Fitness
Fitness
Winter trail running kit to beat the freeze
Essential kit to ensure your motivation doesn’t dip during the slushy period.
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It’s dark when you wake, it’s dark when you get home from work. Unless you have a big running event in your diary, this is the time of year when your motivation dips. Why go out for a run when you can light a fire and eat a hearty stew alongside a few glasses of wine?
Well, this kit will make your running less a thing of pain and anxiety, and more a thing of pure joy, as it can result in you going off the endless, tedious asphalt and into the bridleways and woodland that lurks (hopefully) just beyond your normal run routes. And that’s when things get really fun.
1. Trail running shoes: inov-8 Mudclaw 300
Winter running shoes will tackle the worst of the weather
© inov8 / Dave Macfarlane
The king of trail shoes, those chunky 8mm studs are more like something you’d use on a waterlogged Sunday league pitch rather than a 5k run. The name ‘MudClaw’ even sounds like it will help you out of a yawning ravine and power you up the side of a sheer rock face. It might not do all of those things (it’s only a shoe, after all), but lace a pair on and you’ll feel ready to tackle the slippiest, mud-caked terrain winter can throw at your local trails. €135. Get them here
2. Headtorch: Silva Trail Runner 3X
Swedish adventure brand Silva has a range of head torches specifically for trail runners, and with their dark, long winters, Swedes are experts in nighttime illumination. The 3X is our pick, with a mighty 250 lumens, and is charged via USB. That’s more than enough to make the darkest trails light up like a slightly unsettling Blair Witch re-creation. The light gives you up to 65 metres vision and around five hours of charge, so you will soon be leaping logs and dodging trees after sun-down. €78. Get it here
3. Running tights: Under Armour Coldgear Reactor Running Leggings
Your alarm wakes you unnaturally early, there’s a thin layer of frost covering the cars, it’s so early the sun hasn’t even bothered to get up yet. Your bed is right there, so warm, so comfortable. Then you see these: pull them on and you can almost hear your legs sigh with comfort as they trap warmth but are breathable too. You won’t even notice the blast of chill when you open your front door and start striding down the street to the fields beyond. €60. Get them here
4. Rain jacket: inov-8 Protec Shell Waterproof Jacket
You’re going to need a running jacket, and there’s no point in going cheap and getting one that leaks in rain as soon as the Irish weather offers up anything more powerful than a drizzle. You need an outer layer that will actually dam the precipitation, and this new jacket is the one. With taped seams, streamlined cuffs to stop your gloves getting wet and three-layer waterproof fabric, the Protect Shell is the company’s most waterproof jacket yet. And as inov-8 is based in the Lake District, it knows what it’s doing when it comes to trail running in the rain. €325. Get it here
5. Neck warmer: Buff Polar Reflective Neck Warmer
If you are running in winter and haven’t got one of these yet, you – and in particular your poor, cold neck – are missing out. Its makers claim you can wear this neck warmer 13 ways – from the standard scarf-like snood, to an ear-warming headband, to ultra-runners’ favourite as a wristband. There are warmer merino and even Polar versions, but this particular one, in fluoro and with a reflective strip, will make you stand out if you hit the roads. €24. Get it here
6. Gloves: OMM Fusion Gloves
A perfect addition to your winter armoury
© OMM
There is nothing worse than heading out on a cold day and losing sensation in your fingers within 10 minutes. These, from trail expert OMM, are light, tight fitting with a grippy palm to help you grab rocks and branches if you slip, and have that all-important e-tip on the index finger so you can change tracks on your touchscreen when, er, Michael Bublé pops up on shuffle. €30. Get them here
7. Base layer: dhb Merino Long-Sleeve Zip-Neck
Wear this under a jacket and you won't overheat
© dhb
Over-layering can cause heat-based problems in winter and leave you drenched in sweat by the time you’ve reached the corner of your street, so if it’s damp outside, wear this under a rain jacket and you shouldn’t overheat. It’s merino wool, so is super-soft and takes sweat away from your skin, meaning you won’t get too cold. €40. Get it here
