lethargic.

Take time this winter/holiday season to stop and rest. Maybe skip a day of running or go for a walk with a friend, take that yoga class that has been on your list. Give yourself the gift of time this holiday season, even if it's only 5 minutes.

And if you can't make it to a yoga class or slow down on your run, try Legs up the Wall pose; you'll melt and feel lighter.

Happy Holidays!

Run with the Hot Birds!

Join us tonight (11/23)  for luluemon's first annual Turkey Trot 5k in Central Park. All info is on the Facebook Event Page. Meet at 6pm in Central Park at the light on the West Drive at the top of the hill across from Tavern on the Green. You'll see a bunch of turkeys! (no, really, people are dressing up)

Then, catch us post Turkey Day for a hill running workshop on Wednesday, 11/30 at 6:45. Meet us at lululemon SoHo. We'll head out for a jog down to the Brooklyn Bridge  where we'll do a few hill repeats and show you the basics of hill running. Hint, hint...it'll make you faster and stronger!

See you on the road!

Holiday Eating - A Recipe to be Thankful For

Start a new food tradition this Thanksgiving with our families' absolute favorite recipe at any family gathering, whether it's Thanksgiving weekend, football Sunday or even cocktail hour at my wedding.

Inspired by Deacon's story about his grandmother's cooking in his guest post yesterday, Holiday Eating, I've included the best recipe, hands down, for the perfect appetizer this weekend  . . . Spinach Balls!  Seriously, family and friends will fight over who gets the last one and hover near the oven when the timer is about to go off for subsequent batches.  Click on the image below to enlarge. 



Look for the brand name ingredients listed in the recipe card below when shopping and make sure to squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach in the first step.  Too much liquid prevents the balls from sticking together and creates a soggy inside.  Because the spinach is a bit cold, recruit some helping hands to take shifts squeezing.  Then gather around a table and start rolling . . . and don't be shy on the cheese covering the outside.

Finally, for best results, I recommend cooking baking them until the cheese on the outside turns a nice golden brown.  Almost like you're roasting a marshmallow - perfectly brown on the outside and warm and delicious when you bite into it.   Also, don't forget to double your recipe because you don't want unhappy mouths on Thanksgiving.

Happy Turkey Weekend!


 

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Holiday Eating

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We asked our favorite Ayurvedic doctor, Deacon Carpenter, how he balances the holiday food bombardment. As always, he has some great tips and valuable take aways to understanding food and its value in our lives.

When I was a boy growing up in England, there was one thing about Christmas that I eagerly looked forward to; my grandmother’s cooking.

My grandmother was the most resourceful cook I knew. She would use vegetables from my grandfather’s garden and whip up the most incredible Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes and parsnips. At Christmas, it didn’t matter if we were having duck, goose or turkey, it always tasted delicious and had her own signature to it.

Looking back now, some of the ingredients she used to cook with could be considered completely unhealthy in some circles. For example, she used ‘drippings’ in place of healthy oils like olive oil or ghee. Drippings are rendered fat from roasted pork.

However, my grandmother was from a different generation where they used everything, and wasted nothing. To me, everything she cooked was pure love on a plate.

In Ayurveda, this is known as ‘Oka Satmya’, which literally means pseudo-suitable. In the case of my grandmother’s cooking; it may have been considered ‘unhealthy’ to some, but it was prepared with love, and that made it taste better and made me feel better.

As we enter the holiday season, there are many things we may now consider ‘bad for us’, like marshmallows on sweet potatoes, or green-bean casserole, but the holidays are about compassion, love and togetherness and that is clearly expressed in the food we eat together. So rather than put everything at the table on your ‘avoid’ list and cause a fight with your family, I have a few tips to keep your holiday dining in the spirit.

  1. Embrace you food – many of us feel worse after eating a meal that we know (or have justified) is terrible for us. This is mostly psychological – if you never eat green bean casserole, because you consider the ingredients to be terrible and, you eat thinking this, you will feel pretty terrible. However, if you eat the same dish knowing that a family member prepared it with love, you will generally feel very nourished after the meal.

