What to Wear Running: Your Guide to Dressing for Every Season

Many runners consider the cooler months of spring to be the best kind of weather for clocking miles, because all you have to do is throw on a short-sleeved T-shirt and leggings or shorts. You don’t need several layers like you do during winter, and you’re not sweating buckets But when the seasons change, certain weather variables&mdash.

But when the seasons change, certain weather variables—temperature, humidity, wind, and rain, to name a few—can throw off your wardrobe game, leaving you stressed about what to wear running so you’re not overheating or freezing your butt off before you even walk out the door.

You can take the guesswork out of getting dressed with our what to wear running tool, which will recommend the right gear for you depending on the conditions outside.

What to Wear Running Tool

Dressing for Ideal Temperatures

No matter what the temperature says, your body is going to heat up as soon as you start moving. A solid rule of thumb: Dress like it’s 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it actually is. Our what to wear running tool takes these factors into account, along with how other various conditions can change the real feel of any given run.

“You should be uncomfortable standing outside as you wait for your watch to sync,” says Elizabeth Corkum, C.P.T., certified run coach at Equinox in New York City and owner of Coach Corky Runs. “If you’re fine simply standing outside, the odds are good you’ll overheat once you warm up into your run.”

The ideal temperature for long distance running, by the way, is between 45 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, (or 7.5 to 15 degree celsius) according to a study published in 2021 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. The researchers analyzed the effects of weather parameters on endurance performance across 1,258 races and found these temperatures were associated with peak performance in well-trained and elite athletes across endurance events, with the 5K being the most vulnerable event to cold stress.

Speed plays a role here too: If you’re running at a slower speed and with less intensity, you may feel more comfortable on the higher end of ideal temperatures (typically in the 50s or 60s).

“If you’re going all out for that long at that temperature, you’re generating so much heat that the cool air environment allows you to be the most efficient,” says Doug Casa, The Best Winter Running Hats The Best Base Layers for Colder Runs, which provides research on exertional heat stroke prevention.