  2. Don’t fill the tank - Eat until you feel about 2/3 full. This is quite hard for many of us, because our families bring their A-game to the holiday table, and not experiencing ALL of it would just be rude, so be mindful of your portion size, and remember, you MUST have some of Aunt Annie’s Pumpkin pie

  3. The Nooner - Try to have your main Thanksgiving or Christmas meal at lunch – the body’s digestive fire burns brightest between 12:00PM & 1:30PM. Take advantage of the bounty when your body can truly handle it

  4. Dine and Dash– After eating such a feast, most of us want to just sit on the couch as the tryptophan kicks in, but I would suggest that you wait for 20-40 minutes, then go for a walk with your family. This helps your body to digest the food more efficiently.

  5. Get out of the cold – Avoid drinking iced cold beverages. This will bring your metabolism to a grinding halt. Instead, have room temperature drinks and try to avoid drinking a lot of fluids during your meal. To really get your digestion going, try having some hot water with freshly grated ginger.

  6. 80/20 Rule – I try to instill this with all of my clients – follow your diet and routine for 80% of the time, and 20% of the time have fun, celebrate and be with your family.

  7. The morning after – If you did indulge the day before and are planning on going running the next day, ease back into it. A lot of stress is put on the body when we consume more food than we are used to. If you can, hit the road a little later in the morning, and cut your usual distance by 50%. Also, eat a lighter diet – this will help to offset your intake from the day before.


For more information on Ayurveda or to understand what foods are best for your body type, visit www.dailyveda.com

Deacon founded Daily Veda after working in Global Advertising for 16 yrs. He practices yoga, runs and promotes healthy living through natural eating and Ayurvedic medicine. He is an Adjunct Professor at Maharishi University of Management and is a wealth of knowledge and fun.
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Staying Fit After Running a Marathon

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By Caitlin Grams

The marathon is over . . . now what?  Caitlin Grams, who teamed up with Hot Bird Running to train for the Chicago Marathon this fall, explains a few key strategies to maintaining fitness as well as motivation to workout during the months immediately after a marathon.  

MARATHON TRAINING  is a funny thing. You spend months planning your life around a race - scheduling every workout and run, calculating pace, splits, tracking mileage - and then it's over in a day. The day after I ran the Chicago Marathon was a major let down. I didn't know what to do with myself. I had spent months following a strict training plan and suddenly there were no workouts on my calendar, nothing I had to do. I felt both completely lost and totally free. I decided to listen to my body - I took a few days off and then hopped back into yoga and cross training. It was a week later before I went for my first run. Now, a month after my marathon I'm still feeling my way back into running, but I'm loving this time of doing what I want, when I want to.

While it is nice to have the flexibility to do what I want, there is also the danger of totally falling off the wagon post-marathon and not moving enough. When you are coming off of months of planned workouts, not having a plan can make skipping workouts easy, especially as the days get shorter and colder and staying in bed sounds so much nicer than an early morning run. Here are my top 3 tricks to staying fit post marathon:

1.  Do what you want to do - if you don't want to run, don't! Now is the time to fit in all those spin classes you put on hold during training, to recommit to yoga, to try out that new conditioning class you were afraid to start while training. If it sounds fun and exciting to you, you're more likely to get out and do it. If you do feel like running, leave your watch behind - not knowing your time or pace is really freeing after spending so many months consumed by it.

2. Enroll other people - find sweat buddies, make class or run dates with friends so someone else is holding you accountable. Tell other people about your sweat plans so when they check up on you you'll have something to say!

3. Plan your workouts - I spend time every Sunday night comparing my work schedule to my favorite classes and penciling them in, planning runs, and scheduling workout dates with friends. I also usually have a few backups just in case. Going into the week with a plan keeps me motivated.

4. Finally, when you feel ready, sign up for another race! It doesn't have to be a marathon, it can be a 5k fun run, but having something to work towards always keeps me going.

Happy running!

Caitlin is a runner, yogi and SoulCycle addict from Seattle who, thanks to Hot Bird, has come to love crushing Harlem Hill repeats. She is an educator at lululemon Soho, a nutrition student, and blogs at Caitlin Lives Well. 

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Night Running

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As we move farther into winter and the days become shorter, most of us will have to run a few miles at night, in the dark. Running at night offers new challenges and a totally different experience. Night running is exhilarating, different, fun, scary and rewarding. We want you all to continue running throughout the winter and the shorter days in order to experience the joy of night running. However, we want you to be safe.

We checked in with the former safety director of Ragnar Relay, Bruce Matheson, for his top suggestions on how to safely enjoy night running.

Bruce recommends that you run with a headlamp, reflective vest or gear and a LED tail light. In street clothes at night, you are only visible to drivers up to 100 feet. Most reflective vests make it so runners become visible to drivers up to 1200+ feet. (see pictures below) Adding headlamps and flashing LED tail-lights provides increased visibility and safety. He recommends that all runners have reflective gear and LED lights even when running in parks.

When running on the road, he recommends that runners run against traffic. Running against traffic ensures better visibility for automobiles, cyclists, and runners. Listening to music with headphones while running can be dangerous. Runners need to be alert and aware of their surroundings at all times. Make your winter, nighttime runs music free.

Additionally, it's a good idea to carry a cell phone while running and make sure someone knows where you plan to run. Always carry your ID while running. An ID tag, such as Road ID, which states medical conditions/history is also extremely useful.

Runners, be safe, run safe and get out there and run - day AND night!

(photos courtesy of Ragnar Events)

Runner, 150 feet away, without reflective gear

Runner, 150 feet away, with reflective gear

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Marathon Recovery

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By Maren Elliott

We've asked Maren Elliott to follow-up her inspiration post last week, The Final Miles, with a little insight into the recovery during the weeks after those final miles.  

The morning after finishing a marathon I wake up depressed – without fail.  It always seems so silly; I’ve accomplished something great so I should be elated.  Not to mention I’m free of long training runs, foam-rolling sessions, and painful massages.  But somehow the extra time and less regulated schedule doesn’t bring the relief I always anticipate.  I’m antsy, feel out of shape, and generally pretty grumpy.  The emotional recovery from a marathon is typically the hardest for me, but there is also the physical recovery.

Depending on the marathon I may be unable to walk or take stairs without grasping a hand-railing for fear that my legs will buckle and quit working.  Then there are those inexplicable marathons when I feel great the next day, like I could go for a run (and I usually desperately want to).  It can be hard to know exactly how to approach the recovery period especially when you feel out of sync physically and emotionally.

The general rule of thumb is to give yourself as many days to recover as miles you ran.  So for a marathon, you’d take 26 days for recovery.  There have been times when my legs needed twice that before I could even think about lacing up running shoes again.  And there have been times when I’m ready to run a week later.  In both cases the important thing to remember is to listen to your body and not force anything – it is different for everyone.

Taking walks and doing an easy bike ride in the first days after the marathon helps relieve the soreness a bit, and can provide some of the mental release I need in the absence of running.  Regardless of how long it takes, I constantly remind myself to “be nice to myself” during the awkward transition weeks after the marathon.  This sounds easy enough but can be hard when things feel off balance.  If you give yourself the time you need to recover and heal, the first run back will bring the endorphin rush you crave and all will feel right again.

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Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.

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Lance Armstrong said that and it's a great motto. Yet, with the return of my once ancient knee injury, I find myself asking "am I quitting or being smart?"

Recognizing injury and pain, and taking the necessary time to recover is difficult because we come face to face with the "no pain, no gain" mentality nearly everyday. People want to push through challenges, push through the pain and for what? A medal, a time, a good sweat? All of those things are worth it as long as the pain is "good pain" and not "bad pain". I use quotes because my yoga teachers refer to good vs bad pain a lot in class.  Good pain is that dull pain or sometimes burning sensation you feel in your muscles when you push them too hard. This is the pain I feel while doing pushups or a lot of sit-ups. Bad pain is a nervy or sharp pain. When you feel bad pain - stop immediately!

That isn't quitting, that is being smart.  However, many of us do not take the necessary time to recover and rehab the bad pain. It might mean sitting out a marathon you've been training for or not participating in your flag football season. The long term effect of properly resting and recovering is worth missing out on 1 event or 1 season. That's not quitting, that's listening to your body and knowing that running is forever; not a temporary part of your life.

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The Final Miles

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By Maren Elliott

The NYC marathon is only few days away. Success on race day this weekend eventually comes down to those final miles, so we've asked Maren Elliott, a 3:00 marathoner, experienced long distance runner and one of our favorite running advisors, to discuss what it takes to make it to the finish.

Everyone always says that the marathon starts at mile 20. The official halfway point is 13.1 miles, but talk to any seasoned marathoner and they’re sure to share battle stories of fighting through the last 6.2 miles of their most recent race.

For me the real clincher are those final four miles. It is during those painful, long, and seemingly endless miles that my body breaks down and my mind starts telling me I don’t have to finish. I’ve completed 7 marathons and every single time the final four miles try to keep me from crossing the finish line. Regardless of whether I’m running a 3:00 marathon or close to 4:00, once I hit mile 22 all bets are off.

I’ve sat down on a curb in the Bronx to take off my shoe, convinced that my second toe was broken. I’ve stopped at an aid station desperate for ibuprofen (or “Vitamin I” as we like to call it). I’ve almost peed my pants while running down Michigan Ave in Chicago… well, maybe I actually did, just little. I have slowed to a pace that is not much faster than a walk and watched as everyone passed me by.

Though the physical experiences may be slightly different, every time it is essentially the same: I start telling myself that this race is stupid, I don’t have to finish, no one will care if I just give up.

But I never have. Somehow I keep going, one foot in front of the other over and over again. I am never sure what motivates me to continue at that point in the race when everything is telling you to stop. My friends and family would say that it is my competitive nature. I’d like to believe it is inspiration from the other thousands of runners. It is probably a combination of both and the simple truth that life is hard with unexpected hurdles, but you have to keep going.

It is those final miles, the ones that hurt the most and when we’re looking for any excuse to quit, that make the marathon so special. It isn’t always pretty and certainly doesn’t always go as planned, but I know that despite the challenges and pain, I can always finish.

How to dress for cold weather running

As winter rapidly descends upon us, we hear the same question over and over: how do you dress for cold weather running?  Dressing for cold weather running can be challenging because of the balance between body temperature and outside temperature.  If you dress so that you are warm at the start of your run you will most likely over heat within 15 minutes. The key to running in cold weather is layers. Layers will keep you warm by trapping heat against your body. As you generate heat during a run, you can easily remove layers to avoid overheating.

We recommend wearing two to three layers depending upon the weather conditions. Each layer has its own purpose.
Layer 1 - The purpose of the first layer is to wick moisture away from your skin. We like a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt, such as lululemon's Long Sleeve Swiftly tech or a polypropylene shirt.

Layer 2 - The second or middle layer acts as insulation and keeps you warm. This layer should be made from an insulating material such as fleece. It should be able to absorb a small amount of moisture so that it can assist your first layer in keeping your skin dry and warm.

Layer 3 - Your third or outside layer protects you from wind, rain or snow. This layer should keep your insulating and wicking layers dry.  Look for wind resistant and waterproof material such as Gortex or nylon.

Our rule of thumb for cold weather running is that you should be a bit cold at the start of a run. As you run you will generate body heat which will warm you up. If you are comfortable at the start you will overheat quickly. If you are running outside in temperatures below 35-40 degrees F, be sure to keep your head and hands warm. We recommend wearing either a skull cap or a headband that covers your ears.

Our favorite cold weather running outfit is:

Long Running Tights, such as the Full Tilt Tight
Warm base layer:  Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve
Fleecy second layer, such as the Full Tilt Pullover
Lightweight, wind resistant jacket, such as the Hybrid Jacket
Weatherproof Serious Protection, such as Nike Women's Running Storm Fly Jacket

(can you tell we love lululemon? check out lulu's men's winter gear too!)

Running Pants (not tights) like the Untight Tight
Base Top Layer: Run: Base Long Sleeve
Zip Top Layer: Run: Base 360 Zip
Shorts (for all the men out there who only wear shorts): Core Shorts

For those exceptionally cold days, we recommend:

Fleece Gloves :  Mountain Hardware's Women's Deva Glove & lululemon's men's Brisk Run gloves
fleece or wool hat: Patagonia Beanie Hat or Lined Beanie